How to Write a Proposal in 11 Steps
If you’re a proposal writer, you know that writing a proper proposal is no easy task. No matter if it’s business proposals or project proposals, creating a full proposal from start to finish takes time.
A potential customer or a new client doesn’t know that writing a proposal isn’t that much about writing. Writing is usually the easy part.
Hence, the top reasons why proposals fail are:
- Significance – The client doesn’t show an understanding of the problem in their proposal letter.
- Approach – Missed deadline, sent the proposal to the wrong organization, or did not follow the provided rules.
- Investigator – The client’s line of work doesn’t fit the project.
In other words, the client or the person who wrote the proposal didn’t do research. To help out, the article will cover all the required steps for how to write a proposal, from researching to writing a conclusion. If you’re interested in learning via video, then watch the video below. Otherwise, skip ahead.
How to Write a Proposal: Phase 1 Research
If you’re just starting as a proposal or a grant writer, the article will also help you prepare for discussions with potential clients (especially for freelance proposal writers). Clients rarely know what it takes to create a great proposal, and it’s your job to explain. Furthermore, it’s your job to use your critical thinking and ask the right questions to get specific details about the client and their business.
All of that happens in the research phase, which is crucial for crafting an effective project proposal by clearly defining the project’s objectives, so let’s start.
Define the Target Audience
Although you should specialize, you never know who’s your next potential client. It’s less messy if you work for a company with a structured workflow, multiple templates, and other team members. But if you’re alone, you need to define your objectives.
Defining the target audience means two things:
- Learn about the client
- Learn about the proposal’s target
Customizing your own proposal for the target audience is crucial to ensure it aligns with their specific needs and preferences.
You usually start by learning about your prospective client. What’s their business, niche, general background information, etc. Depending on your current knowledge of their industry, you want to ask more questions if you feel comfortable taking the task. For example, writing a research proposal for human resources isn’t the same as writing a business proposal for a military company.
Next is figuring out who’ll be reading the proposal. The readers are the decision-makers who decide if your client will get the project or grant or not. Your goal is to convince the decision-maker to take the right action. Naturally, you need to know who they are.
The questions to ask are:
- Who will be reading the proposal?
- What do you need to do to convince them to make a favorable decision?
- What do they want to hear that your client can provide?
- Do they prefer a formal or informal writing style?
Define the Problem
Defining the problem isn’t a big deal since an agency or business clearly states it in their RFP (request for proposal).
Unfortunately, the problem gets more convoluted as you determine whether your client can deliver. To find a solution, you need to understand the problem and provide comprehensive project details, including the project’s objectives, timeline, budget, and goals.
Although your client will have a general idea of the issue, don’t let that stop you from asking questions. The client is looking to gain something from the proposal so that they will be biased. You’re here to help them. Even it is by facing the harsh reality that their business isn’t the right one.
For example, just because your client knows how to ride a bike doesn’t qualify them for a bike manufacturing grant.
By defining the problem, you create the first layer of your proposal writing. The problem is where you begin writing. Without deep understanding, your chances of doing a great job diminish.
Questions to ask in this research step are:
- Why is this problem significant to the proposal prospect?
- What are they getting from solving the problem?
- Ask the client to explain how the issue fits their business capabilities.
Develop a Solution
Now that you understand the problem, it’s time to understand the proposed solution. You can observe the solution as the client’s problem since the answer will make or break their business proposal.
This step shouldn’t be difficult. If your client knows what they are doing, the answer should come out naturally.
Nevertheless, it’s best to dilute to the very core of how the solution works by asking the following questions:
- Does the solution make sense?
- Does the solution fit the timeline?
- What do you hope to gain from delivering the solution?
Define the Writing Style
With the first three steps ready, we approach proposal writing. Knowing the target reader helps you with defining the style. Additionally, you can get a solid idea of the style by reading their RFP. How they write the RFP is how you should write the proposal letter.
The tone should be plain and direct, whether it’s a grant or business proposal. The goal is to inform the reader and incentivize action, not to entertain or bore them. Also, complex verbiage won’t impress anybody. Ask yourself:
- How do you create a persuasive tone that strikes a chord with the reader?
