HOW TO WRITE PROPOSALS THAT WIN BUSINESS

At its best, proposal writing is storytelling. And like all good stories, you want the words to engage the reader and result in positive action. Here are tips to make that happen.

If you’re responding to an RFP, start by saying thank you.

You may already be doing business with the company that issued the Request for Proposal. But even so, don’t let them think you take their business for granted. Thank them for considering your company. Let them know you are excited and energized by this opportunity to partner with them in their project or program.

Topline Your Solution

You’re writing your proposal to solve a need. So you want to clearly explain your understanding of that need, your solution for it and – importantly – its benefits for the reader.

 But here’s the trick: You want to to describe the solution and benefits in as few sentences as possible. Your goal here is to make those sentences serve as a prelude to the solution details to come – and make your reader excited to turn the page.

Make Your Selling Points Easy to Read and Understand

Your solution has captured the reader’s interest, now you have to sell them on it. You do this by describing how you will deliver the solution and why your company can do it better than any other competitor.

 This How and Why will likely make up the bulk of your proposal, so make sure key information can be easily understood at a glance. Do this by:

·      Using bullet points to break up complex sentences

·      Putting key words in bold type.

·      Not being afraid to use incomplete sentences.

 For example, here’s an actual sentence from a proposal I reviewed: “Data accuracy of one hundred percent (100%) will be achieved through a process of reporting twice weekly to permit timely reviews.”

That’s great writing if you want your reader’s eyes to glaze over. If not, write it like this:

Actionable Results

·      Twice-weekly reports

·      100% data accuracy

Keep in mind, too, that it’s not uncommon for the decision-makers to have staff read your proposal first and give recommendations. So the quicker and easier they can comprehend your selling points, the higher their recommendation is likely to be.

Make Every Page Visually Compelling

It’s common practice for a Graphic Designer to create a page layout and then fit your copy into it. This means that every page quickly begins to look alike. And that can be mind-numbing for the reader, especially in proposals of 30 or more pages. Result: Your story never gets completely told, as the reader begins flipping through the pages, looking for something to catch their eye.

To keep that from happening, offer to sit down with the Graphic Designer and together design each page. For your part, if a segment is too long to effectively fit on one page, rewrite it to connect from one page to the next. Look at adding headers to visually connect segments. And don’t be afraid to edit your copy to fit a space.

Read Your Story Through the Eyes of the Reader.

Is your writing clear and concise? Does it hold your interest? Are your story’s benefits for the reader convincing and compelling?

It is and they are?

Good job! Congratulations!