Writing Clear and Effective Proposals

A few years back, I proposed a "brilliant" idea to my leadership, and it got rejected. That day, I learnt what turns an idea into a funded project. 1. Find what matters to leadership and pitch that as the key advantage Your idea should tie directly into current business priorities, be it growth, efficiency, scalability, user retention, etc. Pitch it accordingly. If needed, tweak your idea to make that alignment stronger. 2. Show that you care, so do your homework well If others already believe in it, say so. Build a quick proof of concept or present a detailed idea, market study, potential impact, and execution plan. If you have support from some people, leverage it; remember, people trust ideas that others already back. 3. Understand who makes the decision and persuade them Map out the decision-makers and tailor your pitch to what matters most to them, not just to you. Persuade them and take early feedback. Keep them informed from the start, at t = 0. 4. Show why customers need it now, have proofs ready Have real signals ready, like user feedback, survey data, and public reviews. If it's an internal tool or system, bring quotes or examples from internal users that highlight the pain point and urgency. 5. Identify skeptics early and get them excited Every idea has potential detractors. Find them, talk to them, and bring them on board. For example, if you're proposing a new real-time analytics system, involve the team that owns the current analytics charter, as they're likely to push back. Their buy-in is essential, so get them on your side early. Hope this helps.

We've fixed exactly what clients asked for, executed well, delivered clean work, and still, the results felt underwhelming. Not because the client was wrong but because they were just too close to see it. Most clients don't come with a problem. They come with a symptom. "We need more leads." "Our LinkedIn isn't working." "Sales calls aren't converting." But when you're inside the system every day, you diagnose based on pain, not patterns. You assume the last visible failure is the root cause. But the real issue usually sits one or two layers deeper. "We need more leads" is often unclear ICP. "Content isn't converting" is often weak positioning. "Sales isn't closing" is often misaligned expectations set by marketing. So, before touching anything, I ask:  What decisions led you to believe this is the problem?  What changed recently that made this feel urgent? Then I work backwards. If a client says, "We want more inbound leads," I'm not thinking about content calendars. I'm asking: Who exactly are your ideal clients? What would make them hesitate before reaching out? Most of the time, the client realizes it themselves: "Oh... maybe this isn't a leads problem." Because the best work doesn't start with agreement. It starts with asking if we're solving the right problem. PS: Are you fixing what's broken, or just treating what's painful? #StrategicThinking #B2BConsulting #PositioningStrategy #ProblemSolving #BusinessGrowth

Here’s the proposal template that helped me close over $100 million in enterprise sales: It’s also helped my clients close more than 50% of their deals when they use it. And until now, I’ve never shared it publicly. Most sellers are great at pitching features. But the ones who consistently win big deals? They know how to tell a great story. The truth is, executives don’t buy products - they buy confidence. They buy vision. They buy a story they want to be part of. If you want to sell like a top 1% seller, you need a proposal that doesn’t just inform… it moves people. Here’s how I do it 👇 The Story Mountain Framework for Sales Proposals: 1. Exposition – Introduce the characters and setting. Start with them: → “You’re trying to expand into new markets… to grow revenue… to unify your tech stack…” Set the vision. Make them the hero. 2. Rising Action – Lay out the challenges and obstacles. → “But growth stalled. Competitors moved faster. Customer churn increased.” Quote discovery calls. Surface real pain. Build emotional tension. 3. Climax – Introduce your solution. → “Then you found a better way…” Now show how your solution helps them overcome the exact obstacles you outlined. 4. Falling Action – Ease the tension. → “Here’s our implementation plan. Here’s the ROI. Here’s how others in your industry succeeded.” Give them confidence that this won’t just work—it will work for them. 5. Resolution – End with clarity. → “Here’s our mutual action plan. Let’s get started.” Lock in buy-in, next steps, and forward momentum. This structure has helped me close some of the biggest deals of my career—including an $8-figure enterprise deal at Salesforce where I used this exact approach. I broke it all down in this week’s training—and for the first time ever, I show you the actual proposal I used AND tell you how to access my Killer Proposal Template for free. 👀 Watch the full training here: https://lnkd.in/gPY_cvv5 No more boring product pitches. No more ghosting after the readout. Just proposals that close.

