Small proposal centers have unique challenges. These centers are staffed by one or two proposal professionals who manage all aspects of a bid: from RFP analysis to document design to graphics design, writing, editing and production.  Their focus is usually on the local market: state, regional and local government bids as well as commercial. These professionals are juggling more than one information request at a time, usually with response times from four weeks to one week.  Although common with small to mid-size firms, large corporations may also use small proposal centers to provide localized expertise in bidding. But regardless of the company size, small centers struggle with developing opportunities without creating extensive overtime and stress for the proposal staff. As a result, it becomes part of the company culture that proposals are always a last minute rush and that staff have to work late nights and weekends to meet client deadlines.

It is possible to shift this culture to one where proposals are submitted on time and the staff is able to have dinner at home the night before. It involves three steps:

• Understanding why your team doesn’t respond to your schedule
• Changing your approach to an internal client approach
• Using simple, but effective, team management techniques

• Your technical experts are often expected to be 100% billable. This means they are doing the proposal in addition to a full-time job that may already be requiring them to put in extra hours. This can lead to resentment on their part that yet something else is being added to their workload.
• They don’t understand the relationship of bids to projects. To them, projects are real work and a proposal is something to do between projects. Or, they accept the idea that proposals are always a last minute thing.
• Your SME may have a hard time writing to a blank page. Or they start editing themselves with the first sentence and get stuck.
• Your SME may be juggling a lot of priorities. Depending on your company culture, your proposal may be low on their priority list.
• Your SME may have trouble meeting your deadlines because they are on a heavy travel schedule.  It can be hard to complete additional tasks while on the road.

As the above points show, your team is probably as overworked as you are.  It is not personal! They are not ignoring your deadline intentionally. Unfortunately, when this happens, we do tend to take their lack of response personally. The response can take two forms:

• They’re Wrong
• They should act like professionals.  I shouldn’t have to follow-up and remind them.
• They don’t treat me like a professional.
• I’m Wrong
• I was too unreasonable with my deadlines.
• I don’t have the right/authority to tell them to do this.
• I don’t have the right to set boundaries.

Also, what makes proposal professionals good at what they do is time management and the ability to multi-task. It can be hard to remember that the technical experts on our teams don’t necessarily have those skills.  For example, a good engineer sees the details and can focus down on a particular issue. This means they are not always able to see the big picture or able to focus on more than one thing at a time.

As a result, we take the lack of response to our deadlines and information requests personally. And your team is taking your reaction to their lack of response personally as well! To quote Dr. Robert Pennington, in Getting the Cooperation You Need to Succeed, advises:

Unfortunately, most people resist change. So it is likely they will feel some level of discomfort with what you want them to do, even if it would be helpful to you and in their own best interest. They will tend to make a negative judgment about you and about your motives. As described previously, they will take your request personally and think, "You don’t understand how difficult/ challenging/ wrong the change you are asking is." They will react unconsciously in ways that will make you even more uncomfortable.(2)

Taking things personally can lead to:

• Increased stress
• Increased emotions
• Not listening
• Reacting instead of responding
• Feeling rejected
• Decreased efficiency

You can tell you are taking things personally by your response when this happens. As one colleague of mind described it, you have a dialog in your head going in circles, repeating what happened. Or you feel angry and frustrated when you think about the person who’s not responding. 

When you find yourself having an emotional reaction, it means you are taking things personally. Take a deep breath and then look at the situation objectively.  Recognize it means you have a potential issue and create an action to move things forward.

Changing Focus
To stop taking things personally requires taking a mental step back and changing your focus. First, identify what may be driving their lack of response? Is it time, corporate culture, lack of understanding of the process, fear of writing? Second, take a deep breath and remind yourself that it is not personal. Third, if necessary, take a small five-minute break: take a walk, get a beverage, listen to a favorite song, whatever helps you “reset” and come back refocused.

Another key step in not taking things personally is changing your approach to your team. Rather than treating them as colleagues, treat them as your internal clients. This can:

• Create objectivity
• Can improve your relationships
• Change the focus to service
• Allow you to side-step drama

Think of it this way, your Principal in charge, segment leader, Project Manager, are actually internal clients. This helped me develop an objectivity that actually improved my relationship with them.  It also helped change my approach to be service-oriented. When I was an independent contractor working onsite, it was easy to step outside the politics, the drama. Because it wasn’t connected to me. It didn’t matter. I had no buy-in to that.  When you are an employee, it is a little harder to do that.  But by treating them as internal clients, it will help you retain objectivity.

