When you are writing out a business proposal, you should always remember that yours is probably not the only proposal being considered.  Often, the people in charge of granting proposals look through dozens of applicants before granting resources to the proposal which seems most worthy.

Because of the intense competition when it comes to proposal writing, many people try to make their proposals unique.  While creativity is important, it is usually best to stick to a proposal writing template.

A proposal writing template is there not just for your help, but also to make it easier for the people in charge of granting or denying proposals.  These people have come to know the standard proposal writing template and use it to easily sort through the various proposals on their desks and locate the key information.

The first thing a proposal writing template does is present your information in a professional manner.  With a properly formatted proposal writing template, a bid looks impressive even before it is read.  It also gives the readers the impression that the proposal writer is professional and will make good use of any resources which are granted.

The most important thing that a good proposal writing template does is to organize all the information clearly.  This keeps certain aspects of the proposal from becoming meshed together. Make sure that you are only including information relevant to each of the parts of the proposal writing template.  For example, don’t include demographic information in with the community development area, even if they seem related.  You may end up repeating yourself.

Just because a proposal writing template lays out the various aspects of your bid, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for creativity.  The great thing about a proposal writing template is that it allows you to deal with each section separately.  Instead of having to stick to one tone of voice or approach, you can vary it throughout the proposal.  In the financial planning aspects of the proposal writing template, you will want to be very serious and detail oriented.  In the objective area of the proposal writing template, you can be more passionate about your reasons for writing the bid.

Another way of making your proposal stand out from the competition is to use graphs, charts and pictures.  A visual tool will show that you have carefully done your research and shows further professionalism on your part.  Another thing to consider is that you don’t need to write all of the parts of a proposal in order.  In fact, the executive summary should be written last.  So, while a proposal writing template might seem limiting, it is actually a great way to organize your thoughts and insert your creative edge to the proposal.