Enough Stress to Go Around
It’s late. You’re working on the Scope of Work for an important proposal. Then you’ll have to get going on the price. Another late night, another stressful situation. Does anything cause more tension and stress than having to write proposals that will make or break the future of the firm?
 
Well, consider the poor souls who have to read 50 of those proposals and decide which firm to hire for this important project which could make or break the reviewer’s career.  There is a lot at stake for everyone involved on each side of the proposal process. You need the work to stay in business and the reviewers need to select the firm that will deliver a successful project. That’s why the most successful proposals are those written with the needs of the beleaguered proposal reviewer and selection committee in mind.

Keep Your Audience in Mind
You don’t have to pity the poor proposal reviewer, but you should understand what he or she is going through so you may make it as easy for them to keep you off the rejection pile. The initial phase of the selection process is, frankly, an elimination process. Would you want to read all 50 proposals? Neither does our stalwart reviewer. She’s looking for ways to whittle down the pile—the quicker the better.The Ideal StandardThat’s is why it is not enough to write a proposal that contains all the required information—you have to make it impossible for the reviewer to miss the required information. Provide a Guide to Required InformationHow about a simple chart that lists the proposal requirements and where that information is located in the document?

Required Information                           Location
Original Signature Cover Letter........Cover Letter
Similar Projects in Past 5 Years.......Section 4: Relevant Projects
Three References.............................Section 5: References

Create a Tab for proposal requirements and include the chart there, or make the chart part of the cover letter or table of contents. Include it where it makes sense and where it can’t be missed.Keep the proposal reviewer in mind and don’t give him any reason to relegate you to the reject pile. At a minimum you must:
  • Fulfill all mandatory requirements of the RFP.
  • Clearly present the benefits of your approach.
  • Substantiate claims with facts.
  • Use clear, concise language written for the reviewer’s level of technical knowledge.
  • Give clients what they ask for, not what you think they should have asked for.
  • Don’t brag; compile compliments. Rather than say your firm is wonderful, it is far more effective to quote clients who say your firm is wonderful.
  • Know your competition; offset their strengths, exploit their weaknesses.
  • Address your weaknesses and demonstrate
  •  how those weaknesses have been resolved.
A client takes a big risk recommending a firm. If you  want a client to take that risk, make it easy for them to defend that decision to their bosses by having required information easily found in your attractive and well-organized proposal.