Connect, learn and strategize at Responsive Summit 2023. Also, check out the blog about our rebrand.

THE RFPIO BLOG

Start Responding Like a Pro

The RFPIO blog is full of insights and best practices, giving you the tools you’ll need to streamline your process and respond with confidence.

Featured Post

The RFP proposal writer: Role, skills and resources

The RFP proposal writer: Role, skills and resources

People & Teams

Proposal writers play an essential role in winning RFPs and driving revenue. Explore everything you need to know about this profession including key skills, responsibilities and resources for professional development.

Category: Tag: proposal team

The RFP proposal writer: Role, skills and resources

The RFP proposal writer: Role, skills and resources

People & Teams

There’s an art to creating proposals that are fact-filled, persuasive and memorable. It takes a combination of creativity, attention to detail, sales savvy and marketing know-how. Consequently, an effective RFP proposal writer embodies all of these attributes and leverages them to help their business win RFP opportunities.

The RFP proposal writer role provides a unique opportunity to connect with customers and directly influence business growth. It’s a challenging, exciting and rewarding position ⁠— do you have what it takes to be successful?

In this blog, we’ll explore the role of a proposal writer in detail. First, we’ll define the position and how it fits into the proposal team. Next, we’ll focus specifically on the responsibilities and skills required. Finally, you’ll discover recommended resources for proposal writers.

The proposal writer role

What is a proposal writer?

A proposal writer, sometimes called a bid writer, is the person responsible for creating complete and compelling responses to the questions posed in a request for proposal (RFP). Their goal is to help the organization articulate their value and win new business. The title of proposal writer may refer to any position focused on creating persuasive documents including grant, research or project proposals. However, this blog and the advice included focuses on professionals who write in response to RFPs.

Role in the proposal team

Within the proposal team, the RFP response writer reports to and works closely with the proposal coordinator or manager responsible for proposal project management. In large organizations, a single proposal writer may work on multiple RFPs and projects simultaneously. On the other hand, in other organizations, one employee may serve as both the proposal manager and the proposal writer.

Key responsibilities of an RFP proposal writer

From one business to another, the responsibilities of the proposal writer vary. Ideally, the proposal writer dedicates themselves fully to the composition of proposal content. However, they may perform other duties as a part of the proposal team. 

Proposal writer responsibilities

  • Read incoming requests for proposals 
  • Participate in kick-off meetings, strategy sessions and proposal project planning
  • Review and customize RFP responses from the proposal content library
  • Collaborate with subject matter experts (SMEs) and proposal contributors to articulate complex facets of products and services
  • Review and edit RFP responses created by SMEs and stakeholders from various internal teams
  • Ensure responses follow brand style and tone guidelines as well as coach SMEs as needed
  • Verify that responses address key customer hot buttons and win themes
  • Write or review additional RFP response documents and attachments including RFP cover letters and executive summaries
  • Incorporate feedback from proposal review sessions
  • Assist with proposal knowledge management and retention of content for future use

The most important proposal writer skills

Communication

The whole purpose of the RFP process is to communicate. Accordingly, it should be no surprise that clear communication is the first skill on our list of must-haves.

RFP proposal writers excel at expressing complex ideas and concepts in a way that is approachable and easy to understand. Indeed, they must produce written work that is articulate and free of typos. In addition to being a master of the written word, you must also be able to effectively communicate and collaborate verbally with colleagues.

Collaboration

As a proposal writer, you’ll work closely with colleagues from all areas of your business. While every person you work with will deliver value to the process, they may not be able to instinctually express differentiators and value. Luckily, that’s where you come in. As you connect with contributors, it’s important to collaborate by listening, brainstorming, clarifying and interviewing them.

From executives and department heads to specialists and consultants, you’ll spend time working closely with a variety of roles. Together, you’ll work from one question to the next to identify key elements to include in your answers. Then, you’ll write to show the prospective customer exactly why your company is their best choice. 

Time management

Successful proposal writers are experts at project management and prioritization. Moreover, they may work on several proposals or projects concurrently with overlapping deadlines. Consequently, the ability to adhere to a strict proposal timeline and avoid delays is highly prized. In any case, the fast-paced work is rewarding and those who are highly motivated and organized tend to thrive.

