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2005 Presenter Bios and Abstracts
Putting Your Mouth Where The Money Is: Excellence is Developed in Private and Demonstrated in Public
A thorough understanding of the orals process is what ensures the demonstration of excellence in the oral presentation. This process begins with compliance and ends with knowledge of the three stages of oral preparation, the 3 messages that must be delivered concurrently in written and oral form, and the 3 parts of effective communication. This orals process, plus the ability to mix in some leadership skills, stress management, and team building, makes excellence the norm and greatly increases the likelihood of success.
Dr. Tom Barrett holds two Masters Degrees and a PhD in Psychology and has been active for more than 20 years on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. He has spent more than 10,000 hours working one-on-one with senators and congressmen. He is personal coach to John Kasich on Fox News and has coached other professionals working in the White House. He has spoken on Capitol Hill, the United Nations, NASA, and the CIA, and is one of the few persons ever asked to speak at the orientations for both political parties in the United States Congress. He is the author of several books and is an expert on understanding the correlation between effective leadership and communication in the upper echelons of the corporate world. His latest book, Real Leadership in Real Time-How To Lead With High Skill At High Speed, has been endorsed by some of the premier leaders in the corporate world, such as the Chief Global Technology Officer for General Motors. He is also a frequent consultant and coach for many CEOs and corporations.
Ron Ralston holds a BS and a Masters in Philosophy. He has traveled and lectured on more than 200 university campuses in the US, Europe, and Asia. He has coached and trained professionals in communication skills over the last 25 years on 3 continents. He speaks at corporate events and many other venues and is the President and Founder of TightRope Communications, a speaking solutions and leadership analysis company. TightRope Communications' partial client list includes The White House, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, SAIC, AIC, NASA, GTE, IBM, CIA, Lucent Technologies, Storage Tek, GE Access, ReMax Realtors, and Phizer Pharmaceuticals.
Getting 'Em To Storyboard - Tactics That Work!
When done with commitment and rigor, storyboarding is a powerful tool for proposal design. But proposal teams that haven't done storyboarding before-even people with many years' proposal experience-will often need a lot of encouragement and coaching to build good storyboards. This presentation will first show how to motivate the team and get management's buy-in; and then focus on a number of proven, practical ways to do training, coaching, and hands-on facilitation for storyboard development. We'll share key lessons learned from more than 15 years' successful storyboard coaching with hundreds of proposal teams with time at the end for questions.
Dr. Art Bass has presented at 6 of the last 7 APMP Annual Conferences. His talks have been received enthusiastically with numerous audience feedback comments such as "His talk was best of conference." He is proud to have been chosen as an APMP Fellow in 2004. An independent Proposal and Business Capture Consultant, he provides client-tailored training, facilitation, coaching, and consulting services with a focus on the Defense and Intelligence Community marketplaces. He has led, trained, or coached hundreds of winning proposals, some larger than $500M. He is also an accomplished Oral Proposal Coach with major wins for clients who do business with NRO, NGA, NSA, DoD, and related customers. He also does training and facilitation workshops in Proposal Engineering and Storyboarding, Oral Proposals, Business Capture, and others. He holds BA and MS degrees in Physics (Columbia, Yale) and a PhD in Meteorology (MIT).
Winning and Living Through Orals - An Expert Panel Presentation
Participating in an oral proposal can be grueling for all involved, especially for the presenters who face all the challenges of a conventional written proposal. In addition, and concurrently, they must also build and rehearse a complex audiovisual presentation that is both a team job interview and a finely timed stage show. The stressespersonal, team, institutional - are extraordinary. An expert panel presentation, at the Intermediate to Advanced level, will explore challenges as oral proposal managers and coaches, and lessons learned about winning and living through oral proposals. It is intended primarily for oral proposal managers, coaches, and their (internal or external) clients who have already survived (!) some oral proposals, but all are welcome to attend.
Dr. Art Bass has presented at six of the last seven APMP Annual Conferences. His talks have been received enthusiastically with numerous audience feedback comments such as "His talk was best of conference." He is proud to have been chosen as an APMP Fellow in 2004. An independent Proposal and Business Capture Consultant, he provides client-tailored training, facilitation, coaching, and consulting services with a focus on the Defense and Intelligence Community marketplaces. He has led, trained, or coached hundreds of winning proposals, some larger than $500M. He is also an accomplished Oral Proposal Coach with major wins for clients who do business with NRO, NGA, NSA, DoD, and related customers. He also does training and facilitation workshops in Proposal Engineering and Storyboarding, Oral Proposals, Business Capture, and others. He holds BA and MS degrees in Physics (Columbia, Yale) and a PhD in Meteorology (MIT).
When BD is a Core Competency
This presentation describes the values, frameworks, and behaviors that create a BD core competency. It explains why this approach results in improved outcomes over BD as a support function, and it discusses the typical struggles of companies that do not establish BD as a core competency. It addresses benefits to individual BD staff, including better staff experiences, increased job satisfaction, and improved work/life balance.
Dennis Berg is a senior associate at Shipley Associates and former Principal and BD Practices Manager at AMS, a $1B IT consultancy and system integrator. He co-presented "BD-CMM - It Isn't Just About the Process" at the June 2004 APMP conference and presented "Benchmarking Study, Best Practices, and What Winners Are Doing Today" at the October 2004 APMP-NCA Professional Day.
Michelle Petty is an active APMP member and a manager of sales and capture at The Titan Corporation, a leading provider of comprehensive information and communications products, solutions, and services for National Security and the Security of our Homeland. Michelle previously was a Principal and Senior Proposal Manager at AMS, Mid-Atlantic Proposal Group Manager for CGI-AMS.
More Gain, Less Pain: Maximizing the Results of Your Current Business Development Model
You don't have to be a big company or a government contractor to achieve repeatable BD success! This presentation describes how a company can improve BD effectiveness and reduce stress within its current organizational model. It will present an overall framework to help identify where to focus and explore proven practices that address the common challenges and differences for physical, virtual, and hybrid BD organizational models. See how to make an impact!