Although this depends on the reader, you create a persuasive tone with simple sentences backed by research. Think of it like chess. You want to bring the opponent (reader) into a position where they must comply.
Create a Project Proposal Outline
The project proposal outline is never part of your final proposal. But it is a valuable document that helps you as you write. It’s like a cheatsheet.
Gather all the relevant details, such as goals, benefits, costs, ideas, and quantitative data you have in a single place. There’s no need to spend too much time creating the outline, but it should have basic information such as problems, solutions (why your solutions are the best), and business information.
Additionally, if the proposal requires an executive summary, it also helps to include primary budget data.
If you’re interested in understanding the finer details of writing a proposal and becoming a top-tier proposal writer, then check out our proposal writing certification course.
Phase 2: Writing
Congrats! You should be ready to write everything with detailed research, including project proposals, business proposals, proposal letters, executive summaries, conversion letters, and brief overviews. If you’re using a proposal template, feel free to have it by your side.
Proposal writing has a broad niche. You never know what the next proposal will require, so you must be ready.
Keep in mind that you need to think of the deadline. This is where your organization skills will come into play since you’ll need to balance the limited time between writing and research.
Introduce your Company/Organization
When someone mentions an introduction, the first picture we get is a polite handshake or a nod followed by the sentence “Hello, my name is…”
Although your business proposal introduction should be polite, it must be convincing. You’re not writing fiction where the story slowly heats up. The proposal should be blazing from the first sentence.
To achieve that, use your client’s information as the skeleton of the introduction instead of as the meat. For example, the starting sentence can be: “Our company, Bycicyle Builders, knows there aren’t enough bicycles in our city. We reduce car usage from 75% to 50% by integrating the latest bicycle building technology to make new bicycles 20% cheaper.”
You can also start with data and use that as the build-up for the introduction. Whatever your approach is, stay away from including opinions. You can use facts, but opinions aren’t trackable and rarely work. Although the opening is a general overview, it’s also the setup for the rest of the proposal. Introducing the proposed project early on can help convince stakeholders to get on board with the initiative.
Finally, think about the title page as you write the introduction. Research shows that proposals with a visually appealing title page work 45% better.
Clarify the Problem
Before you move on to the next step, you must understand why you’re writing this section of your project or business proposal. You’re not explaining the problem (the reader already knows that). You’re showing how well you and your client understand the issue.
Great questions to answer are:
- What is the problem?
- What’s the problem’s cause?
- How does the problem affect society or industry?
You should have valuable data that you can use here to emphasize your understanding and interest. You can further impress the audience if you can point to additional issues.
Propose a Solution
The solution is the most critical section. Here, you’ll address the client’s capability to stand out amongst the competition by providing benefits that others cannot and explain how the company or organization will meet the project’s objectives and solve the issue.
Whenever a new business creates its first proposal, it often falls into the trap of social proof. When presenting the answer, they focus more on what they assume the reader wants to hear than the question and answer. Although the goal is to satisfy the reader’s need, the road to that goal shouldn’t complement the reader but rather include practical possibilities.
If you go back to questions in the previous step, this section should answer the following:
- How will your client’s business address the problem?
- Why are you offering this particular answer?
- What is the outcome?
Start with the general impact. Address the main benefits and objectives. After, move to explain why your ideas are better. Don’t assume that the reader will accept the offer at face value. Just because you know your proposition is incredible doesn’t make it clear to others.
Reasons for “why” can be plenty. Maybe it’s more cost-effective. Perhaps it solves the issue faster or with a less negative impact on the environment. The more data and research you present, the better. Furthermore, if you can provide an example of your proposition achieving the claimed goals, that’s extra points.
If you can’t prove that the proposal works, you’ll fail since there will be candidates who can do precisely that.
After reading the section, the audience should be ready to talk about money.
Define Project Schedule & Budget
Now that you have the reader’s attention, it’s time to move to the second most crucial part – the project schedule and budget. Every proposal is a business proposal, making it an investment. Even if you have the best solutions, it won’t matter if the project costs are too high.
