Although proposals are written for many different situations and reasons, they're all designed to sell a product, a service, or an idea. To create a proposal that sells, you must be able to:
- Plan the proposal by determining your purpose, analyzing the audience, creating a request-for-proposal (RFP) compliance checklist, considering multiple audiences, developing a thematic strategy, considering ethical issues, and writing an outline.
- Organize the process by first drafting an executive summary that guides the creation of the proposal and by using a storyboard to organize the proposal sections.
- Design the proposal by selecting an appropriate format, using graphics effectively, and writing captions that link the contents of graphics to the proposal theme.
- Edit the proposal draft to ensure that the theme is stated persuasively, an equivalence chain is clearly established, and sidebars are used effectively.
Follow up with the client after you have submitted the proposal.
When writing for customers in other cultures, keep in mind the cultural aspects that influence how customers make business decisions.
