In my youth, in the days before we males were rescued and transformed by feminism, it was popular among us boys to say the following about women: "You can't live with them, and you can't live without them." The same can be said about proposals. Whether we work for the (Wo)Man or ourselves, proposals are a necessary evil. We love them, and we hate them.


The dirty little secret and the driving force behind our hate is that there is no right or best way to issue RFPs or to submit proposals. Oh, sure, there are formulas and templates, but they are no more successful in terms of letting and getting work then those of us who change the way we do our proposals every time we issue or submit one.
However, I suspect that if we put our heads together today, we can share ideas that will make our RFPs and proposals more successful. So, I'll begin.
My proposal writing begins as soon as I decide to go after a certain client's work. Here are the steps I take once that client is identified:
1. Background Research on the business, especially financials, press releases and media articles.
2. Through that research, identify an area where the business needs help that I can offer.
3. Look for a way to meet the decision maker (networking, referral, lead, or, if necessary, a direct mail campaign followed-up by telemarketing.
4. Get a meeting if that decision maker is interested in my services, and listen, listen, listen.
Now it's your turn to do the heavy lifting. If you start the process differently, please share. More importantly, what does your proposal look like? What are the things that most often work? Share everything. We will be grateful for your willingness to share your best practices and your creative moves. Don't be shy.