Persuasive Proposals

LEARN FROM THE EXPERT

$2 billion+ in awarded contracts and over 200 proposals written

Does this sound like you?

You’ve found yourself responsible for creating proposals, and each time another one lands on your desk:

• You struggle to translate the technical aspects of your solution into bite-sized chunks buyers can actually evaluate

• You wish you had a magic wand to make it clear in your proposal why your solution is the best choice for the customer

• You open your most recent proposal and copy and paste into the new one because you don’t have the time or energy to write new content

• You drop everything to hit the proposal deadline only to hear back weeks later that you lost and you don’t know why

• You use a template from years ago even though your win rate is nothing to write home about, and you wish it better connected with today’s buyers

Regardless of your situation, you’re starting to wonder if maybe you’re missing something when it comes to writing proposals. 

You know proposals are critical for business success, but you frankly are struggling to find the time to figure out your next step to make your proposals work for you rather than against you.

…Friend, I get it.

When I landed my first job writing proposals, I had nightmares for six months about accidentally losing million dollar projects because my skillset wasn’t up to speed. 

As the youngest member of my team, I had next to no business knowledge, and I had never written technical content before. 

Throughout my English degree, I learned how to write stories with vivid descriptions and vibrant characters. 

That is not the world of proposals. 

I kept working at it despite the nightmares and one day it clicked: 

Proposal writing is just persuasive writing, which follows the model: 

1. Understand Your Audience

2. Write for the Reader

3. Keep Language Clear and Concise

4. Have a Plan (to hit those deadlines)

With this in mind, my proposal writing transformed, and I won my first million dollar project. Then $5 million, $20 million, and all the way up to $800 million.

After many years writing proposals and training team members at companies, I decided to venture out on my own and help small businesses to start creating proposals that can stand up against the big competitors. 

I found myself sharing the same tips over and over again, and decided it was time to package up all of this insight and make it easy for anyone responsible for proposals to start hitting their goals. 

BECAUSE HERE’S THE TRUTH:

You can finally overcome all of those struggles from above because there’s a proven blueprint you can follow to create stronger and more persuasive proposals. 

And I’m here to pull the curtain back to show you exactly how to do it!

LEARN THE STRATEGIES THAT LED TO THESE HAPPY CLIENTS:

Let me guess…

You’ve been googling how to write better proposals, and you wish there were more examples you could follow to take the guesswork out of writing.

Or maybe you attended a training in the past only to walk away with information overload and forget about everything a few days later. 

Perhaps you feel relatively confident in your writing, but the lack of a clear process and easy-to-follow system makes it nearly impossible to hit those deadlines (without losing your mind). 

It’s also possible that at this point, your proposal process is a bit undefined (if it exists at all), and you’re relying on the same content again and again and hoping for better results. 

You’re starting to wonder: is there a better way? 

ARE YOU READY TO:

✓ Have a collection of strong, customer-focused content that you can pull from every time you need to send a proposal.

✓ Stop wondering if you’re including the “right” information in your proposals – you know you’re putting your best foot forward each and every time. 

✓ Have the inside secret to creating proposals that truly persuade customers, and the win rate to prove it.

✓ Follow a reliable, proven proposal process that’s used at leading companies each and every time, so you can outcompete the competition.

All of this is within reach for you today.

NOW ENROLLING FOR

Persuasive Proposals

Course Details

What you’ll find inside Persuasive Proposals’ Five Core Modules

Defining Your Differentiators

Module 1

The key to persuading buyers is to understand your unique value compared to their other options, whether that’s a competitor or internal. In this module, you’ll learn exactly how to define your value to speak to the buyer’s goals, plus:

• Discover your customers biggest goals, current challenges, and their hopes and fears

• Uncover your competition’s selling points and neutralize their advantage

• The easy-to-follow win theme formula that helps you show the customer why your company is the best choice to solve their problems

Gathering Essential Resources

Module 2

Nothing is harder than writing on a blank page, and that’s why there is an entire module dedicated to helping you find content to get started. Here, you’ll learn:

• Sources of content inspiration that you likely already have on hand 

• The key pieces of information you should start documenting before you ever begin writing

• What company metrics you should identify to logically persuade buyers

Writing Your Proposal Content

Module 4

The most exciting section of the course, this is where you will learn how to write each key section of your proposal in detail, with real-world examples, formulas, and templates to make writing easy. See in action real proposal content and understand how the different persuasive writing techniques from Module 3 work together to create a strong proposal that sells for you even if you aren’t there to talk to the buyer.

