The next day, it was “Go Texan Day,” where Houstonians celebrate the start of the Houston Rodeo, the largest indoor rodeo in the world.   I enjoyed a panda-sized pecan tart.

Jeannette was busy getting ready for the Texas Symposium and asked if I was willing to help with Registration.  So the night before the conference, I met up with the Registration Team and got to know Pam Silverthorn, Ruth Marcom, and Ismael Garza. Mark Wigginton from Shipley also joined in the fun.

Conference Texas Style

The next morning, I was up bright and early and helped everyone set things up before folks arrived. Then I joined BJ as he welcomed everyone to the conference.

The rest of the day I spent at the APMP Information Table telling folks about the wonderful benefits of the organization and about the Accreditation Program.  I also got lots of questions about my adventures visiting proposal professionals around the globe!

Ride ‘Em Cowboy

The next day, I went out and got me some cowboy duds. Then off to the Livestock Show we went.

Since 1932, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo raises funds for education and youth programs. Every year they put on the largest indoor rodeo and livestock show in the world.  First we went to the Exhibit Hall to make sure I had all the cowboy gear I needed.

Then we went to see the livestock.

B J had bet that I couldn’t ride a horse, so I set off to find a professional cowboy who would teach me how to ride.

Ride ‘em, Cowboy Panda!  Yup, BJ, that is a real horse!

After my exciting ride, we hit the midway.

Finishing the Ride

Before I left, I met with the Board of the Greater Houston Chapter and helped give the Conference Report.  Established over 10 years ago, the Houston Chapter is one of the oldest APMP chapters.

Then it was time to say goodbye and head off to my next stop with Joseph Hans with Trinity Consulting, located in Virginia.  The Texas Symposium was a great day and learning to ride a horse was amazing.  Thanks to Jeannette and the Symposium Committee for their hospitality. I’m looking forward to seeing the wonderful folks I met when we all attend the APMP National conference in June.

Proposal Panda travels the world visiting proposal professionals. Click here for more details. If you’d like Panda to visit you, just email us at panda@theproposalguys.com

Hangin’ out on the Bench

I first spent time with Jeff in Hendersonville, TN (home of Grammy winning country/pop star Taylor Swift). Almost before I was unpacked, Jeff requested I review Jeff’s notes on a current project and help him craft an executive summary. Once I started working I realized I could help Jeff by recommending some changes to the layout of his home office that would make things more efficient.

Jeff had a meeting that afternoon with one of his clients and he suggested I come along. Once there we reviewed the strategy on a multi-million dollar proposal for a large government municipality; my global expertise came in VERY handy, and my previous experience with IT companies really helped me translate the key messages from “tech speak.”

The next day Jeff had an orientation meeting with the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT), which supports a wide range of needs in Tennessee.  Jeff loaned me a Netbook for that meeting and I loved it —it was just my size!

On my last evening there, Jeff and I kicked back and played a little bluegrass, which is one of his other passions. I really enjoyed picking his mandolin on some of those old-time country tunes – we even tried our hand at “I May BE a Panda But I Won’t Panda To You.” It was a great way to wrap up the first week in Nashville.

Rockin’ Robin, tweet, tweedle-lee-dee

Next, I headed on over to visit with a good friend of Jon and BJ, Robin Davis.  On the day I arrived, Robin was documenting the proposal process she designed for a client. Since I’ve been around so many different shops, she asked me to help ensure she was following best practices.  I offered some advice on ways to make the process more efficient and then got busy making a flowchart for the client’s team to review. Robin then asked me to help create the proposal process training presentation for the client’s sales team. A perfect task for me since I’m a master presenter! I quickly whipped up a compelling and fun presentation and coached Robin on how to deliver it in the most effective way.

After a quick trip to Starbucks for a hot non-fat Chai tea latte (I asked if they might have a bamboo shoot to put in it but, as seems to be the case at most coffee shops I’ve visited, they didn’t have any.) While Robin was on a call with a prospective client, I monitored her Twitter account for her.  That was pretty cool. There’s SO much information out there – some useful, some pretty strange -  it was a blast!

