How to Write a Business Proposal that Wins

You’ve been given the task and now you’re wondering how to write a proposal. What is a proposal, anyway? At its core, there’s a need. And there’s a solution. That’s the basis of a proposal, which can be as short as a one-page letter or over a hundred pages long. As a proposal writer, sometimes you’re the party with the need, like when you write a proposal seeking a loan, a grant or some other form of support. At other times, you’re the one with the solution, like when you write a proposal offering products, services, or ideas that the other party needs or wants.

So obviously, statements of needs and descriptions of the solutions are major parts of all proposals. Sometimes the needs are stated in detail in a Request for Proposal (RFP), in which case you as the proposal writer will respond to each item in the RFP, in the format requested. At other times, you’ll need to convince the proposal reader that there is a need and that you have the solution, and the format of the information will be completely up to you.

How to Write a Proposal – Phase One: Plan It

Creating a complex proposal can seem a bit overwhelming, but Proposal Kit contains a number of checklists to help you stay on track. You can print these out and check off the steps as you work your way through the proposal writing process.

The first step is to get organized and do your research. Who will read this proposal? Get all the data you can on your prospective client or donor. Who are your competitors? You want to beat their presentations. Gather all the data you need for your pitch, too—any important history, contact information, schedules, website links, photos, product descriptions, and so forth.

The second step is to decide what you want to say in your proposal. You need to introduce yourself and describe your capabilities, products, or plans. Be specific, and if possible, mention awards or recommendations from others to add credibility. Check out the sample proposals in the Proposal Kit to get ideas on what to say and how to say it.

How to Write a Proposal – Phase Two: Get All the Data in There and Make It Perfect

Next, select the Proposal Kit templates that cover the topics you’ve decided to include in the proposal. The Proposal Pack Wizard can help you assemble all the selected templates into a single proposal document.

Now that you have the structure in place, take all your gathered content and flesh out the pages of your proposal, filling in the blanks, generating estimates, describing financial information, and so forth. Each template has instructional information to guide you, and you can use the included financial calculator spreadsheets to help figure costs, budgets and other numerical information.

Next comes the review stage. Use spell check, but don’t assume it can catch all errors. Have others check your proposal for grammar and spelling errors or for missing or misplaced information. This is particularly important if you copy content from samples or past proposals (see Why Not Just Copy the Sample Proposals? for a discussion of the risks of copying).

How to Write a Proposal – Phase Three: Send It and Then Follow Up

Now that you’ve perfected your masterpiece, create the final distribution copy. Print it out or convert it to PDF for delivery. Do one last final check and then send it on its way.

Whew! You’re done, right? Not quite. If you don’t hear back from your prospective client or donor, you need to follow up. If you receive a negative response, analyze what went wrong and ask for an opportunity to resubmit an improved proposal. Proposal Kit includes templates for follow-up letters and checklists for the post-submittal phase, too.

If you landed the job or won the grant, odds are that you’ll need to complete other documents such as contracts, work orders, non-disclosure agreements, change orders, development milestone sign-offs, just to name a few. Proposal Kit includes a large collection of pre-written contracts to help you with your obligations.

Now you know the basics of how to write a proposal. That means you know the basics of how to write a business proposal, how to write a grant proposal, and how to write a sales proposal. Each proposal type simply includes different information to establish credibility and provide the data that the client or donor needs.

No matter what type of proposal or business document you need to produce, Proposal Kit includes the templates, samples, and instructions that will help you succeed.