How to Master Proposal Writing in Just Four Weeks . . . and Leave Your Competitors Behind

One professional services firm had just lost six proposals in a row. But over the next year, they won six of their next nine for $12.5 million in new fees. How did they turn things around? Their proposal teams began using the difference-makers taught in this four-week, "zero-travel-required" training program, Proposal Mastery℠.

If your proposal writers learn to use the same difference makers that the firm in the above story, you will distinguish yourself from your competitors in your proposals and interviews. You will win the most lucrative contracts for the best clients… and leave the scraps for your competitors to tussle over.

Proposal Mastery℠ is for anyone who writes—or puts their signature on—a proposal. From the principal or project manager who labors late at night crafting the Proposal to the marketing professionals who produce them, they all benefit. Some clients have doubled or even tripled their win rates in specific sectors by mastering these simple concepts. During this webinar-based training program conducted by Jim Rogers, author of Win More Work: How to Write Winning A/E/C Proposals, your proposal teams will learn how to:

• Distinguish your proposals from the crowd
• Structure your proposals logically but in a way that also connects emotionally with decision-makers
• Write powerful cover letters that sell
• Employ the three most convincing win themes
• Write persuasively, using proven phrases that get the attention of decision-makers
• Make graphic design choices that amplify your ideas rather than detract from them, and
• Roll those winning strategies into the interview presentation that seals the deal.

If your proposal teams apply the failproof strategies taught in Proposal Mastery℠, they will consistently deliver client proposals that leave your rivals behind.

Keep reading to learn how.

Adult learners improve fastest when they use a blend of learning strategies. Below you'll read about a remarkably effective training approach that allows professionals to quickly master proposal writing. Part of the beauty of the program is that it requires no travel—everyone can join from their home offices. The program requires only six hours of effort spread over four weeks, as shown in the course flow diagram below.

Here's a little more week-by-week detail.

Week 1: Pre-Reading

To gain a solid foundation of critical concepts, participants first read Jim Rogers's book Win More Work: How to Write Winning A/E/C Proposals, from which they learn key concepts and techniques. This takes only one hour.

Week 2: Private Videoconference

In this two-hour online seminar, participants learn how clients make decisions and how to express your firm's value proposition persuasively. Your proposal teams will learn how to write proposals that markedly distinguish your firm from the rest. They'll even learn to avoid painful mistakes that can cost you a contract you were otherwise all certain to win.

Week 3: Homework

After the webinar, participants will use one of their firm's past proposals—or an active one—to practice the new concepts they've learned. Using our 20-point evaluation tool, they'll ferret out mistakes from the past that they'll never make again. Collaborating virtually in small teams, they will rewrite the cover letter to create a compelling sales pitch. They will distill the essential ideas from the training into that one-page document. This homework takes one hour.

Week 4: Private Videoconference

We reconvene to debrief the homework and share advanced strategies that will work right away on their subsequent proposals. This two-hour session brings the lessons to life in a way that a canned workshop or boot camp can't.

Beyond Week 4: Bi-weekly Reminders

But there's more. Proposal Mastery℠ doesn't stop there. Because we forget much of what we learn in training, participants will receive email reminders packed with terrific tips and tricks for a year. The emails refresh their knowledge when they need it most—on the job!

Benefits of This Blended Learning Approach

Once your proposal writers have mastered the art and science of writing superior proposals, you'll win an unexpected deal or two right away, and the training will pay for itself. And when your best clients—old and new—award you their best projects, your firm will stand strong… no matter what's happening in the world.

For easy reference or sharing, click here for a downloadable description of the Proposal Mastery℠ training program.