Dennis Berg is a senior associate for process consulting at Shipley Associates and former Principal and BD Practices Manager at AMS, a $1B IT consultancy and system integrator. In this position (2002-2003) he worked with executives and staff of marketing and sales and business operations to implement a highly successful BD program. Previously, he served as a capture manager, proposal manager, program manager, risk manager, and project manager for work with AMS government and commercial clients. He co-presented "BD-CMM - It Isn't Just About the Process" at the June 2004 APMP conference and presented "Benchmarking Study, Best Practices and What Winners Are Doing Today" at the October 2004 APMP-NCA Professional Day.
Outsorcery: How to Create Phenomenal Outsourcing Relationships
Shauna Bona is a founder and copresident of McKinnon-Mulherin, Inc. Her clients include Deloitte Consulting, American Linen Corporation (ASCO, Inc.), Intel, IBM, the United States Air Force, Evans & Sutherland, and MBNA. In addition to providing direct consulting services to clients, Ms. Bona heads McKinnon-Mulherin's internal division of research, development, and training. Before starting McKinnon-Mulherin in 1997, Ms. Bona was the manager of online development for the Franklin Quest Consulting Group, where she developed the strategy for the division's move into the online marketplace and where she served as a senior instructional design consultant for a variety of public and private sector projects. Ms. Bona has more than 15 years of experience in the field of information design. She graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor of arts degree in English, magna cum laude.
Anatomy of an IMP - Integrated Master Plan
The presenter has been developing IMPs for proposals for more than 15 years, and knows that there is still a lot of confusion among proposers regarding the entire IPPD (Integrated Process and Product Development) approach. This confusion includes Integrated Product Teams, Earned Value, etc., as well as the IMP and IMSchedule. This presentation shows how the IMP is developed and used on contract following the intent of AFMC IMP/IMS Guide, Ver 1, 4 March 2003.
Carl Boos served 21 years in the USAF. Following retirement, he worked with Titan Corporation (10 years), SM&A (13 years), and NG IT TASC (1.5 years). He has worked on proposals since 1984 and is currently a proposal manager for TASC serving the OU in Colorado Springs. He has an MBA in Financial Management and an MS CS. He has been on the adjunct faculties of two local universities teaching engineering and logistics engineering courses.
Competency Management for Business Development Teams
Identifying the right members of a business development team doesn't happen by accident. In this session you'll learn how to establish key performance competencies and manage actual performance and expectations against these competencies. You'll see an example of an online performance management system that helps with hiring, training, and retaining key team members.
John Brennan, EdD, is a skilled facilitator and consultant with over 25 years experience in organizational development, leadership training, and sales effectiveness training. He works with global organizations to improve performance and build competencies in key business areas. John is a member of the American Society for Training and Development and has helped many Fortune 500 companies develop competency based assessments and training programs to support competency management. He has global experience, serving clients in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East.
The Perfect Proposal
This presentation asserts that "perfection" in a proposal is measured by the reader. Proposals are not technical documents and must be attractive, compelling, and persuasive. Every proposal needs a good mix of three important ingredients: clearly articulated concepts, compelling visual appearance, and focused, well-written content. We must all strive continually for perfection. This session is appropriate for novice, intermediate, and advanced proposal professionals.
Dave Chapman is a freelance proposal writer working with bid teams to develop professional, high-quality proposals across all industry sectors in the UK and worldwide. He presented at the UK APMP Annual Conference in October 2004.
Caremark and AdvancePCS Proposal Merger - A Prescription for Success
Last March, Caremark Rx acquired AdvancePCS, combining to create the largest Prescription Benefit Management company. Afterwards, Caremark's proposal development organization consisted of a staff of 40 legacy AdvancePCS employees located in Scottsdale, AZ and 20 Caremark employees located in Northbrook, IL. Throughout the year they have been working to complete the integration of two teams of 60 professionals with two processes, two cultures, two sets of content, and two clearly defined markets. Both teams measured success the same-the winning and/or retaining of business - but approached it from differing proposal philosophies. The integrated team was to be centralized in the Northbrook facility with additional satellite teams in Scottsdale and Kansas City. We methodically approached and solved a number of logistical challenges, including communications, technology, and equipment; while simultaneously gaining the confidence of a combined sales team who were trying to capture clients while also adhering to a new proposal process, as well as understanding and selling new products and services. The presentation will address how Caremark approached and methodically overcame a number of logistical and philosophical challenges.
Mark Ciamarra has more than 20 years' proposal experience in a variety of proposal functions and in a number of varied industries, including DoD, telecommunications, research and development, and healthcare. He is currently the Director, Opportunity Management for Caremark Inc., located in Chicago. In this capacity, he has leveraged personnel, processes, and technology to create a best-in-class proposal development center. Caremark is the leading pharmaceutical services company providing comprehensive drug benefit services to more than 2,000 plan sponsors, and holding contracts to serve approximately 75 million participants throughout the United States. He is a long-time active member of APMP and has presented at a number of proposal, sales and marketing, and software-related forums.
Between a Hard Place and a Stone
During 2003, The National Health Service in the UK initiated the National Programme for IT, one of the largest, most complicated, and fastest procurements seen in the UK. The bid manager for one of the lots being procured discusses how it was accomplished.
Peter Cole has been an APMP member for several years and was one of the earliest members in the UK branch. He is a senior bid manager in what is now Atos Origin and worked for the last four years on Public Sectors bids for the UK government.
APMP Professional Accreditation Program
This session will provide an overview of the APMP Accreditation Program, its administration, the professional accreditation levels, their entry criteria, and the assessment process itself. The presentation will discuss the results of the UK Pilot Program and the lessons learned from the pilot rollout. It will also talk about the rollout of the full APMP Accreditation Program worldwide. If you are interested in being recognized as a "Professional," then this is a must-see presentation.
Cathy Day has been a freelance Bid Management Consultant for the last five years. In her capacity as Chair of the UK APMP Accreditation Steering Committee, she has driven the UK Pilot Program, as well as the continuing development of the Accreditation Program.
How to Do Proposals the Wrong Way
Worst practices for real-world proposals. Do you anticipate getting stuck doing a proposal without advanced preparation, even though you know it is the wrong way to do it? The problem with best practices is the worstcase scenario. This presentation focuses on overcoming obstacles, coping, and even cheating when you have to do proposals "The Wrong Way." It is full of tips, tricks, and strategies for coping with adversity.
