What is an SME Expert? A Guide to Better Proposals

Your company’s experts are some of its most valuable assets, but their time is incredibly limited. They are often juggling their own full-time projects when the sales team comes calling with an urgent request for a last-minute RFP. This constant balancing act can lead to bottlenecks, burnout, and rushed, subpar answers. To get the most out of your internal talent, you need a smart strategy. It’s about respecting their time while ensuring their deep knowledge is fully integrated into your proposals. This article explains how to work with your SME expert to improve response quality without overwhelming your most critical resources.

Key Takeaways

• SMEs provide the critical details that win proposals: They add authority and accuracy to your responses, building the trust and credibility needed to close complex deals.
• Streamline SME collaboration to maximize their impact: Respect their time by engaging them strategically, integrating them into your project team, and using a central knowledge base to capture their expertise for future use.
• Support your experts by understanding their role and challenges: A great SME is a skilled communicator, but their time is limited. Acknowledge their workload and help break down internal silos so they can contribute effectively.

What is a Subject Matter Expert (SME)?

When you’re pulling together a complex proposal or RFP response, you’ll inevitably hit a question you can’t answer. Maybe it’s a technical detail about product integration, a fine point of legal compliance, or a specific financial projection. Who do you turn to? The answer is your Subject Matter Expert, or SME.

Simply put, a Subject Matter Expert is the go-to person with deep knowledge in a specific area. They aren't just familiar with a topic; they are an authority on it. Think of them as the person who has the definitive answer when everyone else is just guessing. In the world of sales and proposals, SMEs are your secret weapon for creating accurate, compelling, and winning responses. They provide the critical details that build trust with potential clients and set your submission apart from the competition. Tapping into their expertise ensures your content is not only correct but also reflects a profound understanding of the subject, which is exactly what buyers are looking for.

The Role of an SME

The primary role of an SME is to provide specialized knowledge and guidance. They act as internal consultants, ensuring that the information you share is accurate, compliant, and aligned with industry best practices. When you're crafting a proposal, an SME from your engineering team can verify technical specifications, while an SME from finance can confirm the pricing model is sound.

Their expertise is crucial for quality control. They review content to catch errors or inconsistencies that a generalist might miss, helping your team avoid costly mistakes and maintain credibility. By offering their insights, SMEs ensure that your projects, from product development to sales proposals, are built on a solid foundation of informed decision-making.

Where You'll Find SMEs

SMEs can be found both inside and outside your organization. Many are your own colleagues—the senior developer who knows the product inside and out, the marketing lead who has mastered your brand voice, or the legal counsel who understands every compliance requirement. These internal experts are invaluable because they combine their specialized knowledge with a deep understanding of your company’s goals and processes.

Sometimes, the expertise you need isn't available in-house. In these cases, you might hire an outside consultant for a specific project. These external SMEs can provide a fresh perspective and fill critical knowledge gaps, especially in highly specialized or newly emerging fields. The key is knowing who holds the right information and bringing them into the process at the right time.

SME vs. Generalist: What's the Difference?

It’s helpful to think of the difference between an SME and a generalist like the difference between a heart surgeon and a family doctor. A generalist, like a family doctor, has a broad range of knowledge across many areas. They are fantastic project managers and team leads because they can see the big picture and coordinate moving parts.

An SME, like a heart surgeon, has a much narrower but incredibly deep focus. They have dedicated their careers to mastering one specific domain. While a proposal manager (a generalist) orchestrates the entire RFP response, they rely on SMEs to provide the critical, in-depth information for specific sections. Both roles are essential for a well-rounded team, but when it comes to ensuring accuracy and authority on a specific topic, the SME is irreplaceable.

What Makes a Great SME?

What separates a true Subject Matter Expert from someone who just knows a lot? It’s a powerful combination of deep knowledge, practical experience, and the ability to share that wisdom effectively. When you're pulling an SME into a high-stakes RFP, you need more than a walking encyclopedia; you need a partner who can translate complex information into a winning proposal. A great SME has a solid foundation of formal education and credentials, but they’ve also spent years in the trenches, applying that knowledge to solve real-world problems. This is what gives them authority and credibility.

But the real magic happens when that expertise is paired with strong soft skills. A brilliant expert who can't communicate clearly or collaborate with your sales team is more of a roadblock than a resource. The best SMEs are curious, engaged, and genuinely helpful. They know how to manage their time, work well with others, and make their specialized knowledge accessible to everyone. This ensures your proposals are not just accurate but also compelling. When you find someone with this blend of traits, you've found a key player who can significantly improve your win rates. Let's break down these three core components of a great SME.

