How to Write Proposals That Build Relationships

Proposals to do work for a company would be more successful if the company bidding on them viewed them as akin to marriage proposals. Hang with me on this. Goal 1: When one proposes, one hopes (I assume) that the person to whom they're proposing will stay with them long-term. The same should be true of a client; as we all know, it's much less expensive to keep current clients than obtain new ones. Goal 2: Ensure the person to whom you're proposing thinks you're the greatest thing since sliced bread. Goal 3: Show (not tell) that person how much you care. Let's unpack these goals. Goal 1: How do you ensure someone stays with you long-term? Solution: Focus on their issues, instead of focusing on yourself and/or your organization.   In terms of proposals, I've seen thousands fail, often because the focus is wrong. Let's be honest: people care about themselves, not you or your organization. The truth: Nobody cares about you and your organization. What can you do or say that will put the focus on the reader? >> Goal 2: Ensure the person to whom you're proposing thinks you're the greatest thing since sliced bread. This may sound contradictory to goal 1, but hear me out: I can make you believe that I'm greatest thing since sliced bread IF and only IF I focus on your issues AND how I can solve them. Solution: Present your solution as a partner in terms of providing a solution, rather than as a vendor or someone who's primary goal is to get them to buy.   If you start with a memoir, your proposal's going in the trash.   >> Goal 3: Show, don't tell.   Yes, you can tell your beloved you cherish them, you love them, blah, blah, blah. But showing them is a different story. Whether it's flowers for no reason, cleaning the house or doing the laundry without being asked, that's showing. Yet, many proposals simply list off achievements without showing *WHY* the information matters. Consider this: "We saved Company X $15,000." Here's the issue: maybe $15,000 is a lot to that company or maybe it's not. What did the $15,000 savings allow them to do? Could they reallocate the money to more profitable endeavors?   And while it might look impressive, it's not enough.   >> Solution: Be specific and provide the "why" it matters.   What will resonate instead is detail: - What steps did you take to solve the problem? - How does that relate to your potential client's situation? - What does that say about your problem-solving process?   If you've researched your potential client, you should have a good sense of the details they'll care about. Make sure you include them.   The common thread among these 3 problems:   Your proposal isn't meeting your reader's needs –   Which is no way to win their confidence.   Or their business.   P.S. What's the hardest part of writing proposals for you?   Tell me in the comments – I bet I can help.

I looked at over 100 proposals worth over $500K as a B2B buyer. I only remember a few. Here are 4 ways you can set yourself apart (and why most proposals never get looked at): 1. Built for the buying committee - not just the champion Most proposals assume one person makes the decision. That’s rarely true. The best ones were written with execs in mind. Mobile-friendly, easy to skim, and structured like a story, not a spec sheet. The kind of doc I could forward without rewriting a single thing. (like Qwilr!) 2. Helped me sell internally The proposals that stood out made me look good. They included visual slides I could screenshot into a board deck. Framed the problem. Showed the cost of inaction. Made the ROI feel obvious. They gave me language to use with my CFO, not just the vendor’s pitch. 3. AEs tracked engagement and followed up with a purpose Great sellers didn’t “check in.” They followed up based on what I actually did. They knew when I viewed the proposal, which sections got read, and what was skipped. Every email felt relevant—because it was. They weren’t guessing what mattered. They had data. 4. AEs pre-empted objections I hadn’t even voiced yet Before legal asked for terms, I had a friendly breakdown of the key clauses. Before procurement jumped in, I had a clear explanation of how pricing scaled. It felt like the AE knew my internal process better than I did - and helped me get ahead of it. TAKEAWAY: Most proposals are written to present. The best proposals are built to sell. Qwilr turns your proposal into a selling tool—one that’s interactive, trackable, mobile-ready, and designed for the whole buying committee. It helps your champion make the case. And it helps you win deals - even when you’re not in the room. If you want to stand out, build proposals that do more than inform. Build proposals that close.

After 20 years in proposals, I’ve learned: the winning line is rarely the longest one. It’s the one that shifts how a decision-maker feels about risk. The one that makes their job easier. The one that says, “We understand what actually matters to you.” You don’t win by answering the question. You win by guiding the decision. -- Too many teams still treat proposals like formatting exercises. Fill in the blank. Copy the last response. Attach the logo. Hope for the best. This week, I: - Translated evaluator Q&A into strategic pivots - Cut the jargon and wrote to human readers - Built narratives that reduce friction, not just tick boxes Some folks are still stuck in compliance mode. That’s fine—until they lose to someone who isn’t. #ProposalStrategy #DecisionDesign #RFPsWithTeeth #GovTech #OutlawProposals #SurefirePanel