TMI? When it Comes to Proposals, What Amount of Information is Best?
Lately (and fortunately!) we have been spending a lot of time writing proposals and responding to RFPs. Our team always enjoys the process of brainstorming, researching and talking about potential new pieces of business and how we might be able to help them attain that next level of visibility and consumer awareness through media presence. Once we have a general game plan in place, it’s time to put pen to paper so to speak, and get our thoughts and ideas arranged in a proposal designed to showcase our creative thinking in such a way that it screams, how can you NOT hire us?
But sometimes, despite our best efforts or how much we think we’d be the perfect fit for a piece of business, the prospective client chooses to go a different direction. This has recently gotten me thinking about how much is too much or too little information to include in proposals. How do you strike the elusive balance that gives the reader/decision maker enough insight into who you are, your experience, your track record and perhaps most importantly, your creative approach to their specific circumstances without giving away the farm?
It’s an ongoing challenge in an increasingly competitive landscape, so below we’ve outlined a few key things to keep in mind to help find a happy medium between over and under sharing:
- Pay Attention to Detail – whether responding to an RFP issued by a company or meeting with a potential new client prior to delivering a proposal for consideration, pay close attention to the details they call out as most important to them in their selection criteria. Do they want to be able to speak to each and every media contact you have available as a reference? Ok, be sure to put in the contact information for those people. Or is their primary concern knowing the specific backgrounds of each person who will be a part of their team? Well then, detailed team member bios are a must. Listen to them, read the RFP closely and include the information they want to know.
- Knowing is Half the Battle - when in doubt, ask the question. If you are not clear on something and have the ability to contact a representative of the business you are pitching to clarify a specific point, then DO SO. Taking an extra 5 minutes to craft an email or pick up the phone can save you and your team significant time and headache wondering if you “woulda-coulda-shoulda” included or omitted content and demonstrates to the potential client that you are thorough.
- Go with Your Gut – a proposal by nature is designed to give someone insight about your team’s ability to get the job done. With that comes the need to provide examples of past successes and display creative thinking in relation to their specific needs/sets of challenges. It’s not about outlining an entire PR plan and strategy for them (at least it shouldn’t be at the proposal stage). Assess the need for in depth “intellectual property” on a case by case basis and provide as you feel is appropriate.
- Be Succinct – regardless of how much or how little information you deem important to include, each of the points, paragraphs, sections, etc. should be presented in an easy to read, succinct fashion. Let’s face it, as interesting as I’m sure you and your company are, very few people take the time to comb through a 30-page document these days and including a lot of “filler” information can easily dilute the most important points in your proposal.
- Two Sets of Eyes - always have another person read your proposal before sending it out to the potential client. It’s just a good rule of life. Often, when you’ve been staring cross-eyed at a computer screen for hours on end trying to find that perfect balance of information, being “so close” to the document inevitably means you’ve missed a spelling error or inadvertently left out an important point that is imperative to include. Do yourself a favor and have someone you trust edit the document for you.
- Communicate – lastly, if the potential client does decide to “go another direction,” and you feel that the rapport you initially established with your contact is solid, ask for feedback on why they made the decision they did. In polite conversation or in a follow up “thank you for considering us” email, asking them for brief insight into what may have been missing can be an excellent tool to help improve your proposal game with future opportunities.
The new business “dance” is always exciting, frustrating and gratifying at the same time. Fine tuning your proposal writing skills is a crucial step towards setting yourself apart from the pack by delivering insightful, creative and thoughtful suggestions that represent your team’s experience, passion and personality.
Think Pink! - Kim
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Lately (and fortunately!) we have been spending a lot of time writing proposals and responding to RFPs. Our team always enjoys the process of brainstorming, researching and talking about potential new pieces of business and how we might be able to help them attain that next level of visibility and consumer awareness through media presence. Once we have a general game plan in place, it’s time to put pen to paper so to speak, and get our thoughts and ideas arranged in a proposal designed to showcase our creative thinking in such a way that it screams, how can you NOT hire us?
