Six Tips for Written Proposals

On one end of the spectrum, some people have no problem writing proposals.  The other end views it as total agony.  Regardless of where you fall in this spectrum, it's a fact of life that you will occasionally have to submit written proposals.

Here are some tips that can help you.  

Write from your customer’s perspective rather than your own.  It is easy to fall into the trap of only writing from your own perspective.  After all, that's the way you are thinking as you gather your information, details, and prices.  Once you have all that, pause, and think about your customer’s perspective.

Follow Instructions.  The number 1 thing that causes problems in written proposals is not following instructions.  You may have expertise that the buyer doesn't have, but the buyer is the one who wrote the request, and they likely have a way they are going to grade the request.  Chances are likely that following instructions is part of that grade.

Answer the Questions that are Asked.  This is similar to the "follow instructions" tip.  Answer the questions asked as accurately and specifically as you can.  A lot of times the buyer has a scoring system, and the score is usually based on what they ask for.  

Think about it like a math teacher in school giving you a test.  One of the questions is 5+5 = ?  You reply with “Teacher, you should have asked what is 25+25.  The answer is 50 by the way.”  You may have proven you are smart, but the teacher is likely to give you a big red x on the 5+5 question.

Selling in Writing is different from selling face-to-face.  Buyers tend to read more critically than they converse.  In particular, writing things like “our service level is unmatched” is much more critically viewed in writing vs talking.  

Google the customer.  See if they have published some goals or plans on their website.  You may find something that you can use to help write the proposal with their perspective in mind.  

Sometimes Less Really is More.  Use care in adding elements to the proposal that aren't asked for.  This may be critically important for you, but the buyer may tune out sooner than you think.  It is best to keep it short.  You may be better off with a very short summary, with an offer to explain it further.

I hope these tips are of help to you.  They aren't a complete instruction manual, but hopefully they will offer you some guidance that will ultimately land you some good business.