Carl Dickson has provided proposal and business development support since 1989. He has helped companies submit more than 250 proposals to government and industry clients. He has served two terms as President of the National Capital Area Chapter of APMP, been Vice President of a proposal consulting firm, developed web-based software for proposal management, and is currently the Editor/Publisher of CapturePlanning.com, an online resource for business and proposal development.
Keeping the Team Healthy - Integrating Stress Relief Into the Proposal Lifecycle
This highly interactive session will demonstrate breathing exercises and yoga stretches suitable for the office environment. Audience members will be invited to participate in practicing basic and advanced stress management techniques in a fun, low-key approach. The demonstrated benefits of stress management activities include improved concentration and productivity levels, as well as reduced physical symptoms of stiffness, soreness, headaches, and eyestrain. Attendees will receive a quick reference guide to proposal stress management.
Gillian Dionne manages tactical proposals at Anteon in Fairfax, VA, where she's worked since 2001. She has supported hundreds of tactical bids and served as a key participant in the development of best practices for tactical response lifecycle processes at Anteon. She has 12 years' experience in proposal and business development. She presented at the 2002 and 2003 APMP Annual Conferences.
Metrics That Work for You
This presentation will explore the importance of metrics to you, your team, and your company. The participative discussion will include the benefits of metrics, types of metrics and their appropriate use, scope of metrics as a part of the overall business development process, and the value vs. cost of metrics. This presentation is designed to facilitate the design and development of better measurements that participants can use when they return home to their companies.
Charlie Divine is a consultant in sales, marketing, and proposals. His current activities include process consulting with Shipley Associates, helping companies improve their business development processes. Charlie is retired from SBC Communications, Inc., where, as Executive Director, he managed 15 domestic and international proposal centers. Charlie volunteers as a Director of Commercial Programs for the APMP. He also served as chairman of the APMP Steering Committee that helped develop the Business Development Capability Maturity Model. He was recently honored as an APMP Fellow for his service to the organization.
Proposal Development - A Risky Business
Every product or system development activity addresses risk through identification, quantification, and mitigation. We sometimes have to document these activities in a risk management volume in our proposals. But do we ever think about the risk inherent in the proposal development itself? This presentation, previously given at the Southern California chapter's Fall Seminar, compares the proposal and product development processes, discusses the risk involved, and provides some handy tips for risk management.
Dick Eassom is Director of Project Management at SM&A in Newport Beach, CA. He is an APMP Fellow and has presented at the last four APMP Annual Conferences on the trials and tribulations of using Microsoft Word for proposal development. He authors the "Production Corner" in the APMP Perspective under his pseudonym, "Wordman." Before joining SM&A more than six years ago, he was Marketing Communications Manager for Marconi in the United Kingdom. He has led or contributed to numerous proposals in the USA, UK, Canada, Germany, and Australia. He is an avid proponent of using Microsoft Office for all sizes of proposal and an enthusiastic Visual Basic programmer. His background also includes R&D management, systems engineering, and field services around the world.
Wordman's Microsoft® Word Q&A
Proven popular at the last two Annual Conferences, this is an interactive workshop for questions on Microsoft Word! If you can provide any questions in advance, please send the presenter an email.
Dick Eassom is Director of Project Management at SM&A in Newport Beach, CA. He is an APMP Fellow and has presented at the last four Annual Conferences on the trials and tribulations of using Microsoft Word for proposal development. He authors the "Production Corner" in the APMP Perspective under his pseudonym, "Wordman." Before joining SM&A more than six years ago, he was Marketing Communications Manager for Marconi in the United Kingdom. He has led or contributed to numerous proposals in the USA, UK, Canada, Germany, and Australia. He is an avid proponent of using Microsoft Office for all sizes of proposal and an enthusiastic Visual Basic programmer. His background also includes R&D management, systems engineering, and field services around the world.
Is It Time for APMP to Adopt a Code of Ethics?
Recent events have brought the topic of corporate ethics to the forefront with companies being held more accountable for their business practices. As business development and proposal professionals, we must ensure contract bids provide best value in the products and services provided, accurate and reasonable pricing, responsible marketing, and fair business. APMP members working as independent consultants are also responsible to the companies (and their customers) who employ them. In keeping with its mission statement, these reasons raise the question of whether APMP should join most other professional organizations and implement a code of ethics that gives our profession and membership the tools to demonstrate commitment to these standards. This panel discussion will be comprised of an introductory presentation giving the pros and cons of this issue, a model code of ethics to consider, followed by a debate for the membership to determine if such a step is necessary.
John Elder has been with CACI International Inc since 1998, and is currently Presentations and Proposal Production Manager. Prior to joining CACI, he worked as a Proposal Consultant for five years. Before becoming involved in the proposal field, John was a Professor of Journalism at the University of South Carolina-Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC, and a Professor of English, Communications, and Public Speaking at Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL. John was also Vice President/Co-Creative Director for the advertising/public relations firm of Trahan, Burden, and Charles in Baltimore, MD. He holds a BA in English, and an MA in Journalism from the University of South Carolina, Columbia SC. John currently serves as Managing Editor of the Journal of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals.
Ali Paskun has extensive proposal experience working as a coordinator, writer, editor, and manager. She is currently Lead Proposal Manager for Technical and Management Services Corporation (TAMSCO) in Calverton, MD. She has a Bachelors in Communication from University of MD University College. An APMP member since 1999, Ali is Books Editor for the Journal and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board.
Making Virtual Teams Work for You!
This presentation will capture how to lead/plan and participate effectively on virtual teams. Highlights include how to motivate a virtual team that doesn't report to you and establish a virtual team environment that encourages sense of ownership; why it's critical to set expectations regarding deliverables, targeted plans, and key response milestones; and back-up plan strategies. Discussions will include barriers, solutions, geographical and time challenges, and will engage the audience by posing numerous questions/challenges and inviting feedback.
Carmen Ells has excelled in the telecommunications industry for more than 11 years, the last 6 at Cisco Systems as Sales Operations Manager. She heads a nationwide team of proposal experts targeting service providers worldwide. Her team also develops highly advanced RFP and proposal automation tools within Cisco's infrastructure. She has developed a virtual teaming approach that cements relationships across geographical boundaries and departmental lines.
