We wish we knew the secret to writing proposals that will guarantee you get the contract every time, but we can’t.
We can’t, because you can never second-guess exactly what every potential client is looking for. As copywriters we can, however, give you a really good guide to some essentials, as well as mistakes to avoid.
Five essentials for writing proposals:
1. Set down the brief in a few lines so the client can see you have understood what they want done.
2. Show very clearly how hiring you will benefit their business i.e. the impact your work will have.
3. Stress they are making an investment in hiring you and that they will reap the rewards for some time to come.
4. Specify all that is included (you may be able to mention things that are easy for you but will impress them).
5. Include a testimonial and names of previous clients to instil trust.
Use powerful words such as ‘value’, ‘return on investment’, ‘effective’, ‘results’, ‘achieve.’
And three mistakes to avoid when you want to write winning proposals:
1. Using industry jargon or tech speak that will mean nothing to your potential client.
2. Sending a quote that is nothing but a bald figure with no explanation of how you arrived at it nor what benefit it will bring.
3. Underselling yourself so you charge too little for work that will take too long. You want new customers, but at what price?
As with all copywriting, clarity is key.
We’ve done a lot of writing proposals recently and most have brought us new work. Some haven’t, but at least we know we have given it our best shot.
If you have important proposals or pitches coming up, talk to me today.
