Chris Simmons

ChrisSimmons

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Chris Simmons, CP APMP Fellow (Class of 2013)

Founder & Principal
Rainmakerz Consulting LLC

Bio

Consultant; Rainmaker; BD Expert; Featured Speaker; Award-Winning Author; Trainer; Coach; Reputation for passionate, entertaining, practical, and content-rich presentations

Frequent APMP presenter and author; Former APMP NCA Vice President and Membership Chair; First John Elder APMP Journal Award Winner (How to Create Winning Proposal Themes); NCA Mentor of the Year; Former NCA LinkedIn Group Manager
Founder and Principal Rainmakerz Consulting LLC (www.rainmakerz.biz); 200+ customers; Tens of billions in new contract awards
Consulting Magazine’s Top 25 Consultants (nominee)
Deloitte Consulting Partner; CGI Senior Principal
MBA, Information Technology, University of Massachusetts (Amherst)

What does being an APMP Fellow mean to you?

It is the highest recognition in the capture/proposal industry achieved by ~100 out of 20,000 members since the program was established in 2001.

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

2013 Bid & Proposal Con, where I received both the Fellows recognition and the John Elder APMP Journal Award for "How to Create Winning Proposal Themes."

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

Work hard, play hard, be thankful for the opportunity, communicate, work/life balance.

Anything else you would like to share?

APMP has been directly responsible for helping me grow personally and professionally.

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

Acquiring the executive summary micro certification has helped to build my confidence in producing best practice Executive Summaries. I also benefit from the social media badge for my LinkedIn profile and certification to add to my resume. Both of these allow me to verify my Executive Summary capabilities.

Laura Rispin, CP ES-M APMP

Receiving Practitioner-level certification boosted my confidence and validated my experiences and professional growth in the bid and proposal industry. The badge is something that I see each day, and it motivates and encourages me to keep networking, learning, and elevating others in our combined professional development goals.

Kim Ruff, CP APMP

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.

Norbert Thiemermann, CPP ES-M APMP

APMP has provided an incredible platform for seasoned individuals from the Proposal and Bid Management profession and young professionals who want to start their careers in this field.

Mayura Ravishankar, Proposal Associate

Acquiring this micro-certification allows me to expand my aperture regarding the collaboration between capture and proposal management to develop more robust, customer-centric Executive Summaries for future pursuits. It allows me to advance my skill set, evolve my knowledge, and reflect my commitment to continuous learning.

Stephen Yuter, ES-M 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

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

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.

Rita Mascia, CPP APMP

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