Unlock Underrated Skills That Win Bids Now

When it comes to winning government contracts, the spotlight often shines brightest on business development and capture management. But let’s be honest—these front-stage roles don’t carry the show alone. Behind every winning proposal is a cast of unsung heroes whose underrated skills quietly tip the scales from “good enough” to award-winning.

We wanted to know: what does the bid and proposal community consider the most underrated skills in our industry? The results might surprise you.

Poll Results: What Are the Most Underrated Skills?

In a recent LinkedIn poll, 539 bid and proposal professionals weighed in on which skill is most overlooked but essential to winning work. Here’s how they responded:

• Knowledge Management – 40%
• Proposal Writing – 38%
• Graphic Design – 13%
• Desktop Publishing – 10%

The clear standouts? Proposal writing and knowledge management—two areas that are easy to take for granted, yet absolutely vital for proposal success.

What the Numbers Tell Us about Underrated Skills

• Knowledge Management (40%): The poll winner. Why? Because without effective knowledge management, teams waste time reinventing the wheel. A centralized, well-maintained library of past performance, resumes, graphics, and boilerplate content frees teams to focus on strategy instead of chasing information. Knowledge management is the quiet engine of efficiency—an underrated skill that’s often ignored until it breaks down.

• Proposal Writing (38%): Proposal writing often occurs under tight deadlines, with incomplete information and shifting strategies. Strong writers do more than “fill space,” they translate technical jargon into clear, evaluator-friendly narratives that highlight strengths and compliance. When proposal writing is underrated, you risk losing points you can’t afford to lose.

• Graphic Design (13%): Design can make the difference between a dense, intimidating wall of text and a visually inviting page that guides evaluators to your strengths. Good design doesn’t just look nice; it improves readability, compliance, and even scoring.

• Desktop Publishing (10%): The final step before submission may not be glamorous, but it’s mission-critical. Formatting and last-minute fixes ensure compliance with government requirements. A proposal can collapse under the weight of a missed margin, page count error, or mislabeled section heading.

Additional Underrated Skills That Matter

We also asked respondents to identify additional underrated skills outside the constraints of LinkedIn’s four poll options, and they listed the following, all of which are essential skills:

• Editing
• People influencing
• Pricing
• Recruiting
• SME knowledge
• Stakeholder management
• Strategic decision making

Conclusion

Winning proposals are not the work of star performers alone—they’re the result of a whole ensemble cast. The poll makes it clear: underrated skills such as knowledge management, proposal writing, design, and desktop publishing are far from “backstage.” They are the foundation of every contract win.

If your organization isn’t investing in these underrated skills, you may be leaving points—and contracts—on the table. At Lohfeld Consulting, we help clients elevate their entire team’s capabilities so that no skill goes unnoticed and no opportunity slips away. Click here for a list of our public training classes or contact us to arrange private classes.

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By Brenda Crist, Vice President at Lohfeld Consulting Group, MPA, CPP APMP Fellow

Lohfeld Consulting Group has proven results specializing in helping companies create winning captures and proposals. As the premier capture and proposal services consulting firm focused exclusively on government markets, we provide expert assistance to government contractors in Capture Planning and Strategy, Proposal Management and Writing, Capture and Proposal Process and Infrastructure, and Training. In the last 3 years, we’ve supported over 550 proposals winning more than $170B for our clients—including the Top 10 government contractors. Lohfeld Consulting Group is your “go-to” capture and proposal source! Start winning by contacting us at www.lohfeldconsulting.com and join us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube^(TM).