Slow Go/No Go decisions
The RFP posted two weeks ago. It's due in a week and a half. It sat on someone's desk the whole time, and now you get the email: "We're going after this."
Why it happens and how to speed it upProposal management training Become indispensable.
Get what you want, when you want it, and deliver proposals in less time.
Proposal Management Mastery is the online, three-week proposal management course for proposal managers, proposal coordinators, and marketing coordinators who are done flying by the seat of their pants. Take it at your own pace, with lifetime access.
Get instant access: $99One payment. Lifetime access. 60-day money-back guarantee.
Instructor proposals1,000+submitted over a decade
Curriculum9 videosintro plus 8 lessons, in 3 modules
AccessLifetime24/7, at your own pace
Guarantee60 daystry the whole course, risk free
Price$99one payment, per student
I'll say it.
Proposal management can be a royal pain in the ass.
The RFP sits on someone's desk while the clock ticks.
Better, quicker Go/No Go decisions.
The technical staff delivers late. Nobody gets serious until the deadline.
Word-for-word scripts that get a commitment.
You get your head bitten off for keeping staff on task.
A system that keeps the ball rolling, kick-off to completion.
Getting anything useful from subs is like pulling teeth.
Better information from subconsultants, and no more wasted hours.
No time to proofread. You submit, worried something goofy is in there.
Catch the errors. Get a complete proposal to the right person.
Late nights and holidays, trying to get proposals out the door.
More done in less time.
The research behind the course
1,000+ data points. Three frustrations.
I did face-to-face meetings and phone interviews, ran surveys, and started discussions in LinkedIn groups to find out what frustrates proposal coordinators and managers most. Firms big and small kept naming the same three things.
Late delivery from technical staff
Your whole timeline depends on people with conflicting priorities. When a section on the critical path comes in late, the proposal suffers. The fix starts with your mindset and how you plan.
What technical staff must provideLack of trust and respect
"Why don't they see me as the professional I am?" The course opens with The Proposal Solver, the simple mindshift that separates top performers from people who feel powerless.
What top proposal managers do differentlyTry a piece of the course
Bob is a day late. Now what?
You have seven days. Bob needs two for his draft, the team needs three to review, and you need one to format. That leaves one spare day, and where you put it decides who works late.
Bob drafts the technical approach
Late
Team reviews the draft
You format the final
Late
Yellow line: deadline, end of day 7Slipped or past deadline
One day past the deadline.
You handed the float to Bob, so nothing protects you. Now you can only spend less time on other tasks or add hours and people. Neither makes the proposal better.
"Proposal Management Mastery helped me get the proposal materials I wanted, when I needed them, and reduced the stress of proposal management."
"With the information provided, I was able to finally implement a go/no-go process that we began utilizing immediately this month."
"I'm already getting more specific tailored information from our subs."
"We've already implemented using at least 3 of the sample forms or something we've developed based on their purposes."
"Proposal Management Mastery was a basic, yet important, tool to help improve my proposal management skills and processes."
What you'll learn in this proposal management course
An introductory video and eight lessons, across three modules, that cover the whole proposal management process from Go/No Go to delivery.
Start here
Introductory video
IntroThe Proposal Solver
What top proposal managers do differently.
Before the tactics, the simple mindshift. Drawn from well over one thousand data points from proposal managers.
Module 1
Proposal planning
How you decide, read the RFP, and build a schedule people actually keep.
Lesson 1The Go/No Go Game
Why the process is difficult, and how the most successful firms decide which contracts to go after.
Unprecedented insight into the Go/No Go process, the truth about it, and strategies to get better and quicker decisions from your firm.
Lesson 2The RFP Roadmap
How to read the RFP, create a cheat sheet, and build a bulletproof outline.
Exactly how to read a request for proposal, and how to use it to build a powerful proposal cheat sheet.
Lesson 3Parkinson Planning
Get what you need, when you need it.
