It’s All About Trust - Winning Proposals by First Winning Trust

It’s a big impersonal world out there, especially on the internet. The competition for attention is fierce. Anyone can slap a price quote and a cover letter and ship them off via email, but that’s not a strategy that’s likely to succeed.

So how do you create a proposal that will land the customer or secure that business loan or grant money? We all want to do business with people we trust. Your proposal must convince your prospective clients or donors that you are worthy of their trust.

If possible, add a personal touch by requesting a face-to-face meeting to present your proposal. Shaking hands with the other party can go a long way toward finalizing a deal.

But in-person meetings are not always possible, especially in the world of global business, so often your printed proposal needs to do all the work for you.

How do you inspire trust? And particularly, how do you inspire trust in people who don’t know you at all?

First of all, demonstrate that you have integrity and experience. To do this, provide honest, easily understood information about your background, your strengths, and your intentions. You could use a Company History, Credentials, Capabilities, and Awards and Achievements chapters to describe yourself or your organization. Use concrete, straightforward language to describe how your proposal will benefit everyone (add Opportunities and Benefits chapters).

Clarity is important. Be sure to set forth clear expectations that both parties can understand, with results that can be measured. You may want to use a Goals and Objectives or Expected Results chapters to provide a concise summary, and then use other pages to supply more explanation. Be as detailed as possible so ensure that you and the reader have a shared vision of what you are proposing. If you are responding to a request for proposal (RFP), show your thoroughness by carefully considering the information provided and by specifically addressing each requirement. If you are unclear about any requirement, get more information if possible so that you can include appropriate data instead of vague generalities.

In every proposal, you should encourage feedback from the other party, and explain that you are willing to listen and modify plans as needed to make the project successful for everyone.

Show your ability to complete the proposed project by explaining how and by whom the process will be accomplished. There are many chapters you can use for this purpose, such as Project Plan, Implementation Plan, Schedule of Events, and so forth. Describe the resources—such as equipment, financial backing, or experienced personnel—that you will employ for the project (Equipment, Facilities, Financial Information, and Personnel documents, just to name a few extra chapters you might use).

Be thorough. Demonstrate that you understand the complexity of the project under consideration. If blueprints, diagrams, or photographs would demonstrate your ideas better than words, be sure to add those.

Establish your reputation by listing similar projects you’ve finished and recommendations from your satisfied business partners (Company History and Endorsements, Referrals, or References chapters). If you have copies of complimentary newspaper or magazine articles about your company’s projects or history, you might want to include those as well.

We are all more likely to trust others who hold themselves accountable for their actions.

Legal contracts generally spell out the terms of accountability. You can also show your accountability by explaining how and when results will be analyzed. Some of the many possible chapters to add for this are Accountability, Testing, Evaluation, Acceptance Criteria, and Reporting.  Describe what you will do if wrongs need to be righted or the process needs to be changed.  You might offer a guarantee of satisfaction or a warranty to fix any defects in a product.

If you are already allied with respected brands or organizations, highlight that (add Brand Strategy or Strategic Alliances chapters).  Memberships in organizations with good reputations can go a long way to establish respectability—be sure to list any you belong to by adding an Accreditations chapter.

If it’s appropriate, you may want to demonstrate your loyalty to good customers by providing a volume discount or other special offer.

Finally, we all tend to trust organizations and people who are good citizens. Do you donate to charity, lead a nonprofit organization, or lend a hand in your community? If so, point that out using a Donations or Contributions chapter. Have you won any awards or experienced any publicity for your good deeds? Include any evidence that shows you are a contributor to a cause larger than your immediate organization.

Presenting a proposal package that is full of errors will make even the best plans look unprofessional. Whenever possible, have others review your proposal and provide feedback, and get someone with a good eye to check your final version for grammar and spelling errors. Before you ship off the proposal, ensure that all pages are numbered appropriately and all pieces are present and in order. Prospective partners will have more confidence in your ability to complete a project when you show that you are professional in your planning and presentation.

Above all, be polite and show your respect in your cover letter by thanking prospective business partners in advance for their time and consideration and inviting their questions and feedback on your presentation. You may want to send a handwritten thank you note and follow up with a phone call.

Take the time to peruse the extensive list of documents in a pre-designed Proposal Kit.  A Proposal Kit package includes all of these chapters and will give you a big head start creating a trust-based proposal.

Establish your credibility and dependability with your prospective business partners.

Because it’s all about trust.