Topics covered in this module include:

• What is a content library and why do you need one (plus – how to create your own!)

• How to make your boilerplate customizable for each proposal

• Why the Proposal Cover Letter is the most underutilized section and how to make yours better

• The secrets of Executive Summaries and how to write your own

• What to include in the Team Overview section to showcase your experts

• How to write informative and engaging product overviews

• What you need to include in your Project Approach section

• What is the “Qualifications” section, and why it should replace your company overview

• How to establish trust and credibility with references, case studies, and testimonials

• The dreaded “Anything Else” section and how to address it

• PLUS templates for each section!

Creating a Repeatable Proposal Process

Module 5

Creating a single winning proposal is great, but the secret to reliable revenue is having a repeatable process in place that allows you to identify and pursue the right opportunities at the right time. Module 5 covers an easy-to-implement proposal process that can scale with you as your business grows, making proposal writing easier and more streamlined. Key topics include:

• The proposal workflow that is used at every major company and widely recognize as the industry standard

• How to assess the competitive landscape for a specific opportunity to determine if you can win

• Using the Go/No Go process to discover if you should NOT create the proposal 

• How to create your proposal outline in a way that saves you time

• What you can do to personalize your boilerplate content for a specific proposal so the customer loves it without having to write from scratch each time

• The design elements to include in your proposal so it makes your proposal easy-to-read and stands out

• What is the proposal debrief and how to conduct it

Plus!

Complete Proposal Writing Toolkit 

$1250+ Value!

This isn’t just a course where you learn everything and then have to figure out how to actually implement it.

These done-for-you resources are a turnkey solution that give you a HUGE leg up on creating your own proposal content without having to spend hours deciding what to write.

These templates, guides, formulas, and worksheets were designed to help you from start to finish with every aspect of the proposal writing process! 

This is as close as you’ll come to having your proposals write themselves!

Proposal Storytelling Worksheet

Team Overviews Template

Proposal Word Bank (350+ words to include in your proposals!)

Executive Summary Template

Product Overviews Template

Project Approach Worksheet

Proposal Cover Letter Template

“Why Us” Template

and more!

Plus the guest expert bonus bundle!

$2,500+ Value

Contract Capture & Business Development for Small Businesses

With D'Joane H. McCorkle, Managing Director | DHM Enterprises, LLC

Business Development and Capture expert D’Joane McCorkle shares tips on building relationships and how to transition from the commercial space to pursuing government contracts. She also shares a few of her favorite ways to start building relationships and how to maintain those relationships in a way that is professional and built for long-term success. This is a must-watch session if you’re hoping to learn more about how to secure government contracts and what you can expect.

How to Use Digital Marketing to Generate More Leads 

With Azriel D'Souza, Chief Marketing Officer | Business Refinery

Sometimes the hardest part of the proposal process is getting in front of the right customers so you are invited to send the proposal. In this session, marketing expert Azriel D’Souza walks through a few digital marketing strategies to help you target businesses and public sector agencies. He also shares how to generate leads on LinkedIn and the differences between organic and paid marketing strategies. You’ll want to watch this session to make sure you aren’t making the biggest mistake that most companies make online that results in missing out on potential clients. Azriel even shares a few steps you can take to better align marketing with your sales process. A must-watch session full of information that you can implement to start getting more and more leads.

Creating International Proposals

With Kathleen Foley, Business Development Consultant | Dail Consulting

Expanding beyond the US is a great way to serve more customers, but it comes with its own set of challenges. In this session, Kathleen Foley shares the steps you need to take before you even start pursuing international opportunities and the nuances to plan for when bidding in other countries. As a Canadian, she also dives into detail on expanding to Canada for US businesses, and she shares an important factor that makes expanding into other countries difficult. Writing for an international audience brings about new challenges, and she shares how you should change both your writing and your proposal schedule to account for international audiences.

Overcoming Proposal and Presentation Design Mistakes

With Karen Lin, Graphic Designer | Karen & Co.

No matter how perfect your content is, if your design and formatting is distracting, the reader will miss your message. Karen Lin shares how to avoid the biggest mistakes in presentation and proposal design. She also gives tips on how to reduce file size so your documents can always be uploaded to procurement portals. If you’re wondering if it’s time to redesign your sales materials, you’ll find her suggestion on how often and what to do really helpful.

