How to Simplify Proposal Writing for Professionals

Overcomplicating ideas isn't just poor communication - it's often a sign of insecurity or incomplete understanding. True experts make things simple. Controversial? I don't think so. Here's a quick story that formed my perspective on this... I once bombed a training class. Badly. There I was, standing in front of a room full of users, attempting to teach a new software application. I struggled, I stuttered, and despite the audience's supportive looks, we all knew I was floundering. The issue wasn't just lack of preparation – I simply didn't know my topic well enough to communicate it simply. And in that moment, I realized: my overcomplication was masking my own insecurity and incomplete understanding. Any experience with this? You're confident in your knowledge, but when explaining to others, you lose your audience with convoluted information. My attempts to fix the situation - sharing technical details, speeding through explanations, repeating points - only made things worse. The experience was humbling and the lesson I learned that day crystallized my thinking: true expertise is revealed through simplicity. ----How I turn complex ideas into clear, digestible concepts--- ✅ Master your material beyond surface level ▪ Don't just know it – understand it so well you can explain it to a 5-year-old. This depth allows you to adapt your explanation on the fly. ✅ Know your audience's perspective ▪ What's their background? What do they already know? Tailor your explanation to bridge the gap between their knowledge and the new information. ✅ Start with the 'why' before the 'how' ▪ People engage better when they understand the purpose. Frame the complex idea within its larger context and importance. ✅ Use relatable analogies and metaphors ▪ Compare the complex idea to something familiar. I once explained a database system by relating it to a well-organized file cabinet with labeled file folders. ✅ Break information into manageable chunks ▪ Don't overwhelm with a firehose of information. Present bite-sized pieces, allowing time for questions and processing. ✅Practice the "Beginner's Mind" approach ▪ Forget what you know and approach the topic as if you're learning it for the first time. This helps you identify and address potential confusion points. Mastering these techniques transformed my communication and training approach. The ability to communicate simply is the difference between an idea that falls flat and one that inspires action and innovation. Bottom line: if you can't explain it simply, you might not understand it as well as you think. Think about a time when you struggled to explain something you thought you knew well. Was it possible that your complex explanation was hiding gaps in your own understanding? ---- Acknowledging Matt Abrahams for this fantastic graphic!

Ever read something so dense that your brain checked out instantly? Like a wall of jargon, buzzwords, and technical overload—so packed with information that it feels like you need a translator just to get through it? Your audience feels the same way. And if they have to work too hard to understand you… They’ll stop listening. Complexity kills engagement. Confusion kills conversions. But simplifying doesn’t mean dumbing down. It means making your message clear, powerful, and impossible to ignore. The Power of Transformation 🔥 I once worked with a client in the finance industry. Brilliant. Experienced. An expert in their field. But their content? ❌ Overloaded with industry jargon ❌ Long, winding explanations that lost the reader ❌ So complex that even their ideal audience struggled to keep up The result? 💡 Low engagement. 💡 People clicking away. 💡 Missed opportunities to connect. They weren’t losing because they lacked expertise. They were losing because no one could understand them. So we made one simple change. We simplified. We stripped down the clutter. We broke big ideas into bite-sized, digestible insights. We rewrote the jargon-heavy content into plain, powerful language. And suddenly… 🔥 Engagement spiked. 🔥 Clients started responding. 🔥 Their authority didn’t just stay intact—it grew. Why? Because they made their message accessible. How to Simplify Without Losing Authority ✔ Start with the big picture. Before diving into details, explain why it matters. Give your audience a reason to care. ✔ Use everyday language. If you wouldn’t say it in conversation, don’t write it that way. Clarity > Complexity. ✔ Break it down. Use bullet points. Short paragraphs. Simple analogies. Make it easy to absorb. ✔ Tell a story. People remember stories, not statistics. Frame your point in a way that sticks. ✔ Eliminate the fluff. If a word, sentence, or paragraph doesn’t add value, cut it. ✔ Test it. If someone outside your industry doesn’t understand your content, simplify it again. Expertise Isn’t About Sounding Smart. It’s About Being Understood. Want to be seen as a true authority? Make your content so clear and compelling that people don’t just understand it—they remember it. Because the best content? Doesn’t make people feel lost. It makes them feel empowered. Let’s Make Your Message Impossible to Ignore. Are you making your content harder to digest than it needs to be? Drop a 🔥 in the comments if this hit home. Or send me a message—let’s simplify your content and make it work for you. inkworthycreations.com #ContentMarketing #BrandMessaging #SimplifyToAmplify #MarketingStrategy #ClearCommunication #AuthorityBuilding #InkWorthyCreations

Architects: Stop treating proposals like contracts. The fastest ways to lose a client? Send them a 15-page proposal packed with legal terms before they’ve even said “yes.” I used to do this. I thought if I sent a comprehensive document upfront, it would show how professional I was. It didn’t. It overwhelmed people. It gave them more to question. Your proposal should be used as a selling tool, not a legal document. It should do two things: 01 // Get the client excited 02 // Make it easy to say “yes” That’s it. Keep it simple: - A short summary of outcomes - Proof you can do it - Options for working with you - An invitation to move forward That’s it. You can send the formal contract after they’ve agreed to move ahead.

