Consultant Spotlight: Dana Smith

Favorite part of being a consultant?

I love meeting new people and working with teams. No one proposal project is alike, every project has different nuances and challenges. I enjoy the constant change up. It keeps my mind fresh and I learn something new on every project.

What is the secret to managing a successful proposal?

Keeping everyone who is working on the proposal informed and on the same page. Delivering a consistent message with each interaction keeps everyone focused on the task at hand, eliminates schedule slippage, and lets everyone know what is expected of them by when. I believe each proposal I manage should have its own “vision,” which for me includes ushering the proposal team to the due date, consistently incorporating the established win themes, and telling the Offereor’s story to the prospective Government customer while making it about the Government, not about the Offeror. I figure out what those three things are up front, and then my communication to the team throughout the proposal development process is driven by those three elements.

Any tips for writing a winning proposal?

Answer the question! Tell the Government what they want to know. Address what the RFP is asking first, then talk about your own past performance, successes, etc.

Biggest proposal pet peeve?

When you tell everyone what font style and size to use, and they deviate and use something else anyway.

Where was your last vacation and what was the highlight of the trip?

My last vacation was at Holden Beach, N.C. for our second-ever multi-family trip. It’s a new tradition that we all LOVE and look forward to every summer. We skipped it once and we vowed never again! The highlight has been seeing the beach through the eyes of my 2 boys (now ages 5 and 7) and their cousins.

Do you have any hidden talents?

I pretend to know how to sew in order to carry on a family tradition my great grandmother started when my brothers and I were babies. I cross-stich the names of my nieces and nephews and then sew it onto cushions for little toddler-sized chairs. It is a labor of love (emphasis on labor).

I also started distance running with my husband and ran my first half marathon in 2016. This year, I am registered to run two more half marathons and am hoping to run my first full at the Marine Corps Marathon in October.

If you could meet anyone in the world (dead or alive) who would it be and why?

My grandfather, James C. Skinner. He was in the Army and killed in Vietnam on his third tour when my mom was only 14. I wrote a story about the day he died when I was in college that won an award. I don’t want to ask him about that day, but I’d like to get to know him because the stories everyone tells about him are wonderful.

Or, to lighten the mood: Gordon Ramsey! Because my husband loves to cook and Gordon Ramsey and I could introduce them to each other.