Education and Certifications

The foundation of an SME’s expertise often starts with formal education and credentials. Think of this as their "on-paper" qualifications. An advanced degree, like a Master's or PhD, provides a deep theoretical understanding of a subject, while industry-specific licenses and certifications prove they've met rigorous professional standards. These qualifications are a clear signal that an individual has put in the work to master the fundamental principles of their field. When you're vetting an SME for a technical RFP, checking their professional certifications can give you confidence that their knowledge is current and verified by a recognized authority. This formal training is the bedrock upon which they build their practical experience.

The SME Career Path

While education provides the blueprint, true expertise is built through years of hands-on experience. This is where theory gets tested in the real world. There's a popular idea called the "10,000-hour rule," which suggests it takes about that much dedicated practice to master a skill. Whether or not the number is exact, the principle of deliberate practice holds true: becoming an SME is a long-term commitment. It involves tackling complex challenges, learning from mistakes, and continuously refining their approach. This is the experience that allows an SME to provide nuanced insights that you just can't find in a textbook, helping you anticipate client questions and address potential issues in your proposal before they even come up.

The Soft Skills Every SME Needs

Deep knowledge is one thing, but being able to share it effectively is what makes an SME invaluable to your team. The most effective experts pair their technical know-how with a strong set of soft skills. Clear communication is at the top of the list—they can explain complex topics without jargon and tailor their message to different audiences, from engineers to executives. They also need excellent time management and teamwork skills to contribute efficiently to your RFP timeline. Beyond that, look for qualities like curiosity and a helpful attitude. A great SME is genuinely engaged and wants to see the team succeed, making them a true collaborative partner in the proposal process.

Core Responsibilities of an SME

A subject matter expert does more than just hold all the answers—they are active drivers of a company’s growth and success. Their role is dynamic, touching everything from team development to high-level strategy. By understanding their core responsibilities, you can better leverage their expertise to create winning proposals and streamline your sales process. An effective SME doesn't just have knowledge; they put it into action across the organization. Let's look at the four key areas where SMEs make the biggest impact.

Sharing Knowledge and Training Others

One of the most important jobs for an SME is to act as a teacher and mentor. They are responsible for making sure their specialized knowledge doesn't stay locked away. This often involves creating training materials for new hires, leading workshops on complex topics, or developing internal documentation that the whole team can use. By effectively transferring knowledge, SMEs empower their colleagues to work more independently and confidently. For a sales team, this means everyone has the accurate information they need to answer customer questions and close deals.

Ensuring Quality and Compliance

When you're responding to a detailed RFP or a security questionnaire, accuracy is non-negotiable. This is where SMEs shine. They serve as the final checkpoint for technical and factual correctness, reviewing documents to ensure every detail is precise and compliant. An SME will verify product specifications, confirm security protocols, and approve the technical sections of a proposal before it goes to the client. This meticulous review process is crucial for building trust with prospects and avoiding costly errors. Their stamp of approval ensures that what you're promising is something you can actually deliver.

Guiding Strategy and Managing Risk

Beyond individual projects, SMEs play a vital role in shaping business strategy. Their deep understanding of a specific domain allows them to provide critical insights that guide major decisions. For instance, an SME might help set competitive pricing for a new product, identify potential risks in a project plan, or advise leadership on market trends. By contributing their expertise to strategic planning, they help the company make informed choices that support long-term goals and protect the bottom line. Their input ensures that strategy is grounded in reality, not just assumptions.

Collaborating Across Teams

SMEs rarely work in a silo. They are natural connectors who bridge the gap between different departments, such as sales, marketing, product development, and legal. An SME might work with the marketing team to ensure ad copy is technically accurate, jump on a call with the sales team to handle a prospect's tough questions, or collaborate with engineers to define new product features. This cross-functional collaboration is essential for keeping the entire organization aligned. SMEs ensure that everyone is working with the same correct information, which leads to a more cohesive and effective team.

How to Maximize Your SME's Impact

Having access to a subject matter expert is a huge advantage, but their time is often a scarce and valuable resource. To truly get the most out of their expertise, you need a clear strategy for how and when you engage them. Simply throwing questions at them last-minute won't cut it and can lead to burnout and subpar proposal responses.

The goal is to create a seamless process that respects their time while ensuring their deep knowledge is fully integrated into your proposals. When you use your SMEs effectively, you not only improve the quality of your responses but also increase your chances of winning the deal. It’s about working smarter, not just harder, and making your experts feel like valued partners in the sales process. By setting up the right framework, you can turn their insights into a powerful, deal-winning asset.

Know When to Bring in an SME

Timing is everything. Bringing an SME in too early can waste their time on unqualified opportunities, while bringing them in too late can lead to rushed, inaccurate answers. The sweet spot is engaging them once a deal is qualified and you’ve identified specific areas that require their input. Teams rely on SMEs to get expert opinions and guidance, especially for high-stakes projects like a complex RFP response.