The psychology of proposal planning and scheduling, a step-by-step build of a more effective proposal schedule, and the exact, word-for-word scripts that get a commitment from your team.
Module 2
Coordinating and managing
How you get the right content from the right people.
Lesson 4The Three-Point Follow Through
Everyone on the same page and working together, from kick-off through completion.
An in-depth look at proposal kick-off meetings, plus a system that keeps the ball rolling through development and editing.
Lesson 5The Art of Framing
How to ensure the right info gets in your proposal.
The simple tactic I use to get the right information into proposals, even the projects and the resumes.
Lesson 6Subconsultant Dentistry
Getting the best from your subs.
Why the typical approach to working with subs is terrible, and what to do to get better information and stop wasting your time.
Module 3
Editing and finalization
How you finish clean and get it out the door.
Lesson 7Maximizing Your Per Hour Proposal Output
Get more done in less time, and manage your time around proposals.
The three areas to focus on to increase what you produce per hour.
Lesson 8The Trifecta of Trouble
How to find mistakes, edit correctly, and ensure successful delivery.
Most proposal mistakes are added during editing. Learn to catch errors, make other people's edits, and get a complete proposal to the right person.
Open the vault.
Proposal templates, checklists, forms, and master classes with the best in the business. Yours for life.
Planning
- Master class: Laura Ricci on implementing Go/No Go processes
- Go/No Go form examples
- Capture planning template (Excel)
- Proposal cheat sheet form
- Compliance matrix template
- Proposal software list
- Common proposal management terms
Coordinating
- Master class: Getting the technical staff on your side with Andy Cushman
- Kick-off meeting checklist
- Tools of the proposal trade
Finalizing
- Master class: Managing your time around proposals with Lindsay Diven
- Common proposal mistakes video
- Proposal close-out checklist
Bonus
- Master class: Brent Darnell on emotional intelligence
- Master class: Bernie Siben on next steps for proposal managers
- Proposal templates for Word and InDesign
- SF330 templates and standards
- Proposal style QA checklist
- Proposal improvement form
Your instructor: Matt Handal
Learn in three weeks what took me ten years.
Nobody wanted to pay $1,000 to send me to a two-day course on proposal management. And even I didn't want to sit through two days at a Best Western trying to stay awake while some consultant yammered on.
So I got more than a little obsessed. I spent over a decade talking to the best proposal managers in the business, reading every book on the subject, submitting over 1,000 proposals, and learning from my own (often disastrous) mistakes. This course has been peer reviewed by proposal experts and has helped hundreds of experienced and inexperienced proposal managers.
The American Institute of Architects included my relevancy formula for proposals in The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice.
I wrote Proposal Development Secrets, five out of five stars on Amazon, and published Laura Ricci's The Magic of Winning Proposals. Over 10,000 proposal professionals read my website each month.
Proposal manager training. Proposal coordinator training. Same course.
Register if you're a
- Proposal coordinator
- Proposal manager
- Marketing coordinator
- Marketing manager
- Anyone directly involved in coordinating and managing proposal efforts
Don't register if you're
- Not involved in coordinating or managing your firm's proposals
- A graphic designer
- A principal or CEO of a Top 100 firm
- Looking for a proposal writing course. That's Win Writing.
Why not just go to a two-day class?
| Compare | Typical two-day in-person course | Proposal Management Mastery |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | $1,000 or more | $99, one payment |
| Travel | Travel costs and time out of the office | None. Learn from your desk |
| Pace | Two days, on their schedule | Three-week program, or your own pace |
| After the class | Gone. You can't go back without paying again | Lifetime access, including future lessons |
| Materials | Whatever you remember and wrote down | Templates, checklists, and master classes |
| Guarantee | Don't count on one | 60 days, 100% money back |
About 27 cents a day for one year. Free for the rest of your career.
$99
One time payment. Perfect for people who can expense the course or those with a training budget.
