Thankful to be a Proposal Generalist

By Alexa Ramsey, CP APMP

I consider myself to be a marketing and proposal generalist. Throughout the entirety of my career, proposal management has been my primary job function. But like many marketers in the architecture/engineering/construction (A/E/C) industry, I didn’t just serve one area of proposal development. I was never a specialist in anything – I was never just a dedicated writer, graphic designer, editor, or purely just the one managing the process. I did it all. As I reached my 10-year career milestone in 2023, I look back and am thankful to have the generalist experience as it’s built me into a well-rounded marketing professional. Being a generalist has helped me develop in several areas: 

Content Creation  

I’ve developed hundreds of proposals. This includes creating written material and designing graphics or page layouts. I’ve stumbled through answering client requirements with strict page limits. I’ve determined how to clearly articulate win themes and develop easily navigable documents. I’m thankful to have learned how to make digestible content that resonates with our clients.  

Project Management 

Acting as a proposal manager, I drove the schedule and kept others on task. I was responsible for understanding all ensuring the proposal was started, produced and finalized. Most importantly, I was responsible for confirming all pursuit team members knew their expectations and holding them accountable to those expectations. I’m thankful to have learned how to keep organized and move a goal forward with a team.  

Cross-Functional Collaboration  

Often, I found myself needing information from another team and/or department to formulate an RFP response. I know I have thousands of emails archived to Human Resources, Accounting, Legal and executive leadership groups inquiring and asking for support. I’m thankful to be comfortable in going outside of my team to collaborate and I’m very thankful to be comfortable in asking for help.  

Marketing/Sales Processes   

If you want to develop a proposal in a non-chaotic manner (AKA avoid the eleventh-hour panic), you need to follow a process. Thankfully, APMP provides an excellent framework to follow. By adapting APMP’s method, I know a quality proposal deliverable can be completed without undo stress. I also understand this framework is more easily followed by the entire pursuit team when there is a structure in place (i.e. having a maintained and organized library for written content or photos). I’m thankful to understand the importance of proven processes.  

Strategic Planning 

We all know planning ahead leads to better outcomes. APMP has proven this when it comes to chasing pursuits (capture planning leads to higher win rates). By going through capture planning scenarios, my brain is trained to think ahead. I’m always questioning, “What information do we need to know now before we can move forward?” or “What can we be doing now to be ready later?” I’m thankful to have deliberate and intentional critical thinking skills.