Quick And Easy Proposal Writing Tips

By Kathleen Watson


Proposals should be viewed as an attempt to convince a skeptic, busy and thrifty reader to buy your idea. It is therefore similar to persuasive essays. The nature of competition witnessed requires your proposal writing skills to be top notch. Only the winning bid will get funding. If you are to spend time writing, you must endeavor to produce the best pitch.

The world is dissuaded from judging books by their covers. However, there are situations where this adage is rendered irrelevant. When a selection panel is faced with thousands of papers to peruse, they begin skimming through the proposals. This is the trend during initial stages. To be on their path, provide an executive summary. It should highlight the points that make your bid attractive.

An executive summary should intentionally capture your strongest points for the bid. This should be done in a way that captures the imagination of the panel. Make it convincing and arouse curiosity to read through the other pages. A panelist should be forced to read through it twice before bypassing it. A lot of attention is not paid to finer details during the initial stages. The summary should make it quick and easy for the panelist to understand your concept.

Selection panels endeavor to get certain information from the proposals. This information is hinted in the instructions given. As such, your goal should be to provide this information in a precise manner. It means writing a paragraph instead of five that are irrelevant. Wordy text full of buzzword, meaningless shop talk and information that adds no value should be avoided. At this point, the idea that less is more makes a lot of sense.

Panelists have questions about the project and how to actualize it. They are looking for a person who can provide most convincing answer. Such questions can be found in the instructions issued. Answering these questions correctly shows that you are good at listening. It also shows your diligence in search of answers. Provide factual answers in a way that is simple to understand.

The past has been used on numerous occasions to judge future potential. A client or sponsor will be more convinced of your potential if you show data and details of past projects that you have successfully completed. These projects show your ability to manage resources and deliver the expected returns. They act as referees when writing a resume. Detail the similarities to the project you wish to be funded. You will be miles ahead of individuals detailing their untested technical ability.

The lowest proposals do not necessarily get funding. You face the challenge of having a lower bid or being considered too lowly priced to deliver. The focus should however be on your technical ability and uniqueness. Give the panel a reason to choose you over every other person. Such a reason should go beyond money or pricing. What edge do you think will cause the panel to say, This is the kind of person or project we are looking for!

Endeavor to build your bid on facts other than rumors and opinions. Quote authoritative data and texts to create the most realistic picture of possible outcome. Your text should be engaging, interesting and meticulously written. This means good grammar and professional design. A memorable proposal will stand out among the thousands presented.




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