Time for some fun

After a fair amount of working time, I was in need of some serious downtime.  So, Robin and Jeff took me around to see the sights of the city.  I can’t do that on an empty belly so our first stop was the Hard Rock Café on the banks of the Cumberland River.  There was great music, fun memorabilia to look at, and an overpriced, but tasty, cheeseburger.  Proposal Panda cannot live on Bamboo alone.

Nashville is the official “Home of Country Music” so we headed over to the mother church of country music, the Ryman Auditorium. The Ryman was the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943-1974, and today, still hosts some of the hottest acts around. My hosts tell me this place has the best acoustics in town, even though you have to sit on hard wooden church benches.

Next on our list was the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The building is designed to look like a piano keyboard! The Museum, established in 1961, includes a vast collection of items that tells the story of country music history. The Museum hosts regular live performances and public programs, and also includes a Museum Store and on-site dining. I had great time learning about the dramatic history of country music and I have a new-found respect for it.

But, this is music city so it’s not just about country music.  Around the corner from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, home of the Nashville Symphony. Built in 2006, the building takes up a full city block and was inspired by many of the world’s greatest symphony halls built in Europe in the 19th century. The hall features a custom-built concert organ and a convertible seating system that is designed to give the hall unique versatility. My hosts had the privilege of playing on the Schermerhorn stage and can attest to the hall’s acoustic clarity and warmth

After the Schermerhorn, we walked a block to Lower Broadway – host to a multitude of honky tonks and shops. We visited a fun little shop that offers tourists their fill of Nashville-themed trinkets. I resisted getting the giant blue foam cowboy hat that caught my eye – Robin and Jeff said it wouldn’t fit in my box. ☹  Right outside of the store I ran into Elvis. That’s right, ELVIS!!  Ok, not the real one, but a cool statue of him, nonetheless.  I rested on his guitar neck while the three of us belted out Blue Suede Shoes.  Here I was in Music City U.S.A., singing on the street, just like many other struggling musicians.  For just a moment, I got to experience what it must be like to chase your musical dreams.

Ya’ll come back now, ya hear?

Well, it’s that time again and I must move on to visit new people and experience new places.  Nashville was a blast and I enjoyed spending time with Jeff and Robin. I’m looking forward to seeing them again when we all attend the APMP National conference in June.

Proposal Panda travels the world visiting proposal professionals. Click here for more details. If you’d like Panda to visit you, just email us at panda@theproposalguys.com

We’ll be taking a seasonal break from posting for the next couple of weeks. See you back here at the very start of the new decade…

With very best wishes to all of our many readers

Jon and BJ – and Proposal Panda!

After we conducted our proposal debrief, we could tell that the Proposal Panda was a bit tired and needed a break. One of the advantages of visiting this time of year is that Proposal staff can actually step away from their desk and have lunch! While determining where to head out for a bite to eat, Proposal Panda rested and enjoyed or magnificent views of the Chicago skyline.

While taking in the sites from up high, Proposal Panda immediately became intrigued by the “bean-like” sculpture in Millennium Park. Proposal staff quickly shared some history that the sculpture is really called the “Cloud Gate” and was created by British artist Anish Kapoor. The Proposal Panda was so excited and was ready to take a break and start seeing what the City of Chicago was all about!

The Proposal Panda showed his strength by getting a little crazy and lifted the 110-ton elliptical sculpture forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, which reflect the city’s famous skyline and the clouds above. Inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture is among the largest of its kind in the world, measuring 66-feet long by 33-feet high; however, the weight and size is no match for the power of the Panda!

After we left the Millennium Park, the Proposal Panda was interested in seeing more architecture and sites of the City. We headed over to the Richard J. Daley Center which is Chicago’s premier civic center and features a massive sculpture by Pablo Picasso. Known by locals simply as “The Picasso,” this renowned sculpture was one of the first of many public art installations throughout Chicago.

