Sandy Pullinger

SandyPullinger

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Sandy Pullinger, CPP APMP Fellow (Class of 2019)

Founder
nFold

Bio

Sandy moved to the UK in 2020 after selling her proposal consultancy business, nFold. She is a seasoned entrepreneur with 30 years of experience in the proposal, software, and internet sectors. She is also a pioneer who has achieved many accolades.

She founded South Africa’s first proposal consultancy nFold, in 2001. In addition to winning bids with her clients from a variety of industries to the value of many hundreds of millions, Sandy has held various sales, marketing, and new business development roles. She also founded the local chapter of APMP in South Africa in 2009 and served as its first chairperson as well as the first global board member from Africa. As a volunteer for the Business Women’s Association, she started the Succeed Campaign to support women entrepreneurs.

Sandy graduated from UCT in Computer Science with first-class honors and is educated in business strategy. She is certified at APMP Professional Level and is an approved APMP trainer for ATO Strategic Proposals. In 2019 she was named a fellow of the APMP. In 2006 she was selected as a finalist for “Top ICT Businesswoman of Africa” by ForgeAhead. In 2007 she was selected as a finalist for the TWIB awards by the Department of Trade and Industry.

What does being an APMP Fellow mean to you?

After a career spent growing the proposal community in South Africa and inspiring proposal success, I was honoured to be named as a fellow by my peers.

What's your best memory from attending an APMP event?

When Colleen Jolly and Mike Parkinson wore hard hats and coveralls for DIY proposals at the first bid and proposal conference I attended, it encouraged me to unleash my own sense of creativity and mischief on my own presentations at several conferences in the US, UK and in South Africa.

What advice do you have for a proposal professional entering our field?

Acquire knowledge, care about people, and strive for excellence. And remember to breathe.

Anything else you would like to share?

I have always loved writing. When I write proposals, I look for the story. What do you love?

The Executive Summary is the key element of each proposal, literally the most important part of the response next to the price – this is why my focus was on this micro certification. Understanding the principles of Deal-Strategy, Win-Strategy, Competitor-Analysis, Ghosting, Persuasive Writing, Features/Benefits/Discriminators, and many more is essential and beneficial for so much more than just the Executive Summary.

Florian Lamisch, CF ES-M APMP

I never want to be complacent in my career, so it has been beneficial to have this group of peers who are going through similar trials and tribulations in the proposal world on a day-to-day basis.

Jill Zander, CF APMP

Being a part of APMP, I get access to the knowledge and experience of great leaders and mentors from the community. I have learned a great deal from the webinars and conferences I attended on diverse topics from career progression in Proposal Management, trends (such as automation) in PreSales to achieving work-life balance, and handling burn-outs – all real-life experiences.

Kulkarni Shubhada photo

Shubhada Kulkarni, CP APMP

Achieving the Executive Summaries micro-certification will support me in persuading Sales to create a better Executive Summary.

Gerald Stein, CF ES-M APMP

As a sales coach, the executive summary is vital for capturing and proposing management activities. This is an excellent addition to our members' professional standing, and I look forward to many more micro certifications.

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Suzanne Shields, CPP ES-M APMP

APMP Certification is an important milestone in the bid and proposal profession. It helped me upgrade my knowledge and be competitive in the industry. You can achieve your dream career with APMP certifications. Thanks to APMP India.

Swapnil Patange

Swapnil Patange, CF APMP

Certification has enhanced my worth as a bid professional. It has validated the skills and experience I have and is proof of my bid management qualities and capabilities. It has given me a springboard to develop my career and aim for Professional certification.

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Aynsley Davidson, CP APMP

This topic, Executive Summaries, is way underrated. The Executive Summary is the most eye-catching document, which almost everyone on the customer side reads. Yet, in most bid teams, we don’t dedicate the attention it deserves. I want to learn about something I can immediately put into practice at my workplace, which provides a “quick win” to the team and is a long-term benefit for the company.

Dénes Máthé, CF ES-M APMP

APMP's techniques on proposal writing are meticulously engineered with real-life examples, and the extensive information available in their Body of Knowledge is a goldmine for bid & proposal professionals.

Anant Shukla, CF APMP

Without APMP, I would not have the tools or knowledge of the industry to have the career I have today and the success I have experienced.

Liz Megli, CF APMP