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    * Watch Demo Video
      Watch a 4-minute product walkthrough video to see how it works.
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      Register for the 30-minute live demo and a helpful Q&A session.
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    * Book a Demo
      Schedule a 15-min meeting with our sales team.
   
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    * New: Need Sales Answers Fast? Access Loopio From Anywhere
      Sales reps currently spend 440 hours annually digging through old
      documents for answers to customer questions—but Loopio’s new features can
      change that.
      

 * Use Cases
    * Use Loopio For
    * RFP Responses
      Master response automation tools to streamline your RFP process and win
      more.
    * Security Questionnaires
      Empower your teams to answer SQs faster and with increased accuracy.
    * Due Diligence Questionnaires
      Use up-to-date information and simple review cycles to submit DDQs faster.
    * Sales Proposals
      Benefit from our sales proposal builder & templates to accelerate sales
      success.
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      Find accurate sales answers quickly to drive productivity and reduce risk.
   
    * Industries
    * Software
      Make your team’s technical knowledge accessible and collaborate with ease.
    * Healthcare
      Automate complex workflows and simplify review cycles to respond faster.
    * Financial Services
      Finish complex responses in hours with a pre-approved content library.
   
    * Featured
    * Case Studies
      Discover how 1,500 companies finish their work faster, improve proposal
      quality, and drive incredible growth.
      

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      Discover how 1,500 companies finish their work faster and drive incredible
      growth.
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      Loopio.
      

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    * We’re Hiring
      View a list of the latest open opportunities at Loopio.
      

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      benchmarks.
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      View a library of practical templates to boost your day-to-day
      productivity.
    * Community
      Connect with your peers, share real stories, and attend exclusive events.
    * RFP Academy
      Take a free course on Designing Your Ideal Response Process by 5 proposal
      experts.
   
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      Attend or watch on-demand, virtual events hosted by industry experts.
    * Loopicon
      Watch replays of talks and panels from Loopio’s annual customer
      conference.
    * Product Summit
      Watch recordings of the first-ever product summit, showcasing new
      features.
   
    * Browse All Resources
    * View All Blogs
   
    * Popular among your peers
    * 2024 RFP Trends & Benchmarks
      Get early access to Loopio’s fifth annual report, which drops on Jan. 9.
      
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      8-step guide to prepare a response and make the top of the shortlist.
      

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PROPOSAL COORDINATOR CAREER PATH: 5 STRATEGIES FOR WOMEN TO ADVANCE TO DIRECTOR

Cheyanne Lobo
March 30, 2023


Most people don’t plan for a career in proposal management; it’s something that
most stumble into. Take Lucie Gordon, for example.

“Proposal management isn’t something I necessarily thought of being my career.
Especially considering the RFP acronym was something I had never heard of as a
college student,” explains Lucie, who rose from marketing intern to Associate
Director of Proposal Services at Federated Hermes in less than a decade.

As Lucie learned, proposal management is a career with many different directions
for growth. But the question is, how do you advance to the next level?

In this article, you’ll learn from four female leaders who share firsthand
advice on how to climb the ladder from entry-level positions. They’ve reached
the heights of manager, associate director, and even senior director-level
positions at leading global brands like DocuSign and Microsoft.

Considering women make up the majority of the proposal industry, we are sharing
strategies specifically for women, from women, to springboard your career (and
hopefully pay) to new heights.

Learn about:

 * Practicing confidence in the workplace
 * What growth looks like for you
 * The benefits of lifelong learning
 * Building a powerful support network
 * Developing a T-shaped skill-set

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


STRATEGY #1: CLIMB THE LADDER FROM PROPOSAL COORDINATOR JOBS, ONE RAISED HAND AT
A TIME 🙋‍♀️

When Lucie Gordon started at the leading global asset manager, Federated Hermes,
she was a college intern focused on creating marketing PowerPoints. Fast forward
nine years later, and she’s held six different positions at the company.
Advancing quickly from her first official role as RFP coordinator to associate
director of proposal services. 🤯

Her number one tip for climbing the ladder? Confidence.

I think speaking up and being confident in your beliefs and your knowledge base
is so important. I’ve been very lucky to have management that has been receptive
to my ideas and has allowed me to speak up, be present in important meetings,
and just jump into the conversation…I think that’s been a big part of my success
in this field so far, and why I also feel fulfillment in my career.
Lucie Gordon
Associate Director of Proposal Services
Federated Hermes

The statistics back up Lucie’s advice too. Surveys show that 98% of workers say
they perform better when they feel confident. Plus, on average, self-confident
workers earn up to $28,000 more annually (cha-ching). When you show up to work
with a self-assured mindset, you’re more likely to raise your hand, jump in, and
get noticed by leadership.