During the holidays, the Daley Center features the Christkindlemarket. It is a popular exhibit and many Chicagoans will tell you they could not imagine the holidays in the city without it. The market features a unique shopping experience that includes German food and drinks and holiday entertainment.

The Panda’s favorite part of the market was the Christmas tree. In the past, the tree was made from 100 trees compiled together to make one massive tree. This year, a family in Palos Park, a suburb of Chicago, donated a tree from their backyard. The Proposal Panda was amazed by its size and magnitude. He got a little too excited and tried to pull some ornaments, but you can see the rope that is holding it up…primarily tied to the tree to avoid it from falling over from the Panda’s antics!

Proposal Panda reported that he thoroughly enjoyed his trip to Chicago and looks forward to visiting again when the weather is a bit warmer and he could maybe take in a Cubs game.

Proposal Panda travels the world visiting proposal professionals. Click here for more details. If you’d like Panda to visit you, just email us at panda@theproposalguys.com

I got to attend the 13th Annual Southern Proposal Accents Conference (SPAC).  The Georgia Chattahoochee, Carolinas, and Florida Sunshine Chapters of the APMP did a great job (as always) on this year’s conference.  Thanks for letting me Volunteer.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN (Saturday, October 31, 2009)

It’s Halloween!!  Rainy day, so my Host, Joni Charron (Proposal Manager with Eclipsys Corporation), said it would not be a good idea to trick or treat, being that I’m a stuffed animal and all.  Just the same, I was all set with my costume (I’m “Pandy Corn”)….and the best part was I had color…no black and white pictures for me!

PROPOSAL PANDA MEETS “THE BIG CHICKEN”

Built in 1963, this Marietta, Georgia landmark is a 56 foot tall chicken head (made of sheet metal) and is designed to rotate with the beak opening & closing.  The Big Chicken is commonly used as a landmark for driving directions — “make a turn at the Big Chicken”, or “it’s about 2 miles past the Big Chicken.”

TIME TO EAT

Hey…fried chicken can be quite messy!   
Go Falcons (Atlanta’s football team);  hey, that’s also a bird!

IT’S MONDAY – GOTTA WORK (November 2, 2009)

Eclipsys Corporation, a large healthcare information software and services company, is based in Atlanta, Georgia.  The 9 proposal team members are hard-working telecommuters who gather in the office on an “as needed” basis for team meetings, proposal production and training.   

On this particular day, Proposal Panda helped us out by providing some required officer’s signatures – Thanks Proposal Panda – we hate chasing down the CEO!

MY NEW PROPOSAL MANTRA

“The ultimate inspiration is the deadline”

Enjoyed my visit in the Atlanta, Georgia area…Off I go to Peachtree City, GA

Proposal Panda travels the world visiting proposal professionals. Click here for more details. If you’d like Panda to visit you, just email us at panda@theproposalguys.com

Sporting my new cap, I took some time off to go on safari to the local zoo. This elephant tickled my ear – how rude! Unfortunately my hectic globe-trotting schedule didn’t allow for a trip to the Kruger Park game reserve to see the rest of the animals known as the Big 5. And I’ll have to save Cape Town for next time. They say Table Mountain and the wine-lands are amazing. And the garden route sounds worth exploring. I fancy a pony trek in the Drakensberg and a beach holiday on the wild coast to unleash the wild panda within. I’ll be back for their first APMP conference!

Refreshed after my safari, I took the time to inspire Wendy Word, a local proposal witch. In my absence, she will continue the work I started. I shared with her some secrets on how to motivate bid teams in the dead of night and discouraged her from making potions for them to drink. Instead I showed her how to make a mean cup of coffee and explained what Red Bull does.

