Business Proposal Writing Course

This business proposal writing course is available for groups as a self-paced online course, instructor-led virtual or instructor-led onsite training, and for individuals as a self-paced online course.

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Proposal Writing Course Overview

Our Proposal Writing Course provides a practical, step-by-step approach to creating persuasive, results-driven proposals. Whether you're responding to a client RFP, pitching a solution, or seeking internal approval, this bid writing course teaches you how to structure and write proposals that win.

The training combines expert instruction, real-world examples, hands-on practice, and instructor feedback to help you improve the quality and impact of your proposals—fast.

INDIVIDUALS

$895

Online self-paced practicum course available for individuals.

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GROUPS

Instructor-led training and online self-paced courses can be customized to match your needs. Group discounts apply.

Customize for Groups

This course includes:

Step-by-step instructions on how to plan, structure, and write persuasive proposals that align with client needs and business goals.
Industry-specific examples from technology, finance, healthcare, construction, and consulting to illustrate best practices in real contexts.
Templates and checklists to streamline your writing process and ensure consistent, high-quality proposals.
Interactive exercises and assignments to apply concepts immediately and reinforce learning.
Individualized instructor feedback on your proposal writing to strengthen clarity, strategy, and impact.

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Skills gained in this course:

Analyze your audience and tailor content to their priorities.
Structure proposals clearly to guide decision makers.
Craft persuasive executive summaries and compelling value propositions.
Convey technical solutions in clear, client-focused language.
Write with clarity, professionalism, and strategic focus.
Avoid common pitfalls that weaken proposals.
Apply proven techniques to strengthen persuasiveness and close more business.

Individual written feedback for every student

To truly improve writing habits and create strong writing skills, both course instruction and feedback on actual writing are needed. This practicum course includes written feedback at key points in the proposal writing process and concludes with detailed feedback on your final proposal.

Our feedback includes both subjective and objective feedback, in addition to a personal grammar diagnosis and additional helpful resources.

Objective feedback:

Is the proposal based fully on reader's need and perspective?
Does the reader have all the information needed to move forward with the sale?
Is the proposal logically organized?

Subjective feedback:

Is your tone too blunt or too timid?
Are your word choices clear, strong, and persuasive?
Can you cut any unnecessary words?
Are there any grammar errors?

Who Should Enroll

This course is designed for professionals who write proposals to win business, close deals, and drive revenue. If your role involves selling ideas, solutions, or services through written proposals, this course is for you.

Sales, Marketing, and Business Development

Professionals who need to craft persuasive proposals that convert leads into clients.

Project Managers, Engineers, and Technical Experts

Experts who contribute to or create proposals that both inform and sell.

Technology, Healthcare, Finance, Construction, and Consulting

Proposals must clearly communicate value and differentiate their offering in highly competitive markets.

Technology Professionals

Ideal for those who must translate technical solutions into persuasive, client-focused proposals that demonstrate ROI and business impact.

Marketing Managers

Marketing managers and similar roles that assist in shaping the messaging and positioning of RFP responses to align with broader brand strategies.

Any Professional

Any professional role that turns complex ideas into structured, client-focused, persuasive proposals that close more business.

Flexible Proposal Writing Course Deliveries to Match Your Needs

Online course for individuals or groups

This online, self-paced Proposal Writing Course allows individuals and teams to train on their own schedule with 24/7 access to the course. This online training method has flexible deadlines for busy professionals and groups across different time zones to receive the same training.

Participants will plan, draft, and edit an actual work proposal during the course, with instructor guidance and written feedback. The course concludes with a live coaching session to review the proposal.

Virtual instructor-led course for groups

Experience interactive, real-time instruction through virtual sessions that include group discussions, breakout activities, and personalized feedback.

This format fosters collaboration and immediate application of concepts, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of effective proposal writing techniques.

Onsite instructor-led course for groups

In-person training is highly interactive, with many individual and shared activities. Groups work together at your location to deconstruct proposals, deep dive into individual writing concerns, plan an upcoming proposal, and more.