Editing Proposals to be Customer-Ready

With Andi Petrini, Editor | Independent Consultant

There’s nothing more embarrassing than sending out a proposal only to discover a glaring grammatical error on the first page. In this session, editing expert Andi Petrini discusses a few of the most common mistakes she sees, what to think about if you’re considering hiring an editor, and a few tools you can use on your own to make editing easier. We touch on choosing the right editing style for your business and how non-native English speakers can improve their writing. This is a crucial final step in your proposal process that you don’t want to miss!

Preparing Your Website for More Online Leads

With Meg Kline, Web Designer & Online Marketer | Meg Kline Designs

If you’ve ever wondered if your website is helping you to generate leads (or hurting you!), then Meg Kline’s session will help you figure it out! She covers her favorite strategy for getting feedback, how your website design can make it easier for potential customers to understand why they should work with you, and a few of her favorite tools for gaining customer insights from your website. This is the perfect session if you want to improve your sales process from the moment customers first discover your company, which is most likely on your website.

Designing A/E/C and Interior Design Proposals

With Holly Urkevich, Designer | HAU Design

Holly shares why design is so important for A/E/C and interior design proposals. She touches on how the proposal design process varies across companies and key things to watch out for in the RFP that can affect your design.

LET’S SUMMARIZE

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN YOUR PERSUASIVE PROPOSALS EXPERIENCE:

When you enroll today, you get…

5 Course Modules

Including: Defining Your Differentiators, Gathering Essential Resources, Persuasive Proposal Writing Tactics, Writing Your Proposal Content, Creating a Repeatable Proposal Process

$5,000+ Value

Complete Proposal Writing Toolkit

Including: Creating Your Win Themes worksheet, FOIA Request template, Customer Pain Points Questionnaire, Proposal Content Notes Template, Competitive Research worksheet, Persuasive Writing worksheet, Proposal Storytelling worksheet, Technical Writing worksheet, Creating Your Content Library worksheet, Assessing the Competitive Landscape Guide, Go/No Go Checklist, Identifying Proposal Differentiators Worksheet, Personalizing Proposal Content Guide, Task List Template, Debrief Questionnaire, Proposal Style Sheet, Company Qualifications worksheet, Executive Summary Template, Product Overviews Template, Project Approach worksheet, Proposal Cover Letter Template, References, Case Studies, and Testimonials Template, Team Overviews Template, “Why Us” Template, Word Bank of 375 word to include in your proposals (and 75 to avoid)

$1,250+ Value

Guest Expert Bonus Trainings

Contract Capture & Business Development for Small Businesses with D'Joane H. McCorkle, How to Use Digital Marketing to Generate More Leads with Azriel D'Souza, Creating International Proposals with Kathleen Foley, Overcoming Proposal and Presentation Design Mistakes with Karen Lin, Editing Proposals to be Customer-Ready with Andi Petrini, Preparing Your Website for More Online Leads with Meg Kline

$2,500+ Value

Four 1:1 Q&A Sessions

Use your 1:1 coaching sessions to ask your most important proposal questions, learn about your competition, and solve your current proposal struggles. All sessions will be recorded so you can access again and again.

$850+ Value

Total Value of Persuasive Proposals

$5000 Core Content + $4,600 in bonuses = $9,600 Total Value

And that’s just the content and bonuses alone. 

This does not include the value of the contracts you will earn once you start to implement these tactics. Companies use these exact tactics every day to win multi-million dollar contracts. The lifetime value of investing in these skills is incredibly high, but…

you can access all the materials today for just $1,395.

→ You sent out countless proposals only to find out the award went to someone else.

→ You struggled to write proposal content, wasting hours writing, rewriting, and starting over, or worse, just throwing a bunch of marketing material together and sending it off. 

→ You invested in a content update or template refresh project with a contractor or consultant, but your proposals still aren’t performing and you don’t know why. 

→ You have had perfect sales meetings only to have the customer ghost you after you sent over the proposal.

→ You have worried that you won’t be able to write proposals that actually sell because you’re simply not a writer and don’t have what it takes.

→ You have the skills and easy-to-follow templates that make it easy to write customer-focused content each time.

→ You know how to leverage persuasive writing techniques to create proposals that sell rather than simply fulfill a request. 

→ You have a proposal process you can rely on each time so there is no question about what you should be doing and when. 

→ You translate your insights from sales meetings seamlessly into your proposals, building trust with the customer and inspiring them to choose you over the competition. 

→ You no longer dread writing proposals and instead look forward to sending them out because you know you’re putting your best foot forward–and you have the revenue to prove it.

I don’t have the time nor the skills to create better proposal content.

Time is one of the most important resources out there, and you don’t want to waste what precious little free time you have on proposals that just aren’t winning.