The key to mastering discovery has nothing to do with asking questions. Here's a flip in perspective that recently changed my discovery calls: Before deciding which question to ask...you need to know what you're trying to get your prospect to say in the first place! When you know what you need them to say...it's much easier to reverse-engineer what to ask. Great discovery requires that you understand the relationships between: 1. The most common prospect "types" you'll encounter. 2. The most common problems for each type of prospect.  3. The broader business impact each given problem creates. When you know the flow of how situations --> problems --> impact, you can just authentically ask questions that lead the call in that direction. But if you just ask questions for the sake of asking questions, you come off as canned and don't even guarantee you'll "discover" what you needed to. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲: Define in advance what you need to "discover" for YOUR sale. 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝟭: 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗦𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 What information do you need to know about your prospect to determine what problems they are likely to have? --- 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝟮: 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 Based on the "type" of prospect you're meeting with, what problems do they usually have? If you know the top 3 pain points you solve for this type of prospect...just ask if they have any of those 3 problems. --- 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝟯: 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 "Pain points" are usually 4-5 figure problems. You won't sell a 6-figure deal solving a 5 figure problem. Map out in advance why the "pain" you discovered might actually matter to an Exec. Hint: You can usually tie the operational problem to 1 of these things: 1. Help them make $ 2. Help them save $ 3. Mitigate risk --- 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝟰: 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 You probably won't get here on the first call. But if you can eventually get your prospect to articulate how the Exec problem impacts the entire business, you have a much stronger business case. Look for things like: 1. A C-Level Metric 2. A Board-Level Priority  3. Existential Business Risk ____ TL;DR Knowing where you need to take the call is FAR more important than knowing the "perfect" discovery questions to ask. Liking this concept and want help building out your discovery plan? You may enjoy the new 30 Minutes to President's Club discovery course where we teach you step-by-step how to build this for whatever YOU sell.

Crafting the perfect corporate training proposal. A Deep dive into proposal components Writing proposals is a chore. What to include? what not to include? Having written hundreds of them, here's what I include and why: 1. Executive Summary: ↳ Think movie trailer, not dry summary. Captivate with the vision, not just the facts. 2. What We Heard: ↳ Mirror their language, not yours. Show you've listened, by reflecting their words, not just their needs. 3. The Opportunity: ↳ This isn't just a gap to fill. It's a launching pad for their potential. Highlight the transformation, not just the transaction. 4. Consultation Service: ↳ Position this as a partnership, not a service. Emphasise collaboration, not just consultation. 5. Approach and Methodology: ↳ Innovate, don't regurgitate. Present methodologies that are as unique as their challenges. 6. Project Roadmap: ↳ This is the journey, not just the route. Make it visual, engaging, and clear. 7. Investment: ↳ Transparency builds trust. It's not just about costs; it's about value creation 8. Terms: ↳ Make this easy to say 'yes' to. Simplify legal jargon into clear commitments. 9. The Team: ↳ Sell the dream team. Highlight unique strengths and past successes as a cohesive unit, not just individual CVs. 10. Case Studies/Testimonials: ↳ Show, don't tell. Use stories of transformation and success that resonate with their specific context. Each section of your proposal should not just inform but also engage and inspire. Think beyond the conventional and inject each part with a strategy that shows you're not just a provider, but a partner in their success. What are your top tips for great proposals? #ProgrammeBuilder #OfferActivator #BusinessDevelopment #LearningAndDevelopment #TrainingAndDevelopment #Facilitation #Workshops

