Proposal | Proposal Writing Tips

Entries Tagged as 'Proposal'

Four-Step Strategy for Better Business Proposals

August 30th, 2010 · View Comments · Proposal Writing

One of the secrets to writing successful proposals is to write the proposals backwards. Ok, I don’t mean line by line backwards. What I mean is identify the problems first and then write the proposal to address these problems. I’ve been reading Business Proposals for a client all week (I assess Business Plans and Proposals [...]

How Tai Chi Will Make You a Proposal Writer

June 29th, 2010 · Comments Off · Proposal Writing

Post written by Ivan Walsh. Follow me on twitter I spend 10 hours a day writing proposals, business reports and other documents. One of the hazards of working these long hours is migraine, back pain and (literally) a pain in the neck. You can get away with this in your 20s, but as you get [...]

Gmail Tips: 17 Ways to Read, Write, Respond, and Complete 75 Emails a Day

June 27th, 2010 · Comments Off · Productivity

As someone who runs their own company, lost time is lost money. And, it’s no different if you work for someone else. Lost time = lost money. Every minute counts.

‘Help me answer every email in the same biz day!’ I got this from a good friend a while back and this is what I wrote back to her.

‘I get approx 75 emails a day. 120 is high. 50 low. I run 7 sites. Most of my customers are in the US but I have others in the UK, across Europe and in Australia. So, emails are always coming in.

Kate Winslet’s 7 Smart Ways to Read Business Proposals

June 9th, 2010 · Comments Off · Proposal Writing

Post by Ivan Walsh. Follow me on Twitter. What can Kate Winslet teach you about proof-reading Business Proposals? Watch the movie The Reader and it will make sense. If she was writing this blog, she’d probably say: “Don’t do it all at once! One of the biggest mistakes you can make when revising any business [...]

Getting Started: 37 Business Proposal Writing Tips

May 31st, 2010 · View Comments · Proposal Writing

Post by Ivan Walsh. Follow me on Twitter. This short course on proposal writing reminds us that our business proposal does not stand alone. It is process of a larger process that involves planning, research, writing, editing, proofing, submission and acceptance. This list gives 37 ways to improve your next proposal. Scroll through it and [...]

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4 Smart Ways to Write Business Proposals That Win Contracts

May 24th, 2010 · View Comments · Proposal Writing

Why do you write business proposals? Same reason we do! We write proposals to win more business, pay our bills and send the kids to college.

Same as you, I guess! Right?

I’ve been in the proposal development game for eleven years. I don’t call myself an ‘expert’ but I have learnt a few things that might interest you. Especially if you want to avoid the mistakes I made…

What’s the best way to write a proposal?

There is no ‘one way’ that works every time. But here are some pointers to consider.

To make your proposal work, you need to persuade your client that your solution is significantly better than your competitors. Not slightly better, but so much better that is would be foolish not to accept it. What makes this happen? As you write your proposal, look at where and how you can persuade the reader to buy your product.

Proposal Evaluation: How To Increase Your Acceptance Rate

May 9th, 2010 · View Comments · Proposal Evaluation

What’s your success ratio with proposals? 25% is average. Very few get 50%. I help government agencies evaluate proposals. Most bids that come across my desk make the same errors, use the same flawed strategies and are never accepted. And the next time, they repeat the same mistake. Here are some ways to avoid this. It’s not painful, it just requires effort.

14 Questions For Interviewing Proposal Writers

April 26th, 2010 · Comments Off · Proposal

Here are some tips for interviewing tech writers, for example, if your company needs to hire a contractor to complete some documentation. I’ve worked on both sides on the fence in the past, (i.e. interviewed and been interviewed) and picked up a few things in the process. Hopefully, these will be of some help.

A Proposal Writer, as the name implies, writes business proposals. They write text that is accurate, readable, accessible, and helpful to its intended audience, usually end-users or developers.

How To Ensure Your Proposal Gets Accepted By Difficult Evaluators

March 18th, 2010 · Comments Off · Proposal

Proposal Team Roles and Responsibilities: What is a Bid Manager?

March 16th, 2010 · View Comments · Proposal Writing

What are the roles and responsibilities of the Bid Manager during the proposal development process? The Bid Manager’s role is like that of the Project Manager on an IT project. Their role is to coordinate the team members, analyze the Request For Proposal, allocate resources, define the schedule, keep the deliverables on target, and ensure [...]

Proposal Writing: 7 Mistakes to Avoid

March 16th, 2010 · Comments Off · Proposal

What’s the main mistake that business writers make when writing their first proposal? The target audience is not clear, the format is incorrect and the tone is wrong. And, the solution doesn’t align with the requirements. So, how you can improve your proposals and win more projects that you bid on? Here are some guidelines [...]

18 Guaranteed Ways to Improve Your Case Studies

March 1st, 2010 · Comments Off · Proposal, Tips

You’ve never written a case study before, right? You wish there was some nice, easy way to get a handle on this. So, wouldn’t it be very nice if someone –guess who! – put together fifteen of the best articles on case study writing? Well, you’re in luck, we have!

Case Study Part 3: How to Structure your Case Study

February 11th, 2010 · Comments Off · Proposal, Tips

Case studies and white papers are very effective marketing tools if you want to promote the benefits of your product or services. Case studies are the first most popular device used to promote the business. If you plan to write a case study, this article will give you a better understanding about this type of [...]

Case Study Part 2: Why You Must Focus On a Single Issue

February 10th, 2010 · Comments Off · Proposal, Tips

As mentioned earlier, a case study is a soft-sell sales document. Its role is to highlight your abilities without resorting to market-speak and sales clichés.

How Many Hours Per Week Do Actually Spend Working?

February 10th, 2010 · Comments Off · Proposal, Tips

How much time do you spend working every week? I don’t mean being in the office, but actually working. You have 37.5 hours every week, but how much is actually spent doing what you’re paid to do? When I say working I mean developing real outputs (e.g. content); this includes illustrations, diagrams, publishing etc – [...]