Attention to detail

It’s not uncommon for RFPs to include dozens of complex requirements. Consequently, the corresponding proposal may span a hundred or more pages. Accordingly, proposal writers need to be tenacious, thorough and meticulous.

In addition to ensuring the proposal response meets the RFP requirements, proposal writers must check each response for a number of things. For example, they must write and review for accuracy, grammar, readability, style, terminology and more. 

An aptitude for technology

As with most modern careers, technology is now a significant part of the day-to-day operations of many proposal teams. Indeed, professionals with technology experience are in demand. More specifically, those with proposal software experience are particularly sought after. Designed specifically to improve efficiency in the RFP response process, these solutions are widely used by leading proposal teams.

The best RFP software solutions centralize the entire process. Specifically, they enable proposal project management, content knowledge management and data collection.

Resources for proposal writers

While the proposal process can be complex, fortunately, there are lots of RFP response tools that lighten the load. From collaboration and proposal management to persuasive writing and grammar, there’s a software, tool or resource to help you hone your skills.

To connect and learn: Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP)

If you’re looking to deepen your proposal process knowledge or network with peers, look no further than the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP). With APMP, you’ll find education, commiseration and collaboration in one place.

To sharpen your persuasive writing skills: Chip & Dan Heath – Made to Stick

While this book isn’t specifically for proposal writers, the skills it teaches are incredibly valuable to the RFP response process. It focuses on reviewing your writing for six key elements — simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotion and stories.

To check proposals for readability and grammar: Hemingway Editor

Using the Hemingway App is incredibly easy. To analyze your proposal responses, simply copy and paste them into the app and work through the text. Then, the app helpfully highlights sections that need attention. For example, you can quickly review your work for difficult to read sentences, passive voice, simplicity and overuse of adverbs.

To expand your expertise: LinkedIn Learning

Looking to expand your skill set? Start with the courses on LinkedIn Learning. It seems that there’s a course for every aspect of the proposal process in addition to topics that will expand your expertise. Make professional development a priority and expand your horizons into sales, marketing and business development courses as well.

Conclusion

Ultimately, proposal writers use the RFP response as a canvas to paint an appealing picture for potential customers. How will everyone benefit? What will a partnership with the business look like? How do the mission, vision and values of the two companies align? Without a doubt, much of persuasion is about getting the proposal evaluator to imagine themselves as your customer and compel them to take the next step.

Not only is the proposal writer a key element of business growth, but they also enjoy close relationships with key contacts throughout the business. Consequently, this exposure and insight continually improve their understanding of the business while providing visibility to the value of their work. All of these elements make this role ideal for someone who is creative, empathetic and ambitious.

How a proposal coordinator keeps RFPs running smoothly

How a proposal coordinator keeps RFPs running smoothly

People & Teams

Want to create winning proposals? Of course you do, but how? Well, talking with a proposal coordinator is a good place to start. The person in this role has to be a flawless communicator, organizational whiz, project management master and more to get the job done. You definitely want them on your side.

This post will explore the proposal coordinator role, their responsibilities and how they whip up winning RFPs.

Contents

What is a proposal coordinator?

First things first: What is a proposal coordinator? A proposal coordinator is the person responsible for managing the creation of proposals. They often work with proactive proposals and RFP responses. Generally, they are part of the sales, marketing or revenue operations team.

Proposal coordinator responsibilities

Proposal coordinators — like the name suggests — are responsible for coordinating proposals.

A proposal coordinator’s responsibilities include

  • Managing the creation of proposals
  • Collaborating with subject matter experts, sales and other team members to write the proposal
  • Verifying proposals are formatted consistently and correctly
  • Ensuring proposals are compelling, accurate and complete
  • Facilitating the proposal review process
  • Cataloging and organizing proposal content for future use

As you can see, creating winning proposals involves a lot of moving parts … and proposal coordinators make sure those moving parts come together successfully.

Key skills of a proposal coordinator

Proposal coordinators have a hand in every stage of the proposal creation process.