During my time at Qwilr, I’ve seen THOUSANDS of proposals. Here are 4 proposal plays that the best sellers use to close deals: #1 Lead With Problems Start your proposal by articulating your prospects' problems, ideally in their own words. Using quotes from relevant stakeholders within their organisation will grab your buyers’ attention and show you understand their problems. This immediately demonstrates that this isn’t just a generic pitch – you actually understand them and are focused on their specific issues. Doing this also puts decision-makers in somewhat of a tricky situation. They must either… 1. Disregard the opinions of their team as incorrect 2. Acknowledge they’re facing a problem, but decide not to look for a solution 3. Look for a solution (which you are providing in the rest of your proposal) Most (good) leaders will opt for the latter and will read on to better understand your offering. #2 It's Easy to Digest You MUST ensure your proposal is clear, straightforward and easy to understand. Remember, the folks who will be reviewing your proposal are incredibly busy and don’t have time to decipher endless information, searching for what is relevant for them. If your offer is easy to understand, it’s easier to say yes to. Avoid dense walls of text, and use images, graphics and interactive elements to simplify complex ideas. Always steer away from jargon. While it might showcase a level of expertise, you have to keep in mind that it’s likely a number of people will review your proposal. You need to make sure that EVERYONE will buy in. #3 Make It Relevant Buyers want to know that you’ve helped organisations that look like them, or the type of organisation that they aspire to be. Making sure that your proposal speaks to your buyers’ industry, needs, challenges and objectives will increase the likelihood of engagement Build your case by including concrete data and case studies that resonate with your client’s situation. CAUTION: It can be tempting to litter your proposal with logos and quotations from your “biggest” clients. You should not (always) do this! Instead, focus on featuring logos of similar companies or aspirational peers, not just massive brands. Remember, just because a company is “big” to you, that doesn’t mean your client will care. They want to know you can help THEM! #4 Keep Next Steps Simple It’s essential that you break down your proposal into clear, actionable steps – giving your client a roadmap on how to proceed and what will happen when they sign. You should also educate your champion on how to position the proposal to the buying committee, arming them to sell internally. Meet with them and go through your proposal, asking what needs to be removed and added (for other stakeholders) and how they plan to share it more widely. Want to send proposals that impress buyers and close deals? Try Qwilr for free at https://getqwilr.com

Selling isn’t the hard part. Getting people to listen is. And the fastest way to make them listen? Talk about their problems, not your service. I’ve learned this the hard way — Pushing a service doesn’t work. Solving a problem does. When a potential client hears you articulate the exact pain they’ve been silently facing, —they pay attention. Because deep down, they know it’s true. You’re not selling anymore. You’re resonating. Here’s what I do before every sales call: 🔹 Study their business – Go beyond their website. Look at their gaps, complaints, or industry shifts. 🔹 Find the problem – What’s not working for them? Where are they leaking results, time, or money? 🔹 Connect the dots – How exactly does your service bridge that gap? It’s simple: From prospect to client — that journey is built on trust. And trust comes when you show that you care enough to understand. 🟢 And here’s the kicker: When you pinpoint their problem better than they can, they automatically trust you to solve it. So don’t just show up to pitch. Show up to solve. #SalesStrategy #FounderAdvice #ClientSuccess #TrustBuilding #SalesTips #PankajBudhwani

different is better than best: a mantra for b2b marketers in today's competitive landscape. striving to be the "best" can lead to sounding like everyone else. your target audience is bombarded with messages claiming superiority… making it tough to stand out. that's where being "different" comes in. by embracing what sets your brand apart, you can create a unique value proposition that resonates with your audience and leaves a lasting impression. some ways to showcase your brand: 1/ 𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬  🎯: identify the features, benefits, or experiences that only you can offer. example: hubspot differentiated itself by creating an integrated "marketing hub" when competitors only offered standalone tools. they specifically eliminated the need for marketers to use 5-6 different point solutions by unifying contact databases, email marketing, analytics, and social media tools into one platform with a single source of truth. 2/ 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 📚: share real-life examples, case studies, and customer testimonials that demonstrate your unique approach. example: in 2017, on top of the “typical” customer case studies, slack differentiated itself in the team communication market through their "work in progress" podcast. rather than directly promoting Slack's features, the podcast built brand affinity by addressing topics their target audience cared about and it represented their approach to differentiation through storytelling - focusing on the human experience of work rather than technical specifications of their platform. 3/ 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 🎨: experiment with diverse formats, channels, and storytelling techniques to showcase your brand's unique personality and voice. example: moz differentiated itself in the seo space through rand fishkin's "whiteboard friday" video series, which broke down complex seo concepts in an accessible and visual format. while competitors published technical blogs, moz created personality-driven video content that became an industry institution. in b2b marketing, being different isn't just about standing out — it's about educating and connecting with your target audience in ways your competitors haven't thought of yet. what are other ways b2b brands stand out from the crowd?

