Communication

How to create a winning proposal

Whether you’re writing a proposal for one of your ideas at work or a more formal proposal to gain business, you should consider the overall look, writing style, and requirements as you begin the project.

The following guide will help you in all aspects of creating a stellar proposal.

Section 1: The Basics
If you’re writing a proposal that has certain guidelines, carefully read the instructions and follow them carefully. There’s no point in wasting time writing a proposal that will immediately be thrown out because you didn’t follow simple directions.

Once you understand the criteria, establish your objectives:

• What is it that I’m trying to accomplish from the proposal?
• What is the need?
• What’s the end goal?

Next, consider your audience:

• Who will be reading the proposal?
  • What are their demographics?
  • What are their goals?
  • How does my proposal help meet their goals?
• Who will be making the final decision?
  • What are their demographics?
  • What are their goals?
  • How does my proposal help meet their goals?

Understanding your audience is critical in any communication situation. Once you have a handle on your audience, you’ll be able to create a winning proposal with them in mind.

Section 2: Writing

The writing style you choose for your proposal is important. Of course, you should always strive for a professional tone, but that doesn’t mean it can’t have a little personality. If you’re in a creative industry, get a little creative with your writing. If you’re in a more serious industry, be sure to stick with a serious tone.

Beyond style, content is the single most critical aspect to your proposal. After all, without solid content, your proposal is essentially useless.

Although it will vary from proposal to proposal, here are some items your proposal will most likely include:

1. Introduction
2. The need or stating the case
3. The idea or what it is you’re proposing
4. Support for the idea
5. Next steps
6. Conclusion

As you’re writing, remember that your reader may not have the time or energy to read a long-winded document, especially if they’re reading multiple proposals. Keep sentences short and concise. Keep language tight by deleting useless phrases from your writing. Keep your style strong by using action words and avoiding too many adjectives that don’t add to your content.

Section 3: Formatting
Consistency is the key ingredient when formatting your proposal. Whatever you do in one section of your proposal, you should do the in next. For instance, every time I start a new section in this post, I bold it. If suddenly I didn’t bold the section break, you might not pick up on the section change. Formatting is especially important for proposals that will be printed as it will be easier to spot poor formatting.

Consider your font choice:

• Use one, maybe two, fonts. If you use two, choose one for headings and one for the content.
• Serif fonts are good choice for content that will be printed. San-serif fonts are a good choice for headings and content that will be presented on screen.
• Never use a graphical font (think Word Art) for content. Ever.
• In general, keep font size between 10 – 12 points for content and 12-18 points for headings.

Consider your headings:

• Set headings off through larger fonts or bolding. Avoid underlining.
• Create a sub-heading structure if necessary. These can be bolded or italicized.
• Don’t have a heading and a sub-heading right after one another with no text in between. Each heading should be followed by content. If you can’t come up with content for in between your headings, you probably don’t need one of the headings.
• Like the rest of your formatting, keep headings consistent. It will be confusing otherwise.

Consider lists:

• Keep lists to less than seven items per list.
• Use bullets for unordered lists. Use numbers for ordered lists.
• Introduce lists with a colon.

Section 4: Graphical Elements
Graphical elements can add a lot to a proposal; just be careful not to add graphical elements just for the sake of having them. They should add to the content and help make a point.

Here are a few graphical elements to consider:

• Charts and graphs. Charts and graphs can be used to support the case for your idea. These can be powerful tools for your proposal.
• Photos. Only include photos if they are essential to explaining a problem or a solution.
• Borders and lines. Clean lines can add a simple look of cohesiveness to your proposal. Remember: clean and simple.
• Color. Color can set your proposal apart. Make sure it’s appropriate to include color before you make the decision.

Section 5: Conclusion
You usually have one shot with your proposal; it’s critical that you get it right. Develop an excellent idea, implement the guide above, and create stellar content, and you’ll have the right ingredients for a winning proposal.

Check out related posts on Girl Meets Business:

How to write the perfect email

Tips to make your writing more readable

Presenting your ideas to they don’t die

photo credit: Nic’s events

 

 

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