5 Proposal Rules I Love to Break
When you search for proposal tips, you’ll find endless lists of rules to follow and recommendations on how to write your proposal. While all of these rules are full of good intentions and will make your proposal stronger, there are a few that you can maybe ignore.
Here are the top 5 proposal “rules” that I love to break.
Rule 1: Start with a Blank Page
Top proposal advice says that the more custom your proposal, the better it will be received. Many experts advise that you start with a blank page to make it truly customized to the buyer.
While this approach can be effective, most of us don’t have the time or mental energy to write from a blank page. Blank pages inspire writer’s block, and when you’re on a deadline, the last thing you want is to be lost for words.
What to do instead:
While it is essential to tailor your proposal to the customer, especially with highly competitive RFPs, you can instead start with information you already have on hand and customize from there.
Here’s my approach:
Add headings for each key section (if it’s an RFP, this will be the sections indicated in the RFP)
Find related content from the content library, past proposals, sales documents, website, or anywhere else that might have information
Copy applicable content over as notes and highlight it yellow
Add more notes to outline each section
Write the full draft using the highlighted content as inspiration (delete once the section is drafted)
I have used this approach for nearly a decade of writing proposals, and it allows me to create content tailored to the customer without having to start with a blank page.
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Rule 2: Summarize Offer in the Executive Summary
You should be summarizing everything in the executive summary, right? After all, summary is right there in the name.
Wrong.
The goal of the executive summary is to get the reader to continue reading throughout the rest of your proposal. If you summarize all of the important points, what’s the point in reading the rest?
What to do instead:
Instead of a summary, pull out key points of differentiation that are important to the reader and use that as the foundation for your executive summary. Your executive summary should be really focused on the buyer and their specific challenges, and your main points will show how to solve those challenges and why your solution is the best. You can provide some details on your solution, but make sure you provide just a taste that gets the reader excited to review your proposal, not so much that they’re overwhelmed with information.
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Rule 3: Ask for Clarity During the Q&A
Most RFPs will have some sort of Question and Answer period where you can ask questions related to the RFP. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the buyer, the project, and your competition.
While it is tempting to ask every possible question during the question period, sometimes it’s better to not ask for clarity. If you ask a question, and they say no (or yes, depending on the question), it could entirely change your offer and potentially even make it to where you can’t respond.
Of course, if you have a feeling that might be the case, then it might be best to save the time and energy that goes into creating a proposal.
However, if you’ve been meeting with the customer and have a good feel for what it is they need exactly, asking the question could tip off your competitors to your strategy and possibly give them new insight into the project that they can use to their advantage.
What to do instead:
When something in the RFP isn’t clear, review with your team to see if you have a good idea for what they might mean. If it’s something that can help you create a more competitive proposal without making your competitors aware of it, then it might be better to hold off asking.
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Rule 4: Use Elaborate Design
A surprising trend is for companies to focus more on the design of their proposal than the content. This tends to be for cases where there isn’t an RFP, and while those proposals are less competitive, it is still important to connect with the buyer and share the right information.
What to do instead:
If you find you’re spending more time designing your proposal than writing it, it may be a sign you need to rework your process. There are plenty of tools that have built-in templates you can use without needing to invest in a design tool like Adobe InDesign, and many companies use Microsoft Word to submit their proposals (especially in response to RFPs). Choose a tool and create a template design you can reuse so you can focus instead on creating a compelling offer.
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Rule 5: Use Formal Language
Proposals are an official offer to a company of what you can do to help them with a particular problem. Many proposals also include contracts or they become the contract once they’re signed by the customer.
This, however, does not mean your proposal should read like a legal document.
At their core, proposals are sales documents, intended to show buyers why they should choose you over someone else.
The way to connect with buyers is to use relatable language that is clear and easy to digest.
(If you’ve ever read a legal document, I think we can agree that they are neither clear nor easy to digest).
What to do instead:
Proposal language tends to be more similar to the voice you use in your marketing content. It can be conversational yet professional. It’s not unheard of to use contractions, “you”, or “we” in proposals (in fact, it’s common practice). Some companies tend to shy away from this and refer to their company in the third person (i.e. Company XYZ) and the buyer with their formal name (City of Detroit, for example).
If you want your proposal to feel more personal and approachable, don’t be afraid to refer to the customer as “you” and your company as “us” or “we”. It will make your proposal more effective and help you to build a connection with the reader.
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