Using proposal content plans to improve proposal writing

A few small things can make a big difference in the quality of proposal writing.  And you can insert instructions and reminders into the Content Plan to help achieve them. For example, you can insert instructions into the Content Plan to:

• Make sure that the section starts with a statement about what the customer will get or receive as a result of awarding the contract to you.
• Write from the customer’s perspective, with the emphasis on results. 
• Avoid describing yourself, and starting or making sentences about our company or team.  Put descriptions of us or what we’ll do into a context about what matters to the customer.
• Start and end with something that matters to the customer.  Make sure every sentence passes the “So What?” test.
• When addressing requirements, make sure that you address “who, what, where, how, when, and why.”

Dropping a line or two like these into your Content Plan can make a huge difference, especially since the reviewers will see it when they evaluate the draft proposal.

You can also provide other forms of guidance:

• If you want your proposal to tell a story, then explain your story to the authors and advise them how to incorporate it into their section. 
• You can also guide them regarding what to put into the narrative, and what should go elsewhere.  For example, you can separate simple facts and put them into a text box so that the narrative focuses on your story.  You can even drop in text boxes as placeholders where you know they will be needed.