Proposal Writer
Strategic expertise for crafting winning sales proposals, pricing presentations, and RFP responses that close deals.
Philosophy
Great proposals don't describe your product. They describe your buyer's future success.
The best sales proposals:
- Lead with outcomes, not features — Buyers care about their results, not your capabilities
- Make the decision easy — Remove friction, objections, and confusion
- Tell a story — Context → Challenge → Solution → Success
- Respect the reader's time — Every section earns its place
How This Skill Works
When invoked, apply the guidelines in rules/ organized by:
structure-* — Proposal architecture, components, flowexecutive-* — Executive summary, C-level communicationpricing-* — Pricing presentation, anchoring, packagingsow-* — Statement of Work, deliverables, timelinesrfp-* — RFP response strategy, compliance, win themesdesign-* — Formatting, layout, visual hierarchystrategy-* — Competitive positioning, follow-up, negotiation
Core Frameworks
The Proposal Pyramid
┌─────────────────┐
│ Executive │ ← Why this matters (1 page)
│ Summary │
├─────────────────┤
│ Solution & │ ← How we solve it (2-3 pages)
│ Approach │
├─────────────────┤
│ Investment & │ ← What it costs (1-2 pages)
│ Timeline │
├─────────────────┤
│ Proof & │ ← Why trust us (1-2 pages)
│ Credibility │
└─────────────────┘
Proposal Types by Deal Stage
| Type |
Purpose |
Length |
Timeline |
| One-Pager |
Early qualification |
1 page |
Same day |
| Solution Brief |
Mid-funnel engagement |
3-5 pages |
2-3 days |
| Full Proposal |
Final presentation |
8-15 pages |
5-10 days |
| RFP Response |
Formal bid |
Variable |
Per deadline |
| SOW |
Contract scope |
3-10 pages |
Post-verbal |
The CLOSE Framework
Every proposal section should CLOSE:
- Context — Where the buyer is today
- Loss — What it's costing them (pain)
- Outcome — The desired future state
- Solution — How you get them there
- Evidence — Proof it works
Pricing Presentation Matrix
| Element |
Purpose |
Placement |
| Value Summary |
Anchor on ROI before price |
Before pricing |
| Investment Options |
Give control, not ultimatum |
2-3 tiers |
| Package Comparison |
Make preferred option obvious |
Side-by-side table |
| Terms & Conditions |
Reduce friction |
After pricing |
| Next Steps |
Create momentum |
Final section |
Proposal Win Factors
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ PROPOSAL SUCCESS │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ 40% — Relationship & access (built before proposal) │
│ 25% — Solution fit (do you solve the problem?) │
│ 20% — Presentation (is it compelling and clear?) │
│ 15% — Pricing (is it defensible and competitive?) │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Proposal Components
| Component |
Required |
Purpose |
Common Mistakes |
| Cover Page |
Yes |
First impression, branding |
Generic, no personalization |
| Executive Summary |
Yes |
Decision-maker snapshot |
Too long, feature-focused |
| Understanding |
Yes |
Prove you listened |
Assumptions, not discovery |
| Solution Overview |
Yes |
What you propose |
Feature dump |
| Approach/Methodology |
Depends |
How you'll do it |
Too technical |
| Timeline |
Yes |
When they get value |
Unrealistic dates |
| Investment |
Yes |
Total cost of ownership |
Hidden costs surface later |
| Team/About Us |
Optional |
Build confidence |
Self-congratulatory |
| Case Studies |
Recommended |
Social proof |
Irrelevant industry |
| Terms & Conditions |
Yes |
Protect both parties |
Buried gotchas |
| Next Steps |
Yes |
Drive action |
Vague, no urgency |
Anti-Patterns
- Feature dumping — Listing everything you can do vs. what they need
- One-size-fits-all — Using templates without customization
- Price-first — Showing cost before establishing value
- Competitor bashing — Direct attacks backfire; focus on your strengths
- Wall of text — No visual hierarchy, hard to scan
- Jargon overload — Internal terminology the buyer doesn't know
- Missing next steps — Proposal ends with no clear action
- Over-promising — Timelines and outcomes you can't deliver
- Ghosting — No follow-up strategy after sending
1---2name: proposal-writer3description: Expert sales proposal and pricing presentation strategist. Use when writing proposals, executive summaries, ROI business cases, pricing presentations, SOWs (Statement of Work), RFP responses, or competitive positioning documents. Covers proposal structure, terms positioning, design formatting, follow-up strategy, and win-rate optimization.4---5
6# Proposal Writer
7
8Strategic expertise for crafting winning sales proposals, pricing presentations, and RFP responses that close deals.
9
10## Philosophy
11
12Great proposals don't describe your product. They describe your buyer's **future success**.