That’s why the Proposal Writing Toolkit is filled with easy-to-use templates to make creating your new proposal content as easy as possible. The videos also include real-life examples of the templates in action to give you inspiration even on the most challenging sections. You’ll be able to write valuable, sales-oriented proposals with ease. 

If you truly don’t have time to complete a training, then sign up now before enrollment closes, and delegate proposal writing to another team member. Have them complete the course so they can start out with templates and receive expert feedback to be successful in the long-run. It’s a win for everyone.

Other courses don't really provide you with templates - so this was refreshing.

Rajeev S. | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“Before taking Persuasive Proposals, I was not sure about the structure and also what impactful content to put into some sections. Other courses don't really provide you with templates - so this was refreshing. Part of additional responsibility in my role is that I am actually tasked with responding to RFPs and PQQs - so the nuggets of knowledge I learnt here are going to be very useful. I have already started using the logical and emotional aspects in the text I have drafted. 

If you have an appetite to learn and to improve, just go on the course - it's bite size chunks to learn, easy, digestible.”

I’ll just outsource my proposals to a consultant who can figure this all out for me. 

This is a great option if you have unlimited resources, but most businesses aren’t in a position to spend $5,000 on each proposal to create a winning strategy without knowing if you will win the project. Any company who claims they can guarantee you a win is stretching the truth – there is no guaranteed win unless the customer has already agreed to work with you. In that case, you can rely on a simple template anyway, and not hire the consultant. 

The truth is, no one knows your value better than you do. You’re the one speaking with the buyer. You’re the one who has to understand their goals and how your solution helps them get there. No consultant can replace your knowledge and insight.

 
By learning how to do this yourself, you’re saving the $5k-$10k+ it would cost you every time to hire a consultant to do this AND you’ll have the skills you need to land $100k projects yourself – making each sale even more profitable.

Investing in developing the writing skills to match your in-person sales skills will make your sales process an unstoppable force in pursuit of your revenue goals.

Having to write another new proposal basically from scratch would take up a big portion of my day or we would spend a lot of money outsourcing all of our proposal writing to someone else.

Michael L. | Vice President of Client Services | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“I was pretty much lost when it comes to the proper way to organize a proposal. Having to write another new proposal basically from scratch would take up a big portion of my day or we would spend a lot of money outsourcing all of our proposal writing to someone else. After working with Utley Strategies, I gained confidence that our message is strong for all of our proposals moving forward now that we have a template with built in content. Our proposals definitely went from looking JV to accomplished and professional.”

I don’t know how to tell if my content is showing my value or not. I need more hands-on help. 

It’s a common saying among the writing community that you shouldn’t edit your own writing. An outside perspective is often essential to creating your best work. 

That’s why every student is invited to the group coaching session with Demi to ask questions on key sections of your proposal, discuss your strategy, and identify ways you can revise or improve your proposal.

I can honestly say her advice led to a paycheck which was at least three times larger than anything I would have been able to secure on my own.

Leon Johnson | Data Science Consultant | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“Demi showed me how to write an absolutely outstanding proposal. With her help, I was able to secure a contract which I never would have without her! Not only that, I can honestly say her advice led to a paycheck which was at least three times larger than anything I would have been able to secure on my own. Even after the contact had begun, the proposal we wrote was lauded by my client, which played very well to my credibility and competency. Demi is a professional.”

So, is Persuasive Proposals right for you?

If you’re responsible for writing proposals and you want to take the path of least resistance, take this course. It’s all laid out for you! 

I created Persuasive Proposals because…

I discovered that small businesses often lack the industry veteran who can train new team members on best practices and ways to use the proposal to actually win.

As much as I love writing, I truly love helping others to learn how to master proposal writing to start winning those competitive contracts without spending years trying to figure it out. 

So whether you’re:

★ A marketer who also creates proposals 

★ A seller who needs to master proposals for your commission check

★ An engineer who helps out sales from time to time

★ A business owner who wants to start winning bigger projects 

★ A writing consultant who wants to refresh your skillset

★ An assistant ready to show you can take on bigger projects

…or whoever else in between – I created this course for you! 

MEET THE

Proposal Professional Bundle!

THE PROPOSAL PROFESSIONAL BUNDLE IS THE COMPLETE BLUEPRINT FOR LEARNING HOW TO WRITE STRONGER PROPOSALS AND BUILD A CAREER AS A PROFESSIONAL PROPOSAL EXPERT

The Proposal Professional Bundle includes Everything inside Persuasive Proposals 

-PLUS access to the RFPs 101 course to learn how to read and respond to RFPs

-AND access to the Designing Proposals in Word mini-course so you can create well designed proposals in addition to stellar content

-ALSO receive personalized career support through a 1:1 Career Conversation with Demi to talk through next steps and develop an action plan for your career

RFPs 101

This introduction course will give you a deep understanding of the procurement process, how to change your approach at each stage, must-find RFP sections, how to create your response, and more!

