The 3 Key Habits of Top-Earning Proposal Professionals

Proposal management isn’t just a fulfilling career that directly impacts business growth—it’s also a career with high earning potential when you commit to personal development. In fact, Loopio’s latest RFP Careers & Salaries Report reveals a staggering difference: top-earning RFP professionals can make $150k USD (and sometimes even more).

And it’s not just executives and managers who are able to command such strong salaries: three out of four top earners in our survey are directly responsible for responding to RFPs, while only one in four said they managed an RFP team. That said, there are a few key habits, skills, and mindsets that set the top-earners apart.

Whether you’re just discovering the proposal field or you’re ready to level up your RFP career, this article reveals these key skills and habits—along with insights shared directly from some of these top earners—to help propel your career to new heights.

Since you can’t typically major in proposal management, it’s up to the individual to learn the necessary skills, tools, and processes to oversee the bid management process. It’s common for folks from diverse career backgrounds (like writers, marketers, and salespeople) to find themselves “falling into” the field of proposal management—and many are happy to stay.

The RFP pros who rise to the top are those who continuously nurture their professional growth. Here’s what they do (and what you can do, too).

No matter where you are in your career, the key to success is to remain curious and continue learning. Frank Marzari, Senior Proposal Manager at BMO Financial Group, recommends exploring the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) because it offers a wealth of knowledge and learning opportunities. And top earners are putting these learning opportunities to good use.

The majority (81%) of survey respondents who are top earners are also APMP members. A further 16% belong to a different proposal management association. Of the APMP members, 54% have earned the Bid/Proposal Foundation Certification and 48% hold additional certifications.

From bite-sized videos to multi-day conferences, you can choose what to learn and how to learn it. Earning an APMP certification can also set you apart from other job applicants—and in some cases, it’s even required for certain bid team roles.

It’s natural to have questions when you’re starting your proposal writing career, so don’t be afraid to ask questions. Seek out mentors by attending networking events and getting involved in professional communities. Many thought leaders share RFP best practices regularly, so follow them on social media and sign up for their email newsletters to stay informed.

Unaddressed skill gaps can become career limitations, so it’s crucial to address them early.

Danica Nelson, Proposal and Marketing Coordinator at WGM Group, shares a useful tactic: she asks herself: “Why is this taking so long?”

This simple question helps her uncover inefficiencies and target the skills she needs to improve. As a result, Danica has learned to use advanced formatting and layout tools in inDesign, automated repetitive tasks, and developed new ways to visualize data. Her growth has not only boosted her career but also contributed to her company’s success.

Balancing ongoing learning with a deadline-driven workload can be demanding—and burnout is a real risk. In the next section, we tackle how to prioritize your overall health while building a successful career as a proposal pro.

As you likely have already experienced, proposal management is a fast-paced and often high-pressure field. Recognizing the early signs of burnout is one of the most important steps you can take to protect your well-being.

Larissa Cornelius, Chief Win Strategist at nFold, notes that burnout symptoms can vary from person to person. For some, it may show up as low motivation, mental fog, or procrastination. For others, it may look like overcommitment—saying yes to every request and pushing themselves into overwork.

By spotting stress and overwhelm early, you can take action before it escalates. Here are a few tried-and-true strategies to help dial down the pressure.

Top-earning RFP pros understand that submitting more proposals doesn’t necessarily lead to more wins. More often, it’s a recipe for burnout.

That’s where go/no-go processes can be helpful. When the whole team agrees on which opportunities are worth pursuing, it reduces unnecessary stress and saves resources for the right bids.

Frank Mazari’s team at BMO Financial Group has an RFP intake process where all requests are submitted through a form and tracked. Each request is then assessed and given a score. If the score is high, the proposal team provides a level of service suitable to the score.

If the score is low, the team will decline to support the bid and share the rationale behind the decision. This feedback loop helps educate the sales team, empowering them to prioritize higher-quality opportunities in the future.

RFPs may be getting more complex, but your workflows don’t need to follow suit. Today, there’s a wide range of AI-driven solutions designed to streamline every stage of the RFP process. With the right tools, you can:

• Build a searchable repository of accurate and up-to-date content
• Create first drafts in seconds using trusted responses from your content library
• Tailor answers with the help of generative AI
• Assign questions to subject matter experts (SMEs) and track their progress
• Get insights across proposals to inform strategic business decisions

The best RFP software brings these capabilities together in one platform, so you can work smarter, not harder. And the benefits are backed by data. Sixty-eight percent of RFP software users say their stress levels at work are almost always manageable—compared to just 57% of non-users, according to the 2025 RFP Trends & Benchmarks Report.

The data also reveals that top earners in the proposal world distinguish themselves by how they use RFP technology. Nearly three-quarters (73%) rely on RFP software to streamline their workflows, and they’re more intentional in how they apply AI.

Three-quarters (75%) use AI on a weekly basis, and over a third (35%) use it daily. With consistent, focused use of AI-powered RFP tools, top earners are gaining valuable time savings, improving collaboration, and producing high-quality responses.

The proposal manager’s role is to ensure every high-quality proposal response reaches the finish line in a quick and compliant manner. But when success depends on the input of others, stress can build quickly.

Notably, collaborating with SMEs is consistently ranked as the biggest challenge for RFP pros. It’s understandable since the SME’s role isn’t easy either. They must juggle a full workload alongside RFP requests.