It is also important to remember that when you treat people like you want to be treated, it can create goodwill and shift a conflict to a relationship. Face it – we miss deadlines too; we get overloaded; we often have to change midstream and work on a new priority. When that happens, we hope people will understand and cut us some slack. When we think about it, we go “of course.”  But in the rush of a proposal, this is easy to forget. So treat your team, if you had a problem with a deadline, as if:

• You were overloaded on another proposal
• You had writer’s block
• You were assigned a higher priority
• You were traveling

• Plan for work styles
• Be proactive
• Get them with honey
• Peer pressure

Plan for Work Styles
First, build slippage in your schedule. I always plan at least 24 hours slippage at the end of the schedule, even for one week timelines. Also, build your schedule around your slow pokes; your team members who always leave things until the very last minute. Assign them due dates that are at the beginning of your schedule. But, when planning your own work flow, plan to process those sections last.

The other key trick in working with slow pokes is to remember to regularly remind them about the due date. Again, understand they will not respond in a timely manner because of other commitments or their own personal working style. Recognize that their working style will help you turn these team members into an asset instead of a bottleneck.

What happens when the slow poke is a Senior VP or President of your company?  Make the Executive’s section the first thing due and plan to make it the last section you drop in. Then say to them “the proposal is all ready except for . . . .” That usually is enough to get them moving.  It will also save stress on your part. And it will make you look organized and professional!

Just as there is always a slow poke on your team, there is also usually an “early bird.”  Plan your schedule around them as well.  Give them early due dates and process their section when you receive their contribution. This has two benefits. First, you will fill like things are progressing which will help your confidence and keep you from getting frustrated. Second, it will provide impetus to your team because they will see someone has already contributed.

Remember to plan for your own workload or style.  Assign yourself items you find easy to do up-front. Plan your time for editing and production at the end of the schedule.  I will plan for fun items up-front: cover, tabs, resumes, and writing informational text. That way they are complete. It also provides a sense of you moving forward. 

Use the time you are waiting to develop your graphics.  Meet with your team and ask them to give you an outline of their approach or to sketch you a drawing of how the project will flow or what the solution provides the client. Just as graphics help your clients understand your concepts, it also can help your team explain your concepts.  A drawing can often break writer’s block as it gives the writer a visual outline of their section.  It will also help your authors to give you a section close to what you want.

Be Proactive
Because your team is as busy as you are, do not expect them to automatically remember deadlines. You will get a much better response if you take a proactive approach and remind your team of upcoming deadlines on a regular basis.  This can be done quickly and easily with a little bit of organization.

For example, I’ll send out a master assignment table like this. Do this even if you send out a proposal or pursuit plan!  No one reads them! [FIGURE 1] Tailor e-mail to the size of the team and effort.  If you are dealing with individuals who are visual, then show the assignments on a calendar like this. [FIGURE 2]

Once I send out the master schedule, I’ll send out regular e-mail reminders. How often these go out will depend on your overall schedule and where you are in the process. Notice, I have one line in green. That is acknowledgement that that item has been received.  And, in line with treating the team as my internal customers – I give an acknowledgement to that person. [FIGURE 3]

By using this general approach, no one on your team will feel singled out.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

For those of you who use Outlook, One technique that found my team actually appreciating is using follow-up flags to remind my team members of deadlines.  Here’s how you do it.  [FIGURE 4]

Figure 4

Another key tool at your disposal is the telephone. Some people get so many e-mails, yours just gets lost. There are, also, people who hate e-mail. Never rely on just e-mail. Call your team members on a regular basis. Telephone conversations are a great way to build rapport in a way an e-mail cannot. By using open ended questions, you can find out what the real problem is if someone has hit a snag. That will allow you to be proactive and resolve the issue in a timely manner.

Whenever you do have a problem, remember to not take the situation personally. As mentioned previously, Take a deep breath and then look at the situation objectively. Instead, analyze the problem and create an action to solve it. Creating an action keeps you moving forward.

