The Great Resignation:
5 Strategies to Fix Your Proposal Talent Crisis
"The Great Resignation" has been a thing for a while now. We think it's time to call it what it is: a talent crisis. It impacts every industry, including proposals, and there's more than one cause.
“The future does not fit into the containers of the past.”
~ Rishad Tobaccowala ~
We’re all about solutions and offer 5 Strategies to Fix Your Proposal Talent Crisis below.
Even if you don’t work on proposals, you might know someone who does. We brainstormed these strategies with the proposal industry in mind. However, we think they apply to nearly every industry. Either way, we encourage you to share these strategies.
Implement these five strategies today to move out of crisis and into resolution mode.
1 - Flip the script: Proposal Teams are a critical INVESTMENT (not overhead)
Proposal teams are a vital component of the business development lifecycle. Pursuit teams consist of proposals, sales, and marketing. Together, they market your company, scope out new clients, develop relationships, and demonstrate value to future customers.
In short, proposal teams are not overhead. Proposal teams are a critical investment.
2 - Retain: Invest in people, processes, and tools to keep your valuable team members
Wondering how to expedite proposal processes and take the heat off of proposal team members? Invest in proposal content libraries, automation software, and professional development. These tools empower your team to know where to find reusable content, quickly shred a document, or have ready-to-go templates.
Above all, this will keep the timeline on track and make your proposal team very happy.
3 - Flex: Support your bench with surge resources from staff augmentation providers
At this moment, there are countless experienced proposal professionals with consulting agencies. When deadlines are tight, or there’s too much work to go around, augment your team with consultants and contractors.
4 - Career Boost: Cross-train and train up your existing talent pool
Sometimes the answer to your staffing issue is right under your nose. Did anyone on another team step up to help with a proposal during crunch time? Has a team member expressed interest in becoming a proposal pro? Explore options within your operations, sales, and marketing teams and invest in their training.
5 - Reset: Create a proper entry-level role that doesn't require 1+ years of RFP experience.
When every “entry-level” job requires direct experience in the field, there are no real opportunities for new faces. Find talent by looking beyond experienced pros and prioritizing training and mentoring. In turn, developing entry-level employees creates a sustainable and systematic workforce for your proposal teams.
We hope you find these tips helpful.
Proposal teams take all the sales and marketing teams’ hard work and compile it into a comprehensive, show-stopping proposal. This, in turn, wins clients and contracts.
How do you begin the healing for your proposal talent crisis? Understand that your proposal team works long, hard hours and needs support and gratitude.
If you don’t know where to start, we do. We have solutions that will help you move from crisis to solution mode. Reach out to us today.