Follow this writing process in developing your proposal

1. The Discovery Process
2. Research and Analysis
3. Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
4. Writing the Proposal

1. The Discovery Process

The discovery process, as well as the research we may have to carry out, is the foundation of solid proposal writing. It’s the up-front work necessary to develop and write an effective proposal.

The discovery process is about getting clear about the needs of the client; clear with a briefing document; clear at an actual briefing; and clear in asking the client the kinds of questions for which we need answers. If we've done a thorough discovery:

• We know where the client stands.
• We know what the client wants to achieve
• We’ve got some of our questions answered – maybe all.
• We’ve most likely done additional research to be sure we're on the right track.

2. Research & Analysis

Discovery will give you a pretty good idea of the situation. It’ll indicate:
a. Whether you even have to do research
b. How much research is required and how you need to go about it

The next part of the writing process is to analyze what you’ve got… which will lead to your next step.

3. Your USP - Unique Selling Proposition

4. Writing Up the Proposal

Every major step involved in the development of your proposal is fully explained, with examples, in How to Write Proposals, Sales Letters & Reports.