Keep Writing Clean! Ten Ways to Avoid Substance Abuse
What can you do if you or someone you love is sliding into the dark abyss of bad writing? As they say, awareness is half the battle. This presentation covers some of the most common temptations that plague proposal writers and specific suggestions for handling them. Substance abusers come in all shapes and sizes and include jargon lovers, cliché users, word herders, and speed addicts, among others. This presentation is helpful for writers who don't know the warning signs of substance abuse, or who may recognize the signs, but not know what treatment is available. Overall, this presentation offers strategies for making proposal content meaningful and precise.
Jennifer Gibbs is a Communication Specialist at McKinnon-Mulherin, Inc., a strategic communication and information design firm. A writer and editor, she has taught business and technical writing at the University of Utah. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Bowling Green State University.
The Smaller the Pond...the Bigger the Fish
The RFP is hitting the street and it is time to select the proposal team, that magical combination of people that will lead the organization to the winner's circle. Which member of the team knows the customer best? Who has a finger on the pulse of the industry today? Who provides the most creative presentation styles and strategies? These are questions that every company operating in a competitive environment must face. Small businesses are no exception. Unfortunately for most small businesses, assembling the right proposal team can be a challenge in and of itself. Resources are limited and the majority of personnel are specialized in technical areas vs. marketing and business. How can a small business build the right team for the job? What are the questions that must be asked and what decisions must be made? How can a small business determine the tradeoffs and criteria necessary to build a winning combination and swim with the big fish?
Currently serving as Manager of Knowledge Management and Corporate Communications for DN American, Inc. (a government IT services provider), Melania Gould is an IT industry professional with more than eight years' experience in documentation, proposal preparation, and program/project management, all of which has been achieved under the flag of a small business. Leveraging a background that includes an MA in Secondary Education (specialization: English) and an MS in Software Engineering, she has participated in all phases of the proposal preparation process for both large and small efforts both as a prime contractor and as a subcontractor.
Ensuring Organizational Success With Metrics-Based Management
Metrics are ever present throughout all phases and facets of business development. This presentation focuses on frameworks and approaches to improve organizational performance and measure maturity - metric systems that go beyond win rates, capture ratios, and cost and schedule performance.
Vicki Griesinger is a member of APMP and served on the APMP Board of Directors for six years. She was COO and CEO in 1995 and 1996. Vicki has more than 25 years' experience in business development. While working for The Boeing Company, she held management positions for 14 years in business development, competitive intelligence, knowledge management, proposal development and strategy development. She also served on the merger integration team for Business Development functions. In 1999, she became Director of Research for Korn/Ferry International, a human capital consulting firm, and was responsible for knowledge management, market intelligence, portal and process development, and client management. From 2001-2004, she was Vice President of Competitive Intelligence for Washington Mutual, developing and managing the function and processes for early warning and competitive analysis for corporate strategy, human resources and technology initiatives. In February 2005, she joined the Business Development Institute International as Director of Operations. She is also a Certified Appraiser candidate. She is also professionally affiliated with the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) and served on the program committee for the 2003 and 2004 international conferences.
Extreme Proposal Makeover
The motto of the hit TV show Extreme Makeover™ is "We'll stop at nothing to turn ordinary into extraordinary"! Are your proposals only ordinary? Do you want to produce and submit extraordinary proposals efficiently and effectively for each opportunity pursued? If so, get ready to give your proposal capabilities an extreme makeover. Using real-life examples this presentation will introduce innovative methods and practical tips that will turn ordinary proposal centers into world-class teams.
Richard Jenkins is a Senior Consultant within PMMS's Strategic Proposal Management practice, working with clients worldwide to develop their proposal capabilities. His approach to-and passion for developing winning proposals is informed by his senior-level international experience as a purchaser for France Telecom and British Airways and then as a Proposal Manager with Compaq. In recent years, he has helped to improve win rates with proposal teams in sectors such as IT, telecom, and business services.
Robert 'BJ' Lownie is Director of P3 Consulting. BJ has managed hundreds of proposal efforts, built proposal centers around the world, and presented proposal training to thousands of participants. Requests for his expertise have taken him from Brazil to Bangalore! BJ's background is a unique combination of journalism, engineering, and business. He was a founding member of APMP, and his highly interactive and engaging presentation style makes him a favorite presenter among participants.
Competitive Assessment to Identify Strengths and Weaknesses, Define Strategies, and Write Themes
A disciplined competitive assessment is the birth bed of win and proposal strategy development. Unbiased results identify the strengths and weakness of all competitors, and when quantified, point to strategies required to win. Those aspects of our solution demand answers to "Why do we have a weakness?" and "Why do we have a strength?" Now change the word "aspects" to "features."
Bob Jobe is a retired Air Force officer with systems acquisition experience put to use in industry in 1986. Since then he has designed and implemented proposal centers and managed proposals for Honeywell and Lockheed Martin. He has also designed and used proposal software tools. He has consulted for Shipley Associates and now consults for his own company.
Extra, Extra, Read All About It: Using Newspaper Techniques for Proposal Development
Developing newspapers and proposals requires many of the same skills and practices to meet reader needs and to produce a document with a looming delivery deadline. Drawing on his journalism and proposal background, Chuck will provide tips for applying newspaper techniques to proposal work, including those for interviewing, writing, illustration, editing, layout, and management.
Chuck Keller, owner of Keller Proposal Development and Training (KPD&T), has been in the proposal profession for 22 years - 15 as a KPD&T consultant/contractor. However, in a "prior life," he earned a BS degree in journalism (news-editorial) and was a newspaper reporter for two college newspapers and two city dailies. While on active duty with the Navy, Chuck served as a public affairs officer, producing press releases for an aviation patrol squadron.
Collaborative Leadership in Business Development
Business development professionals frequently find that they need to play a leadership role whether or not they occupy a formal leadership position. Collaborative leadership is an effective way of moving the proposal team forward from any position on the team. Collaborative leaders facilitate groups by observing, inquiring, listening, and using connective actions. Participants will learn how to construct a group dynamic that is conducive to breakthrough insights and ideas and which builds better overall leadership.
Tony Lester has more than 20 years' experience in management training and business development. He is the Director of Business Development at a mid-sized government contractor.
