Your One-Person Proposal Team
Run Your One-Person Proposal Team Like a Gourmet Sandwich Shop
You’re hired to work as the sole proposal professional for an organization that recently created the position. You walk in … to chaos. They’ve never had a dedicated proposal professional before, and they aren’t quite sure of what your responsibilities should be or to whom you should report. If you’ve ever worked for a small- to mid-size organization, you may have found yourself in a similar situation. If not, buckle up and get ready because it will be an interesting ride. Okay—that may be a little dramatic, but you get the point.
What Do Sandwiches Have To Do With Proposals? If you’ve worked for a large organization with a multi-disciplined proposal team (i.e., a proposal strategist, proposal manager, content developer, desktop publisher, production manager), this may come as a bit of a shock.
In smaller organizations, the proposal team often consists of one person responsible for the entire proposal-development process. I’ve heard an analogy comparing this to a gourmet restaurant vs. a sandwich shop. While gourmet restaurants are great, every company can’t afford to operate that way. And, likewise, everyone can’t afford to dine at a five-star establishment. The sandwich-shop structure is the backbone of small- to mid-size organizations. I believe that the sandwich shop can be gourmet by offering services just as good as the high-end restaurant. Here are five tips for running your one-person proposal team like a gourmet sandwich shop.
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This article, written by Sharell S. Weeams, first appeared in the April 2017 issue of Marketer.