We’re delighted to bring you the second of our Proposal Guys interviews, featuring Erica Vis, who’s based in Brussels with DHL Express. Of all the senior proposal professionals with whom we work, Erica’s remit is one of the most genuinely international in nature, and it’s fascinating to hear her perspectives.
Please could you describe your current role?
My current role is leading the DHL Express tender teams in Europe; this includes direct management of the regional tender team and the functional lead of tender teams in 29 countries.
How did you first get involved in sales proposals?
My first involvement was as Sales Manager, doing my own tenders. I realized that Sales was missing the right support and was interested in developing this across Europe.
What characteristics make for a first-class proposal?
A first-class proposal should be compelling, describe how we will make our customer more successful and clearly differentiate us from competition.
How can proposal centres go about making their proposal processes more efficient?
Agree with all stakeholders on their roles in tender processes, ensure that their role is part of their job description and define shared Key Performance Indicators and incentives.
What’s the single most successful thing you’ve done to improve your organisation’s proposals?
Share best practises between all teams.
If you were asked to take over a new proposal centre tomorrow, what would you do first?
I would make sure that the proposal centre was positioned well in the organizational structure.
Having worked with Erica, we know she’s done some fabulous work inspiring her colleagues and promote best practices, and it’s been great to see the leadership she’s brought to the proposal function in her organisation. We’re really grateful to her for taking the time to be interviewed.