According to PayScale, they must:

  • Coordinate and maintain team documentation efforts for responses to RFPs
  • Analyze requirements and ensure that proposals meet requirements
  • Edit and rewrite proposals, including creating templates and boilerplate text
  • Draft proposals and communicate across teams to get input and meet deadlines

Because of the wide range of tasks they must complete, successful proposal coordinators are often skilled in many areas, including:

  • Marketing
  • Sales
  • Research
  • Writing and editing
  • Managing people
  • Psychology
  • Graphic design

While you’re unlikely to find a candidate who is extremely skilled in every one of the categories listed above, they should understand the basics.

In most cases, the best proposal coordinators are T-shaped employees. For those who aren’t familiar, TechTarget defines a T-shaped employee as “an individual who has deep knowledge and skills in a particular area of specialization, along with the desire and ability to make connections across disciplines.”

They go on to explain that “the horizontal bar of the T symbolizes a breadth of general knowledge,” while “the vertical stem of the T symbolizes the depth.” Put simply, T-shaped proposal coordinators have a working understanding of a wide range of categories and specialize in at least one area.

This allows them to keep the big picture in mind when coordinating proposals. At the same time, ensure they have the expertise needed to maximize their impact.

Proposal coordinator challenges

Being a proposal coordinator isn’t always easy. Indeed, many proposal coordinators feel like their job is much like herding cats. Common challenges include:

  • Piecing  together scattered responses from multiple subject matter experts (SMEs)
  • Following up with SMEs multiple times asking for their input
  • Meeting tight deadlines for RFP responses
  • Finding the right proposal content from previous projects
  • Tailoring the content to meet the prospect’s needs
  • Adjusting and ensuring proper proposal formatting

It’s not exactly easy. But with the right tools, skills and support, you can master the process.

How to overcome these challenges

While getting SMEs to provide timely content is challenging, it’s absolutely critical. Proposal coordinators need to leverage their expertise, and they need to have enough time left over after receiving their content to tailor the language to the prospect’s needs.

Unfortunately, many proposal coordinators fall victim to the hurry-up-and-wait mentality. However, the most successful develop a more proactive approach.

Develop a template

Proposal coordinators have to make it incredibly easy for SMEs to give them the content they need.

A great way to accomplish that is by creating proposal templates. Templates provide clear direction that makes it simple for SMEs to answer prospects’ questions. They also ensure SMEs provide responses in the most useful format.

Create the first draft

Another great way to simplify SMEs’ involvement in the proposal process is to draft answers to request for proposal (RFP) questions and ask SMEs to review.

True, this first draft will likely contain incorrect information. After all, proposal coordinators don’t have the same expertise SMEs have. But, as long as SMEs have the opportunity to review the content before it’s published in the final proposal, they’ll iron out the details without issue.

Because the process is easier, they’ll likely be thrilled to do it. Instead of trying to create compelling content from scratch, they only have to review and provide clarification.

Reuse past proposal content

Reusing past proposal content is probably the most important component of getting winning proposal content. In many organizations, proposal teams struggle with repetitive tasks that when their time could be better spent. 

Grégory Saive, IBA global director of sales and support, experienced this problem first-hand. Many of their RFPs are hundreds or thousands of pages long and all are highly complex. Each involved multiple SMEs, often for responses the’ve given before.

Fortunately, they discovered Responsive — the leading RFP response management platform. Using their newfound technology, they’re now able to organize, store, search, and reuse past proposal content.

A proposal coordinator can quickly and easily find the answers they need. Likewise, SMEs and other stakeholders don’t have to worry about repetitive tasks.

“Responsive allows the team to spend more time on meaningful tasks…either training, reviewing answers, or improving quality. That’s where I’ve spent most of my time saved since the beginning…I cannot really measure the increase in quality in terms of answers, but I can certainly measure the increase of quality in my team.”

Request a demo of Responsive to explore how proposal software makes it easy for proposal coordinators to craft winning proposals.

How to build a winning proposal team

How to build a winning proposal team

People & Teams

Behind the scenes of every RFP response is a proposal team. This group of professionals works together and shares a common goal: winning new business. Together they leverage their individual strengths, talent and expertise. As a result of their efforts, they deliver consistent, complete and compelling proposals. But it doesn’t happen by accident.

