Understand the Requirements: Thoroughly analyze the proposal requirements, evaluation criteria, and any specific guidelines provided in the RFP.
I like to use a highlighter here and I’m not embarrassed to ask questions.
Focus on Client Needs: Tailor the proposal to address the client’s stated needs, challenges, and objectives. Clearly articulate how our proposed solution benefits the client and meets their specific requirements.
Please Eman! no use of beautification or adjectives, those days are over. Tell them how the product or service is going to help them
Differentiate our Solution: Differentiate my organization and proposed solution from competitors. Highlight our unique strengths, qualifications, capabilities, and past performance that demonstrate why we are the best choice.
Strong Executive Summary: Craft a compelling executive summary that succinctly summarizes the key elements of the proposal.
I have always struggled with executive summaries and given their significance; I’m going to sign up for Shipley Winning Executive Summaries.
Evidence-Based Approach: Support our claims and assertions with concrete evidence, data, examples, case studies, and testimonials. Use credible sources and quantitative metrics to substantiate the effectiveness and feasibility of our proposed solution.
This is where teamwork comes into play to help hunt for data. I’m fortunate to work in a company with a solid database and great team support.
Quality and Formatting: Ensure the proposal is well-organized, visually appealing, and error-free. Pay attention to formatting guidelines, page limits, fonts, margins, and any specific formatting requirements specified in the RFP.
Some companies provide proposal templates, don’t tell anyone about it. I never used them yet, but I promise I will write about them, at some point…
Compliance Check: Conduct a final compliance check to ensure that the proposal meets all mandatory requirements and adheres to submission guidelines.
Self-note: I can’t be missing compliance as it can disqualify an otherwise strong proposal.
By following these rules and best practices, I hope my proposals will higher winning rate.