How I landed a new client with a killer proposal: When I first started freelancing, I had no idea that I had to send out proposals. Let alone what a proposal entailed. Now I’m landing clients thanks to loads of research and doing courses like Eman Ismail’s Like a Boss. A proposal is all about creating a document that sells you. If you’re winging it (like I was) or relying on your natural charm, let me save you some time (and potential lost clients). 𝟭. 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 You’re not just listing services. You’re selling yourself and addressing every potential objection before it even comes up. Think of it as your highlight reel: 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗢 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮: • 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗻: What’s the client struggling with? • 𝗔𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Why does it matter? • 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: How you’ll fix it. • 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲: What success looks like. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲: • Introduction (brief but punchy: who are you and why should they care?) • Project scope (clear deliverables = no future headaches) • Your process (show them you’ve got a plan) • Client expectations (set boundaries kindly, but firmly) • Timeline (when you’ll deliver, and when they need to deliver their part) • Pricing and options (tiers and upsells. Make it hard for them to say no) • Guarantees (if you offer one, flaunt it) • Next steps (e.g., “Sign here, pay the invoice, and we’re off!”) 𝟮. 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Even if you’ve already had a great chat with the client, write the proposal assuming they’ll forward it to someone who knows nothing about you. This keeps it simple, clear, and persuasive for any decision-maker. • Sprinkle in testimonials or a mini case study for credibility. • Offer 2-3 pricing tiers so their options are between you, you, and you. • Build a reusable template you can tweak for future proposals. Efficiency is your friend. 𝟯. 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 A good proposal doesn’t just sell, it also creates urgency. Keep the momentum going with these steps: • 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆: Tell your prospect when they’ll receive the proposal and stick to it. • 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗶𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: I recommend 7 days. Mention it in the proposal and your follow-ups. Urgency drives action. • 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆: As the expiry date nears, send polite but confident reminders, such as: “Hey, just a heads-up, this offer expires in two days!” • 𝗝𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹: Clarify any in-depth questions on a call to avoid playing email tag. A killer proposal is part strategy, part psychology, and part presentation. Once you nail all three, you’ll be landing the kind of clients you’re actually excited to work with. 

I am currently supporting a contract doing merit reviews of grant proposals for economic development programs. It has reinforced my practices of strategically designing proposal documents and narrative to make it easy on the reviewer. The proposals are all over the 😣 Part of the problem is the government’s instructions don’t align easily with the evaluation criteria, which has every proposal just a bit different and results in the reviewers hunting all over the application documents to find the information we need to score them. It is painful, tedious, and incredibly inefficient. (BTW – I wrote the proposal that won this work, never thinking I would have to be part of the implementation team.) Here are my takeaways. ✅Zero in on evaluation factors, particularly if the instructions are minimal and/or they don’t align well with the evaluation criteria. ✅If the evaluation criteria calls out specifics, make sure the reviewer can find them easily, and I don’t mean buried in an endless paragraphs and bolded. Put it up front or in a call out. ✅Don’t provide extraneous information that you think is cool. You are just wasting space, distracting the reviewer, and clogging the information pipeline. ✅Don’t make assumptions about anything. You have no idea who is going to be reviewing and scoring, so speak to the novice and the expert. ✅You can’t always assume the reviewer is seeing your other submission documents, either. So, make sure each volume directly addresses it’s specific requirements and evaluation factors, including context as needed and space allows. ✅Last, structure your paragraphs strategically, assuming the reviewer isn’t going to read every word. Put the information most important to the reviewer first, then explain your how and why. 👉Remember you want to make it as easy as possible to find the information they need and articulate their justifications for their scores. Be reviewer friendly. ++++++++ This is exactly what Writing is Easy does. We help make your responses easier to read and score, through carefully crafted language and document design.

A surprising issue that keeps popping up in my weekly pitch deck reviews… 👇 ❌ Founders feel the need to be very literal and precise. We appreciate the honesty but… You are overcomplicating your deck. 👉 The goal is to stay very high-level and make this an oversimplified introduction to your business. Here are items you should simplify: ✅ The Problem: Your product may solve lots of problems, but focus on the “Big Mac” and make that stick in the investor’s head. Adding a bunch of smaller problems dilutes the big problem your product solves. ✅ The Audience: I’m sure your product can have many use cases and potential users. For right now, select an ICP and make them the hero of the story. Feel free to add an “expansion” slide to call out future audiences. ✅ How It Works: You don’t have to give a play-by-play walkthrough of the software. Just provide the big 3-5 steps to give the investor an understanding of how the product works. ✅ Numbers: Let’s get rid of the decimal points and exact numbers. The goal is to make the numbers memorable. Instead of “3,026,823 brands on our waitlist,” try “3M+ brands.” ✅ Use of Funds: Please don’t provide a detailed expense list of office rent and paper clips. Instead, group items together into 3-5 categories like: overhead, ongoing development, marketing, etc. 🤔 What else should be on this list? ❤️ Let me know if you need a FREE pitch deck review. Limited spots. I’m rooting for you.