‘Tis the season…of annual leave, holiday parties, and January 2 deadlines. Your team has been ‘sleighing it’ all year and decides to play Secret Santa.
Your proposal manager appreciates the neatly wrapped parcel that arrives early. They open their present to reveal…
- A well-written RFP with clear mandatory and rated requirements
- Flexible submittal instructions – no font type/size or word/page count restrictions
- A bidder briefing with an opportunity for live Q&A
They’re able to minimise the number of clarifications, give their graphic designer flexibility, and develop compelling win themes. They guess that Secret Santa is…the customer’s procurement contact!
Bonus: Strategic Proposals’ Bidders Guide to Buying whitepaper offers advice on how to engage potential suppliers effectively through an RFP process – https://strategicproposals.com/en-ca/cat-white-papers/entry/our-new-white-paper-the-bidders-view-of-buying
Your proposal writer smiles when they see the calligraphy label. They read…
- Timely proposal draft feedback in the format requested
- Specific recommendations for improvement with rationale for the changes
- Suggested replacement wording
They can consolidate comments quickly, close gaps effectively, and elevate scoring 10-20%. They think Secret Santa is…the internal reviewer!
Bonus: Agree a process for incorporating comments after the review (e.g. use a decision log for potentially contentious or conflicting comments).
Your proposal coordinator receives three packages. They multi-task and unwrap them all at once to hear about…
- Sponsorship for training/certifications
- Access to role models, coaches and mentors across your organisation
- Stretch assignments with appropriate support
They’re able to understand industry terminology, feel more confident, and ask questions. They believe Secret Santa is…the proposal team leader!
Bonus: Consider how your organisational design, hiring and development practices need to change in alignment with Generative AI use (e.g. revised job descriptions).
Your graphic designer notices the complementary colours of the paper and ribbon. They open their gift and are excited to see…
- The phrase “make it pretty” has been banned
- There are example diagrams from past proposals rather than illegible sketches on cocktail napkins
- The creative brief has been completed
They can prepare a design concept and mood board, expedite graphic development, and understand the customer’s communication style. They guess Secret Santa is… the business development manager!
Bonus: Make sure your approach is collaborative rather than transactional (e.g. engage your graphic designer early – invite them to your kick-off and win strategy workshops).
Your proposal team leader makes sure they unwrap their present last. They’re pleasantly surprised to receive…
- An approved budget for 2025
- Proposal metrics that go beyond win rate and proposal volume
- Proposal-related KPIs for subject matter experts contributing content
They’re able to recruit, retain and train, plus reduce the risk of burnout. They believe Secret Santa is…their organisation’s leadership/the proposal sponsor!
Bonus: Evaluate where the proposal function sits within your organisation and how you can raise their profile (e.g. internal good news stories/case studies on proposal wins).
Ceri Mescall
Ceri is the Managing Director at Strategic Proposals Canada. Clients trust her to help them win. Ceri is a presenter/panelist, podcast guest, article author/contributor, and awards judge. She holds all four signature APMP certifications plus the Executive Summaries and Bid & Proposal Writing micro-certifications. Ceri was an APMP 40 Under 40 award winner (class of 2019), and is an APMP Fellow (2020) and APMP Accredited Trainer (2024).