Nonprofits and Competition
How is competition different for nonprofit organizations? How is a mission accomplished for the public good while also competing? Nonprofit organizations present a distinct set of management opportunities, dynamics, and challenges. Some characteristics that make an organization effective in mission accomplishment may make it weaker in the competitive arena. This presentation explores what nonprofit leaders need to know and do to ensure that their organization competes effectively without losing its "soul."
Tony Lester has more than 20 years' experience in management training and business development. He is the Director of Business Development at a mid-sized government contractor.
offices for large contracts since 1968.
Proposal Writing in Indian Country
Indian Country has to deal with many issues when it comes to proposals: (1) Access to data and data reliability, (2) Access to resources/support staff, (3) Access to funding, and (4) Ability to focus in on one isolated issue in a sea of issues. We will look at how various departments and programs in Gila River Indian Community have addressed and overcome many of these issues.
Panelists are: Sally Martinez, Economic Development Planner for the Gila River Indian Community; Nancy House, Planner 3 for the Gila River Indian Community Office of Planning and Evaluation; Margaret Cook, Senior Environmental Planner & Policy Analyst for the Gila River Indian Community Department of Environmental Quality; Keith Franklin, System Administrator of the Management Information System for the Gila River Indian Community; Mark Openshaw, Assistant Fire Chief for the Gila River Indian Community Fire Department; Paulette Gomez-Glass, Planning Service Manager for the Gila River Indian Community Housing Authority.
Ginger Martin is the Cultural Theme Manager for the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa in Phoenix, AZ. She is the only one of her kind in the hotel & resort industry. Her position was specifically created to educate every guest about the Gila River Indian Community. Ginger is instrumental in making sure that the integrity and cultural uniqueness of the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass is preserved for each experience. It has always been a priority of Ginger's to help contribute to the success of her community, and in 1998 she started with the Gila River Indian Community Wellness Center and held various positions. As an Outreach Specialist, Ginger was involved with designing and implementing health and wellness programs for community members. In December 2003 Ginger received a Bachelor of Science degree in American Indian Studies from Arizona State University, and subsequently, joined the Gila River Indian Community's Office of Water Rights as a research assistant. This provided Ginger the opportunity to study the tribe's historical archives and be heavily involved in the Gila River Indian Community's pursuit of the Water Rights Settlement.
The Winning Formula - Integrated Schedule and Risk Management
In recent RFP releases, the Government is renewing its expectation that the proposed schedule and risk management plans must be both realistic and integrated. The key elements of how to develop a logical Integrated Master Plan and Schedule (IMP/IMS), coupled with comprehensive risk management planning are discussed. In addition, a new software tool is presented that permits the real-time integration of risks with the IMP/IMS, decreases preparation time, and results in a more integrated proposal.
Robert Matthews is Vice President of Dayton Aerospace, Inc. He has an engineering and program management background with more than 30 years' experience in government and industry, including USAF System Program Director for the B-1B bomber. He was one of the principal authors of the original USAF IMP/IMS Guide. He has extensive integrated scheduling experience, and currently works as a senior integrated product and process development consultant to both industry and government.
William Buzzell is a Senior Associate with Dayton Aerospace, Inc. He has more than 30 years' experience in government and industry, both as an engineer and program manager. He has been the USAF Director of International Programs for both the F-16 and Joint Strike Fighter Programs. He was one of the original architects in the development of the first IMP/IMS for the F-22 Program. He currently works as a senior program management consultant to both industry and government, specializing in the development of integrated risk management processes.
Leveraging Your Key Assets to Win Business
From our work in Australia, we have observed that many companies of all types do not make a corporate commitment to managing their key assets to win business. We have defined these key assets as "Existing successes with current customers." This presentation will provide the audience with a different perspective of BD strategy. In competitive markets the need to "show me" is critical; however, "proof points"/references are often difficult to source and maintain as a re-usable asset. References are often glib, not well thought out, hard to find, overly protected by the author, and are collated by client or market type. We will present our work in helping clients rebuild incumbent relationships with existing customers by making a commitment in delivery to the following: (1) pro-actively manage customer issues; (2) cooperate with the customers on the KPIs to measures these issues, (3) build value propositions around these KPIs, (4) develop issue-based client references to measure the success, and (5) transform these references into powerful selling tools and linking proposed value propositions to new clients with relevant proof. Leveraging "key assets" is one of the most effective (and achievable) business development strategies available.
Mark Merrick has been Managing Director of Shipley Australia since March 2003. He is the former Founder, President, and CEO of Step 9 Software Corporation, a telecommunications software and solution provider in Washington, DC. He served as VP Professional Services, Architel Systems Corporation, Washington, DC and was an Associate Partner, Accenture, Washington DC, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia and Melbourne, Australia. English by birth, Australian by migration. First Class Hons. in Computer Science, Liverpool, UK.
If You Don't Know R&R, You'll Get No R&R
This presentation discusses the roles and responsibilities of each proposal team member, when is the time to push back on requests that are outside your area of responsibility and why you must do so, and the importance of a project manager. Bidding jobs as part of a team comprised of multiple companies presents new challenges. Learn how to effectively perform the role as a primary vendor and how to best support the primary as a contributor, as well as how to identify external resources and ensure those resources are available.
Marsha Kay Miller has more than 20 years' technical writing experience, the last 10 years focused on the field of proposals. She has managed proposal teams for more than seven years, responding to major RFPs within the telecommunication and public safety services industry. Her experience includes international assignments. She has contributed to the extensive process of documentation required to achieve ISO certification and teaches Word-based classes for her corporate in-house education program. She contributes articles in support of a quarterly quality newsletter and occasionally finds time to create articles for specialty publications. She is currently participating on a team tasked with defining and implementing best practices related to the sales and proposal development process.
The Hidden Value of Performance Assessment and Past Performance
With the advent of performance-based contracting, the management and use of performance information is playing a greater role in the IT service procurement marketplace. Like many elements of the business capture and proposal process, the performance information lifecycle supports pre-award, proposal, and post-award win positioning activity. However, there are many less obvious "hidden" advantages of a well organized and creative performance assessment program that not only helps to increase win rates but substantially benefits the corporate enterprise. Learn how to use performance assessment to identify customer needs and requirements, measure performance trends, improve quality processes, qualify references, make proposals more competitive, and motivate superior performance.