Before you send that first email, do your homework. Review the proposal and pinpoint the exact questions or sections where their knowledge is critical—think technical specifications, security protocols, or industry-specific compliance. Provide them with all the context they need upfront so they can give you their best input without a lot of back-and-forth. This focused approach shows you respect their time and allows them to concentrate on the high-value contributions only they can provide.

Integrate SMEs into Your Project Teams

Your SMEs shouldn't feel like outsiders you ping for random questions. The most successful teams integrate their experts directly into the proposal process. Being an SME often means helping with projects across the company, from sales and marketing to product development, so they are used to collaborating. For critical proposals, invite your SME to the kickoff meeting. This gives them a complete picture of the customer's needs and the overall strategy, allowing them to offer more nuanced and impactful contributions.

When SMEs understand the bigger picture, they can do more than just answer questions; they can help shape the solution and identify potential risks or opportunities you might have missed. This collaborative approach makes them feel like a true part of the team, fostering a sense of shared ownership that leads to a stronger, more cohesive final proposal.

Build a Central Knowledge Base

One of the biggest drains on an SME's time is answering the same questions over and over again. To make the most of their expertise, you need to capture their knowledge and make it accessible. The best way to do this is by creating a central knowledge base where all approved answers and project information are stored in one place. This prevents your experts from wasting valuable time searching for documents or rewriting answers they’ve already perfected.

An AI-powered platform like Iris can automate this entire process. It helps you build and maintain a library of accurate, up-to-date information that your entire team can use. This frees up your SMEs to focus on the truly unique, strategic questions that require their deep thinking. By implementing an AI deal desk solution, you empower your whole team and turn your SME’s knowledge into a scalable asset.

Foster Strong SME and Stakeholder Relationships

A great working relationship with your SMEs is built on trust and mutual respect. Experts are expected to be knowledgeable and shouldn't need a lot of hand-holding, but they do need clear communication and support from you. When you engage an SME, provide them with all the necessary information, clear deadlines, and an understanding of how their contribution fits into the larger project.

Recognize that the best SMEs are curious, engaged, and helpful. You can encourage these qualities by being a great partner. Acknowledge their contributions and share the results of the proposals they worked on, whether you win or lose. This feedback loop not only shows them their work is valued but also helps them refine their input for future projects. Strong relationships make SMEs more willing to go the extra mile when you’re facing a tight deadline.

Common Challenges SMEs Face

Being the go-to expert sounds great on paper, but the reality is often a tough balancing act. Subject matter experts face a unique set of pressures that can make their role incredibly demanding. From being pulled in multiple directions to ensuring their hard-won knowledge is actually understood, the challenges are very real. Understanding these hurdles is the first step in creating a process that supports your SMEs and, in turn, helps you build stronger, more accurate proposals without burning out your most valuable people.

Juggling Time and Availability

One of the biggest challenges for SMEs is that their expert duties are often layered on top of an already full-time job. They have their own projects, deadlines, and responsibilities to manage. When a sales team needs an urgent review of an RFP, the SME has to find a way to balance that request with their primary role. This constant juggling act can lead to bottlenecks, especially when multiple proposals are in flight. It’s a difficult position that requires exceptional time management skills to avoid becoming a roadblock for the rest of the team. Without a system to streamline their input, SMEs can quickly become overwhelmed.

Making Sure Knowledge Sticks

Expertise is complex and nuanced, but a proposal needs answers that are clear, concise, and compelling. SMEs often struggle with the "curse of knowledge," where they know a topic so well they can't remember what it's like to not have that understanding. They might provide an answer that is technically accurate but filled with jargon that the sales team can't easily translate for the client. The goal isn't just to share information; it's to ensure that knowledge is successfully transferred and applied correctly. This requires SMEs to be not just experts, but also great teachers who can simplify complex topics for any audience.

Breaking Down Departmental Silos

SMEs often act as the connective tissue for an entire organization, bridging the gaps between product, engineering, sales, and legal teams. They are essential for ensuring a proposal is not only compelling but also technically feasible and compliant. However, they frequently run into departmental silos where information is guarded or difficult to access. An SME might need data from the product team and a sign-off from legal, forcing them to act as a diplomat to get everyone on the same page. This extra layer of coordination slows things down and adds another significant, often invisible, task to the SME’s plate, making it harder to foster true collaboration.

Keeping Up with a Changing Industry

An SME’s value is directly tied to how current their knowledge is. In fast-moving industries, information can become outdated in a matter of months. This puts immense pressure on SMEs to engage in continuous learning—reading industry publications, attending webinars, and staying connected with peers—all on top of their other responsibilities. For a sales team, relying on an SME who hasn't had time to keep up can be risky, as outdated information in a proposal can undermine credibility and even lead to losing a deal. Their commitment to lifelong learning is essential, but it also adds to their already heavy workload.

