What is the learning curve for using MustWin Now?
It depends on the role you play
What is the learning curve for using MustWin Now? MustWin Now makes managing complex proposals so much easier. But a complex proposal is still complex, even if the software makes managing it easier.
In MustWin Now, if you are there to write, you don't need to understand how to import and cross-reference the RFP. If you are there to review, you don't need to know how to configure or tailor all the tool options. If you are the Proposal Manager you'll need to know how everything works. And if you are the designer and developer of your company's proposal process, you'll need to know why it works that way. But the concepts will all be familiar, and it will mainly be the user interface you’ll need to learn.
If you throw everything MustWin Now can do at a proposal writer, they'll get overwhelmed. If you try to manage a proposal without having done a dry run, you'll probably get overwhelmed. It is far better to start by playing around with things and then do a dry run on a fake proposal. That way instead of getting overwhelmed, you can be excited about all the possibilities.
The good news is that if you are a proposal manager, you'll already know what a win theme is and how to cross-reference an RFP. All you'll need to learn is how those things work in MustWin Now. And once you learn them you'll find that they work easier than the old manual ways of doing things.
If you understand how to build an RFP cross-reference matrix in a spreadsheet, learning how to do it by drag and drop is easy. If you understand how to write win themes, then doing them in a tool that enables them to be cross-referenced to the outline is not a big deal. The same is true for content planning. Proposal Input Forms might be a new concept, but it's really just a matter of learning to work with online question and answer forms. You'll have new tools for making assignments, managing issues, and scheduling. But it's just a matter of learning the user interface for familiar concepts. You'll also need to learn how to get your users set up and control access.
If you are a writer, you'll have to learn about Proposal Content Planning. What you'll find is doing it online is so much easier than trying to do it on paper. But when it comes to writing, all you need to do is be able to click on your sections and incorporate the content plan instructions into what you write, which will still be in Microsoft Word. You'll also want to learn how to use the Collaboration Toolbox to do things like quickly report issues or ask questions, and to work with the dashboard that shows all the assignments, issues, and questions so you can filter them down to just the ones that apply to you.
The best part about the learning curve for MustWin Now is that what you will learn will open your eyes to new and better ways to win proposals. MustWin Now will get you out of the box of thinking that process has to revolve around paper. When you use MustWin Now it's like the process disappears and you just focus on what it will take to win.
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Carl Dickson
Carl is the Founder and President of CapturePlanning.com and PropLIBRARY
Carl is an expert at winning in writing, with more than 30 year's experience. He's written multiple books and published over a thousand articles that have helped millions of people develop business and write better proposals. Carl is also a frequent speaker, trainer, and consultant and can be reached at carl.dickson@captureplanning.com. To find out more about him, you can also connect with Carl on LinkedIn.
