The Capture process is more than identifying a customer’s requirements and objectives in a Request for Proposal (RFP).  Here are seven steps to help you develop your capture process. 1. Know the Customer Ideally, your capture process starts prior to the release of the RFP. It should begin with understanding the customer’s needs, wants, likes/dislikes, and their procedures and business culture. Also, determine the key decision-makers and their backgrounds. Knowing these details, no matter how small,

When overwhelmed by a deadline, I can fall into unhealthy mental habits. I get stressed, frustrated, and exhausted. However, years ago, I started using three techniques to ensure a happier, healthier, and more successful me. I learned these strategies from successful business professionals and life coaches. The following strategies work well together to help me remain positive and less stressed. Use what works best for you. 1. The Platinum Rule. The Golden Rule recommends, “Treat

Storyboards have long been a part of our standard proposal best practices. We all know that the proposal giants include storyboarding as an integral part of the proposal development process, but where did this concept of storyboards originate? Interestingly, the storyboarding process, in the form we know it today, was actually developed at Walt Disney Productions during the early 1930s! Traditionally, a storyboard is a graphic organizer of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for

Color team reviews, you know them. Those dreaded meetings when you take a hard look at the draft of your proposal and realize that you have a ton of work to do before this thing is a winner. Is there any way to make these reviews less painful and more productive? How can I get what I need from my reviewers the first time?  In the next 1400 words I’ll do my best to share

Note from the editor: This is a reprint of an article originally from Spring 2011 Executive Summary Ezine, written by past NCA board member Alexander Brown (2005 - 2015). This article may be 10 years (!) old, but as the mother of a young child every word here still rings true in 2021: “My life revolves around my girls” is a mantra I adhere to. Each morning I wake up happy that I have another

If you're a student of proposal writing, check out APMP-NCA's Graduate Pathway Program. There are valuable opportunities to expand your education, network with peers and gain insight from proposal mentors along the way. For more information on this program, please email ProfessionalDevelopmentCoChair@APMPNCA.org. Originally published February 2020 As a student of proposal writing rather than an active member of the field, it does feel presumptuous to be writing about the topic with a mere two semesters

I remember my first day working in Proposals - it was just me and one other person and we split all the work 50/50. Together, we made up the proposal manager, proposal coordinator, capture manager, editor, graphics artist, and every other role needed in between to create our finished masterpiece of a proposal.  We were both in our first role when it came to responding to RFP’s, and thinking back, how we could’ve used a

FOMO is real if you didn’t attend CBDC last week… It was THAT good, for those of us wanting to begin the new year with a renewed focus on capture and business development excellence. However, if you missed out—fear not. Here, we break down the highlights and key takeaways from CBDC and give you a chance to weigh in on what you want to see from your local APMP NCA chapter.  This year’s all-virtual conference

A huge thank you to all of our readers, new and old, who stay up to date with our weekly blog, Pens Down - we look forward to sharing so much more the rest of the year! A look back at The Executive Summary It’s been a few weeks since we’ve started this new weekly format, and I thought it would be fitting to take a look back at our humble beginnings as a bi-monthly

Three Ways Proposals Are Like Building a House Happy 2021! After a challenging and rocky 2020, I know so many of us are looking forward to new beginnings and a smoother year in 2021. I’m definitely no exception. In fact, my fiancé Kevin and I are in the process of building our dream home. But it wasn’t something we set out last year planning to do—we just kind of—fell into it.  As you know, safe,