How to Write a Winning Proposal in Less Time

Having the best product or service doesn’t guarantee an RFP win. Often, it comes down to how you position your offering in the proposal.

The challenge? With tight deadlines and back-to-back RFPs, there’s little time to craft strong messaging that resonates with the client. Instead, you’re often forced to settle for “good enough,” even when you know your proposal could be much better.

The good news? It is possible to balance quality with speed. Read on to learn how.

Before you begin writing a winning proposal, you have to know the qualities of a good proposal in the first place. A strong RFP response is more than just a document—it’s a persuasive sales tool that highlights why your solution is the best choice.

In other words, most winning proposals share these traits:

Now that you know what sets a winning proposal apart, let’s walk through the steps to efficiently write one.

Since the average turnaround time for a proposal is 10 or fewer business days, it can be challenging to dedicate enough time to craft a proposal that has the above traits. The key is to save time in small increments throughout the process, which adds up to significant time savings overall. Here’s how to write a winning proposal faster:

Before writing a proposal, spend time qualifying whether the opportunity is a good fit or not. Create a checklist of key qualifying criteria—such as budget, timeline, and requirements—to help you quickly assess if you should pursue the RFP or move on.

🕝 How does this save time? When you weed out the RFPs you aren’t likely to win, you have more time to focus on the ones you can.

Research is crucial, but it doesn’t have to be time-consuming. Use a research repository or customer relationship management (CRM) software to store valuable information about your competitors and ideal customers. This allows you to quickly pull insights from existing knowledge rather than scouring the internet each time.

🕝 How does this save time? By centralizing competitor and customer data, you eliminate the need for repetitive research, enabling you to move quickly on RFPs.

Before jumping into the first draft, build a custom content plan that incorporates your proposal win themes from the outset. Knowing where to weave in these key messages ahead of time will ensure there’s a consistent throughline, rather than forcing them in later when the document already feels disjointed.

🕝 How does this save time? By aligning your content with your win themes from the start, you prevent the need for last-minute revisions to add them in.

A clear outline can act as your proposal’s roadmap. Break down the RFP into logical sections—such as qualifications, approach, and pricing—and align each section with the corresponding requirements. Within each section, note what content can be reused, what needs to be customized, and where entirely new content is needed.

🕝 How does this save time? A clear outline prevents you from getting off track, reduces decision fatigue, and ensures you address all parts of the RFP efficiently.

When you sit down to write, focus on getting the words down—don’t worry about perfection at first. Speed is key at this stage, so let the content flow without overthinking. Use bullet points, headers, and rough notes to capture ideas. The messy draft doesn’t need to be clean—it just needs to be complete.

🕝 How does this save time? A messy first draft allows you to capture all your ideas quickly, so you have something to refine later rather than starting from scratch.

The longer you stare at your writing, the more your brain glosses over mistakes—filling in words, skipping typos, and missing awkward phrasing. That’s why taking a short break before editing is so effective. When you return with fresh eyes, it’s much easier (and faster) to spot structural issues, clarity problems, or narrative gaps that slipped by during the writing process.

🕝 How does this save time? Gaining a fresh perspective helps you spot issues more quickly, reducing the need for multiple rounds of edits.

Waiting until the last minute to hand off your proposal to design can delay the entire process. Instead, send it to your design team as soon as you have a solid draft. This way, they can start working on formatting and visual elements while you continue to refine the content. You’ll be able to review a more polished document sooner, speeding up the final stages of preparation.

🕝 How does this save time? Sending the proposal early allows design to work concurrently with writing, cutting down the time needed to finalize everything.

The final review can easily drag on—especially with a large team. To save time, create a review checklist and divide and conquer by assigning different members to focus on different aspects, like grammar, messaging, and compliance. By keeping the review targeted and organized, you can make final edits quickly.

🕝 How does this save time? An organized review process prevents duplicated efforts, reduces back-and-forth, and ensures you catch critical issues the first time.

While strong win themes lay the foundation for your proposal, it’s the way you bring those themes to life in the written document that truly makes a difference. Use these tips to strengthen your proposal even more:

1. Make a good first impression: Hook the reader early with a clear, benefit-driven executive summary that previews your win themes.

1. Mirror the client’s language: Use terminology from the RFP to show alignment and help evaluators easily connect your response to their requirements.
2. Write with the evaluator in mind: Assume the evaluator is scanning—use clear headings, bullets, and short paragraphs to make key points pop.
3. Be direct and persuasive: Avoid vague claims. Use benefit-oriented language that clearly explains why your solution is valuable to the client.
4. Focus on outcomes, not just features: Explain how your approach delivers results by quantifying your benefits whenever possible.
5. Repeat your core messages: Reinforce your win themes across each section of the proposal to strengthen your case and make it memorable.
6. Use active voice: Active voice keeps your writing clear and assertive: “We deliver” instead of “It is delivered.”
7. Avoid fluff: Eliminate filler and overly technical explanations unless they directly support your message or are required.

You shouldn’t have to choose between speed and quality. By streamlining your process, using the right tools like RFP response software, and applying proposal writing best practices, you can write winning proposals and meet tight deadlines.