Georgia Chattahoochee Chapter of the APMP

Cheesette Stovall
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia/WellPoint, Inc.
Riverdale, GA

Question:  How long have you been a proposal manager/specialist/writer?

Five years

Question:  How did you become involved with proposals?

I have a background in Journalism with an emphasis on marketing writing and the company I was working for thought it would be a good fit to transition me to the new proposal team.

Question:  Do you work in a “corporate office” or “home office” environment? 

Question:  What do you like best about working in your current environment? 

Question:  What do you like least?

Corporate office

I like working with a team to develop a single proposal. I am very impressed with the amount of collaboration involved in completing one proposal.

Terrible timelines, of course.

Question:  What do you feel is the most challenging aspect of your job?

Project management is most certainly by far the most challenging aspect of proposals. Given that the timelines are not always as favorable as they could or should be, time management is the essential and most challenging piece in my opinion.

Question:  What shortcuts or helpful best practices about working with proposal teams could you share?

I do project management matrixes and frequent communication with the proposal team for shortcuts, but I am pretty sure most of the team members complete them. Also, I keep a personal library of “canned” information; that is very helpful for me when completing future bids.

Question:  Why  did you join APMP?

I am looking to talk to and meet like minded professionals who can mentor me in my craft and assist me in being a better proposal writer.

Question:  What is your method for successfully working with your proposal teams?

Timely and frequent communication.

 Question:  Which type of proposals do you do most? Commercial, government or other?

Commercial