How to Become a Subject Matter Expert

Becoming the go-to expert in your field doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a path of intentional learning, hands-on practice, and consistent effort. A Subject Matter Expert (SME) is more than just knowledgeable; they are the definitive source of truth, the person a team trusts to provide the accurate, nuanced information needed to win deals and guide strategy. Whether you’re aiming to be the expert your sales team relies on for complex RFPs or you want to carve out a niche for yourself in your industry, the journey involves a few key steps. It’s about transforming your experience into true expertise that others can count on.

Develop Deep, Specialized Knowledge

The foundation of any SME is deep, specific knowledge. As the team at Asana puts it, an expert gains this through years of experience, education, or research. This isn’t about being a jack-of-all-trades; it’s about becoming a master of one. Start by identifying an area within your field that you’re genuinely curious about. Then, go all in. This could mean pursuing an advanced certification, dedicating an hour each day to reading technical papers, or volunteering for projects that push you out of your comfort zone. The goal is to build a comprehensive understanding that goes far beyond surface-level facts, allowing you to answer not just the "what," but the "why" and "how."

Build Credibility in Your Field

Having deep knowledge is one thing, but people need to know you have it. Building credibility is about making your expertise visible and accessible. Start sharing what you know. You don’t have to book a keynote at a major conference tomorrow. Begin small by presenting your findings in a team meeting, writing a detailed blog post about a recent challenge you solved, or offering to mentor a junior colleague. As you get more comfortable, you can build your professional brand by speaking at industry webinars or contributing to online forums. When you consistently provide valuable insights, people will naturally start to see you as a reliable and authoritative source of information.

Make the Move from Generalist to Specialist

Many careers start with a broad base of knowledge, but true expertise comes from specialization. It’s time to focus on a particular niche. Look at your past projects and experiences—what topics do you gravitate toward? Where have you delivered the most value? Use that as your starting point. A generalist might understand the entire sales cycle, but a specialist becomes the undisputed expert on security questionnaires or federal government proposals. This focus allows you to build on your existing knowledge and gain experience that is both deep and relevant. By narrowing your scope, you don’t limit your opportunities; you become more valuable within that specific domain.

Keep Your Expertise Current

Expertise is not a static achievement; it’s a state that requires constant maintenance. Real expertise can take years to develop and demands continuous effort to maintain. Industries change, new technologies emerge, and best practices evolve. To remain an SME, you must be a lifelong learner. Make it a habit to read industry news, follow other experts, and attend workshops or conferences. This commitment ensures your knowledge doesn't become stale. For proposal teams, having access to current information is critical, which is why tools that help manage and update knowledge bases are so valuable. Staying current means you can provide the most accurate, competitive information every single time.

Related Articles

• What is a Sub Matter Expert? A Guide for Teams | Iris AI
• Iris Blog - RFP Guide: How to Write, Respond, & Win

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I identify the right SME in my company for a specific proposal? Look beyond official job titles. The best expert might not be a department head but rather the senior engineer who led a similar project last year or the product manager who lives and breathes a particular feature. Start by asking team leads for recommendations or check your internal documentation to see who has authored key technical guides. The right person is the one with direct, hands-on experience with the subject you need to address.

What's the best way to ask a busy SME for help on a proposal? Respect their time by being prepared. Before you reach out, gather all the relevant background information, pinpoint the exact questions you need them to answer, and provide a clear deadline. Instead of a vague "Can you look this over?" try sending a message that includes the client's name, the specific section number, and the context for your question. This allows them to give you a focused, high-quality answer without a lot of back-and-forth.

Our SME's answers are often too technical for our clients. How can we fix this? This is a common challenge, often called the "curse of knowledge." The best solution is to create a partnership between your SME and a proposal writer. The SME provides the raw, accurate information, and the writer's job is to translate it into clear, persuasive language that speaks directly to the client's needs. It also helps to provide your SME with examples of well-written responses so they have a clear model for the tone and level of detail you're looking for.

Can someone be considered an SME without a formal degree or certification? Absolutely. While formal education provides a strong foundation, true expertise is often built through years of practical, in-the-trenches experience. The person who has spent a decade solving complex problems, troubleshooting issues, and successfully implementing solutions for real clients often holds more valuable, nuanced knowledge than someone with only theoretical training. Experience is what gives an expert the authority to say what works in practice, not just on paper.

How can we prevent our best SMEs from getting burned out by constant requests? The key is to stop treating your experts like a search engine for questions they've already answered. Create a system to capture, approve, and reuse their knowledge. By building a central knowledge base, you can store their best answers and make them available to the entire sales team. This protects your SME's time and energy, freeing them up to focus on the truly new or strategic questions that require their unique insight, rather than answering the same thing for the tenth time.