Proposals professionals spend a lot of time trying to motivate stakeholders. Better briefings. Earlier asks. Stronger escalation paths. It works sometimes. It also fails a lot of the time.
Behavioural economics explains why. More importantly, it gives you something more reliable to work with. These patterns show up differently depending on who you are working with. But the mechanics do not change.
Loss aversion
People feel losses more strongly than gains. On most proposals, the gap between first and second is small. A few percentage points is common. Stakeholders who understand that behave differently. Most contribution requests focus on what a win could achieve. That is abstract. Be specific about what a weak contribution costs.
Status quo bias
People default to whatever takes the least effort. On a proposal, that usually means recycled content, late inputs, or something that fills the space without earning the score. Contribution quality tracks the quality of the ask. Not the character of the contributor. You can push standards. Or you can make it easier to respond well. The second works more often.
Anchoring
Your first ask sets the standard. “Write the technical section” gets you a technical section. “How would you actually deliver this, and why would a client pick you over anyone else?” gets you something usable. You have already set an anchor before you realise it. Set it deliberately.
Present bias
People prioritise what is in front of them. A bid outcome in six months does not feel real. A performance conversation next month does. The most consistent contributors are the ones who can see a clear link between the pursuit and something they are already measured on. Tie the ask to what matters now.
The peak–end rule
Most contributors never get a clear read on their input. They hear the final result. That is it. A win makes everything feel right. A loss makes everything feel wrong. Neither reflects the actual contribution. Calling out what someone’s input achieved, regardless of outcome, changes how they show up next time.
The “us vs them” narrative is easy to default to. Stakeholders are unresponsive, disengaged, and hard to work with. A more useful question: what conditions are we creating? Before your next bid kicks off, look at these five patterns. Which ones are you shaping on purpose? And which ones are you leaving to chance?
Ceri Mescall
Ceri Mescall is Managing Director of Strategic Proposals in Canada and an experienced bid and proposal professional. With 20 years in high‑stakes pursuits, she shares practical, evaluator‑led insights drawn from real bids — bridging sales, capture, proposals, and presentations. ISP Fellow + APMP Fellow, Approved Trainer, 40 Under 40 award winner.
