Make Your Proposal a Winner

Like it or not, most businesspeople have to prepare proposals at one time or another. For some, writing proposals is a routine part of their day-to-day business; for others, it’s something that only needs to be done on occasion. However often it has to be done, we want only one outcome: to win the client’s business.

As a professional proposal writer, I’m often asked to “fix up” proposals that my clients want to submit to their current or prospective clients. Some of them are very good, while others are truly awful. When “fixing” or writing a proposal for a client, I focus on the things that can make your proposal a winner:

• Tailor It. Too many proposals are generated automatically using pre-prepared  text (aka boilerplate) that may or may not be appropriate for a particular client. With a little tweaking, you can transform your boilerplate materials so that they specifically address your client’s needs and environment.


• Recognize That It’s Also About Them. Our proposals are naturally about us-–the products and/or services that we provide and how wonderful we are. But we sometimes forget why we are preparing a proposal (in addition to wanting to win the business). In essence, we are preparing a proposal to help a client meet a need or solve a problem. But clients’ needs and problems often go unmentioned in our zest to tell them what we can do for them. This goes hand-in-hand with the tailoring mentioned above.

• Be Concise. Drop the fluffy stuff and meaningless jargon. Get to the point in the first paragraph of each section. Use short, bulleted lists to highlight important information. Don’t make the client read through pages and pages of boring text to figure out the point you are trying to make. They may never read to the end.

• Be Businesslike. It doesn’t matter if you are a one-person show or a multinational company. In my view, proposals should never be casual; they should be formal business documents that use businesslike language. Proposals must incorporate good grammar and perfect spelling. If you’re not a good writer (and many people aren’t), get someone to review and edit your proposal before you send it. You never know-–the person who receives your proposal might be a grammar freak. Remember those teachers with red pencils?


• Be Straightforward. Don’t beat around the bush. Clearly explain what your product or service is, what its features and benefits are, and how it can help clients achieve their objectives or solve their problems.

• Make It Attractive. Attractive doesn’t have to mean fancy. But your proposal should be pleasing to look at. That means having margins that are even, headings or subheadings that stand out from the text, and good use of whitespace throughout your document. Use black and white or color graphics, when appropriate, to break up the text. Put a header at the top of each page that incorporates a small version of your logo. Be consistent in your use of fonts and formatting.

• Don’t Bash Your Competition. A comparison of the features and benefits of your company’s product/service with those of your competitors is fine, but negative language isn’t--it’s tacky and unprofessional.

                              

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Deborah Kluge helps clients prepare business proposals, as well as proposals for government grants and contracts. Visit her Proposal Writing Blog and main site at www.proposalwriter.com for more tips and resources.