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CharlieDivine

Charlie Divine, CPP APMP Fellow (Class of 2003)

Retired

Bio

APMP Director of Certification (retired) - helped APMP members achieve APMP Certification. Championed business development benchmarking research and development of the APMP Body of Knowledge.

What does being an APMP Fellow mean to you?

Our lineage of Fellows chronicles both the history and future of APMP. When I look back, I see a community that had a simple vision of learning from each other. AS additional leaders stepped forward, we developed a wider commercial business focus, expanded to a worldwide stage, and embraced professional standards that gave us certification and firmly established our profession. Looking forward to the future community of Fellows, I am confident new leaders will step forward to embrace our diversity, expand our role in winning business, develop innovative AI strategies, and chart a bright future for us.

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

My first APMP Conference was in Dallas, Texas. I had heard from coworkers about a proposal writing conference coming up. That was something we were trying to get started at SBC. I signed up to attend and remember walking in the first afternoon and discovering a “proposal treasure chest.” That moment started my long and successful career based on the learnings, networking, and most importantly friendships that APMP afforded me.

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

Focus on these imperatives as you grow in the profession … Create value for customers in your sales communications. The key imperative of all sales communications, be they proactive or reactive, is the customer is central. The dialog is not about you or your organization – it’s about building value for your customer. Commit to a saleable repeatable process.

Winning business through proposals takes a plan - a repeatable, flexible process that you can implement whether the window of opportunity is short or long. A repeatable proposal process provides a roadmap. Proposal teams know where they are, where they are going, and the path to reach their goal. Identify and qualify your opportunities.

In the effective pursuit of new and repeat business, bid decisions made by you and sales leadership are critical. Sales decisions are aimed at eliminating opportunities or sales leads with a low win probability, thus permitting a stronger focus on opportunities with a higher win probability. Given finite resources and the cost of booking business, only pursue opportunities with a reasonable probability of winning. 

Sales Communications are a written argument—an appeal to gain a reader’s agreement. When you write a proposal, you are telling a story, and you are trying to convince your Customer that you understand his/her problem and you have the best solution. To be successful, you must know your audience so you can use the right techniques to match their perspectives. And you must plan that approach before you start writing. Review to perfect your communication style and the processes you use.

You must inspect your work products if you expect to improve. This concept applies to not only what you produce but also the process you produce it. To be a true sales professional, you need a mindset for continual improvement. The sales process is too complex, customers too demanding, and competitors too crafty for the status quo. Retain your knowledge

When you’ve been developing sales communications for a while, you find that you do a lot of reworks. From deal to deal — small or large, simple or complex — you find yourself saying, “I’ve been here before.” Knowledge retention may be as fundamental as a set of homegrown templates that streamline your page layout, or it may be as sophisticated as knowledge management that serves hundreds of users.

Anything else you would like to share?

Proposal management is now a well-defined profession with a set of key practices that define a path to success. Improve yourself and continue to support your chosen profession – become APMP Certified.

With this micro-certification and digital badge, I signal to my bid team and stakeholders that I am familiar with this topic. They can use me as their contact and "sparring partner," independent of RFPs.
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Norbert Thiemermann, CPP ES-M APMP
APMP is an organization full of hardworking, enthusiastic professionals who are dedicated to promoting their industry and practicing their craft.
HeatherFinch
Heather Finch, 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.
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Shubhada Kulkarni, CP APMP
APMP certification is the gold standard for the industry. For me, accreditation is formal recognition of my commitment to the profession, as well as an avenue for improving my performance and bid outcomes by training in APMP principles.
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Ailsa Tuck, CP APMP
APMP has changed my professional life, elevating it to a standard that I didn’t know existed. Aside from the professional advantages of being certified as an APMP Professional, it’s the community of members who make it so special.
ritamascia
Rita Mascia, CPP 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.
AnantShukla
Anant Shukla, CF 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
Being an active APMP certified practitioner allowed me to recognize my hidden potential multifold (40u40, BPC Awards, BPC Speaker) and give back to the profession through the APMP community.
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Karthik Koutharapu, CP APMP
I would advise new professionals to take advantage of the resources that APMP offers. Not only do you have access to conferences and seminars through your chapter, but the free webinars and the robust network of professionals are great benefits that can help advance one’s career.
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Valerie Kessie, CP APMP
APMP has been instrumental in my success and has given me a framework in which to coach and mentor the bid and proposal stars of the future.
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Ceri Mescall, CPP APMP