It’s the perfect introduction to RFPs to ensure you create compliant and compelling proposals.

Designing Proposals in Word

This course shows you the exact tools and features to use to create well-designed proposals in Word, even if you’re not a designer!

Discover the 6 principles of proposal design, key design features in Word that most people don’t know about, where to go for design inspiration, how to design beautiful cover pages, and more!

This start-to-finish mini course takes you from proposal embarrassment to a beautiful, attention-grabbing proposal!

1:1 Career Conversation

Now that you’ve mastered proposal writing, you’re ready to put all of this knowledge to work! The challenge can be figuring out how to do that. We’ll use this time to talk through potential career paths, whether you plan to work full-time for a company or consult on your own (or on the side).

We can review your resume, talk through getting leads as a freelancer, identify the best industries based on your values and interests, and narrow down a path forward that aligns with your goals.

You don’t have to figure it out alone.

Yes, there is a bundle discount!

Save $400 when you purchase the bundle!

ENROLL NOW TO IMPROVE YOUR PROPOSALS

You can continue trial and error, but if it hasn’t worked until now, why risk losing more contracts?

Sign up now to learn the proposal secrets that will beat your competition!

Don’t lose another dream client because of your proposals!

Enroll now!

Learn how to write proposals that inspire buyers to sign the contract

Everything in Persuasive Proposals plus complete access to the RFPs 101 and Designing Proposals in Word courses AND a 1:1 Career Conversation!

Curious which option is right for you? Connect with our team at:

hello@utleystrategies.com 

We’ll be more than happy to point you down the best path. Or head to the FAQs to see if your question is answered there! 

Not sure if the course is right for you? 

Don’t worry – we have a 7-day refund policy. If you sign up for the course and find that it doesn’t align with your needs, simply reach out within 7 days, let us know what didn’t work, and you’ll be issued a full refund.

About Your Instructor

Hello, I’m Demi Utley.

I’m the founder here at Utley Strategies, and a certified proposal manager with an MBA and nearly a decade of experience crafting customer-focused proposals. I help businesses like you develop proposals that stand out against the competition and show the buyer why you are the best choice.

After creating hundreds of proposals across countless industries, I’ve learned that there is an approach that proves to be the most effective at having a high win rate: creating personalized, customer-focused content.

I researched to see what other industry leaders say, and they all agree – focusing on the customer is the key to success.

As you’ve seen above, in this course I’m sharing real, tactical steps with MANY templates to help you make your proposals more persuasive. It’s a lot of work, but by the end, you’ll have your very own content library and an arsenal of persuasive writing tactics that you can use throughout your sales process.

I’ll see you inside the course!

Which track is right for you? 

Persuasive Proposals is right for you if…

You are confident that you can create the best content with just a little bit of guidance. You also likely have a few team members who can review your proposal and provide feedback so you’re never left guessing if your writing makes sense.

The Proposal Professional Bundle is right for you if…

You’re responsible for the full breadth of the proposal process and need a quick-start process to ramp up your skills. Or if you want to start freelancing on the side and don’t want to be caught off guard by a client’s questions. Maybe you need to round out your skillset to start applying for new jobs or get promoted as a business developer, marketer, or proposal specialist. If you’re ready to create start-to-finish proposals, then this is the option for you!

IT’S TIME TO WRITE PROPOSALS THAT BUYERS LOVE

I no longer offer support for specific proposals, so this is your best option if you want to learn these strategies! 

You can continue to scour Google for your answers, read all of the blogs, watch YouTube videos, and try to piece it all together…

OR…

You can save time, energy, and frustration and start learning from an industry veteran to create proposals that win. 

It’s all here for you in one, easy-to-follow and ready-to-implement format.

ENROLL NOW TO IMPROVE YOUR PROPOSALS

You can continue trial and error, but if it hasn’t worked until now, why risk losing more contracts?

Sign up now to learn the proposal secrets that will beat your competition!

Don’t lose another dream client because of your proposals!

Enroll now!

Learn how to write proposals that inspire buyers to sign the contract

Everything in Persuasive Proposals plus complete access to the RFPs 101 and Designing Proposals in Word courses AND a 1:1 Career Conversation!

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