Get Them with Honey
As I mentioned before, phone calls should always be part of your arsenal. The day before items are do, call that team member. Acknowledge you know how busy they are. I’ll always ask if they have a moment to talk.  I always say I appreciate their time working on this proposal as I know how valuable it is.  Then I acknowledge what they say and repeat the commitment. Again this goes back to treating them like a customer. For example:

“I know how busy you are, but I wanted to find out if you will be able to get me that section by tomorrow? It would really help me create a proposal that will win this job for you.”

If they say they cannot meet your deadline, ask how you can help.  Treat this as an opportunity to develop a solution to the problem. Find out what the problem really is. Do they hate to write? Have they been assigned a high priority? Do they have a family situation that needs their attention? Then work with them in developing a solution. Solutions can take many forms. It could be adjusting the schedule to accommodate a new priority they have. It can be assisting with research on past history or a project. It can be drafting a write-up based on a previous submittal or developing an outline for them. It can also consist of interviewing them with questions related to their section; which you then write and submit to them for review. By taking these steps, you show you are treating them as a valuable member of the team and that you are empathic to their situation. Realizing you are there to help them can make a big difference in the response you get.

• Talk with your Project Manager about who else can write that section. Sometimes things can be re-delegated.
• Add their up-line manager to the distribution list (if it is not the champion/PIC.)
• Call a colleague or a project manager they have worked under, and ask them what the best way to get someone to respond is.  They know the person and can often guide you in the best way to build cooperation with them.

At your 50% point, send out a follow-up e-mail to the whole team. Highlight items that are overdue.  I will use a red font.  Also show items that are complete and acknowledge them.  I will use green or blue for these. Here’s an example. [FIGURE 5] This is an effective way of setting boundaries and showing your team you are serious about deadlines.

Figure 5

If you find yourself still without sections when you are ready to go to review, don’t panic. Remember, they were responsible to get it to you. It is not your job is not to rescue them or protect them from consequences. Simply show in that blank section of your Review Draft, the team member’s name in large red caps. This can be a very effective method of getting your team focused and back on assignment.

Managing Success
Mix and match these techniques depending on how formal your process is, the size of the pursuit, the size of your team, and how short your schedule is. For example, if I am on a very small team consisting of myself and the Project Manager, I will meet with them in person or call them as needed to discuss status and what is still outstanding. If my timeframe is short, then I’ll do all my assignments up-front and early so I can spend my time on the back end, writing and editing sections as they come in.

By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your team and planning for them, by actively engaging your team rather than waiting for them, by recognizing they are in the same boat you are, and effectively, but lightly, using peer relationships, you can effectively reduce overtime and stress.  It may take several times of using these techniques before you will see a major difference.  But as you work with your team, they will start finding the process is easier for them as well and will find they enjoy working with you. But even on proposal teams where that doesn’t happen, you will still find yourself better organized and less stressed. And with luck, you will be able to enjoy dinner at home the night before your deadline.

References

1. Recognizing the Dangers of Sleep Deprivation. Dummies.com http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/recognizing-the-dangers-of-sleep-deprivation.html
2. Getting the Cooperation You Need to Succeed
   By Robert Pennington & Stephen Haslam
   http://bfma.typepad.com/blog/2009/01/personal-development-series-keynote-speaker-for-symposium.html
3. Ellen DeGeneres Sits Down with The Four Agreements Author don Miguel Ruiz; O, The Oprah Magazine,
   October 15, 2001
   http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Ellen-Degeneress-O-Magazine-Interview-with-Author-don-Miguel-Ruiz
4. Getting Winning Prose from Non-Professional Writers, Olessia Smotrova-Taylor, Presentation, 20th Annual APMP International Conference, Rancho Mirage, California, June 2009
5. Proposal Professional's Bill of Rights, The Proposal Guys, Strategic Proposals, www.strategicproposals.com or  www.theproposalguys.com

Jeannette Waldie, PPM.APMP, has over 15 years experience in developing and managing commercial and regional government proposals, where she has worked both as a Proposal Lone Ranger and as part of large proposal centers. President of the Greater Houston Chapter of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals, Jeannette has a BA in Marketing and works as a Proposal Specialist for AECOM in Houston. If you have questions or comments on this topic, please contact me at jeannette.waldie@att.net.

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