Writing Winning Proposals

Here's an interesting article by Michael McLaughlin of The Guerrilla Consultant, on how to write proposals.

Although he's discussing consulting proposals, his recommendations can be applied to other fields. His recommendation that you write for the first and the last reader is right on target. An excerpt:

Consulting proposals don't have to be page-turners, but they also shouldn't read like mortgage lending documents. If you fail to engage your two key readers, the assessment of your proposal boils down to one attribute that clients can readily understand--price. Once that happens, you've probably lost.

Look at your past proposals and ask yourself three questions: Did you identify your first and last readers? What were their respective roles, expectations, and needs? Was your proposal responsive to these particular readers?