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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!
Read MoreRFPs 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.
Read MoreEver 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.
Read MoreOne 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.
Read MoreWhen 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:
Read MoreTechnical 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.
Read MoreMost 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?
Read MoreThere 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.
Read MoreWriting is a skill that requires constant work and improvement. Like any skill, sometimes you need a bit of outside help and guidance to continue to improve. There’s no better place to get help than a good book, and the resources on this list are the perfect place to get started. So if you’re ready to take your proposals to another level and curl up with a good writing book, read on!
Read MoreIt’s easy to have the proposal kickoff meeting to be focused only on assigning tasks and aligning on schedule. However, since this is often the one time where the whole team is available, it is the perfect opportunity to dive into your proposal strategy. Whether you use the kickoff call for establishing your strategy or you have a separate meeting, below are a few key questions to address to make sure you’re positioned to win.
Read MoreWhether you respond to RFPs or not, a clear Go/No Go process is essential to ensuring you don’t spend too much time on proposals that aren’t likely to win. Figuring out how to make that decision is the hard part, however. To help make it easier, here are thirteen questions you can ask to help you decide if you should send out the proposal.
Read MoreIf you’ve done much reading about proposals, then you know you are significantly more likely to be successful if you build a relationship with the buyer before they release the RFP. While this may sound great in theory, you might wonder: how do you actually do that?
Read MoreWhether you’re new to the world of RFPs or a proposal writing expert, sometimes you need a little extra help to get that RFP response out the door. In today’s post, we’re covering a few different types of RFP support services available to help you win your next contract.
Read MoreMany times, when you are creating a proposal, there is most likely at least one other competitor who is submitting a proposal at the same time. The competitive nature of proposals, especially in response to RFPs, makes it essential that your content highlights why your company is the best choice for the project.
Coming up with these differentiators can be difficult, however. Fortunately, there are a few questions you can answer to uncover just why your company is the best fit for a project. Read on to learn more.
Read MoreStop providing text heavy documents in your proposal submissions. When creating a proposal for a potential client, you will likely focus your attention on two main areas: pricing and content. Read more on how to highlight these key focuses and more.
When submitting a proposal in response to an RFP, the biggest question everyone asks is “how do I know who else is bidding and what they’re proposing?” Read more to learn a few of our favorite tips for leveling the competition.
If you’re searching for a proposal executive summary example, then you know that a compelling executive summary has the ability to engage your audience and inspire them to read your proposal in detail. Writing the content, however, is the hard part. We’ve included proposal executive summary examples here for inspiration to help with your writing.
Read MoreUnderstanding the RFP process as a seller is critical to your success. Each phase of the RFP process provides an opportunity to connect with the customer and position your company to win the contract. By developing an approach for each phase of the RFP process, you will see your RFP win rates increase and your business grow.
Read MoreDeveloping a proposal is overwhelming, and creating a compelling proposal letter requires a lot of planning and strategy. It’s easy to think that your letter is simply a formality, but smart companies use the proposal letter as a way to position their solution against the competition.
Read MoreBy focusing on the Buyer’s Journey’s stages, B2B companies can overcome one of the biggest challenges they face: generating qualified leads. When you establish an approach to each stage of the Buyer’s Journey, you are able to speak directly to prospective clients’ pain points and build a relationship to solve them.
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