Wendy Word in turn told me about the NOSE she uses for persuasive proposals, and the 10 tips she trains nFold customers to use. I thought she meant her own pointy nose, but was too polite to ask. I’d forgotten all about Need Outcome Solution and Evidence to make my proposals more client-focused and differentiated. It never hurts to re-visit the basics, so I decided to brush up on Tom Sant’s persuasive methodology by reading his classic and his latest books. I liked his concept of avoiding the pseudo-languages: fluff, guff, geek and weasel, in “The Language of Success” and found it an easy read. Even my emails have improved.

As a famous bear, I’m quite used to the Paparazzi by now. But even I was stunned by how eager the local journalists are to meet me. Here I am motivating for a radio interview by phone. I have a few meetings planned with the local business community before I leave. And I’ve managed to round up a few more subscribers to my blog. Wendy Word has started a blog of her own. I guess we’ll compare notes from time to time. It’s great to have a new friend in proposals, even if she is a witch. And I guess that’s why the South Africans started the local chapter of APMP. There’s nothing like moral support to cheer one up. It’s nice to know you’re not the only bear trying to meet a proposal deadline – doing the impossible, with the unwilling, for the ungrateful.

Proposal Panda travels the world visiting proposal professionals. Click here for more details. If you’d like Panda to visit you, just email us at panda@theproposalguys.com

I eventually arrived in Perth, Scotland.  I am here to spend some time with the proposal team in within Aviva Insurance UK.  My first impressions were very good – the views are beautiful …

But there’s no rest for the wicked and they soon set me to work…

Aviva has offices all over the UK, so they’re are big fans of teleconferencing.  They invited me to sit in on a couple of them – it was so interesting to hear how they coordinated all of the different parts of their company to deliver insurance solutions to some pretty big customers.

After all of that hard work I decided to explore a bit about the Scottish culture, I did a bit of research…(check out my wee kilt, by the way – they wrestled me into it the moment I arrived)

I sampled a drop of whisky.  The beginning of the night was excellent, although I’m not sure what happened after the first hour.

I was feeling rather the worse for wear the following day so the team put me on to another local delicacy – it’s called Iron Bru.  It’s bright orange with enough sugar to keep a narcoleptic up all night.  It certainly sorted me out.

I spent the day proof reading a few of the proposals that the team are currently working on and reviewing some of the successes the team have had.

So that concludes my time here are Aviva – it’s been a blast but I must press on with my journey.  Here’s a picture of me and some of the team…

Farewell…

Proposal Panda travels the world visiting proposal professionals. Click here for more details. If you’d like Panda to visit you, just email us at panda@theproposalguys.com

Heather and Lee Ann, the Sanborn Proposals team, asked me if I needed help, but I was in the zone. In a matter of minutes, I had assembled and bound 10 250-page proposals. My hosts were amazed and asked if I would like a job. I graciously declined (bamboo doesn’t grow in Colorado).

I dropped the proposals off at the shipping department, and then wandered around the office, introducing myself to the entire Sanborn staff. They were really cool folks, but I was still a bit fuzzy (no pun intended) on what, exactly, a geospatial company does. So I got my paws on a book about photogrammetric mapping and spent the afternoon learning about all things geospatial.

The day flew by quickly and, before I knew it, the clock said 5:00 p.m. – and it was Friday! Lee Ann invited me to join her for the weekend. I’m glad I accepted, because there’s a lot to do in Colorado Springs! From Pike’s Peak to the U.S. Air Force Academy and Garden of the Gods, we did it all.

Heather even let me borrow some of her hockey equipment, and we got to play in a pick-up game on Sunday night! Since I am from a mountainous region in China, the altitude here (6,035 ft) didn’t really affect my nimble athleticism (bet you didn’t know pandas could skate), and everyone was impressed with my stick-handling skills even though I don’t have opposable thumbs!

It was a busy couple of days, and Sunday night I was really tuckered out. I was invited to a sleep-over with my distant cousin, Publishing Polar Bear, but as you can see, we all decided to turn in early.

All in all, I had a great time at Sanborn. I learned a lot and saw some great sights! Sigh, Sanborn and Colorado Springs, I hardly knew ye.