But confidence can be hard to find when you’re new to the industry or struggling
with fear of failure. We recommend practicing small confidence-building
behaviors like eliminating negative self-talk and reflecting on your
accomplishments weekly.

A great place to start practicing in the workplace is on a low-stakes call or
in-person meeting–try raising your hand. Whether you ask a question or pose a
thought, it signals to your team that you are actively listening and willing to
speak up. When you repeat behaviors like these, you’ll see results in your
performance, self-esteem, and growth–that’s a big win in our book. 👍


💡WHAT IS THE CAREER PROGRESSION OF PROPOSAL COORDINATORS?

Advancement from a proposal coordinator position looks different for everyone.
In Lucie’s example, her growth from RFP Coordinator to Associate Director of
Proposal Services took just six short years, following the trajectory below.

 * RFP coordinator
 * RFP specialist
 * Senior proposal & core content specialist
 * Proposal manager, content & messaging
 * AVP, associate director, proposal services

That said, the career path from proposal coordinator is highly dependent on your
strengths and interests–that’s why it pays to do some self-reflecting (which
we’ll jump into next).


STRATEGY #2: SELF-REFLECT TO DETERMINE WHAT CAREER YOU WANT

The basic questions: who are you? and what do you want? are at the core of any
big decision, especially your career trajectory. That’s why Julie McCoy, the
Senior Director of Global Proposal Management at DocuSign, urges you to strive
for excellence.

Capitalize on your strengths. That’s the one thing I’ve learned as I’ve matured
in leadership. Originally I always looked at these things I was not good at. And
honestly, everyone has things they’re not good at, but you have things you’re
really, really great at, so capitalize on those. Use them, and think, where can
you apply them?…You can be really successful and take different paths
Julie McCoy
Senior Director, Global Proposal Management
DocuSign

But how do you determine what career path is right for you? Well, you can start
by asking yourself these questions to discover what role(s) suits your
strengths. The answers will help inform what advancement can look like for you.

 * What do you want to accomplish?
 * What do you most enjoy about your current role?
 * What do you not enjoy about your current role?
 * Where do you see yourself in five years?

Do you thrive when it comes to teamwork and building relationships? Maybe people
management in a role like bid manager is best for you. Do you enjoy telling a
story and communicating? Perhaps being an individual contributor in a role like
senior proposal writer suits you.

However, it’s important to know career growth isn’t linear. Julie herself went
from a career in HR → her children’s primary caregiver → climbing the ladder
from proposal coordinator to senior director level at DocuSign. Life and work
constantly fluctuate, so prepare to adapt and revisit these questions annually.


💡WHAT IS THE “MOTHERHOOD PENALTY”? (AND HOW IT CAN IMPACT YOUR CAREER)

The motherhood penalty refers to the disadvantage mothers face when it comes to
earnings, earning potential, the ability to get hired, and promotions.

Research from the National Women’s Law Center found that mothers in the US
working full time earn 70 cents for every dollar a father makes (which shakes
out to $18,000 less annually).

In fact, two out of the four women we spoke to for this article (including
Julie) highlighted this as a challenge they needed to overcome, to get to where
they are today. These strategies for advancement are all the more necessary for
women in the workforce looking to address promotion and pay parity.


STRATEGY #3: ACHIEVE CONTINUOUS GROWTH THROUGH CONTINUOUS LEARNING 📚

Embracing the forever student mindset doesn’t mean staying up all night to
finish an essay (or chugging Red Bull). It means welcoming learning
opportunities–which is exactly what our next expert recommends.

Yasmin Ismail is a Proposal Manager at Microsoft, the largest software company
in the world. When she first broke into the industry, she moved from Egypt to
the United States, accepting a job as an RFP specialist in the healthcare
industry, a completely new sector for her. While going into a field as complex
as the US medical system without experience, she intentionally maintained her
curiosity by asking a ton of questions to everyone she could.

Now supporting the Microsoft proposal centre of excellence, Yasmin carries that
same lifelong learner mindset. In a professional context, this mentality has
some serious benefits.

Research shows employees who spend time learning at work are 47% less likely to
be stressed and 39% more likely to feel productive and successful. 🤯 But there
are some more intangible benefits. For instance, you will:

 * Develop specialized skills 🔑 When you take the initiative to learn about
   topics that excite you, the likelier it is that you’ll become an expert in
   the skill(s) you want to master.
 * Bolster your confidence 🚀 There’s a link between competence and
   confidence–as you specialize your skillset, you’ll feel more ready to tackle
   business challenges.
 * Build relationships 🤝 Learning from others requires you to set your ego
   aside and ask questions. As Yasmin explains below, connecting with your peers
   and understanding their work fosters mutual appreciation.