What you'll get
- 3 easy to understand and implement modules, delivered over 3 weeks
- 9 high-definition video lessons
- Unlimited access to my vault of proposal management materials
- Exclusive master classes with the best in the business
- Free lifetime access to future video lessons, master classes, and vault materials
- Your own personalized certificate of completion
My promise: take the entire course and enjoy full access for 60 days, risk free. If you don't like it, for any reason, you get 100% of your money back.
Want your firm to pay?
Send your boss this.
Most bosses will be impressed by your initiative. Register, then send this note. Those 45 days fall inside your 60-day guarantee, so you are covered either way.
(Boss's first name),
I've signed up for an online course called Proposal Management Mastery. I'm convinced it will take my proposal management to a whole new level and make the process easier for everyone.
I've already paid the $99 myself. But here's my question: if you see positive results in 45 days, is there any reason you wouldn't let me expense the cost of this course?
Let me know,
(Your name)
Proposal management training questions
What is proposal management?
Proposal management is the work of getting a proposal from opportunity to on-time, compliant delivery: the Go/No Go decision, reading the RFP, building the schedule, running the kick-off, getting content from technical staff and subconsultants, editing, and delivery. Read the full guide.
Who is this proposal management course for?
Proposal coordinators, proposal managers, marketing coordinators, marketing managers, and anyone directly involved in coordinating and managing proposal efforts. It works for people new to proposals and for experienced proposal professionals.
How does the online course work?
Each week, for three weeks, you get an email with a link to the course and vault materials for a new module. You have 24/7 lifetime access, so you can follow the three-week program or take it bite by bite over months.
Do I get a certificate?
Yes. You receive a personalized certificate of completion when you finish. It is proof that you completed this course, not an industry credential. If your employer requires a formal credential, look at APMP certification.
Is it only for architecture, engineering, and construction firms?
It comes from my work on A/E/C proposals, so the examples lean that way, and the bonus vault includes SF330 templates. The tactics apply to most professional services firms that win work through proposals.
My firm already has a proposal process. Will this still help?
Yes. The course is completely process agnostic. The tools, systems, and tactics can be used in even the strictest corporate proposal process.
I'm experienced. Is this too basic?
I tested this course with hundreds of experienced proposal professionals, and they all learned something new.
Can my whole team join?
Yes. The price is per student, and each student gets their own certificate of completion. To register a group, email matt@helpeverybodyeveryday.com and I'll make it easy for you.
How much does proposal management training cost?
It varies widely by provider and format. Proposal Management Mastery is $99 with lifetime access. See how it compares with other options, including when another course is the better fit.
Is Proposal Management Mastery worth it?
It is a good fit if you coordinate or manage proposals, especially at an A/E/C or other professional services firm, and want practical systems you can use right away. It is not the right choice if you need a formal industry credential, live instruction, or federal-proposal-specific training. You have 60 days to try the entire course and get a full refund if you don't like it.
Is this a proposal writing course?
No. This course is about coordinating and managing proposal efforts. For the writing itself, I teach a separate course called Win Writing.
What if I don't like it?
You have 60 days to try the entire course. If you don't like it, for any reason, you get 100% of your money back.
Free proposal management guides
What Is Proposal Management?The job, the process, and what makes it hard.How to Build a Proposal ScheduleUse float so one late section can't wreck the deadline.The Go/No Go ProcessThe math behind the decision and how to speed it up.The Proposal Compliance MatrixTwo kinds of noncompliance and the simple fix for both.Getting Proposal Content From Technical StaffWhy sections come in late and what they must provide.How to Choose Proposal Management TrainingCompare price, format, focus, and credentials, including when another course fits better.Proposal Management Mastery: Course FactsPrice, format, curriculum, guarantee, and who the course is and isn't for.
The next RFP is already on someone's desk.
Be the one who knows exactly what to do with it.
Get instant access: $99