When the average proposal writer develops material for a response, the most natural thing to do is answer the questions within the RFQ or RFP, enabling the customer's own structure to determine the way in which our responses will be organised. While this is usually an outstanding way of providing material, there are also further questions which every proposal writer needs to include in their response, whether it is solicited or not.

Who are you?

Most organisations have elements about them which set them apart from everyone else, no matter how small or large, new or established. It's important to get this across well to your customer, outlining your attributes and giving them a sense of who your company is and what your mission, culture and values are. Sharing this kind of information enables the proposal writer to communicate key facts about their company, including awards won, accolades, what your organisation is known for and what you do differently from others. All of these factors support your customer to get to know you, and decide whether or not you are a good 'fit' with their needs.

How much does your solution cost?

If the proposal writer is not feeling confident about your established pricing strategy and proposed costs for a bid, it's highly tempting to gloss over this detail within the Executive Summary and at the beginning of the document. It's a common error which many proposal writers make, thinking that if they can sell their proposed solution prior to pricing it, the customer will be more inclined to accept the bid. This is rarely the case – your proposal evaluator will most probably leaf through your document until they locate the price, regardless of how well you try to bury it amid a myriad different features and benefits. Be loud, proud and visible about your pricing strategy from page one, to save your stressed evaluator from having to seek it out.

Why choose your company, over your competitors?

Throughout the document, it's important to remember that you are more than likely vying with a number of different competitors of equal or better skill as your own company. Because of this, every word which you write needs to focus upon the win themes which set you apart from your competitors, understanding that you need to mitigate their strengths and overcome your weaknesses.

So what?

The proposal writer needs to hold this question in their minds throughout the writing process. It can be distracting wadingthrough questions in an attempt to impart everything which you have about your company in to a document. Standing back from a response and reading through it to ask yourself "So what?" helps you to get to the point quickly and clearly, avoiding the 'fluff' around each answer and getting straight to the point.