I’m okay with being ignorant about some things. And I’m very candid about saying
I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Can you, in very simple language,
explain it to me? And I usually find that SMEs appreciate that you’re taking the
time to understand what they’re trying to do.
Yasmin Ismail
Proposal Manager
Shipley Associates, supporting Microsoft’s Proposal Center of Excellence


💡ARE PROPOSAL MANAGERS IN DEMAND? 🔎

Yes, they are in demand because the specialized skills that successful proposal
managers possess take time to hone. The career path to proposal manager
typically begins with an entry-level role, as Yasmin’s did. However, progressing
into a management role requires some essential skills you can gain in varying
positions, like proposal writer and proposal specialist. These skills include:

 * Communication to collaborate effectively with stakeholders and senior leaders
 * Time management to work efficiently to meet strict (and often tight)
   deadlines
 * Strong writing skills to produce high-quality proposal responses while having
   an eye for edits
 * Leadership to motivate busy SMEs to submit responses in a timely manner

To learn more about the different proposal roles and job descriptions, check out
Bid Team Structure: Research Reveals Top Roles and When to Hire.


STRATEGY #4: REACH OUTWARDS TO DEVELOP INWARDS

Networking can sometimes feel like a dirty word (I mean, why is there always
cold coffee?). But that’s not always the case. Building professional
relationships goes beyond simply exchanging business cards or a firm handshake.
It’s a powerful support network–especially for women.

Data shows women are less likely to get promoted without mentoring and
sponsorship, so fostering these external relationships is a necessary step to
working your way up, plus everyone in your network will benefit from:

 * Idea-sharing and feedback
 * Exposure to new resources
 * Increased professional visibility

Stephanie Benavidez, Head of Sales Enablement at Loadsmart, explains networking
looks very different now than it did even a couple of years ago, but it’s still
just as critical. She emphasizes the importance of investing in yourself just as
much as you are in others–whether that’s attending online webinars or having
coffee chats.

You know, I think if I were to tell my younger self what to focus on early in my
career, it would’ve been those two things. It would’ve been continuing to invest
in your own professional development and network, network, network…because,
look, you can’t grow in a vacuum.
Stephanie Benavidez
Head of Sales Enablement
Loadsmart

If you’ve always wanted to work in RFPs, a natural progression to proposal
writer would be to become a proposal coordinator on a proposal team. But careers
(and life) don’t always shake out so perfectly. In Stephanie’s case, her path to
Proposal Writing wasn’t quite so clear. After finding a new, exciting job in the
health sector, she was unexpectedly laid off.

Stephanie says,”I found myself unemployed (due to an organizational acquisition
and reorganization), after thinking that I was like on top of the world, and I
had to then figure out, well, what the heck am I gonna do?…but that’s where I
think you have to look inside and say, all right, what can I control here?”

Despite appearing like a roadblock, this setback was actually a door into
proposal writing. Having the resilience to pick up after an experience as
financially and emotionally challenging as a layoff is a feat that we can all
learn from. As Stephanie, herself says, “without risk, there’s no reward in
life”.


STRATEGY #5: BUILD YOUR PROPOSAL SKILLS WITH A T-SHAPED APPROACH

What does it mean to build internal relationships? And what does it mean to
understand where you fit in? It all boils down to embodying both hard and soft
skills, or what recruiters call a T-shaped skillset.

The T-shape is a metaphor for career growth:

The vertical line represents expertise and deep understanding of a particular
field, a.k.a. hard skills (for example, writing compelling responses and
grammar).

The horizontal line represents cross-discipline collaboration and communication,
a.k.a. soft skills (for example, leading with compassion and building
interpersonal connections).

Both are equally important, and developing these qualities helps recruiters and
leadership alike determine how valuable you are to an organization.

But when it comes to winning proposals, there are so many variables, like
competition, capacity, and pricing, to name a few. That’s why growing into your
dream role requires more than just technical skills and producing completed
proposals. We suggest you adopt Yasmin’s frame of mind to avoid burnout and set
realistic expectations:

Every single opportunity is gonna be different with a different set of
challenges. So you need to be constantly evolving and developing your own skills
to handle those many different challenges.
Yasmin Ismail
Proposal Manager
Shipley Associates, supporting Microsoft’s Proposal Center of Excellence

If you found these tips helpful, continue the conversation and post on Linkedin
with the strategy (and leader) you’d like to learn more from. With this
collection of expert insights and continued dialogue, you’re all set to take off
in the world of proposals. 🚀


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