In the highly competitive world of proposal writing, even small improvements can make a significant difference in your win rate. Knowing how to craft winning proposals is essential to securing new business. From initiating your efforts earlier to conducting price-to-win (PTW) analyses, these 17 expert tips will help you refine your process, stand out from the competition, and win more proposals.

  1. Initiate your proposal efforts at least a month earlier than your current practice.
  2. Ensure executive support before starting proposals to you can secure timely resources and decisions.
  3. Assign a capture manager to the program at least a month before the proposal, if not further in advance.
  4. Make sure that the Proposal Manager prepares a user friendly outline, plan, schedule, and cross-reference matrix ASAP after RFP release.
  5. Conduct training sessions for your engineers and less experienced team members.
  6. Encourage upper management to create a reward system for successful proposals.  This is powerful.
  7. Compile and organize proposal components that can be reused in future submissions.
  8. Implement a Price-to-Win (PTW) analysis that reflects the significance of each proposal. We offer a mini PTW that is more affordable.
  9. Devise a strategy to improve your proposal process beyond its current state.
  10. Acknowledge that the scores differentiating winners and losers are often very close—sometimes just a fraction of a point.
  11. Schedule color-team reviews early enough to allow time for necessary corrections.
  12. Establish a partnership with a proposal consultant company that aligns well with your organization.
  13. Cultivate relationships with reliable subcontractors and partners to help fill your proposals with necessary skills.
  14. Have a key executive present at all critical proposal meetings to highlight their importance.
  15. Utilize effective methods—such as storyboards or outlines—to ensure that both technical and sales differentiators are thoroughly addressed.
  16. Avoid spending on a proposal unless you can meet with the client well in advance to establish credibility.
  17. To maximize profits, approach bidding strategically, akin to a hunter using a rifle instead of a shotgun.

Would you like to discuss more winning proposal strategies? Book a call with us here.