2.0 Proposal writing training topics

Over the years we have turned some of the most important content on PropLIBRARY into training materials. Only instead of combining all that content into lengthy courses, we’ve kept them modular so that we can mix and match as necessary to solve your particular challenges. For full coverage of a topic, you can combine topics and make a nice, long, comprehensive course. To quickly address a challenge you face, you could be a single topic and focus like a laser on it. Or you could pick something in between. You decide.

For more information on how our mix and match course topics work and registration, click here.

Below is a list of topics related to the proposal process that you can use to build your process or improve an existing one. You can mix and match these with other course topics to solve the specific challenges that you are facing. You can write down the topic number and heading if you want to remember your picks and send them to us or discuss them with us by clicking the buttons below. Adding in the exercise session for proposal writing is even more important to encourage skills development and not just awareness.

Training Topics

2.1) Good vs. great proposal writing. Good proposal writing loses to great proposal writing every time. In this session you'll learn how to increase the competitiveness of your proposal writing. Add in an exercise review session and your writers will practice how to get from good to great with their proposal writing.

2.2) Writing using the words in the RFP. To maximize your win probability, you need to use the language of the RFP, since that is what the evaluators will be looking for. It can be challenging for people to write using someone else’s words. This session will explain how to use the words from the RFP to optimize your proposal’s chances of winning. Add an exercise review session and your writers will get valuable practice and feedback.

2.3) Fixing bad proposal writing habits. When we review proposals, we see the same problems over and over. A lot of people have picked up bad habits like unsubstantiated claims, patronizing the customer, telling the customer about themselves, talking about your commitment instead of what you will do, claiming instead of proving, stating universal truths that don’t differentiate your offering, and more. In this session we’ll discuss bad proposal writing habits and how they weaken your proposals. Add an exercise review session and your writers will gain experience recognizing and correcting their bad habits.

2.4) Writing from the customer’s perspective. How do you write your proposals based on what the customer is looking for, instead of what you want to say? This starts with learning how to see your proposal through your customer’s eyes. Proposals shouldn’t be about you. They should be about how the customer will be better off if they accept your proposal. Adding an exercise review is even more important for this topic, because it requires writing from someone else's perspective and this does not come naturally.

2.5) Refreshing your proposal writing techniques. This session is for both proposal writer newcomers and experienced proposal writers who want to improve their skills. It covers techniques like how to cross reference everything and use that to drive sentence construction, how to exceed RFP compliance, the right way to demonstrate understanding, proof instead of claims, and how proposal writing changes based on what it will take to win. Add in an exercise session to practice what you learn so that you'll be ready to apply it all on your next proposal.

2.6) Everything I needed to know about proposal writing, I learned from writing the introduction paragraph. A proposal introduction paragraph should provide a thesis that makes the rest of the section easier to write. If you can write a great introduction paragraph, you can write a great proposal. But writing a great introduction paragraph is harder than you might think it is. It requires all of the proposal writing skills and techniques to come together into a cohesive whole. This session is about combining everything that you know about proposal writing into the paragraph that becomes the section that becomes the proposal. Add in an exercise review session because you'll definitely need the practice and the feedback will directly impact your future proposal writing.