Proposal Land

Better RFP Responses & Management
 
Proposal Land

Going When It’s Time to Go

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Seth wrote about orchestras today.

. . . if the performers wait for a leader in their section to go first,
every entrance and every attack will be muddled.
You need to go when it’s time to go,
not wait to follow closely behind.

I wrote about them a while back. They really do have lessons for proposal teams (as do most areas of joint human endeavour).

P.S. Just remember that the individual members of the orchestra and the proposal team aren’t deciding the timing on their own: They both look to the person serving as the conductor. Well, that’s the way it’s designed to work.

 

Really, Actually, But

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What does the customer really want?
What did they actually ask for?

These are different questions, so it’s not surprising that they generate different answers.

How do they really want us to respond?
What did they actually tell us to do?

These, too, are different questions, so again it’s not surprising that they generate different answers.

Continue reading“Really, Actually, But”

Make Your Writing Better

 

What Seth said, here.

In Proposal Land, put separate ideas in separate sentences or in an adjacent textbox. That includes anything beyond the main point you’re making:

  • exceptions
  • regulations
  • criteria
  • standards
  • caveats

Make embedded lists of stuff into bullets.

Use that period. Some of your ancestors didn’t have it.

LLMs in Proposal Land

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Being off the field, I don’t know if anyone is using large language models (LLMs) to train so-called artificial-intelligence (AI) software on their own proposal portfolio/library, for the purpose of getting first drafts. It would seem like an obvious thing to try.

For how you might use an LLM to train writers or even (Gasp!) editors, here are three great ideas from someone who teaches scientific writing.

Don’t Drown

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Look! Here’s Seth, writing about management reserve.

No, wait, that’s what we call it in Proposal Land. He calls it a ledge: one that will keep you from drowning. It’s a compelling metaphor.

The ledge is a combination of time and money.
It’s the buffer between here and disaster.
The ledge is a foundation, a place we can find our footing as we think about the next steps.
And the ledge offers perspective, because we can realize that even if this moment feels momentous, it might not be.

Stop, now, and go read the whole thing.

And on your next proposal, make sure you have a ledge. Heck, on your next project of any sort, make sure you have a ledge.