Winning RFP teams are highly organized, collaborative and efficient. Consequently, in this blog post, we’ll explore the key proposal team roles and responsibilities. In addition, we’ll offer tips and advice for how to build a strong proposal team. Ultimately, equipped with a clear proposal team structure, your RFP responses will become more consistent, repeatable and effective.

Contents: 

Key proposal team roles and responsibilities

How to build your proposal team

Key proposal team roles and responsibilities

The first step of building a winning proposal team is to identify the players and define the proposal team structure. Then, outline the team roles and responsibilities.  The proposal team structure varies widely from one organization to another. For example, depending on the size and organizational structure of your business, you may have a consistent three-member team. Alternatively, you may have thirty people on the proposal team who all work on separate projects. Regardless of team size, these key roles will likely be present in most businesses. In addition to defining these roles, we’ll explore key skills and common challenges for g the process from start to finish. As the project manager for the RFP response, they create the project plan and keep the proposal on schedule. Before the proposal coordinator assigns tasks, they review the knowledge library and answer as many questions in the RFP as possible. Then they assign any new questions to contributors, follow up on tasks, answer questions and provide guidance as needed.

Proposal coordinator or proposal manager

The proposal coordinator or proposal manager is the coach and the leader of the proposal team. Typically, they work in the business development, marketing or sales operations department. In most cases, the proposal manager will be the point of contact for the prospective client who issued the RFP. 

Responsibilities:

The proposal coordinator is responsible for overseeing the process from start to finish. As the project manager for the RFP response, they create the project plan and keep the proposal on schedule. Before the proposal coordinator assigns tasks, they review the knowledge library and answer as many questions in the RFP as possible. Then they assign any new questions to contributors, follow up on tasks, answer questions and provide guidance as needed.

Key skills:

  • Project management
  • Collaboration and communication
  • Knowledge management
  • Content editing and proofreading

Challenges:

  • Collaborating and following up with subject matter experts (SMEs)
  • Organizing, updating and managing the knowledge library
  • Bringing executive-level visibility to the value of the proposal team

Subject matter expert (SME)

A subject matter expert is a go-to authority about a particular subject, field or skill. An SME may be an individual contributor, manager or executive. In addition to providing expertise for the proposal, the SME themselves may be a differentiator for your business.

Responsibilities:

SMEs are responsible for contributing new content to the RFP response. Equally important, they must review and approve answers from the proposal content library as selected by the proposal manager. During the proposal process, SMEs use their specialized knowledge to help convey key benefits to the potential customer.

Key skills:

  • Collaboration and communication
  • Knowledge management
  • Time management

Challenges:

  • Managing workload in addition to proposal reviews and content creation
  • Communicating highly-technical and complex information in a way that is easily understood
  • Keeping the proposal content repository up to date as changes occur

Proposal development consultant

A proposal development consultant is an outside expert hired to improve proposals. Likely, you won’t require the expertise of a consultant for every proposal, but they can be a key part of your proposal team when needed. For example, proposal consultants can assist in understanding the challenges and unique needs of a particular market.

Responsibilities:

Proposal development consultants can take on a wide range of responsibilities, depending on the needs of your organization. From reviewing and polishing proposal content to optimizing your entire RFP management process, you can find a consultant for nearly any proposal need.

Key skills:

  • Highly organized and motivated
  • Deep industry expertise
  • Knowledge of proposal trends and best practices
  • Change management

Challenges:

  • Cultivating an understanding of business objectives
  • Building meaningful relationships with proposal teams and SMEs
  • Navigating complex corporate structures

Executive-level reviewer and approver

Before a proposal is submitted, it should undergo an executive-level review. The final reviewer should have the authority to approve the proposal. In addition, they should not have been involved in the creation of the proposal, in order to bring a fresh, unbiased perspective to the process.

Responsibilities:

The executive-level reviewer is the final stop before the proposal is sent back to the customer. Moreover, they are responsible for ensuring that the proposal is an accurate reflection of their organization. Finally, they affirm that the opportunity, if won, would contribute to the greater goals of the business.

