It’s time to stop losing great RFP answers and proposal content

5 minute read

There’s little more frustrating than picturing a piece of content, or one of your RFP answers, that’s perfect for your sales opportunity but having no idea where to find it. With information scattered across local folders, SharePoint, OneDrive, Dropbox, and beyond, even deciding where to search first is intimidating.

Proposal automation software provides a single, central library for all approved request for proposal (RFP) answers and proactive sales proposal content. In addition to being your one-stop location for pre-written content that’s current and accurate, proposal software also gives you a simple way to submit new content for library consideration.

Let’s take a look at how a proposal content library can save you from ever losing great RFP answers and proposal content again.

Always find the best content and RFP answers in your proposal library

Whether you’re working on a strategic sales proposal or a critical RFP answers, your proposal content library is the go-to location for approved information. Quality content libraries support both tags and folders. Tags make it simple to search by keyword, while folders make it easy to browse to find content.
Proposal automation software can even automatically recommend the most effective content. For example, when working on RFP answers, the software analyzes the questionnaire and then suggests the best answers—taking you from a blank RFP to a draft response in minutes. For a proactive sales proposal, the software evaluates the details in the related CRM opportunity record and then suggests the best-matching content.

Stop duplicating work with a proposal content library

Whenever you create new RFP answers or proposal content, you can submit them for library consideration in a click with proposal automation software. The software will automatically route your submissions to the appropriate content manager to evaluate, approve, and save.

With a shared proposal library, every time you create new content, it benefits your entire organization. The next time a sales rep or proposal team member needs the same information, they’ll find it ready and waiting for them in your library. When you save proposal content to one searchable location, you also spare subject matter experts (SMEs) from answering the same questions over and over by capturing their insight the first time they contribute.

Keep content and RFP answers up-to-date with a proposal content library

With a proposal content library, you’ll never lose track of the latest content versions because everything you find will always be accurate and approved. Content managers stay ahead of aging proposal information with automated expiration reminders built-in to proposal software. If content goes too long without being updated (e.g., six or twelve months), the software sends a push notification so a content manager can send it back through SME reviews and approvals.

Quality proposal software also builds audit trails automatically by tracking all content updates and archiving past content versions by default. Many organizations use these features to meet strict reporting and compliance standards. They’re also helpful if you ever need to restore or reference older content versions.

Improve your proposal content library based on data

It’s simple to track which content sales and proposal teams use most when you save all your content in one library. With this visibility, content managers can archive rarely used content to remove clutter and make it easier for their teams to find high-value proposal information rapidly.

Quality proposal automation software also allows users to submit content feedback to highlight content gaps and suggest improvements. The software records and organizes user feedback, so content managers can incorporate their team’s recommendations the next time they refresh their proposal content.

Enhance your proposal content library with CRM information

At many organizations, Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics is the trusted book of record for customer data. Leading proposal automation software integrates with Salesforce and Dynamics, so you can kick off new proposals and selling documents without ever leaving your CRM.

Proposal software can also pull in key customer information directly from Salesforce records. For example, the software can automatically customize proposal coversheets and content to include the customer’s name—without the risk of typos or cut and paste errors.

When you complete sales proposals or RFP answers, it’s simple to link the project back to your CRM record for reference. This way, anyone who reviews the opportunity in the future can get a quick overview of all historical outreach efforts. This visibility also helps highlight which content is associated with won and lost deals, helping you hone your content strategy.

Ready to get the most value from your RFP response and proposal content?

If you’re interested in learning more about proposal content libraries, be sure to check out Upland Qvidian. Qvidian is a proposal management and RFP response automation software designed to eliminate the tedious and time-consuming parts of creating proposals and RFP responses. At the center of Qvidian is a proven proposal content library.

With over 25 years of experience and more than 1,200 global customers, Qvidian’s team of industry experts can help you explore how proposal automation software can benefit your organization and guide you on creating a proposal library that drives sustained success.

For more information or a tailored demo, please contact a Qvidian RFP response and proposal expert.

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