Tips for Getting Executive Buy-in for Proposal Management Software

Jennifer Tomlinson
Written by Jennifer Tomlinson / Dec 01, 2022

As Executive VP of Marketing, I work to identify business needs and help QorusDocs’ clients generate revenue more effectively and efficiently. I spearhead efforts to increase brand awareness through digital marketing and client engagement.

Proposal and bid teams who spend their days responding to RFPs and creating proposals and other sales documents recognize the value of AI-powered proposal management software to automate and accelerate the response process. Indeed, proposal automation software helps teams efficiently create personalized, on-brand, and accurate proposals that boost win rates (a recent benchmark study confirms this). Unfortunately, convincing the C-suite to invest in a proposal management solution for your team can be a challenge.  

Speaking to exec pain points 

The trick to getting executive buy-in is to put yourself in their shoes and determine what issues keep them up at night. Think about what operational and sales challenges are impeding the C-suite from realizing their goals for the company. By focusing on what your leadership team cares about, you can speak to their challenges and emphasize how proposal management software can alleviate their pain points and help the company achieve its overall vision.   

Give your C-suite a clear picture of the benefits of adding proposal management software to the tech stack and you’ll be well on your way to automating your response process to save time, minimize headaches, and increase win rates.  

Let’s start with tips for communicating the value of proposal management software to your CEO—and get you the green light for the proposal automation tool you need to consistently create winning proposals without the headache, stress, or long hours. 

CEO: Accelerating digital transformation   

As they work to improve top- and bottom-line performance, the CEO at your company is dealing with multiple external business challenges, such as rising inflation, labor shortages, and lingering Covid-19 disruptions (especially if your business imports goods or raw materials from China where Covid restrictions continue to limit manufacturing capacity).  

To combat these issues, CEOs are focused on accelerating digital transformation and improving cash flow for the coming year, according to a 2022 survey. In fact, 58% of CEOs are planning to invest in digital transformation to ensure future growth.  

CEO Challenges:  

  • Inconsistent and/or sluggish revenue streams  
  • Increased operational costs  
  • Talent shortages  
  • Inflation and supply chain disruptions  

CEO Priorities:  

  • Adopting digital technologies as a pro-customer growth strategy and cost-efficiency measure  
  • Replacing inefficient manual processes with automated systems to increase productivity  
  • Optimizing top- and bottom-line performance  
     

How proposal management software helps CEOs achieve their goals 

Proposal management software simplifies and intelligently automates the creation of the most critical sales documents your organization produces, helping you accelerate the deal cycle and win more business—critical benefits your CEO will value, understand, and support. 

When making the case in support of adding proposal management software to your tech stack, focus on how the following benefits of automating the response process will help alleviate your CEO’s pain points: 

  • Automated, AI-driven proposal management solution maximizes sales velocity   
  • Ability to process higher volume of proposals and RFP responses  
  • Bigger deal sizes and increased number of wins  
  • Higher quality responses (92% of proposal management software users experienced this)   
  • Accelerated response process reduces labor costs and increases operational efficiency 
     

Bringing it home 

Whether you’re on the bid, proposal, or sales team, you recognize that proposal management software makes all the difference between closing deals and wasting countless hours and energy on a proposal that falls flat or gets lost in the crowd. Helping the C-suite fully understand the value that a proposal automation solution delivers is increasingly critical to ensuring you have the tools to do your job as efficiently and effectively as possible. 

For a full breakdown on how to speak to the pain points of the entire leadership team—CEO, CRO, CIO, CMO—to get them on board with investing in proposal management software, check out our new guide: How to Get Executive Buy-in for Proposal Management Software

And if you’re looking for supporting material to help secure buy-in from your leadership team, case studies that highlight real-life benefits are extremely persuasive. Check out the transformation at Long View Systems after they automated their response process. Plus, take a peek at the QorusDocs Proposal Management Software Buyer’s Guide or 5 Reasons Why Proposal Management Software is a Gamechanger for Increasing Revenue for additional tips.  

 

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