Thursday 19 May 2016

Tips For Excellent Proposal Writing

By Kathleen Watson


Proposals should be viewed as an attempt to convince a skeptic, busy and thrifty reader to buy your idea. It is therefore similar to persuasive essays. The nature of competition witnessed requires your proposal writing skills to be top notch. Only the winning bid will get funding. If you are to spend time writing, you must endeavor to produce the best pitch.

An old adage dissuades the world from judging a book by its cover. However, a selection panel faced with thousands of proposals to consider must result to this form of judgment. There is no much time to read through the thousands of pages at the initial stages. They are forced to rely on an executive summary to identify proposals worth spending more time. This highlights the need for an attractive executive summary.

An executive summary should be a single page that highlights all your strongest points. Give the reader a reason to peruse beyond the front page. Convince the panel that you are the best selection. It will give a winning first impression that enables your paper to pass the initial stage where attention is not on details. Make it easy for a reader to understand your idea and buy it.

The selection panel is interested in particular information. From the information dispatched, judge what the sponsor could be looking for. Irrelevant information, buzzwords and meaningless shop talk must be eliminated. No panelist wants to endure hours of irrelevant talk. If something can be said in a single paragraph, there is no point of saying it in five paragraphs. The idea that less is more applies in this situation.

Panelists are looking for answers to particular questions. They need to visualize the success of a project through the eyes of a bidder. The instructions provided give a hint of the answers they seek. A good pitch must demonstrate knowledge of instructions issued which signals attention to details and good listening skills. The right answer will also show that you can diligently search for a solution.

The past has been used on numerous occasions to judge future potential. A client or sponsor will be more convinced of your potential if you show data and details of past projects that you have successfully completed. These projects show your ability to manage resources and deliver the expected returns. They act as referees when writing a resume. Detail the similarities to the project you wish to be funded. You will be miles ahead of individuals detailing their untested technical ability.

The lowest proposals do not necessarily get funding. You face the challenge of having a lower bid or being considered too lowly priced to deliver. The focus should however be on your technical ability and uniqueness. Give the panel a reason to choose you over every other person. Such a reason should go beyond money or pricing. What edge do you think will cause the panel to say, This is the kind of person or project we are looking for!

A successful application is one that is founded on facts other than opinion. Create a realistic picture or impression of the expected outcome. Be meticulous when preparing the bid including excellent editing and appropriate design. Endeavor to produce an engaging and attractive pitch that will be memorable after the panelists are done reading through thousands of them.




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