Winning Proposals: How to Stop “Wrangling SMEs” and Start Collaborating Smarter

If you ask most proposal managers what keeps them up at night, the answer probably isn’t formatting or even deadlines—it’s getting input from subject matter experts (SMEs). SMEs are the brains behind the brilliance in your proposals, but coordinating their contributions can feel like trying to nail Jell-O to a wall. Everyone’s busy, timelines are tight, and while proposals need their expertise, SMEs usually have a dozen other priorities competing for their attention.

The “Wrangling SMEs” Struggle Is Real 

Proposal professionals know this scene all too well: you’ve got a critical proposal on your desk, and the technical details must come from an SME who’s juggling client projects, meetings, and fire drills. You send a polite email reminder. Then another. Then a follow-up Teams message. Finally, three days before the deadline, you get a two-line reply that says, “See attached,” with a file that barely resembles what you asked for. 

It’s a universal pain point. In fact, in our most recent benchmark report 62% of our survey respondents said that getting SMEs to stick to the schedule was their #1 challenge. Without timely SME input, deadlines slip, content suffers, and the whole process teeters on collapse. 

Why SME Collaboration Matters 

Without SMEs, proposals risk sounding generic, outdated, or, worst of all, factually wrong. And if Sales, Marketing, and SMEs aren’t aligned, proposal and business development teams are left patching together content from scraps, hoping it resonates. 

Here’s what happens when SME collaboration breaks down: 

• Quality suffers. The proposal lacks the technical depth or credibility needed to win. 

• Timelines stretch. Managers spend more time chasing responses than building strategy.

• Morale dips. Proposal teams feel more like traffic cops than strategic contributors.

• Win rates drop. Proposals fail to stand out, lowering chances of success. 

HubSpot research confirms that when Sales and Marketing are aligned, companies see better win rates and stronger customer retention. Add SMEs into the mix, and that alignment becomes even more powerful—because proposals blend expertise, storytelling, and strategy. 

Top Tips for Engaging SMEs Without Losing Your Sanity 

SME wrangling doesn’t have to feel like a constant loop of “just following up on my last email.” With some intentional strategies, you can make collaboration smoother for everyone. 

1. Start with a Clear Plan
   Ambiguity is the enemy of SME engagement. Assign specific sections to specific experts instead of sending a vague request for “input.” Give them clarity on what you need, why it matters, and by when.
2. Respect Their Time
   SMEs are busy. Summarize requests, provide context, and never expect them to wade through 50-page RFPs. Instead, extract what’s relevant and present it in a digestible format.
3. Use Templates and Guided Prompts
   Most experts don’t love staring at a blank page. But if you provide a draft, structured template, or guided questions, SMEs will happily refine and expand. It’s always easier to edit than to start from scratch. 
4. Centralize Approved Content
   How many times has someone asked an SME for their bio or the details of a past project that’s already buried in an email thread somewhere? A central content library of bios, case studies, and boilerplate language reduces duplication and builds trust with SMEs; they know their work won’t be wasted.
5. Celebrate Their Contributions
   SMEs often see proposals as an interruption, not as a chance to shine. Take the time to thank them, recognize their contributions, and show how their input led to a win. Positive reinforcement goes a long way in making them more willing partners next time.  

Enter AI: Your Secret Weapon for SME Collaboration 

The good news? Modern proposal management tools with integrated AI can help reduce the heavy lifting for both proposal managers and SMEs. Instead of endless back-and-forth emails and manual content hunts, AI takes on the grunt work so humans can focus on strategy. 

Here’s how AI transforms SME wrangling into real collaboration: 

• Drafting first responses. AI can generate initial drafts for common RFP questions, drawing on past content and knowledge libraries. SMEs then just review and refine, cutting their workload significantly. 

• Organizing knowledge bases. AI-powered content libraries make it easy to surface the most current, approved material. No more digging through old folders. 

• Automating reminders. AI can nudge SMEs about deadlines or overdue tasks automatically, removing the proposal manager from the role of full-time chaser. 

• Detecting outdated content. AI can flag old case studies or bios, so SMEs only get involved when new or updated material is genuinely needed. 

• Analyzing RFPs. AI can extract themes, generate outlines, and suggest key points to focus SME conversations—making every call or review session more productive. 

But don’t take our word for it, here’s what clients who use QorusDocs AI-powered solutions report:  

• 76% of proposal management software users decreased the time on RFPs. 

• 77% said their proposals were higher quality than before. 

• 72% of proposal management software users felt a positive impact to detail velocity. 

• 67% of respondents experienced a positive impact on their RFP win rate. 
  
  

Putting It All Together: 5 Tips for Smarter SME Workflow 

Here’s what a streamlined, AI-enabled SME process looks like in practice: 

1. Kickoff with AI Analysis
   Drop the RFP into an AI tool, get a summary of themes, and assign clear responsibilities to SMEs. 
2. Send Top Quality Drafts
   Use AI to generate high quality first drafts. SMEs add precision instead of starting from scratch. 
3. Automate the Follow-Up
   AI tracks deadlines, sends reminders, and keeps everyone on schedule.
4. Refine with SME Expertise
   SMEs polish drafts while proposal managers focus on alignment, tone, and persuasiveness. 
5. Track Performance
   Post-submission, AI analyzes which content worked and recommends updates for next time. 

The result? A process where SMEs feel respected, proposal managers feel supported, and organizations submit stronger, faster, and more competitive bids. 

Shift From Wrangling to Winning 

SMEs may always be busy, but with the right approach, they don’t have to be a bottleneck. By combining smart collaboration practices with AI-powered tools, proposal teams can shift the narrative from “wrangling SMEs” to genuinely partnering with them. 

Because at the end of the day, SMEs aren’t just contributors—they’re the voices of authority that make proposals credible, compelling, and worth awarding. With less chaos and more collaboration, your team will spend fewer nights chasing experts and more days celebrating wins. 

Next Step: If wrangling SMEs feels like your team’s biggest barrier to better proposals, it’s time to explore AI-powered proposal management tools. They’ll help you work smarter, collaborate better, and—most importantly—win more often. Talk to us, or book a demo.