Using an internal proposal template to write an external proposal would be a futile timewaster. While a careful audience analysis is necessary for either document, far too many external proposals focus on the writer's strengths, not the reader's needs. I see this major weakness wherever external proposals appear, including in major corporations that have the resources to know and do better.
Beware of writers who compose me-focused messages; they are lazy and selfish, uninterested in their prospective clients' concerns and likely proposing a costly, ineffectual cookie-cutter approach to complex problems or opportunities. If you've seen as many external proposals as I have, you are familiar with the several-page-long narrative explaining the service provider's elite qualifications. This approach seems so foolish. The proposing firm was invited to submit the proposal foremost because it is so well known. So why spend so much copy on the obvious?
After expressing appreciation for the opportunity to propose a solution to a problem or a strategy for a project, external proposals should show a deep understanding of the client's business, aims, and needs. A SWOT analysis would be in order during the planning stage of the proposal, even if it does not appear in the final draft. Your job? To fill the client's competency gap toward achieving their goal. The better you explain the case, the more the client will realize your grasp of the industry and command of the situation.
Next comes your proposed approach, detailing your qualifications, strategy, scope of work, investment request, disclaimers, and contingencies, if any. Even this part of the proposal should spin toward your client's needs and interests.
Other reports in this series:
- Meeting Reports
- Incident Reports
- Investigation Reports
- Inspection Reports
- Procedural Reports
- Scopes of Work
- Test Reports
- Course Reviews
- Conference Reviews
- Contractor Appraisals
- Staff Appraisals
- Self-Appraisals
- Audit Reports
- Root-Cause Reports
- Business Forecasts
- Project Plans
- Project Status Reports
- Project Completion Reports
- Internal Proposals
- Justification Reports
- Business Cases