Key skills:

  • Big-picture perspective
  • Detail-oriented and thorough
  • Knowledgeable of overall business vision and goals

Challenges:

  • Managing rapid review turnarounds
  • Understanding opportunity context and background

Additional players: Large proposal team roles and responsibilities

While smaller teams may have roles that take on several responsibilities, in large businesses it is not uncommon to have proposal teams made of 20-30 people. Certainly, with teams this size, roles become even more focused on specific aspects of the proposal process. These additional players would work alongside the proposal coordinator and other key roles.

  • Business development manager: This person is responsible for finding RFPs or leads. After they find the leads, they work to qualify them for your business.
  • Capture manager: The capture manager receives the qualified lead from the business development manager and begins to research the potential customer. As they research the opportunity, they create a strategy for winning the business. Then they define the business’s competitive advantages. Subsequently, when the customer issues an RFP, the capture manager receives it. They pass the information as well as their strategy and research on to the proposal coordinator/manager.
  • Cost strategist: Through capture planning, the cost strategist ensures that the proposal’s pricing is compliant, competitive and compatible with the needs set out in the RFP.
  • Proposal writers: Proposal writers bring it all together. They incorporate the proposal strategy determined by the capture manager. Additionally, they collaborate with subject matter experts to convey knowledge while maintaining the brand voice.
  • Graphic designer: From illustrations to layout and design, the graphic designer is responsible for creating a perfectly-formatted proposal.
  • Editor: Responsible for the technical accuracy and style of the proposal, the editor ensures that the brand’s terminology and voice are consistent throughout.
  • Review team leader/member: For lengthy or complex proposals, the review team leader assigns teams to review sections of the proposal. Chiefly, they coordinate and relay any feedback from review bid team members to the proposal coordinator.

How to build your proposal team

To be effective, a proposal team should be purposefully assembled. Just like any other business unit, the more organized and united your RFP team, the better off you’ll be. However, this can be a challenge. With so many people, in such a broad range of roles, not everyone will work together regularly. So how do you keep the group engaged?

Five tips to keep your team on the same page

1. Rally around your proposal process

Unify the proposal team with a clearly defined RFP management process. Creating a formal proposal process is the first step in keeping your team organized and engaged. Take time to document the process and outline the steps unique to your organization. Equally important, invite feedback from the team to ensure you don’t miss any key dependencies.

2. Set RFP team goals

The goals for your RFP team should align with your business objectives. If new customer growth is key, set a goal to increase the number of RFPs you respond to this year by 15 percent. Or, if efficiency is a high priority, document the time it takes to complete a proposal. Then, explore RFP response tools that can improve your productivity. Setting goals allows you to make incremental improvements and bring visibility to the team’s success.

3. Engage in go/no-go discussions

Unfortunately, the reality is that some RFPs just won’t be a fit for your business. However, far too many businesses have a policy to answer every RFP, leading to wasted time and a frustrated RFP team. A more strategic approach starts with a go/no-go discussion. 

Go/no-go discussions examine each RFP to decide if the opportunity is a good fit. For example, are the resources needed to respond available? Is the timeline realistic? Can your business meet all of the needs of the customer? Do you have a history with this customer? Ultimately, go/no-go decisions weigh the RFP’s potential value, the likelihood of winning and the cost of responding to ensure the best use of the organization’s resources.

4. Start with a kickoff and end with a debrief

Every RFP will be unique, and each offers an opportunity to learn and improve. However, before embarking on a new proposal project, gather the team and hold a short, 15-30 minute kickoff meeting. During the kickoff meeting, the proposal manager will walk through the project plan, timeline and deliverables. Certainly this is the best time to identify and manage any potential roadblocks or adjustments that need to be made to ensure success.

Likewise, after the RFP closes and a winner has been chosen, bring the team back together for a debrief. Regardless of the outcome, feedback from the customer is valuable. If you won, discuss things you did that can be applied to future RFPs. Conversely, if you weren’t selected you may consider additional factors to weigh in your go/no-go discussions, or ways you can improve your proposal content.

5. Hold regular team reviews

Gather your team together twice a year (or more) to share feedback, optimize the RFP process and discuss outcomes. In other words, share lessons learned, insights gained and advice for the future. As you bring the team together for these regular reviews be sure to celebrate both the team as well as individual contributions to success.