If the RFP requires an executive summary, you’ve probably touched on the budget, but this is where you go in detail since merely providing the total cost isn’t enough.
Look at this section as if you’re starting from the beginning. You’ve successfully convinced the reader of your project. Now you need to do it again.
You prove that your client’s business is the best investment by sticking to facts and covering every penny.
Questions you should answer regarding the budget and schedule are:
- When do you see the project starting?
- What are specific steps spread across the general timeline?
- How does each step tie to the previous and next one?
Use responsive pricing tables and visuals if possible. A simple clickable table can make the budget more intuitive.
Anything that will make it easier for the reader to understand how you plan to spend the money across a specific schedule. The more detail you provide, the better the proposal. A good proposal offers solutions but balances it out with the cost. Include any document (or research article) that benefits your cause.
It’s possible to win a proposal with costs that are over the initial budget. But in that case, your company needs to offer additional reasons why they are worth the extra investment.
Finally, it’s always a good idea to double-check everything you wrote before the budget section. The last thing you want is for the numbers on pages two and nine to not match.
State the Conclusion
Whether you’re writing a grant or business proposal, you need to wrap it up. But instead of writing a conclusion as a polite “see you again” message, use the conclusion to your advantage.
A nice trick to use here is an executive summary, cover letter, or any document example that summarizes the proposal. If you have one, you can use the content for the conclusion, but remember to rewrite it.
The conclusion is the proposal summary and should remind the target audience why your client is the best choice. Instead of telling them to have a nice day, go through everything mentioned in previous sections.
Only after you feel like you’ve made your case should you wish them a nice day and thank them for their consideration.
Edit & Proofread
Embrace the fact that the first draft of the proposal will rarely be the final version, and that’s perfectly normal. Start by editing the proposal and follow up with your client (or coworkers if you have them) reading the proposal.
Don’t shy away from editing every little doubt that you have. It might feel cumbersome at times, but that’s what proposal writing is about—being meticulous and patching up every single hole. This is also where a proposal template might help. A proposal template usually has guidelines that help when you write a proposal. As a result, there’s less content to edit.
When editing the proposal (and other documents such as the proposal letter), make sure you check for the following:
- Remove cliches – Cliche phrasing makes any article seem lazy. The cliche in business proposals means phrases such as “we understand the problem.” Does that sentence explain that you do understand the problem? No. Providing data and solutions does.
- Remove passive voice – Passive voice makes the proposal vague. And in a copy that’s all about convincing, you want to avoid vagueness. Always use active voice as much as possible.
- Remove weak and useless phrases – Listing every example is impossible, but if you know how to write a proposal, you’ll know bland terms when you read one. Words such as “We believe, think, feel” are useless and sound weak. Write confidently. If you genuinely believe that the business idea works, you won’t resort to words and phrases.
You need to proofread every new proposal draft. If you don’t have somebody else to proofread, take a break before checking for grammatical errors. Writing and proofreading require two different approaches, and mixing the two results in a poor business proposal.
Proposal Specifics
Depending on the proposal type, you might have to write additional content. Before we dwell on proposal specifics, let’s cover extra copies that go for every proposal.
You can add an appendix if you have data that doesn’t fit the main proposal. But don’t do it just because you have extra content. If it makes the proposal too heavy, it’s better to leave it out. Only add an appendix if you’re 100% confident.
Remember to include contact information. It sounds obvious, but many business proposals make it difficult to get in touch. You can add it as part of the background information or the proposal letter.
If you’re sending a proposal electronically, the receiver has your email. But that isn’t an excuse to share company details in any way that makes replying quicker.
Also, some proposals might need press releases so you can promote the project.
Business Proposal
You should write a business proposal per instructions, but you may need to create additional content.
First, there’s the executive summary. This is a short document that summarizes the proposal. Although shorter than actual business proposals, readers should make a decision purely by reading the executive summary. You write it to make the decision easier for readers who don’t have the time to read the whole proposal.
A business proposal also often includes the bidder’s qualifications. Does your potential client have the experience and knowledge to solve the issue?