Larissa Cornelius has found that teaching colleagues to respect the RFP process can be a game-changer. If someone shows up unprepared to a proposal meeting, she’ll reschedule until everyone is ready to contribute.

“If a salesperson or a subject matter expert has given you something late, ask them to help and say, ‘Look, you’ve delivered late. If you want [my contribution] delivered on time, you’re going to sit with me at midnight.’”

With this strategy, she’s found that you’re probably not going to have that problem again. Also, they suddenly start to appreciate the work that goes into every proposal.

Setting boundaries with others is essential, but don’t forget to set boundaries for yourself, too. Block off weekly focus time and schedule breathing room in your calendar—even if it means saying no to others. After all, your ability to show up for your team depends on showing up for yourself first.

When deadlines are looming, it’s tempting to stay glued to your screen until the final submission. However, that doesn’t always result in the most productive work. If you catch yourself going through the motions—no longer thinking strategically or being curious—it’s a clear sign you need a break.

Step away from your computer, take a walk, play with your dog, or switch to a task you enjoy. Even a short pause can reignite your creativity and help you return with fresh energy and focus. And remember: not every detail is worth stressing over. Save your energy for what truly matters.

It might sound simple, but it’s worth repeating: you don’t have to do everything yourself. Break large RFPs into smaller, manageable sections and delegate them across your team. If you need to step away and recharge, ask someone to cover for you.

You can also leverage AI RFP software to handle time-consuming tasks, like importing RFP questions, drafting initial content, and polishing responses. Our survey of proposal professionals shows that 68% of teams are already using generative AI in their RFP workflows. These teams prefer to use AI for generating tailored answers, editing content, conducting research, and more.

With the right strategies, burning out isn’t inevitable—it’s preventable. By staying healthy and productive, you can scale your impact while advancing your career.

Aside from developing a sharp skill set and mastering burnout prevention, top-earning proposal professionals stand out for their exceptional interpersonal and leadership qualities.

Cultivating these traits through continuous personal development isn’t just beneficial—it’s absolutely essential to your career advancement.

Focus on these traits to set yourself apart:

Embracing new technology is a powerful way to drive efficiency—not just within the proposal team, but across the organization. This might involve exploring new tools, finding integrations with existing systems, or refining internal workflows.

Danica Nelson has become known for doing exactly that. By identifying and implementing streamlined processes, she’s earned the trust of leadership and is regularly consulted on decisions beyond her immediate role, including selecting tools to invest in.

Danica’s ability to improve operations and connect the dots across teams has expanded her influence and positioned her for continued career advancement.

Proposal professionals play a critical role in driving revenue, and that contribution deserves recognition. Advocating for yourself isn’t just about personal gain (although a promotion is nice), it’s a strategic way to secure the resources and support you need to do your job more effectively.

One way to start is by tracking and sharing data that highlights your team’s impact. At BMO Financial Group, the proposal team sends a monthly report to senior leadership showing how much revenue their work has influenced. This consistent reporting not only raised awareness of the team’s value but also led to additional headcount and support.

In fact, data from the 2025 RFP Trends & Benchmarks Report shows that top-performing proposal teams are more likely to go beyond basic win rates and dive into deeper data, including:

• Advancement rate (42%)
• Speed of completion (39%)
• Cost per bid (29%)
• Team performance (28%)
• Capture rate (27%)

Tracking these metrics not only helps you improve your internal processes but also strengthens your case when advocating for more support or recognition.

Strong relationships ease the stress of tight deadlines, especially when it comes to working with SMEs. Building trust and mutual respect reduces friction, enables you to get the responses you need, and contributes to a more positive work environment.

Tactics for building strong connections include:

• Using humor to lighten the mood
• Approaching requests and pushback with empathy
• Making an effort to get to know your colleagues in and outside of work

It’s also important to take the time to understand your company’s products and services, so you can relate better with cross-functional teammates and ask more informed questions.

High-performing RFP professionals understand the power of empowering others. That might mean teaching colleagues about the proposal management process, training team members on RFP software, or mentoring junior staff to take on proposal responsibilities. When someone shows a spark of interest, fan that flame because curiosity is the first step toward shared ownership.

By actively involving others in the proposal process, you’ll build a more collaborative team. You’ll also create valuable backup support for those moments when you’re managing multiple deadlines or simply taking a well-earned vacation.

To stay relevant in today’s evolving landscape, proposal professionals must combine human ingenuity with the power of technology. While AI can automate repetitive tasks, it can’t yet replicate abilities like interpreting nuance, thinking creatively, or tapping into the knowledge stored in human minds.

With the time freed up by automation, RFP pros can shift their focus to more people-focused work. This includes:

• Deepening client relationships to better understand their priorities
• Using data to craft persuasive win themes
• Partnering with cross-functional teams to tailor responses and pricing strategies for each opportunity

To earn a top-tier proposal manager salary long-term, you’ll need to strike the right balance—leveraging technology while strengthening your leadership, collaboration, and communication skills to meet the demands of modern proposal management.

Small habits may feel insignificant in the moment but, over time, they lay the foundation for sustainable success. If you want to elevate your career as a proposal professional and reach top earner status, start by building the right daily practices.

Prioritize continuous learning, protect your well-being, master the art of connection, and own your value as a strategic leader. These habits don’t just help you thrive in the role—they open the door to greater recognition, compensation, and a career you can be proud of.