Gearing up to secure funding for your research project? OR Applying for your PhD and need a Proposal? Crafting a compelling research proposal is your ticket to making a strong impression. Here's my detailed guide to help you put your best foot forward: 1. Start with a Strong Introduction: Your introduction is your chance to grab attention. Clearly state the problem your research aims to solve and why it matters. Think of it as your elevator pitch – concise, engaging, and to the point. 2. Define Your Objectives: Outline your research goals and objectives. What do you hope to achieve? Make sure they’re SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). This helps funders understand the impact of your work. 3. Conduct a Literature Review: Show you’ve done your homework. Summarize the current state of research in your field and highlight gaps your project will fill. This demonstrates your knowledge and the necessity of your research. 4. Describe Your Methodology: Detail your research design and methods. Explain how you’ll collect and analyze data, and why you’ve chosen these methods. Be clear and thorough – funders need to see you have a solid plan. 5. Highlight Your Team : Introduce your research team and their expertise. Showcase previous work and successes to build credibility. Funders invest in people as much as they do in ideas. 6. Present a Realistic Budget: Break down your budget, explaining how funds will be allocated. Be transparent and realistic. Justify your expenses by linking them to your research activities and goals. 7. Outline the Impact: Discuss the potential impact of your research. Who will benefit and how? Highlight the broader implications and the value it will bring to the field, community, or society. 8. Include a Timeline: Provide a detailed timeline for your project. This shows you’ve planned your research carefully and can manage time effectively. Include key milestones and deliverables. 9. Proofread and Peer Review: Before submission, proofread your proposal meticulously. Consider having colleagues review it for clarity and coherence. Fresh eyes can catch errors you might miss. 10. Tailor to the Funder: Finally, customize your proposal to align with the specific interests and guidelines of the funding body. Show you’ve done your research on them too, and explain why your project is a perfect fit. Remember, a well-crafted proposal is not just about presenting your research. It's about telling a compelling story that convinces funders of its value and feasibility. Good luck, and happy writing! #ResearchFunding #GrantWriting #AcademicResearch #ResearchProposals #HigherEducation #FundingSuccess #ResearchTips #researchers #phd

I've reviewed 1000+ proposals on Upwork. Here's what separates winners from the rest: The anatomy of a winning proposal: 1. First impression (opening line) - Bad: "I am writing to express interest in your project" - Good: "I've helped 3 SaaS startups increase conversion rates by 45% using similar landing pages" 2. Proof of expertise - Bad: "I have 5 years of experience in content writing" - Good: "My article on AI trends got 50K views on TechCrunch last month" 3. Project understanding - Bad: "I can help with your website" - Good: "Your main challenge seems to be low mobile conversion rates. Here's my 3-step plan..." 4. Specific questions that showcase expertise - Bad: "What's your timeline?" - Good: "Have you A/B tested different hero sections before? This could help us baseline the improvements" 5. Call to action - Bad: "Looking forward to hearing from you" - Good: "I'm available for a quick call today at 2pm EST to discuss your conversion goals" Advanced tactics that work: - Address objections before they arise - Include a quick win they can implement right now - Link to similar projects (not your generic portfolio) - Mention specific metrics from past success - Keep paragraphs to 2-3 lines max Remember: Clients spend an average of 15 seconds per proposal. Make every word count. What's your success rate with Upwork proposals?