I am SO glad to be out of my box once again. I’ve just arrived in Nashua, NH (that’s where the U.S. offices of Strategic Proposals LLC is located) having travelled (apparently by the slowest means possible!) from Chandler Arizona, where I attended the 20th Annual conference of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP).

The conference was great fun and I enjoyed being part of it. I even got to share the stage with Jon and BJ as they opened the event. I also hung out where the pictures were being taken for the profiles, helping the Dianes take all those pictures and hang up all those profiles.

I really enjoyed seeing and catching up with the folks whom I’d visited over the course of the last 6 months or so. Fortunately, enough time had passed since I’d seen many of these people and, fortunately for me, they seemed to remember only the good parts of my visit with them. I also enjoyed meeting the new folks who stopped by to meet me.

I was brought to the conference by Don Stewart of Honeywell, who lives in Chandler Arizona.

It was so nice traveling in his truck, even if it was just for a short trip, instead of being shipped! That box is getting kind of cramped these days as people keep giving me things to take with me. More on that in a minute. Prior to visiting with Don I was with Joe Villa and the gang at Motorola in Colorado.  I think they’re the ones’ that added the Air Force Academy T-shirt to my box.

Those of you who have been following my adventures will know I’ve visited with quite a few proposal groups across the U.S. I’ve visited with the 24 Hour Company in Virginia, with Medical Transportation Management in Missouri, Connexus in Texas, Project Time and Cost in Atlanta and a host of other groups and places. And I’ve got fond memories and mementos from each of my visits. Here’s what’s currently in my box:

•    A baseball cap from Leonies
•    A leather biker jacket
•    Wrap around shades
•    Three Hawaiian leis (orange, blue and white)
•    A badge for Sanborn (Total Geospatial Solutions)
•    A water bottle
•    A Motorola luggage tag and badge holder
•    An Air Force Academy T-shirt
•    Copies of what appear to be some animal’s rear end.
•    A folding beach chair
•    A photo album
•    An empty tequila bottle

It’s been quite an adventure so far. From here I’m headed overseas to meet up with Jon and the Strategic Proposal folks on that side of the Atlantic. I’m told there’s a quite a few proposal groups that have requested I visit them and that I’m going to get to see lots of place in Europe and maybe even the Far East and Australia! (If you’d like me to come visit you and your proposal team, just send a mail to me and we’ll put you on the list.)

But before I get back in my box I’ve asked BJ to take me for a ride on his motorcycle. Got my shades, got my jacket and it’s motorcycle week here in NH (Laconia!). Woo hoo!

Hey ya’ll! (as they say down south)

I’ve just been to Columbia, South Carolina to visit with Ruth Turman at BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina (they’re an insurance company).

Over lunch Ruth explained that nearly all the proposal work her team does is for one of their company’s subsidiaries.  That subsidiary is actually a technology company.  And most of the subsidiary’s staff work in Dallas, Texas.  That means almost all of their proposals require virtual proposal team management.

Things were a little quiet in Columbia while I was there so I helped out with some of the housekeeping chores that all well-oiled proposal centers need to do to continue to run smoothly.

Thank you, but no, pandas don’t care for boiled peanuts.  I will, however, have another slice of this pizza.

Here I am with my new buddy, RFP Raccoon.  He thinks we might be distantly related (there is a somewhat alarming resemblance; here around the eyes).  He insists he was born in China, but his tag says he was made for a California company.  Maybe very distant cousins…  Several times removed…  On my mother’s side of the family…

Raccoon helped me understand the history and evolution of the subsidiary he and Ruth support by showing me one of the documents from their hard-copy archive.  Seems it all started with a proposal to run something called an Enterprise Data Center for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Can you believe what they ask for in these government solicitations?

They wanted how many copies of this?  Okay, so 8 copies of 1375 pages; that’s…  that’s…  Panda’s don’t have that many fingers!