With more than 12 years' experience in both the federal and DoD information technology arenas, Walter Milton joined CACI in 1992 to work with the company's Integrated Engineering Group. In 2001, he joined the Project ExcellencePLUS (PEP) program to provide past performance management support to the line organizations and corporate proposal group. PEP was established in 1995 to ensure compliance with the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations and Federal Acquisition Regulations, to be competitive within the industry, and assist with responding to the Government-initiated performance assessment reports. He was hired by Corporate Business Development to continue and grow CACI's past performance and customer satisfaction capabilities. To accomplish that task, he manages all of CACI's past performance assessments, works with line managers to address performance and reporting issues, informs senior management of performance metrics, identifies trends and issues, and promotes company-wide awareness on past performance reporting procedures and policy. In addition, he monitors government assessment collection systems and maintains close contact with their staff to keep informed of system updates; discusses technical changes/enhancements; and collaborates to ensure that assessments are equitable, coherent, and consistent. He recently became Chairperson of the Past Performance Task Group under the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA).
...And the Survey Says...
"The earlier the better," Industry says. "We can't release information too early," the Federal Government says. What is a happy medium? In 2004, APMP teamed with Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) to survey industry to determine the answers to these questions. The results of the survey were analyzed and tabulated in the fourth quarter of 2004. Play the game..."And the Survey Says…" to find out the results and what industry recommends. Copies of the survey report will be distributed to all who participate.
Jessica Morgenstern is a Senior Manager of Business Development with General Dynamics Advanced Information Solutions. She has more than 24 years' experience in Information Technology working for both the Federal Government and private industry as both a business developer and proposal manager. She is a major contributor at General Dynamics to standardize processes and procedures for business development and proposal management. She recently developed the Early Industry Involvement Survey with Mr. Alan Goldberg.
Alan Goldberg is the Source Selection Office Director of the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). He has been with NAVAIR for 28 years, the last 14 in Source Selection. He has been involved with APMP since 2000 and has made several presentations at previous APMP Annual Conferences.
Communicating Under Pressure
There are many proposal challenges to overcome in a 5-day or 30-day proposal. Reducing stress for the team through tailoring of processes and accommodating personal requirements can enable an outstanding proposal. This presentation will examine what pressures occur to the average writer and techniques for leading teams through the process of writing a winning proposal.
Patricia Nunn has more than 18 years' experience supporting all aspects of business development, including proposal management, capture management, and marketing. She is responsible for Anteon's geographically dispersed team of experts who support proposal development, trade shows, and production of business communications material. She regularly develops and teaches courses in business development. She also has responsibility for recommending and implementing business development processes and systems. She has been involved with APMP activities for many years.
The Importance of the Business Development Process Group - A Necessity for Achieving the Balance
Formalization of a Business Development Process Group has been a significant development in recent years. With the adoption of the Business Development Capability Maturity Model (BD-CMM) by a growing number of corporations, this group is emerging as a strategic resource for assuring the success of such organizations, both large and small.
Howard Nutt is a charter member of APMP (#7) and has served on the Board of Directors, where he authored the organization's original strategic plan. In May 2002 he received the APMP McRea Founders Award and was named an APMP Fellow. In May 2003, he received the APMP Vision Award on behalf of the steering committee for the Business Development Capability Maturity Model (BD-CMM). Howard has more than 25 years as a professional business developer. During the 1980's, he founded the Proposal Operations organization within Allied-Signal Aerospace, now part of Honeywell Inc. During the 1990's, he founded the Process Consulting Practice within Shipley Associates. Most recently, he led the definition of the BD-CMM and was project manager for APMP Benchmark Study 2002. In January 2004, Howard assumed the position of Executive Director for the newly created Business Development Institute International (BD-Institute), a non-profit entity sponsored by APMP and Shipley Associates. Howard also remains an owner of Shipley Associates, where he has part-time responsible for Planning and Affiliate Relations.
Note: Capability Maturity Model® and CMM® are registered trademarks of the Software Engineering Institute of Carnegie Mellon University.
Designing Winning Proposals
A step-by-step introduction to designing proposal-winning graphics by the premier proposal graphics company, 24 Hour Company. "Designing Winning Proposals" challenges the proposal respondent to evolve their 'story' through real-world artistic techniques blended with complete adherence to RFP requirements and specifications to create compliant, communicative, and compelling proposals. Attendees will see samples and engage in an oral critique.
Mike Parkinson, leaving his position as Art Director for an interactive medical software company, joined 24 Hour Company in 1999 adding an extensive background in fine arts, design, and multimedia. He has spearheaded multi-billion dollar bids, blending leadership, talent, and drive seamlessly to win acclaim from clients and the Federal Government.
Fixing "Road Kill" Communications
In the pressure of developing a "Pulitzer Prize-winning" proposal in a compressed time frame, in a highly competitive marketplace, effective communications often becomes road kill. It is frequently undervalued and unappreciated. In this fun and interactive session you will learn the DEBSI factor-including the assessment skillsreading verbal, vocal, and visual patterns and anticipating others' needs. Test your skills in reading the "cues and signals" as we assess the audience's ability to read verbal and nonverbal cues. We'll then show you how to improve your team and customer communication. Prior to this session, attendees may take the online Adaptive Index for themselves and receive confidential results back during this session.
Dr. Kenneth Rabinowitz is President and founder of Professional Development Group Inc. His Masters and Doctorate are in Counseling and Organizational Behavior from Yeshiva University. He is a diplomate in the American Psychotherapy Association. Dr. Rabinowitz has trained and consulted with thousands of managers and professionals throughout United States, Canada, and Europe. He has developed and implemented a wide range of communication, leadership, teamwork, sales, and service books and programs. He is the author of a number of personality tests and performance surveys. He has been a popular radio talk show host; a professor at RIT, SUNY, and St. John Fisher College; and a senior officer at a Fortune 100 company.
Building Proposals as Packaged Sales Presentations
This topic will cover how to take a commercial proposal beyond the standard three-ring binder output to a high-powered, high-impact packaged presentation that builds on the in-process sales process. This approach focuses on how to personalize ("you-instead-of-us" approach) proposals to prospects and their needs along with how to subtly yet fully include the corporate branding of vendors without overwhelming or turning off prospects. The packaged presentation approach also allows for the inclusion of electronic media in the package as well as standard hardcopy.
