Probably too late (hope too) for you Jon, but didn't you find it funny to see how 1 question can lead to so many Oracle of Delphi-like answers?
I posted it anyway because a Google search led me to this page.
In the Develop persona on the toolbar, there is a knob called "Assistant Manager".
Enable this and a good deal of "initial-developing" your RAW file will be performed.
You can still apply further corrections, but the initial and indeed not very motivating "dullness" is gone.
MarcelJM_M got a reaction from pete757 in RAW files looking "dull" when first opened in Affinity Photo