Making Your Proposal Cover Letter Stand Out
Whether you think that the cover letter should be written first or last, it’s the most important part of any proposal. Evaluators are reading tens or hundreds of proposals to decide what firm(s) is the best fit for their project. It may be tempting to copy and paste a cover letter from a similar response. Afterall, some RFQs can be nearly identical, requiring the same information for the same types of projects. However, chances are, you are not preparing the response for the same client, so their specific needs will be different. If you do happen to be responding to an RFQ for the same client, you may be trying to persuade the same group of people, even if it has been a couple of years. They may not remember that cover letter verbatim, but if they get the same letter repeatedly, there’s a good chance it will get skimmed over, causing you to miss out on an opportune chance to convince the client that your firm is the best fit for their project(s). Don’t worry though, there are some ways to spruce up your cover letter without completely reinventing the wheel.
Put the Client First
Your first step to writing a compelling cover letter is having a deep understanding of the client’s needs. Identify key words in the RFQ or RFP that speaks to the client, whether it’s their focus on safety and security, designing sustainable buildings, or modernizing their spaces or technology to match 21st century living. Lead with that. Clients don’t want to hear how pleased or excited you are to submit to their project. They’ve read that a thousand times. Instead, do a little research, dive into that section on their background, and extract key information that lets them know that you know who they are, what they want, and how you can give it to them. This can mean congratulating them on a recent achievement listed on their website or mentioning something from a recent social media post. This lets the client know that you’re paying attention and are genuinely interested in them and their project(s).
Identify Your Win Theme
Now that you know what the client wants, you can focus your attention on how your firm can deliver those services in a way that stands out from the competition. What are the three to five things that your company brings to the table that others don’t? These are your differentiators. Some examples may include your history and relationships with the client, your 30+ years of experience designing similar projects with the specific spaces or project types requested in the proposal, or your key personnel that have specialized certifications or expertise to perform the work. Tell them how awesome your firm is, but in a way that lets them know that you understand their needs, your firm has the experience to deal with their challenges, and they can’t move forward with their project without your firm’s expertise.
Show Your Work
At this point, they’re interested. Now, you need to prove to them that they are making the right choice. What does that 30+ years of experience entail? How closely related are those projects to what the client needs? Describe your experience working with the client on similar projects, as well as other projects. Then, discuss additional work with clients in the region and/or projects of similar size and scope, highlighting the ones that will be used later in the proposal. Include some stats. Have you worked with more than 50 clients on over 500 projects in the last five years? Tell them. If your firm has done multi-phased projects for a client over a 20-year span, say that too. This is your chance to show off and get rid of any doubt in their mind that they need your firm to get their project(s) completed.
Add a Call to Action
They want to work with you now, but there’s a process. Knowing that process and the timeline, whether it’s a shortlist with interviews, board approval process, or a direct award, will help you prepare your call to action. If the RFQ states that the board is expected to approve the awarded firm(s) by a certain date, you can let the evaluator(s) know that you will follow up after the deadline. Give them a brief reminder of why they should choose your firm and seal the deal with a sweet Thank You.