Bob Romig-Fox has more than 20 years' experience in written communications and training with the last 8 years spent in the proposal development field. He has held proposal management positions with both Commerce One, Inc., and Yahoo!, as well as conducting proposal-related consultative work with a number of companies and organizations in southeast Michigan.
My Word! Making Microsoft® Word Work For You
If you are responsible for seeing that proposal documents are finalized and you assemble inputs from multiple authors/sources, you have probably encountered unruly fonts, headings, and footers that transmogrify before your eyes (or disappear); mysterious page renumberings; and even documents that freeze. None of these and other formatting pitfalls is inevitable if you understand the basic structure of Word and create the proper templates and procedures for writers. You will learn how to work with Word to make it your servant, rather than vice versa. You will learn how to control Word's most critical inner workings to give you consistently robust, compact, stable documents that look and stay looking right. We will suggest ground rules for creating good templates that build solid documents that can actually "fall together" during that last-minute production crunch. Everything is presented in practical, non-technical terms. The first part of this presentation grounds you in the basics using a lecture/ discussion format. The second part is hands-on practice using examples of real-world proposal documents. Optionally, if you wish, you may bring your laptop and a short nonproprietary Word document, such as an archive proposal executive summary, to work with.
Bill Russo has been managing and writing proposals for 23 years. An electronics engineer by training, he holds both BSEE and ME degrees from Cornell University. His career experience includes proposal and program management for Raytheon Corporation, Digital Equipment Company, and two small spacecraft attitude control systems hardware suppliers; and, since 1993, as Senior Proposal Manager for MTC Technologies, Inc. (MTC). MTC is a DoD contractor with primary expertise in delivering systems engineering, technical, IT, and program management solutions to the US Government. He has also taught engineering and program management courses in his occasional spare time, and he earned the designation of Certified Professional Manager from the Institute of Certified Professional Managers (ICPM) in 1988.
Using Automation for Success Within a Proposal Services Group
This presentation looks at the practical considerations of building and managing a Proposal Services Group, including the benefits and criteria an organization should evaluate when considering an automated solution for expert communication strategy and information dispersal. This real-world case study examines how Kforce's commitment to automation has led to a 50 percent efficiency gain in 60 days with the use of solution tools. Learn how significant gains in stature were made regarding a higher corporate profile for proposal analysts, turned "Project Managers," within the organization.
Connie Sanford has been in proposal writing for eight years. Prior to her tenure at Kforce Inc., Connie supported a field sales force of 30 individuals at CNA Group Benefits. She completed her BA in English at the University of Central Florida.
Differentiation - What Works, What Doesn't, and How to Make the Most of It
One of the rules of effective business development is to offer clear differentiation to give your prospect a reason to choose your solution. But what kind of differentiation works? Which differentiations fail? How is differentiation used most effectively to win more business? These are the questions that Tom Sant and Mike McLaughlin will address during a session along with plenty of examples.
Tom Sant is the author of Persuasive Business Proposals, the most widely adopted proposal methodology in the world. Named one of the Top Ten Sales Trainers in the world by Selling Power magazine, he has written more than $20B worth of winning proposals for clients around the world, ranging from multinational corporations to start ups. He is also the creator of the world's most widely used proposal automation software and was named a Fellow of the APMP in recognition of his contributions to the industry.
Michael McLaughlin is a principal with Deloitte Consulting. In his 20 years with Deloitte, he has sold hundreds of consulting projects of all sizes and to all kinds of customers. He was the Managing Director for Deloitte Consulting Chicago, where he had market responsibility for a practice of 800 consultants. He publishes Management Consulting News (MCNews), a free monthly zine for consulting professionals and is the author of Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants, which he co-wrote with Jay Levinson. He has been a frequent speaker; has been interviewed on radio, television, and for national publications; and has written articles for newspapers, magazines, and trade journals. He holds an MBA in corporate finance.
Eight Simple Rules for Dating My Proposal Manager
Our proposal office was like any other-unruly teams to manage, last-minute edits to process, and all-nighters that ended with a proposal manager headed to the airport. The next day we'd read the email praising our efforts. We were reluctant heroes. We decided we wanted to be family heroes instead. We implemented "8 simple rules" for using our office, including agreeing to a schedule that delivered the proposal a day early. The result was that proposal managers now routinely leave the office at 5 pm and have a significant contribution to the overall proposal process. Instead of being the shovel behind the proverbial proposal elephant trail, we are riding that elephant into the Big Top. In this presentation, you will learn simple ways to move your proposal support team-whether it's one person or an entire department-into an environment that does not rely on you being the cavalry all the time. Learn how to force early go/no go decisions, find out how you can get buy in on schedules that produce early Red Teams, and discover that being a proposal manager doesn't mean being a 24-hour, 7-day a week hero.
David Sotolongo helped co-found the Carolina APMP chapter and served as Chair for the past four years. He has presented twice at the APMP Annual Conference as well as four times at the Southern Proposal Accents Conference (SPAC) - a regional conference held in Atlanta that draws between 125 and 150 attendees. He has also presented numerous times at local chapter dinner programs. He currently serves as Director of Strategic Services for RTI International and manages a staff of 60 who work on proposals and publications.
The Genesis of the Sales Process Automation Center - Leveraging the Proposal Team Across the Organization
This presentation will focus on the concept of using a message map to create customer-relevant, sales-ready messaging to define content in a corporate proposal and leveraging that content across the entire sales cycle. The presentation includes real-world examples of how the proposal team delivers value to the entire organization by capitalizing on this approach and examines success metrics measured by redefining proposal team member stature and areas of content improvement.
Kelli Stephenson designed, found funding for, and implemented proposal resources for Experian, a $2.2B information services company. Her team of six supports business development through support on presentations and proposals representing more than $500M in revenue each year. She has more than 19 years' experience in the information services industry; 16 of those years have been with Experian (formerly TRW). She has held roles in sales, marketing, product development, and operations before focusing efforts on business development and proposal writing.