The power of a proposal team

RFPs require a lot of people with differing expertise and perspectives to work together to create the perfect proposal. With so many people involved in the proposal, it’s crucial to understand how each role contributes to the success of the team. Ultimately, when you establish clear expectations and a solid process, you’ll be well on your way to winning together.

Now, perhaps more than ever, people have multiple roles and juggle multiple projects. Responsive can help your team manage more RFPs and RFXs in less time and keep busy SMEs from having to repeat answers. A free demo will show you how you can empower your team and organization to win more bids and drive more revenue.

The SME role explained: Subject matter expert definition and skills

The SME role explained: Subject matter expert definition and skills

People & Teams

A subject matter expert, often referred to as an SME, has deep knowledge of a particular topic. Within your business, they’re the authority on the subject. They’re the go-to person if someone has questions. And as such, the SME role is incredibly valuable. But it can also be complicated.

If you’re a subject matter expert, it’s probably safe to say that your time is in high demand. Your niche knowledge is needed by many departments. From sales to marketing to proposal development, SMEs collaborate on a wide variety of projects. 

Taking on an SME role comes with both opportunities and challenges. On the bright side, being a subject matter expert means you’ll connect with people from all areas of your business. This is a huge advantage for career growth. Afterall, the more relied upon you are as a subject matter expert, the more visible your value is to the company. On the other hand, due to the number of people and projects they’re involved with, workloads can be challenging.

In this post, I’ll define the term subject matter expert and explore the SME role. From there, I’ll outline the responsibilities, traits and key skills of a subject matter expert. Then, I’ll share how to become a subject matter expert.

Explore the SME role

What is a subject matter expert?

To start, let’s define a subject matter expert. Simply put, a subject matter expert is the go-to authority about a particular topic. The term is often abbreviated to SME (pronounced S-M-E or “smee”). It broadly refers to any person within your business who has specialized knowledge on a topic and provides that insight to others. SMEs develop their deep understanding of a topic over years of experience, research or study.

Often, the SME role contributes to cross-functional projects as needed, but it’s not their full-time job. For example, a product development manager may be your organization’s subject matter expert on artificial intelligence. However, that’s not their primary job responsibility. Of course, this isn’t always the case. In large organizations, providing insight and specialized knowledge to internal teams may be an SME’s sole focus.

Examples of SME roles and areas of expertise

SME role examples | Table of SME titles and areas of expertiseAs you can see in these sample SME roles, the areas of expertise typically align with the person’s title. Because the type of information and depth of knowledge required is different in each business, the number of SMEs will vary widely. Regardless, each adds value with their unique knowledge of a particular subject.

Why be an SME?

Admittedly, being a subject matter expert is a lot of work. So, why do it? There are some major benefits to being a domain expert. In fact, it’s a great way to accelerate your professional development. In the last few years, SMEs have become more valuable than ever. 

In am SME role, you can:

  • Raise your profile with peers in your field of expertise
  • Leverage your reputation to become a selling point for the company
  • Increase your worth to the business
  • Elevate your role and be a part of strategic decisions
  • Become a trusted advisor

Subject matter expert job description

Being a subject matter expert is all about balancing priorities. Not only are you responsible for your primary job functions, but you also contribute to other areas of the business. 

As you might imagine, subject matter expert responsibilities change from business to business and role to role. In most cases, domain experts work with  product development, marketing and sales most often. Indeed, an SME may have a hand in the business from beginning to end. You’ll see in the example below how an SME might collaborate to create, market and sell a new product enhancement.

Consult with and advise product development

The specialized knowledge an SME has is valuable. As a subject matter expert, your body of knowledge can have a huge impact on the growth and vision of the company. Working with the product development team, SMEs offer insight on strategic initiatives and projects.

For example, a software company may have an SME in IT who is a data security analyst. Before building a new release, the company’s development team would strategize with the data security analyst. Together they would ensure that the planned enhancements align with privacy and security best practices. Alternatively, the SME may recommend strategies to avoid risk.

Educate and strategize with marketing

How can you use your domain expertise to drive revenue? Can it be a differentiator between your company and the competition? When you have the right people in SME roles, their knowledge can help you win business. Indeed, the marketing team can use SME insights to create content that attracts new prospects. This expertise is essential to ensure messaging is accurate and appealing.

