Proposals are an essential part of business development for many professional services
organizations. They represent an opportunity to present your ideas, products, or services to
potential clients, partners, or investors. When creating a proposal, you want to have your best foot forward as this could be your one chance to communicate with your audience. However, creating a criteria-based proposal with multiple sections and requested documentation can be daunting, especially when you have multiple projects due and are on a tight deadline.
Tips to help streamline your proposal process:
Define your objectives
Before even beginning your proposal, it’s important to define all of your objectives. Having a
clear and definitive understanding of your objectives and who your clients are will help you
create a proposal that is direct and effective. Some questions to ask yourself are: Who is your target audience? What are you trying to achieve? What key messages are you trying to get across? What information best supports these ideas?
Use branded templates
If proposal requests arise often for your business, creating branded templates may be a huge time-saving tip for you. Taking the time to create a really great customizable template will come in handy next time you have a tight deadline. Take the time to consider what information is commonly requested and have those designs ready to go. Some of these may include sample Approach and Methodology guidelines, resumes of key personnel, cover letter examples, organizational charts, financial information, and key selling features.
Focus on the benefits
When drafting a proposal, it’s important to dive into your audience’s pain points and make sure you're telling a story of how your products or services can help. Be specific on the solutions you can provide and use real-life examples and statistics to help back them up. As much as you can, directly answer your client’s concerns or alleviate their pain points. Focus your language on solutions.
Keep it simple and concise
Always consider your audience when writing your proposal. Avoid using jargon or technical terms they may not understand. It’s important to keep your design easy to digest by adding
bullet points, headers, and graphics. Remember to always keep your tone and style consistent with your brand style guide. Stay authentic to your firm’s culture and language style and present your information in a way that’s natural for your firm.
How can a marketing firm help with my proposal writing?
When it comes to writing proposals for your business, it can be appealing to handle everything in-house. However, there are several benefits to hiring a marketing firm to take over the task. Here are a few reasons:
Expertise: Marketing firms specialize in persuasive and effective writing. They understand what makes a successful proposal and can communicate your unique value proposition to your audience.
Time-Saving: Writing effective proposals and making sure they are problem free can take a lot of time. Hiring a marketing firm can allow you to take this task off your plate and focus on other areas of your business.
Consistency: Especially when you have multiple proposals due per month, a marketing firm can ensure your proposals have no inconsistency when it comes to branding, tone, and messaging.
Access to Additional Resources: Marketing firms have tons of resources that can help create high-quality proposals that are visually appealing and stand out from your competition
Streamlining your proposals can have a significant impact on your business’s success. By
ensuring your proposals are consistent, concise, and appealing, you can increase your chances of standing out. 30|90 Marketing can help you achieve these goals and save your professional staff an abundance of billable time for your business. Contact us today to see how we can bring your proposals to the next level!
