How to Write a Proposal Fast (Even if You're Not a Writer)

One question that has come up several times in the past few weeks is “How do I write faster?” Especially when dealing with RFP deadlines, everyone wants to know how to make the process easier to hit more deadlines while still creating quality proposals.

I tend to be a quick writer naturally, and over time, I’ve developed a few additional strategies to help me write my first drafts even faster. If you’re watching the clock and wondering how to make your writing easier, try out some of the tactics below!

Cover letter vs Executive summary: What’s the difference?

Whether a prospect asked you to send over a proposal or you have a formal RFP on your desk, you’ve likely encountered recommendations to include a cover letter and/or executive summary in your proposal. If you’ve read instructions on how to write either, then you may be left wondering, “What’s the difference?”.

While these two sections have many similarities, there are key differences between cover letters and executive summaries, including when and how you should use them.

How to Organize Your Proposal

I started writing proposals in response to RFPs, and while RFPs have many cons, knowing what they want to see in the proposal is typically not one of them. Many RFPs detail the exact format to send as your bid, making my job a lot easier.

This isn’t always the case, unfortunately.

I remember the first time I had to create a proposal that wasn’t an RFP. It landed on my desk, and I asked my boss at least four times, “But how do I organize it?”

In the years since that stressful moment, I’ve worked on more and more proposals that don’t have a specific structure (including creating my own proposals as part of my business). In that time, I’ve developed a proposal structure that works no matter what you’re selling.

Let’s take a look at how you should organize your proposal in a few different situations.

Why I Use Excel to Manage RFP Responses

When an RFP lands on your desk, the first thing you do is open it up and start searching for everything needed to respond and win the project.

As you scroll through the document, you see requirement after requirement, questions followed by more questions, and a seemingly endless compilation of forms to be sent in with your proposal.

By this point you start to wonder, “How am I going to remember all of this?”

If you’ve ever been in that situation, then this post is for you!

7 Decisions to Make When Responding to RFPs

RFPs have the potential to bring large amounts of revenue into an organization while also bringing the risk of wasted time working on these competitive proposals.

To ensure you put your best foot forward, these seven key decisions will help you determine if an RFP is right for your company.

Proposal Writing, Sales WritingDemi UtleyAugust 30, 2022RFPs, rfp, proposal writing, proposal strategy

BTS: My Exact RFP Response Creation Process

Ever since I started working on proposals, I’ve had very few that ran right up to the deadline.

I do everything possible to avoid those situations because they are incredibly stressful, especially when dealing with RFPs; if you miss deadline, you’re out of the running.

I hate working up to the last minute because it means that we likely are behind on establishing a clear win strategy, content came in at the last minute, or changes were being made to pricing and/or the solution right up until it was time to hit submit.

Since those last minute changes can dramatically affect the quality of your proposal (and sometimes result in costly mistakes), I follow a clear process each time that allows me to establish strategy from the beginning, get the content started early, and hit deadlines time and time again.

5 Ways to Streamline Your Proposal Process

One of the biggest complaints I hear is how time-consuming proposal writing can be.

At many companies, proposals fall to the salesperson, marketer, business owner, or assistant, all of whom have many additional responsibilities that must be completed in addition to proposal writing.

If that’s the case for you, then the steps below can help you to streamline your process, so you spend less time creating proposals and more time ticking items off your to-do list.

How you should NOT start your proposal

When I drafted my first proposal, I had zero business writing experience. I knew very little about what would actually help sell within the proposal, and my general idea was that business writing had to be dry, technical, and to-the-point.

Like most people, to figure out what I should do, I turned to Google for answers. Our proposal template at the time started with a cover letter, and many cover letter examples (and even proposal examples) had similar opening sentences:

What is Technical Proposal Writing and How to Do It

Technical proposal writing requires an understanding of the proposed solution, your audience, and the main pain points. Writing the technical content of a proposal can be overwhelming and time consuming, but done well, it can result in a new project and/or client.