Kym Harrington brings 15 years of sales management experience to her role as Director of Corporate Sales at Pragmatech Software, Inc. She is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company's Corporate Sales team, which, under her leadership, has experienced 4 years of consecutive growth. Prior to Pragmatech, she managed the Corporate and Public Sector Sales organization at PC Connection, Inc., a leading direct marketer of computer products in the US. Kym holds an MBA from Boston University, and a BA in business administration from Southern New Hampshire University.
Idea Market
Here's your opportunity to share ideas on some of the hottest topics in the proposal industry. Facilitators will lead parallel discussions on the topics that are of the greatest interest to you in this open forum for thought. You'll have a chance to network with experts in multiple discussion threads, listening to their solutions to every day problems and offering your perspective on the topics most relevant to your success.
Kelli Stephenson designed, found funding for, and implemented proposal resources for Experian, a $2.2B information services company. Her team of six supports business development through support on presentations and proposals representing more than $500M in revenue each year. She has more than 19 years' experience in the information services industry; 16 of those years have been with Experian (formerly TRW). She has held roles in sales, marketing, product development, and operations before focusing efforts on business development and proposal writing.
The Fairytale Proposal
And now for something completely different...2 storytellers present 2 parallel tales: a children's fairy story intertwined with the saga of a struggling proposal center. Will good triumph over evil in the fairy tale? Will the proposal team turn their situation around and implement first-class proposal capabilities against all odds? Prepare to be entertained, amused, provoked, and challenged in this highly original session from these acclaimed presenters.
As Director of Strategic Proposal Management for PMMS, Jon Williams' work encompasses benchmarking proposal capabilities, building proposal centres, training, and facilitating must-win deals. He previously set up and managed a highly successful Strategic Bid Centre for a major IT corporation. Before his move into proposal management, he held a number of senior purchasing roles. He served as CEO of UK APMP in 2001/2. He won APMP's Everest Award in 2002 and the Insight Award in 2004.
Robert 'BJ' Lownie is Director of P3 Consulting. BJ has managed hundreds of proposal efforts, built proposal centers around the world and presented proposal training to thousands of participants. Requests for his expertise have taken him from Brazil to Bangalore! BJ's background is a unique combination of journalism, engineering and business. He was a founding member of APMP, and his highly interactive and engaging presentation style makes him a favorite presenter among participants.
How is the Government Collecting and Managing Past Performance Information? A Peep Inside PPIRS - Past Performance Information Retrieval System
Given the importance of past performance information (PPI) in the federal contracting arena, it is incumbent upon contractors to understand how the government collects and manages PPI. Are you familiar with PPIRS? PPIRS is a federal repository for all completed past performance assessments. As a result of the President's eGov initiative, this Web-enabled application became the government-wide past performance collection system in July 2002, providing PPI to the federal acquisition community for use in making source selection decisions. The goal of this presentation is to introduce proposal professionals to this portal into the government report card system. Discussions will show how PPI finds its way into PPIRS, how long the report cards reside there, and how you can monitor your own reports to ensure accuracy, as well as general trends in PPIRS data over the last several years.
Amy Wofford serves as Past Performance Administrator for RTI International. Among her responsibilities at RTI, she coordinated the development and implementation of best practices for the collection of past performance information, as well as a robust centralized data repository that can provide reliable and persuasive information necessary to produce high-quality past performance volumes. She has more than 15 years' experience in the field of social science research. She holds an MA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she is also a doctoral candidate in Sociology. She presented at the 2004 Southern Proposal Accents Conference in Atlanta, GA on November 5, 2004.
My Kingdom for a Template
ActiveDocs is a Word overlay that enables quick creation of true document templates. It standardizes the creation of custom proposals and can be used at a basic or an advanced level. Learn how to connect an ActiveDocs template to a spreadsheet and extract the most current facts and figures contained in the spreadsheet for inclusion in a document and an extremely simple way to create a clippings library of corporate data and proposal text accessible companywide.
Marsha Kay Miller has more than 20 years' technical writing experience, the last 10 years focused on the field of proposals. She has managed proposal teams for more than seven years, responding to major RFPs within the telecommunication and public safety services industry. Her experience includes international assignments. She has contributed to the extensive process of documentation required to achieve ISO certification and teaches Word-based classes for her corporate in-house education program. She contributes articles in support of a quarterly quality newsletter and occasionally finds time to create articles for specialty publications. She is currently participating on a team tasked with defining and implementing best practices related to the sales and proposal development process.
Storming Normandy - Again
Creating proposals abroad is vastly different from US-based proposal writing. This presentation illustrates the importance of ISO certification and the certification process, the differences in writing styles and the variances in grammar that can be comical at times but potentially offensive to prospective clients, and the danger of assumptions. It provides a checklist of tasks and Internet resources for companies contemplating going international, financial considerations for doing business outside the US, and foreign trade and regulatory agencies you should know about.
Marsha Kay Miller has more than 20 years' technical writing experience, the last 10 years focused on the field of proposals. She has managed proposal teams for more than seven years, responding to major RFPs within the telecommunication and public safety services industry. Her experience includes international assignments. She has contributed to the extensive process of documentation required to achieve ISO certification and teaches Word-based classes for her corporate in-house education program. She contributes articles in support of a quarterly quality newsletter and occasionally finds time to create articles for specialty publications. She is currently participating on a team tasked with defining and implementing best practices related to the sales and proposal development process.
Effective Method for Handling Proposals Under Proposal Center Limits
Many times, smaller proposals are not handled by the Proposal Centers in organizations, but by specific departments and people not as familiar with the proposal writing process. As a result, it takes longer to write these proposals and those writing them are less familiar with how to write an effective proposal. This exercise can be painful, time consuming, and ineffective. This session talks about a way to use a standard writing method that analyzes the audience, helps structure the content for easy client reading and understanding, and shortens the turnaround time.
Gerard Paradis has more than 18 years' experience teaching seminars and giving presentations across a diverse group of businesses and industries. He has specialized in developing and delivering customized clientcentered training classes in the areas of general documentation, procedure and process documentation, ISO documentation, and developing proposals and business communications. He has developed an Instructor Certification and Train the Trainer Programs. He is the author of two books on demystifying ISO 9000. Last year, he spoke at the APMP conference on developing proposals and was well received.