Set the Tone with a Kickoff Call

I was recently talking to a group of proposal management professionals, and someone asked how to convince Account Executives (AEs) that they need us. Everyone in the group sighed: why was this even an issue? We provide end-to-end proposal services, and yet we have to convince others that they should let us do most of the work for them? Shouldn't they be unconditionally grateful for us?? It seems nonsensical. 

Of course, in reality, most sales professionals are unenthusiastic about the RFx process in the first place. Their mentality tends to be "let's get this over with, and let's do it fast." AEs usually want a response as quickly as possible, with as little effort as possible. They may consider the various and sundry elements of the proposal management process to be nothing more than pesky speed bumps on the way to a deal. 

As if our job as people and process wranglers isn't hard enough, we also have to prove that we know what we're doing. There's no better time to do this, and set the tone for the whole response process, than at the kickoff call.   

What is a Kickoff Call?

The kickoff call brings together various sales team members and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to build a cohesive response team. It usually takes place after the RFx has been qualified using response criteria designed to ensure that the opportunity is strategic for the company. If you've been a proposal professional for even a day, though, you know that many RFxs come across the proposal team desk that are woefully unqualified.

Qualification Baggage

By the time the kickoff call happens, you've already been in communications with your response team to qualify and go/no go the response. You may have had difficult conversations already about the RFx and our ability to respond. You may have even been sold on responding to a bid that didn't meet the qualification criteria. This isn't always a bad thing--proposal teams should partner with sales to answer long-shot bids once in a while as an act of good faith--but it can make for some strained conversations.

...But Don't Let the Baggage Hold You Back

Of course, it can be tough to recover from those awkward conversations during qualification in order to lead a really good kickoff. And as we discussed earlier, the enthusiasm for the RFx response process is usually already at an all-time low. But there are ways to double-down on the need for process, while still building trust and confidence in your approach.

Run the Sh*t out of the Kickoff Call

The kickoff call is the perfect space to build team rapport, establish your project management leadership, and conveniently also create a compliance matrix for your proposal. Here's what needs to happen: You need to bring energy, organization, and command to a kickoff call. Below are a few tips for how to run a kickoff call that leaves your team energized and excited for the proposal process. 

1. Lead, don't follow. Whatever logistical challenges there may be, you need to be in command of the meeting. Begin the meeting by immediately demonstrating that you're in charge--whether that's by introducing the team, the opportunity, or the RFx itself. 
2. Use a kickoff call agenda. Share the agenda prior to the call, and then walk through it with your attendees. This will help keep the meeting focused and organized. 
3. Summarize the opportunity. This will show that the team isn't starting from square one, and will also lend you credibility. 
4.  Crush tangents and offshoot conversations. Continue to assert your control of the conversation by guiding participants back to the agenda whenever needed. 
5. Outline the response deliverables and timeline. Show the team that you will be holding them accountable to certain elements of the response, and also highlight how much of the response you will be managing. Show the entire RFx response timeline, including RFx release date, questions due date, and the RFx due date, to demonstrate how important it is to have a long cycle time to respond. This section will also serve as a compliance matrix for your proposal, which is super handy. 

A Teachable Moment

The kickoff call gives us a unique opportunity to prove our value as proposal managers (in very tangible ways) to other team members. Many sales professionals don't realize how much work goes into an RFx response (or they choose to conveniently forget), so laying out exactly what needs to be done, and when, is vital to building respect for the RFx response process. Hopefully, this will help influence what opportunities AEs bring to the table, since they now know how much time needs to go into a response. 

Build Trust to Build Partnership

Building trust between sales and proposal team members is key to creating winning proposals. Proposal managers need to stick up for themselves and assert their value to the sales team, while remembering that compromise and relationship-building are important, too.