Proposal Writing, Sales WritingDemi UtleyJune 28, 2022Proposal Writing, RFPs

Why your proposal needs MORE information (and what to cut out)

A top concern for many sellers is keeping proposal content clear, direct, and to the point. While clear and concise proposals are essential for selling, if you keep your proposal too short, you might be leaving out key information that can help you sell. Read on to learn key information to add to your proposals, and what you should remove.

Two Writing Techniques that Persuade Buyers

Like any type of persuasive writing, proposal writing performs best when key persuasive techniques are used. Many companies fall into the trap of outlining a black and white proposal that details their offering without focusing on how to actually sell within the proposal.

If you find that your proposals aren’t performing as well as you like, these two persuasive writing techniques can help your content better resonate with the buyer and result in more projects.

11 Writing Quotes to Make Your Proposals Better

Writing proposals is hard. Many times you’re working on the content in between meetings and other obligations. There’s nothing more frustrating than staring at the page, wondering if what you’re saying will make sense to the buyer.

It may bring you some consolation to know that even professional writers struggle with putting words on the page. In their perseverance, they’ve uncovered some tactics to help make the process better and maybe even more enjoyable. Read these famous quotes on writing and how they can help with your proposal content.

Proposal WritingDemi UtleyJune 13, 2022proposal writing, Proposal Writing, Proposal Content, RFPs

The One Thing Every Proposal Needs

Most proposals follow a similar structure. They might start with a cover letter or an executive summary before moving into the project scope, solution overview, and so on. Sellers concisely lay out product descriptions, team overviews, and pricing to show buyers exactly what they will receive and when.

Despite all of the perfect summaries and clear explanations, many proposals miss out on one critical component.

That missing piece?

Should I Hire a Proposal Writer or Do It Myself?

There comes a point for every B2B business where you have too many proposals on your plate and not enough time to do them all. The natural next question is: Should I hire a proposal writer or keep doing this myself?

If you’re struggling with that question now, let’s take a look at your options to determine what is a best fit for your company.

Writing Advice from Fiction Authors to Improve Your Proposals

With proposals ranging from two pages to over two hundred pages, it’s easy to start to compare your writing process to that of a full-time novelist. Fortunately, the world of fiction has plenty of advice for how to handle writing large sections of content. Let’s take a look at a few that can be applied to proposal writing.

21 Overused Words and Phrases to Avoid In Your Proposal

In the world of business proposals, jargon abounds. While it’s important (and often essential) to eliminate jargon from your proposal, sometimes it’s impossible to cut out all of the business lingo. If you’re struggling to reduce your jargon, focus on eliminating these most common overused words and phrases to make your proposals more engaging for readers.

5 Reasons to Build Your Content Library Now

There are many methods to write a proposal. A popular approach is to copy and paste from past proposals to create a new one using your favorite sections. Or you might use an old template that was created years ago with outdated content that you update every time you send it out. Let’s not forget the wait-until-the-last-second-and-frantically-type-everything approach. No matter what group you fall into, rest assured that there is a better way that takes much of the stress out of proposal writing.

6 Ways to Improve Your Proposals Today

As one of the final steps in the sales process, many people want to know how to use the proposal to push a deal across the finish line. While a proposal alone can’t win an opportunity, it can definitely lose one. By using the steps below, however, you will make your proposal significantly stronger and inspire customers to work with you.

7 Strategies to Make Your Proposal Brief and Clear

One of the most common business writing tips is to make your content brief and clear. This sounds great in theory, but if you’ve ever drafted a document only to find out that it’s way too long, then you might be wondering how to actually put this into practice. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at a few specific tactics you can use to improve the clarity of your proposal writing.

How to Add Credibility To Your Proposal

One of the most important purchasing decisions is determining if a company can be trusted to provide what they claim. In proposals, it’s important to make sure that you incorporate elements that add to your trustworthiness. If you’re not sure how to do that, read on for a few of our favorite tactics!

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