Finally, you might need to include legal documents that cover possible legal matters after writing a proposal. Additionally, solicited proposals are responses to formal requests such as requests for proposals (RFPs) or other formal requests from clients, organizations, or government agencies.
Research Proposal
A research proposal is somewhat different since it focuses more on the methodology used to prove a hypothesis. Although the format isn’t different from a business project proposal, how you approach the proposal is.
Instead of writing about how you’ll solve the issue, you write about the methodology you’ll use to research a specific phenomenon. Similarly, if you’re using a questionnaire, you should include the questions and summarize what you hope to achieve by asking the questions.
Research proposals tend to fall into the social proof trap more often than others. That’s especially true when researching people’s habits, emotions, or daily behavior since the results vary depending on the researcher’s approach. Project management software can streamline the process, offering templates and tools to enhance the proposal’s structure and efficiency.
Grant Proposal
With a grant proposal, you’re directly asking for money. This means you need to pay extra attention when creating the budget section. You can use a grant proposal budget template to help you out.
Just like an executive summary, you should have a cover letter. A cover letter summarizes your proposal but also reminds the reader of any previous interaction. Grant proposals are also unique in how a business or an organization finds one. Unsolicited proposals, unlike solicited ones, are proactive pitches presented to potential clients without a prior request, requiring persuasive writing to garner interest and support.
Your client might have direct contact with the grant provider. Reminding the provider about previous interactions is a helpful bump in the right direction.
Grant proposals differ from state to state and between different government agencies. But most grant proposals usually ask for the following documents:
- Organization and financial overview
- Latest financial statement
- Company budget (income and expenses)
- The latest IRS tax-exempt document copy
- The latest annual report
These documents go outside your responsibilities as a proposal writer. But as you write a proposal letter, it’s good to know what to look for when reading an RFP.
The article provides a better understanding of how to write a proposal of any type. Remember that every bid is different, and although a template like this is helpful, it doesn’t take away from your research time.
The next potential client will be different than the previous one. Although every proposal you write requires an introduction, finance, problem, answer, and conclusion, you must adjust the sections for every company. The average proposal success rate is 30% for new proposals. This means that to succeed, you need to be thorough.
Look at it from the reader’s perspective. They get hundreds of proposals full of ideas. Instead of looking at how to bypass rules, think about making the decision-making process more manageable.
By making a habit of observing the project from the client’s and reader’s perspectives, you’ll be setting yourself up for a winning proposal.
FAQs
Here are the most frequently asked questions about writing proposals.
What makes a good proposal writer?
A great proposal writer can write a convincing proposal that clearly describes the question and answer and makes it easy to make significant financial decisions. Additionally, great proposal writers are confident enough in their writing skills that they can spend more time researching than writing the proposal. Learning how to write winning proposals is crucial for achieving these goals.
How to become a proposal writer?
Proposal writers start by getting a bachelor’s degree in communication, English language, or another related field. Although you can become a proposal writer without a college degree, it’s easier to land jobs. An alternative is online grant writing courses that offer the required knowledge, skillsets, and certifications that you can use as proof of your capabilities.
Why do proposals often fail?
Proposals commonly fail due to a lack of understanding of the problem, missing deadlines, sending the proposal to the wrong organization, or not following provided rules. Additionally, if the client’s line of work doesn’t fit the project, the proposal may not be successful.
What should be included in the research phase of a proposal?
The research phase should define the target audience, understand the client’s business and the proposal’s target, identify the problem, and develop a solution. This phase is crucial for gathering the necessary information to create a compelling proposal.
How important is the writing style in a proposal?
The writing style is very important in a proposal as it needs to match the preferences of the target reader. The tone should be plain and direct, aiming to inform and persuade the reader without using complex verbiage or passive voice.
What is the role of a project proposal outline?
A project proposal outline is a valuable document that helps organize all relevant details, such as goals, benefits, costs, ideas, and data. While it is not part of the final proposal, it aids in writing by providing a clear structure and ensuring all necessary information is included.
If you are new to Proposal Writing and want to break into the industry, we recommend taking our Proposal Writing Certification Course, where you will learn the fundamentals of writing and managing proposals.
