In this episode of the Responsive Podcast, Tara Motter (Director of Proposals at BlackLine) talks about her nearly 15 years of experience across RFPs, RFIs, DDQs, ITQs, security questionnaires, and the “alphabet soup” of strategic response work. Tara leads a six-person proposal team at BlackLine, supporting global response requests while helping position proposals as a strategic revenue function.Tara explores how proposal teams can keep pace as response volume grows, buyer expectations rise, and AI becomes a core part of Strategic Response Management (SRM).Using AI to manage more RFPs, DDQs, and security questionnaires: BlackLine uses AI to create first drafts, support complex AI questionnaires, manage a Content Library with roughly 300 AI-related answers, and reduce manual work without sacrificing accuracyWhy governed knowledge matters more than generic AI: Proposal teams need trusted, source-backed answers instead of responses pulled from open AI tools, especially when revenue, compliance, and brand reputation are on the lineThe Trust Center as a strategic advantage: Responsive's Trust Center was a deciding factor in BlackLine’s platform evaluation, and how self-service access to SOC reports, ISO certifications, bridge letters, and security documentation helps reduce repetitive DDQs and accelerate sales conversationsProposals as a revenue driver: Tara shares that 30% of BlackLine revenue is attributed to RFPs, with the team currently seeing a 50% win rate, reinforcing why proposal teams belong in strategic revenue conversationsUpskilling proposal professionals for the AI era: Proposal teams need to invest in AI fluency, certifications, internal enablement, and stronger self-marketing to elevate both individual careers and the proposal professionWhether you lead proposals, manage RFPs, support security questionnaires, or own revenue operations, Tara’s unique perspective offers a practical look at how modern response teams are using AI, Trust Centers, and improved internal enablement to work faster, maintain accuracy, and demonstrate their strategic value for what comes next.