Proposal Writers
A Proposal is a Special Type of Document
A winning proposal is well written, clear, consistent, easy to read and memorable. The SMA proposal development process achieves this by building quality in from the beginning, not trying to add it in later. It frontloads the work and provides continuous improvement through frequent and incremental reviews.You must recognize that a proposal is a sales document, not a technical document. The objective is to provide all the information required by the solicitation and to do so in a way that can be scored against the evaluation criteria and, at the same time, convince the reader that you offer the best solution. It is less about impressing the reader with your technical prowess and more
about convincing them that they should want to work with you. You know you did it right when the customer comes back and says, “I actually enjoyed reading your proposal!”
Your proposal must satisfy the “7 Cs” shown here to be effective.
The 7 Cs
- 1
Compliant
Does it meet all customer requirements? - 2
Compelling
Will it make the customer want to buy it? - 3
Credible
Could you perform the effort? Do they want you? - 4
Correct
Is it accurate? - 5
Consistent
Across all deliverables? - 6
Concise
Is is brief and to the point? - 7
Clear
Will the customer get it?
Five Key Techniques to a Winning Writing Style
There are five fundamental techniques that help create a positive writing style:Use the Present Tense
Pointing out that “we design,” “we build,” “we test,” and so on, is more compelling than saying “we will.”Use the First Person
Using the first person is more conversational and makes for an easier and more friendly read.Be Positive
Stating things in a positive context and not using conditional statements conveys your confidence.Avoiding Stilted Phrases
A friendly writing style is conversational, quantified, and is not rife with superlatives.Use the Active Voice
This helps make your prose more believable, more direct, and more self-confident.
Our Books
Our Program Lifecycle Body of Knowledge series of books provide important resources for proposal writers! Click each book for more information:
The SMA Way: A Style Guide for Proposal Writers
The Essential Guide to Proposal Development
