九一果冻

Ask any proposal pro how they feel about AI and you鈥檙e likely to get a wide range of answers. 鈿栵笍

On one end of the spectrum: there鈥檚 delighted early adopters who are actively using GPT already. On the other end, you have teams with a hard stance on not using GPT (at least, at this stage).

And then there鈥檚 the middle majority: those who are curious about the tool, but not sure where to start. This article is for you鈥攁nyone who wants to understand more about using GPT for proposal management (or, steal a prompt or two).

We chatted with three trailblazers to learn how they use tools like ChatGPT in their day-to-day work, the limitations they’re encountering, and what prompts help them respond to RFPs faster.

Read on to learn 3 practical ways to use the power of AI in proposal management:

1. Kick-start your proposal positioning
2. Quickly summarize general information
3. Breath new life into your RFP answers

But First, Watch Out for the Limitations of Using GPT to Respond to RFPs

Are you ready to start using ChatGPT for proposals? Hold on tight. 鉁� Many companies recommend putting together an AI task force (like Kristen and her team at AECOM) to outline the right course of action for proceeding safely with GPT.

Here are a number of limitations you should keep in mind:

Proposals Made Easy: 3 Practical Ways to Prompt AI Tools Like ChatGPT

Whether you’re an early adopter or testing the waters, you’re likely familiar with the pros and cons of using AI for proposal writing. However, knowing how to prompt ChatGPT is also important because what you put into the system impacts what you get back.

There are 3 ways to get started with prompting ChatGPT, according to proposal experts.

1. Use GPT to Kick-Start Proposal Positioning

While ChatGPT won鈥檛 pull up proprietary information on your competitors (like private pricing, for example) you can still use the tool to scope what鈥檚 publicly available about your competition in a matter of seconds. Then, use this quick competitive research to develop your response strategy, positioning, and even proactively handle anticipated objections.

Renee recently discovered this opportunity when determining how to position (what she previously thought of as) a drawback.

鈥淚 knew our product couldn鈥檛 work offline. So I asked ChatGPT, 鈥榃hat is the benefit of not allowing offline work for a cloud-based SaaS company?鈥� Before my eyes, I saw not just one positive spin, but several.鈥� She then took that list to her product manager and technical staff to ensure accuracy, who vetted the content and approved the messaging.

But there鈥檚 another clever way to use ChatGPT for proposal positioning鈥�

Quickly rewriting content for different audiences. For instance, if you have existing content from a previous RFP response, you can modify it in seconds by providing GPT with a simple prompt.

鈥淥ur CRM platform is for higher education institutions, each of which has unique traits,鈥� explains Renee. 鈥淲hen writing a tailored proposal, I want to ensure our content fits those traits, whether the RFP is from a religious, military, or community college.鈥�

2. Ask GPT to Quickly Summarize General Information

When responding to RFPs, summarizing large amounts of information can be a time-consuming task due to the sheer volume and unwieldy nature of these documents. Not to mention, extremely agonizing, as you navigate the line between brevity and comprehensiveness.

鈥淩educing word count is the bane of my existence,鈥� says Ceri Mescall, Work Winning Consultant. It鈥檚 not hard to see why. Considering every phrase holds the potential to sway the decision-making scale in your favour, how do you choose what stays and what goes?

With the correct prompts, generative AI can do this for you, whether you鈥檙e writing an executive summary, proposal cover letter, or statement of work. For example, you can quickly generate short bios by prompting ChatGPT to summarize a resume or LinkedIn profile (with permission).

鈥淭his is a viable way to use the tool,鈥� says Kristen Ruiz, National Governments Content Systems Manager, 鈥淢any firms have master resumes with everything on it but the kitchen sink. With ChatGPT, you can drum up a bio that only focuses on what鈥檚 relevant to the project.鈥�

3. Breathe New Life Into Your RFP Answers

According to 九一果冻’s 2023 RFP Trends Report, proposal teams respond to an average of 77 questions per RFP鈥攖hat鈥檚 a lot of content to cover, especially when you have the added challenge of enlisting the help of subject matter experts (SMEs) for answers.

When prompted on how to answer RFP questions, generative AI can tackle the first pass, alleviating the daunting task of starting from scratch. From there, you can use what鈥檚 known as 鈥渃hain prompts鈥� to transform an answer to suit your needs.

Some examples of how you can work with both GPT and SMEs include:

馃敆 Updates to facts and figures: Have SMEs provide a bullet list of up-to-date information, then prompt ChatGPT to weave the data into your RFP answer.

馃敆 Personalize answers to the prospect: Define your target persona to ChatGPT (be sure to provide any key details鈥攍ike relevant pain points and needs). Then, ask it to customize your RFP answer to suit that persona.

馃敆 Infuse your brand鈥檚 tone of voice: This is incredibly useful when trying to make all RFP answers sound the same when they come from many different SMEs. Simply provide a prompt to GPT explaining your brand voice and ask it to apply this to your existing RFP answer.

鈥淛ust don鈥檛 forget to have a feedback loop,鈥� says Ceri, 鈥淎lways go back to your SMEs and ask them to validate the information.鈥�

It’s Only the Beginning for Generative AI and Proposals

In a rapidly evolving landscape, one thing is clear: AI is here to stay. In fact, some companies are even starting to hire prompt engineers.

鈥淚 view ChatGPT as a positive opportunity,鈥� says Renee, 鈥淲e need to retain our prior strategies and best practices for winning proposals. But now we have this innovative tool to stay updated on technological trends, which can help further our growth.鈥�

At the end of the day, the goal remains the same: to submit a winning proposal. ChatGPT is just one tool in the belt that can help teams make that happen.