In our rapidly changing and dynamic world, we rely upon substance and structure to keep ourselves sane and smiling. Skilled communication, insight and attention to detail are key factors in helping proposal development function swimmingly. Let’s talk PDF protocols, shall we?
It’s important that the sales team pays particular attention to the process that we follow at the Creative Studio. We love being on the same page – it makes for a smooth process, a strong partnership and a successful proposal. It also makes us happy.
Our collective teams have a system when building a proposal. For starters, if the Creative Studio receives a marked-up template from you, the sales rep, we’ll begin there with your first round of edits. If not, we’ll send you an initial draft of the proposal you’re bidding. This will include the updated client name and logo and any region-specific information. You’ll then be able to customize the subsequent drafts based on the client’s specific needs or requirements.
For the next steps, please follow these five perfectly designed formalities.
1. Leave the editing to us.
Don’t edit text in the PDF. That’s what we’re here for. We have no way of knowing what text changes you made if a PDF happens to be unlocked. Please stick to stickies, highlights and comments.
2. Limit the number of people making edits to the PDF.
It’s preferable that we have one point of contact when working on proposal drafts. We can’t tell you the number of times we’ve gotten conflicting comments when several people are involved. Have one person act as the filter.
3. Don’t call with edits by phone while we’re working on the current draft.
This is confusing and time-consuming. Be a rock star and provide edits in the PDF only, please.
4. Limit “borrowing” from other proposals.
We understand that there is often valuable information in other proposals that you’d like to reuse. When possible, extract the PDF pages and email them or place them in the designated project folder. Or, copy the desired content and paste it directly into the PDF comments so that we can format it according to the proposal’s design.
5. Be resolute with your edits.
Don’t comment in the form of a question. It’s confusing and adds more time. By being firm with your comments, you’ll minimize the number of drafts and back-and-forth questioning.
Please don’t forget: We love hearing that you won the bid! Your success is our success, and we’re here to support you in any way possible. Following these important PDF protocols will help make the magic happen.