13
14The best sales proposals:
151. **Lead with outcomes, not features** — Buyers care about their results, not your capabilities
162. **Make the decision easy** — Remove friction, objections, and confusion
173. **Tell a story** — Context → Challenge → Solution → Success
184. **Respect the reader's time** — Every section earns its place
19
20## How This Skill Works
21
22When invoked, apply the guidelines in `rules/` organized by:
23
24- `structure-*` — Proposal architecture, components, flow
25- `executive-*` — Executive summary, C-level communication
26- `pricing-*` — Pricing presentation, anchoring, packaging
27- `sow-*` — Statement of Work, deliverables, timelines
28- `rfp-*` — RFP response strategy, compliance, win themes
29- `design-*` — Formatting, layout, visual hierarchy
30- `strategy-*` — Competitive positioning, follow-up, negotiation
31
32## Core Frameworks
33
34### The Proposal Pyramid
35
36```
37 ┌─────────────────┐
38 │ Executive │ ← Why this matters (1 page)
39 │ Summary │
40 ├─────────────────┤
41 │ Solution & │ ← How we solve it (2-3 pages)
42 │ Approach │
43 ├─────────────────┤
44 │ Investment & │ ← What it costs (1-2 pages)
45 │ Timeline │
46 ├─────────────────┤
47 │ Proof & │ ← Why trust us (1-2 pages)
48 │ Credibility │
49 └─────────────────┘
50```
51
52### Proposal Types by Deal Stage
53
54| Type | Purpose | Length | Timeline |
55|------|---------|--------|----------|
56| **One-Pager** | Early qualification | 1 page | Same day |
57| **Solution Brief** | Mid-funnel engagement | 3-5 pages | 2-3 days |
58| **Full Proposal** | Final presentation | 8-15 pages | 5-10 days |
59| **RFP Response** | Formal bid | Variable | Per deadline |
60| **SOW** | Contract scope | 3-10 pages | Post-verbal |
61
62### The CLOSE Framework
63
64Every proposal section should CLOSE:
65
66- **C**ontext — Where the buyer is today
67- **L**oss — What it's costing them (pain)
68- **O**utcome — The desired future state
69- **S**olution — How you get them there
70- **E**vidence — Proof it works
71
72### Pricing Presentation Matrix
73
74| Element | Purpose | Placement |
75|---------|---------|-----------|
76| **Value Summary** | Anchor on ROI before price | Before pricing |
77| **Investment Options** | Give control, not ultimatum | 2-3 tiers |
78| **Package Comparison** | Make preferred option obvious | Side-by-side table |
79| **Terms & Conditions** | Reduce friction | After pricing |
80| **Next Steps** | Create momentum | Final section |
81
82### Proposal Win Factors
83
84```
85┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
86│ PROPOSAL SUCCESS │
87├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
88│ │
89│ 40% — Relationship & access (built before proposal) │
90│ 25% — Solution fit (do you solve the problem?) │
91│ 20% — Presentation (is it compelling and clear?) │
92│ 15% — Pricing (is it defensible and competitive?) │
93│ │
94└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
95```
96
97## Proposal Components
98
99| Component | Required | Purpose | Common Mistakes |
100|-----------|----------|---------|-----------------|
101| **Cover Page** | Yes | First impression, branding | Generic, no personalization |
102| **Executive Summary** | Yes | Decision-maker snapshot | Too long, feature-focused |
103| **Understanding** | Yes | Prove you listened | Assumptions, not discovery |
104| **Solution Overview** | Yes | What you propose | Feature dump |
105| **Approach/Methodology** | Depends | How you'll do it | Too technical |
106| **Timeline** | Yes | When they get value | Unrealistic dates |
107| **Investment** | Yes | Total cost of ownership | Hidden costs surface later |
108| **Team/About Us** | Optional | Build confidence | Self-congratulatory |
109| **Case Studies** | Recommended | Social proof | Irrelevant industry |
110| **Terms & Conditions** | Yes | Protect both parties | Buried gotchas |
111| **Next Steps** | Yes | Drive action | Vague, no urgency |
112
113## Anti-Patterns
114
115- **Feature dumping** — Listing everything you can do vs. what they need
116- **One-size-fits-all** — Using templates without customization
117- **Price-first** — Showing cost before establishing value
118- **Competitor bashing** — Direct attacks backfire; focus on your strengths
119- **Wall of text** — No visual hierarchy, hard to scan
120- **Jargon overload** — Internal terminology the buyer doesn't know
121- **Missing next steps** — Proposal ends with no clear action
122- **Over-promising** — Timelines and outcomes you can't deliver
123- **Ghosting** — No follow-up strategy after sending
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