Using our example from above, the data analyst can help create a blog that explains the importance of data security for target customers. And, how the company goes above and beyond to protect it. The IT SME can provide information and strategize ways to attract and sell to specific industries. In this example, the SME in IT could explore ways to educate prospective customers in the financial, government and legal sectors.

Respond to RFPs and win business with sales

As the authority on a certain subject, the SME plays a big role in the proposal team. Working with sales or the proposal manager, you create RFP responses. This RFP content answers client questions, shares win themes and communicates value. As mentioned above, the subject matter expert themselves may become a trusted customer contact or differentiator that helps to win business. 

In our final example, the same data analyst — an SME in IT ⁠— helps to answer customer questions about the company’s data security protocols. They  communicate how their policies are different from the competition, and how they reduce risk.

4 subject matter expert skills

To be successful, a subject matter expert must cultivate key skills outside of their area of expertise.

Subject matter expert competencies should include:

1. Time management

With so many responsibilities, time management is top on the list of required skills for a subject matter expert. Balancing your workload, prioritizing and task management will be an ongoing challenge.

2. Teamwork

By definition, subject matter experts work with a lot of people throughout the business. Teamwork is crucial to success. In fact, a recent survey reported that 86 percent of employees believe poor collaboration is to blame for workplace failures.

Learning and practicing key teamwork skills will make your interactions more successful. For instance, focus on rapport-building, listening, empathizing, respectfully disagreeing, collaboration and expressing appreciation.

3. Communication

Along with honing your teamwork skills, you must be an excellent communicator. You’re the domain expert, so from time to time it will be a challenge to explain more nuanced concepts to the team. Be sure to take your time, communicate clearly and give context when possible.

4. Knowledge management

Even if you have an excellent memory, you’ll occasionally need to locate your previous work, sources or documentation. Locating the right information can be time consuming. Accordingly, a McKinsey study estimated that workers spend 20 percent of their time searching for information.

If your knowledge is scattered among emails, notes and proposals you may be doing yourself a disservice. Centralizing and applying knowledge management principals to collect, catalog and reuse information saves a lot of time.

Traits of a truly great SME

The subject matter expert definition will fit a lot of people within your business. However, the most successful SMEs share these common traits.

Educated and experienced
You don’t become a domain expert by accident. In addition to experience, SMEs have a deep knowledge of the subject through formal education or self-guided learning. Consequently, the best SMEs are lifelong learners.

Observant and inquisitive
A great SME continually explores new ideas and trends. They are incurably curious about the matter they specialize in. Their knowledge is always deepening as they seek out blogs, updates and conversations about their topic.

Social and engaged
Beyond studying and tracking trends, the best SMEs actively participate in events, forums and social media groups that discuss their topic. They network and engage in conversations with other domain experts who specialize in their area.

Freethinking and innovative
Leading subject matter experts explore new ideas. They think outside of the box and look for innovative ways to leverage their knowledge. People in the SME role carefully consider common challenges and find creative ways to solve them.

Perceptive and cooperative
A great SME must not only understand their area of expertise, but they must also understand how their knowledge impacts the business. They see the big picture and often work closely with other SMEs.

Helpful and articulate
Freely-shared (and easily understood) knowledge is a marker of a great subject matter expert. The best SMEs know how to articulate even the most complicated concepts simply and clearly. Helping others understand is essential.

Precise and principled
From time to time, a business consults with the subject matter expert hoping to validate a specific strategy or approach. While remaining positive and helpful, great SMEs also maintain an unbiased, factual approach. Occasionally, this means they must advise caution about a planned action.

How to become a subject matter expert

If working with colleagues, being a trusted advisor and learning more about different areas of your business sounds good, you may be wondering how to become a subject matter expert. In your role, you already deliver a great deal of value to the projects and proposals you are involved in. So, you can shift to become a subject matter expert by extending that value. Here’s how.

Identify and grow your expertise

The first step to become a subject matter expert is to identify what topic you’re uniquely knowledgeable about. Hopefully this is immediately clear to you. If not, start by thinking about your role. What do people come to you to ask about? Are there any work-related topics you enjoy learning about? How would expertise in a specific area deliver value to your company? 

