Proposal Writing Services

While we share tons of free information on our blog and YouTube channel, sometimes you need a bit more detail to help put some ideas into practice. Whether you’re brand new to proposals or looking to expand your existing skillset, there are plenty of trainings out there to help you grow. 

Below is a compilation of a few different types of training that are perfect for proposal writers.

Juggling RFP deadlines, stakeholder feedback, and customer questions can make it difficult (if not impossible) to reflect on your proposal approach and ways you can improve. To help you on this journey, we’ve compiled a few of the most common proposal challenges and steps you can take to solve them. 

If your challenge is…

One of the most recognized proposal processes is the Shipley Proposal Process. The Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) recognizes Shipley as a top process and offers certification on it.

While it is an excellent process used by many major organizations, for some smaller teams, Shipley can be overkill. If your team consists of only a handful of people (or maybe even just you) and you respond to fairly simple RFPs, then the full process may cause more pain than benefit. 

That’s why we follow a simplified version to reap the benefits without having to fill out a robust team with more meetings than are needed.

We talk a lot about proposal techniques and strategies, but today I’m sharing a little behind-the-scenes to show you how some of this can look in practice. 

Today we’ll be covering a $400 million proposal that I led and won. This can give you some insight into what to expect as you pursue larger and more competitive RFPs.

When a customer asks you to send a proposal–whether it’s for an RFP or not–it’s easy to jump ahead to pricing and slap together a basic overview for your proposal.

But taking a moment to pause and think through your strategy can be the difference between winning the contract…or not. 

That’s where the Strategy Meeting comes in. 

A couple years into consulting, I had a client approach me who was concerned about a very aggressive competitor who was pursuing a contract that my client had held for ten years. The contract was a huge part of their business, and the competitor had been doing all of the right things to win over the customer–holding frequent meetings, conducting demos, meeting with all types of stakeholders, etc.

My client knew that if they didn’t create an outstanding proposal, they might lose the contract and have to rework their business.

A lot of what we share here on the blog (and on YouTube) focuses on how to write your proposal and create a sound strategy. 

But one of the biggest sources of anxiety we hear with RFPs comes not from the proposal itself, but from the requirements. 

Sometimes responding to an RFP can feel like they’re intentionally trying to find a reason to deem your proposal noncompliant. 

From page length requirements to hidden forms to requiring blue ink signatures, the list of requirements for what you have to remember for your proposal can stack up. And that’s not even including the proposal content itself! 

“How do I show buyers why we’re a better choice than our top competitor?” 

When it comes to proposals, this question is asked again and again.

You may have done everything right. Checked off all of the boxes from the RFP. Met with the customer. Created engaging graphics. Developed a sound pricing strategy. 

But for some reason, they continue to win while you continue to…not. 

In these cases, there is often one main reason why your competitors are winning over you.

The sales process is fraught with challenges.

From securing a meeting with an ideal client to determining the best pricing to creating a winning proposal, there always seems to be just one more step to be completed before contracts are signed. 

But when it comes to sales, there is one secret that nearly every successful company uses: 

Executive Summaries are one of the most dreaded RFP sections. How do you summarize an entire proposal in just one page? (You don’t.) Will it even be read? 

But once you figure out how to write Executive Summaries, they will likely become your favorite section! This part of the proposal is often the most read, and because of that, it requires a little more creativity and focus than other parts of the proposal. To help you on this journey, check out the four key traits of successful Executive Summaries below. 

There are few proposal sections more talked about than the Executive Summary. 

We get questions every week on this topic: 

How do I write an executive summary? When do I include one? Do people even read it? 

There are countless articles and videos out there sharing conflicting information about the Executive Summary, but there’s still one misconception that many people hold when they start drafting.

With the start of a new year, many of us are hard at work planning out where to focus our energy for the next twelve months. Below is a list of a few popular proposal goals to inspire your planning, with steps you can take to actually achieve them!

#1 Increase Win Rate

Of all the most common proposal sections, the one that I’m asked about again and again is the Executive Summary. 

Most Executive Summaries are only 1-2 pages long, yet they seem to strike fear in the heart of any writer, stalling typing and bringing up a new round of writer’s block. The reasons for hesitation vary–some people ask what exactly should be included. Others want to make sure they’re starting the proposal off with the right tone. I’ve heard concerns that this is the only section the client will read, making it even more overwhelming and difficult to craft.

One question a lot of companies ask is “what tool should I be using for my proposals?” 

My answer to this question: it depends on your proposals. 

So if you often send out non-RFP proposals, I’d like to share what I like about Pandadoc for proposals, what I don’t, and how to determine if it’s a good fit for your company.

Over the past decade I have met countless proposal professionals. Most have a love/hate relationship with proposals – a love of putting together a winning proposal and a hatred of the constant deadlines, red tape, and stress that comes with working on projects with so much money on the line. 

Many people stick with it though because once you get the hang of it, proposal writing can actually become fun. 

If you’re waiting for that day to happen, or you’re hoping to hire a proposal writer who sticks around, below are a list of the most common traits I’ve encountered in successful proposal writers, and tips on how to develop these traits on your own.