Chapter 13 of Kolin's Successful Writing at Work

CHAPTER 13
Writing Winning
Proposals
Philip C. Kolin
University of Southern Mississippi

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 13 | 2
Proposals Are Persuasive Plans
(slide 1 of 2)
 A proposal is a detailed plan of action that a
writer submits to a reader or group of readers
for approval. Here are three main
characteristics of proposals:
 They vary in size and in scope. They can be as short
as a sales letter or as long as hundreds of pages.
 They are persuasive plans. You cannot write a
successful proposal until you fully understand your
audience’s problems, prove why solving them is
important to business, formulate a detailed plan,
prove beyond doubt that you are able to solve the
audience’s precise problems, and match your
timetable and budget with your readers’.

Proposals Are Persuasive Plans
(slide 2 of 2)
 They are frequently collaborative efforts. Even a
short in-house proposal is often researched and put
together by more than one individual.

Figure 13.1 An Example of a “Can
Do” Attitude

Types of Proposals (slide 1 of 2)
 Proposals are classified according to how they
originate and where they are sent after they are
written. They include:
 Solicited Proposals. When a company has a
particular problem to be solved or a job to be done, it
will solicit, or invite, a proposal by preparing an RFP
(request for proposals).
 Unsolicited Proposals. With an unsolicited proposal,
you the writer make the first move. You must
convince the reader that there is a problem and you
and your firm are the ones to solve it.

Types of Proposals (slide 2 of 2)
 Internal Proposals. These proposals are written to
decision makers in your own organization.
 External Proposals. These proposals written to
decision makers outside of your own organization,
for example a potential client or a government
funding agency.

Figure 13.2 Types of Proposals

Figure 13.3 A Sample RFP for a
Smaller Project

Figure 13.4 A Section of an RFP
for a Larger Project

Eight Guidelines for Writing a
Successful Proposal
 Refer to these guidelines both before and while
your formulate your plan:
 Approach writing a proposal as a problem-solving
activity.
 Regard your audience as skeptical.
 Research your proposal topic thoroughly.
 Scout out what your competitors are doing.
 Prove that your proposal is workable.
 Be sure your proposal is financially realistic.
 Be ethical.
 Package your proposal attractively.

Internal Proposals (slide 1 of 2)
 The primary purpose of an internal proposal is
to offer a realistic and constructive plan to help
your company run its business more efficiently
and economically. Topics of internal proposals
include:
 Purchasing new or more advanced technology
 Obtaining software and offering training sessions on
how to use it
 Recruiting new employees or retraining current ones
 Eliminating a dangerous condition or reducing an
environmental risk

Internal Proposals (slide 2 of 2)
 Cutting costs—for services, supplies, transportation,
advertising, etc.
 Improving communication within and between
departments
 Expanding work space or making it more efficient
 Providing better safety and security, safeguarding a
company’s records

Ethically Anticipating and Resolving
Corporate Readers’ Problems (slide 1 of 2)
 When you prepare an internal proposal, you
need to be aware of the ethical obligations you
have. Here are some guidelines:
 Consider the implications of your plan company-
wide.
 Do not discount the possible impact of your change
on co-workers from cultural traditions other than
your own.
 Find out whether your idea is within budget.
 Realize that your reader may feel threatened by your
plan.

Ethically Anticipating and Resolving
Corporate Readers’ Problems (slide 2 of 2)
 Take into account that your reader may have “pet
projects” or predetermined ways of doing things.
 Keep in mind that your boss may have to take your
proposal farther up the organizational ladder for
commentary and approval.
 Never rely on someone else to supply the details on
you your proposal will work.

Organization of an Internal
Proposal
 An internal proposal follows a straightforward
plan, from identifying the problem to solving it.
Internal proposals contain four parts:
 The purpose. Begin your proposal with a brief
statement of why you are writing to your supervisor.
 The problem. Prove that a problem exists and
document its importance, avoiding vague
generalizations and including quantifiable details.
 The solution. Describe the change you propose and
tie it directly with the problem you have documented.
 The conclusion. Keep the conclusion short.
Reemphasize that the problem is ongoing, that
change is justified, and that action needs to be
taken.

Figure 13.5 Internal Unsolicited
Proposal (slide 1 of 3)

Sales Proposals
 A sales proposal is the most common type of
external proposal. Its purpose is to sell your
company’s products or services for a set fee.
The audience is typically a skeptical decision-
making executive who may ask:
 Does the writer’s firm understand our problem?
 Can the writer’s firm deliver the services it
promises?
 Can the job be completed on time?
 Is the budget reasonable and realistic?
 Will the job be done exactly as proposed?
 How has the writer demonstrated his or her
trustworthiness?

Figure 13.6 Sales Proposal in
Response to a Company Request
(slide 1 of 2)

Figure 13.6 Sales Proposal in
Response to a Company Request
(slide 2 of 2)

Being Ethical and Legal
 Here are some ways to make sure your sales
proposal follows the highest ethical standards:
 View your proposal as a contract.
 Submit a complete, accurate, and fair budget.
 Estimate a realistic timeframe to do the work.
 Stipulate precisely what you product can do and
what a service contract includes and excludes.

Proposals for Research Reports
 You can also expect to write a proposal to your
boss seeking authorization to do research.
When doing so, be sure of four things:
 That you have chosen a significant topic.
 That you have a sufficiently restricted topic.
 That you will investigate important sources of
information about the topic.
 That you can accomplish your work in the specified
time.

Figure 13.7 A Proposal to Write a
Research Report for a Class (slide 1 of 2)

Figure 13.7 A Proposal to Write a
Research Report for a Class (slide 2 of 2)

A Final Reminder
 Keep in mind that a proposal presents a plan to
decision makers for their approval.
 To win that approval, your proposal must be:
 Realistic
 Carefully researched
 Highly persuasive
 Ethical
 Visually appealing

Chapter 13 of Kolin's Successful Writing at Work

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