Occasionally, people e-mail me to ask what proposal automation software I use. The answer is easy: I don't use any. There are several of these programs on the market -- you can find them by doing a search on "proposal software." I've fooled around with the demos of some of them, but have found that they're not really suited for my type of work. They seem to be more suited to large companies that generate many proposals, and not to a consultant who has many different clients.
But as a proposal writer, I use several programs that I'd have a hard time doing without. Below I've listed a few:
File Box Extender: This is a fabulous little program that puts a little icon on Windows Explorer. You can list and access all the folders that you use frequently, as well as those you are working with at the present time. It makes it a lot easier to open, save and find your documents.
Yankee Clipper: I really couldn't work without this program. It automatically saves everything that you copy, including text, pictures, whatever. You can keep as many items as you want and access them any time from your task bar.
WordWeb: This is a wonderful little thesaurus and dictionary that integrates with Word. It sits in your task bar until you need to look something up.
FirstCap: Another tiny program that will stop you from leaving your Caps Lock key on accidently and TYPING A WHOLE SENTENCE IN CAPITAL LETTERS.
iBackup: I've been using an online backup service for quite a while because I can access all of my important files from a client's office or anywhere else.
ShortKeys: ShortKeys is a text replacement utility similar to Autotext in Word.
Microsoft Project: In my opinion, you can't beat MS Project for making Gantt charts. The problem is that most of my clients don't have it, or if they have it, they don't know how to use it. It's also very expensive. But the charts look soooo professional.
PowerDesk: PowerDesk is a replacement for Windows Explorer. It has a lot of features, but the ones I use most are the file viewer (view your files without opening them), color coding of files and folders, and making notes about the contents of your files and folders.
Know of any others? I'd love to hear about them.
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