Once you’ve identified your area of expertise, it’s time to dive in. No matter how niche, there’s assuredly a wealth of information about your topic available to explore. With a simple online search, you’ll find free resources, peer networks, forums and more about your topic. As you deepen your knowledge, consider how it applies to your work. Now, share your relevant insights when appropriate with your colleagues. Becoming an SME doesn’t happen overnight. Just be patient and persistent.

Make yourself available for sales conversations

It’s no secret that getting in the door can be a challenge for your sales team. But for you, a domain expert, it might be a lot easier. Ian Altman, a strategic advisor and keynote speaker, discussed the value of including an SME in the sales process saying: 

“SMEs provide a valuable resource to discuss industry trends, share best-practices, and delve into detailed discussions about how one solution might perform better than another. Whereas traditional sales professionals have noticed increased challenges in getting in front of customers, SMEs are welcomed into the room with open arms.”

Your knowledge could open the door for your business’s next big deal. Make yourself available to the sales team when strategic opportunities arise. With this in mind, be ready to talk directly with customers and share your passion for your field of expertise. There’s no substitute for human connection.

Communicate clearly and share your preferences

When you’re brought into a project, be realistic and transparent about your prioritization and workload. For example, when responding to RFPs with tight deadlines it’s important to communicate how the proposal team can support you and when they can expect your input.

In addition, proactively share your work process and preferences. If you handle your primary responsibilities in the morning and prefer to manage your SME role via email in the afternoons, let your team know. This insight will allow your colleagues to better understand how you can successfully work together.

Understand your role

Like many SMEs, you probably struggle with overextending yourself in an attempt to be helpful. Unfortunately, this well-intentioned habit can quickly lead to burnout. It is always tempting to lend your assistance when you see an opportunity to help. I recommend using a RACI matrix as a guide for project participation.

If you know from the beginning what role you play, you will be less tempted to volunteer for additional tasks. So, as projects come your way, remember and respect your role in the process. Be an expert in your area and trust others to be experts in theirs.

Offer feedback and be a part of go-no-go conversations

While you understand the excitement of sales, you won’t have time to waste on unwinnable opportunities. When a project or request for proposal is received that heavily intersects with your domain expertise, review it with the sales team during the bid or no bid discussion.

Use your knowledge to ask questions and proactively uncover problems or concerns. Granted, you might not make the final decision, but your input helps determine if the opportunity is a fit for your business. Your respectful and thorough feedback will go a long way to help educate others for future decisions.

Be the voice of reason

As the SME you must often set realistic expectations. If you pursue a new strategy or win a bid by overpromising, it rarely works out well. By delivering accurate information on a project or in a proposal, you set the stage for success. This approach protects the company from risk, establishes a reputation for honesty and builds a foundation for future growth.

Become a mentor

Help others develop their skills in your area. Keep your eye out for colleagues who show a keen interest in your domain. Sharing your knowledge and guidance to create more domain experts can be incredibly rewarding. As they deepen their knowledge, they can put what they’ve learned to work and help lighten your burden.

Do more with a centralized knowledge library

Eventually, you’ll probably field the same questions over and over again. From product development projects to RFPs, it’s wise to have easy access to answers and input you’ve shared before.

While some SMEs use spreadsheets or cloud-collaboration tools, our favorite tool for knowledge management is RFP software. 

With an RFP software solution, you can store, categorize, tag and reuse your most common answers. Then, empower your proposal and project managers to use this as a self-service tool. Using the software, they can select and customize your response, but give you final approval to ensure any updates are accurate. Storing knowledge this way ensures you add value to your business even when you’re not immediately available to answer questions.

Additional SME resources

The importance of subject matter experts cannot be understated. When internal and external teams recognize your expertise, knowledge and professionalism, they will want to work with you. As a subject matter expert, you can play a significant role in the sales process, product development and the business at large. 
 
If you’re interested in more resources about and for subject matter experts, start here:
 

See how it feels to respond with confidence

Why do 250,000+ users streamline their response process with RFPIO? Schedule a demo to find out.