Proposal TIPS: the basics Bid decisions are made by GROUPS of people  Write and organize it for the ENTIRE audience  Make DIFFERENT sections for DIFFERENT people Proposals are SALES jobs  Support EVERY main point (including $) with EVIDENCE  Be Positive, Confident, and Tactful Proposals are ALWAYS written under the gun  Delivering quality under pressure is always a challenge  Typos, grammar mistakes, and other problems PROVE you can’t deliver under pressure

Proposal TIPS: BRAINSTORMING Remember the “do/know/FEAR” advice  People choose the SAFEST option  Decide what frightens the audience  ANSWER these fears with positive confident details Look at the situation from the client’s point of view, ask “What is the client most afraid of ?”, brainstorm a list based on these fears, organize the list into general themes, and then ANSWER those areas of concern in your proposal.

Proposal TIPS: ORGANIZING Remember that bid decisions are made by GROUPS Organize the proposal for FAST and EASY evaluation  I’m a BIG fan of repeating KEY information (like total $$) in LOTS of different sections  This EMAPHASIZES key info and HELPS folks find info  FOR EXAMPLE, my proposal will give the total bid price in the cover letter, title page, executive summary, AND budget section Format the proposal so it is easy to rip apart  No fancy binding for no reason, start major sections on a new page, don’t break apart tables or lists, etc There is a VERY GOOD example in the textbook

Proposal TIPS: EDITING Realize that proposal efforts are ALWAYS rushed DO NOT let this show in the final product  Typos will DESTROY your credibility (if you can’t spell check, then how well did you check the $$$ figures?)  Grammar mistakes will REALLY HURT your credibility  Clarity problems will REALLY ANNOY the readers Tricks for making proposals EASY to effectively edit  Use prewritten “BOILERPLATE” sections & elements  Use simple & straightforward wording & formatting  Completely finish AT LEAST A DAY ahead of the final deadline