No wonder those of us who work on proposals are prone to dark circles under our eyes.

Next, I wanted to get the remote staff’s take on the proposal process in a virtual environment.  Armed with half a pot of coffee and Raccoon’s support, the conversation went something like this:

ME:  “Can you hear me now?”

ME:  “I said ‘We want to win’ does NOT constitute a strategy statement!”

ME:  “Yes, I’m sure you do.  Your customer, on the other hand, is thinking ‘So what?’  Why do they care if you want to win?  What’s in this for them?  You need to do your homework!  What are their hot buttons?  What causes them pain?  What can you do for them to eliminate that pain?  Come on, you can do this!  You told me no one knows your customer better than you do…”

* * M U T E * *

ME:  “Would someone please pass the aspirin?  And the Tums.”  (I had wondered why there was a large but half empty bottle of Tums on the conference table.)

After a very full day, we were in need of a little relaxation.  The latest issue of Journal of the Association of Proposal Management had arrived and Colleen Jolly’s article, “Yoga for Proposal Professionals” seemed like just the ticket.

Raccoon was thrilled about this because from day one his mantra has been “I am the raccoon…  I am one with the forest…”  And Ruth has been trying for four years to get in touch with her inner raccoon (with only intermittent success).

Ruth had to contend with some corporate documentation, but Raccoon and I found ourselves some mats and attempted Colleen’s FedEx Salutation.

Is it just me or does Raccoon’s Where’s My Stapler? pose look exactly like his Is the Toner Low? pose?

Turns out the proposal center has a somewhat infamous reputation for their highly detailed proposal production logistics and other mission critical tasks like maintaining the proposal center and its equipment.

As a professional Proposal Panda, I know that no task is too insignificant or beneath my dignity and I’m willing to help out when and wherever I’m needed.

On this particular day it was time to swap out the toner cartridges in the color printer.  It’s a potentially messy job, but someone has to do these things.

(Don’t worry Jon, they put gloves, an apron and a mask on me before the really dirty work began.)

Did you know there are such things as box subject matter experts in proposal management?  Neither did I.  But another proposal team in the company called us and wanted to know how many binders would fit in a box.

Proposal professionals believe in sharing best practices so we helped out by asking some probing questions:

How big is the box?
How big are the binders?
How much paper will be in those binders?
How are you planning on getting the box from point A to point B?
At any point will the boxes need to be sent through x-ray equipment or manually inspected?

Turns out it wasn’t such a simple question after all so I volunteered to take some first hand measurements for the calculations.

So how many binders will fit in a box?

Life’s too short to not love your job and to have a good time doing it.

In my professional opinion, all proposal professionals should take time to stop and play in the bubble wrap.

As all of you know, the gang at Strategic Proposals (BJ and Jon in particular) strongly supports APMP’s accreditation program.

I was able to take advantage of some quiet time during my visit to coach Raccoon (my very first student!) on some of the knowledge areas he’ll need to be familiar with when he takes his Foundation Level exam.

Naturally there are some areas of proposal management that he’s not as familiar with as he is others (Raccoon’s not so good with a calculator, so he doesn’t get involved in pricing proposals), but I feel confident that he will do well.

Hmmm, knowledge is power.  Raccoon and I are really looking forward to the upcoming Annual Conference of APMP.

Old friends to see…  New friends to make…

Vendors to talk to…  APMP business to attend to…

Ideas to share…  Things to learn…

Wonder what BJ and Jon are planning to do this year?  (I know, but I can’t tell!)

So many great sessions; so little time…

Now this is fun…

Are you sure you know how to drive this thing?

Ouch!  Watch out for the paper shredder.

Don’t make me come back there…

I think the airport is the other direction.  Left!  Your other left!

What do you mean ‘your other hand truck is equipped with GPS?!?!?!?!’

Hey! Don’t EVEN think about sticking one of your shipping labels on me!  Jon and BJ promised me I’d be flying first class to Virginia for my visit with Ali at Leonie Industries.