Scale Your Career To New Heights With These Proposal Writing Tips And Tools
It’s not always easy to know what to include in such a document, especially when you’re just starting out in the industry. After close to 2 decades in business, Obsidian Learning has made more proposals than we can count, and we’ve learned a thing or two about what works. Lucky for you, we like to share. We’ve gathered together a few tips and tools that, used wisely, will burnish your proposals to a high shine.
1. Gather Information
In the initial meeting or call, ask loads of questions (see the learning project scoping questions list). Visit the company website to get a feel for the work culture and public philosophy. Ask to see existing content or similar projects.
Find out what they are going to do with the information in the proposal. Make a decision themselves? Go up the ladder? Compare to a competitor’s proposal? Request outside funding? The more you know, the more you can support them, and the better your proposal will be. Offer to help them with that next step, as appropriate.
2. Draft Your Proposal
Include at least the following sections:
Background
Provide an overview of the client’s circumstances to demonstrate your understanding of the situation. Include the details pertinent to your recommended solution.
Recommendations
Describe your recommended solutions to the client’s needs. Be sure to describe your suggestions in easy-to-understand terms.
- Avoid or at least explain industry-specific terms and acronyms.
- Describe specific deliverables.
- In learning projects, we know one-time courses rarely change behavior, so real learning solutions often incorporate multiple deliverables in different media. Be sure to include your rationale about why you suggest which option.
- Make it clear if any recommended deliverables are more crucial than others.
Timing
Provide an initial idea of how long the creation of your recommended deliverables will take, and what factors impact that timing. If you have information about your client’s needs regarding timing, cover it here.
Pricing
Explain your prices. It is often OK to have a range of prices if you explain the conditions. In our experience, when you have a variety of deliverables, clients appreciate cafeteria-style pricing options, so they can pick and choose, as is appropriate for their budget and timing. Transparency is key.
Legalities
Include your payment terms, what is not included in your price (travel expenses, shipping, etc.), how you handle changes in scope, and what you expect or need from the client (content, review time, access to software, etc.) to be successful.
Here is a customizable proposal template (download the file here) showing what we usually include, at least at a high level.
3. Review
Reread what you have written from the client point of view – passionate but not salesy? Clear language, no jargon? If I didn’t know anything about my company or deliverables, would I be persuaded? What objections or questions would I have as a result? Revise as necessary.
4. Create Supporting Visuals
The majority of people are visual learners. We learn faster through pictures and graphics than just words. How can you depict what you are communicating? Creating supporting visuals helps convey your ideas, and it shows your capability to communicate complex information.
If you are pitching to a global audience, make sure your visuals are universally appealing and appropriate.
For Obsidian Learning, it is particularly important to include samples of comparable deliverables. We usually include hyperlinks to our website, or other sources of samples, in a simple PowerPoint presentation to accompany our Word document.
5. Review With Client
Email the proposal and visuals, but follow up immediately and set up time to review together. Don’t count on the client understanding your thinking just through your writing. Even if it feels a bit redundant, go through the main components of the document together, and clarify all questions.
Proposals are your opportunity to expose your company’s strategy, pricing, and qualifications to potential clients. Mastering the art of a solid proposal is essential for establishing your bona fides, and growing your business.