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Certificate of Completion

Participants will earn a personalized certification of completion after finishing this bid and proposal writing course. This can be displayed on a LinkedIn profile, downloaded to print and hang, or mentioned in a resume.

Course Structure

This proposal writing class is split into several detailed lessons including video lessons and online resources.

Getting Started

An Introduction and Self-Assessment

This section outlines the necessary foundation for writing better proposals. Share your specific course goals, and tell us about the typical proposals you write.

Lesson 1

6-Steps to Effective Proposal Writing

Learn our step-by-step proposal process to write more effectively. This applies to consulting proposals, government proposals, technical proposals, non-profit/NGO proposals, financial proposals, engineering and logistical proposals, and any other proposal. Also, this frames a proposal response to an RFP (Request for Proposal), an informal proposal, and a proposal letter or email.

Lesson 2

Analyze Your Audience Deeply

Analyzing your audience and any evaluation criteria well frames everything about a proposal, including the content and organization. Learn to discern what really matters to your proposal readers so you can persuade them effectively and organize and present information that meets their needs.

Lesson 3

How to Plan and Organize Any Proposal

Learn how to plan and organize any proposal by outlining a logical structure that highlights your solution’s value, tailored to your defined audience.

You'll gain a clear framework to streamline your writing process and position your proposal for maximum impact.

Lesson 4

Drafting RFP Responses, or an Informal Proposal, or a Very Informal Email or Letter Proposal

Determining the best response: Request for Proposal (RFP), an informal proposal, or a very informal email that proposes a business offering. Proposals take several forms. Learn to use what is best in each situation and for each selection process and begin drafting.

Lesson 5

Visual Persuasion

Weave in at-a-glance persuasion hooks to engage your reader (whether that's the federal government, a small business, or a Fortune 500 company) and highlight the value of your offer.

Lesson 6

Sending Your Proposal

Learn how to craft a persuasive email that effectively transmits your proposal and sets the stage for a positive response.

We’ll cover how to write a compelling message that highlights the proposal’s value, encourages engagement, and prompts timely action.

Lesson 7

The Money, Deliverables, and Terms

Learn how to clearly and confidently present pricing, deliverables, and terms in your proposal.

We’ll cover strategies for making your offer compelling while maintaining transparency, preventing project creep, and professionalism to build trust and reduce friction in the decision process.

Lesson 8

Style and Presentation

Learn how to use design and formatting to make your proposal visually appealing and easy to navigate.

We’ll cover layout, typography, and visual hierarchy to ensure your proposal looks polished, professional, and aligned with your brand.

Lesson 9

Tone and Word Choice

Learn how to choose words and craft a tone that resonates with your audience and strengthens your persuasive message.

We’ll explain how to strike the right balance between professionalism, competence, and approachability to build trust and drive action.

Lesson 10

Grammar and Syntax

Learn how to apply grammar and syntax principles to ensure your proposal is correct, polished, and emotes professionalism.

Each participant will receive detailed written review and feedback on their writing, which includes a grammar diagnosis and correction strategies.

Final Proposal Review

Live Coaching

Online, self-paced courses receive a live one-hour coaching session. Instructor-led group courses conclude with a final exercise to review a planned proposal structure.

What will Proposal Writing look like after this training

Complex and technical information is conveyed clearly.

Writing time is significantly reduced.

Information is tailored to reader needs, interest, and understanding.

Designed and formatted to be easy to read.

Next steps are clearly outlined.

Writer’s block is avoided through planning.

Information is tiered appropriately.

Persuasion is clear and effective.

Competent, clear, and professional.

Grammar errors are identified and corrected.

Meet the Mentors of Proposal Writing Excellence

ElisabethO_Headshot

Elisabeth O'Quinn

Elisabeth has a unique combination of business and business writing acumen, with an extensive background in effective writing, editing, and marketing.

She has supported a wide range of businesses, writing blog articles, white papers, presentations, and editing business documents. She has supported many of our classes and clients, including countless government agencies, with rave reviews of her writing feedback, helping countless participants with the fundamentals of copywriting.

Elisabeth lives in Georgia with her cat and rescue pup. In addition to writing, she loves traveling with her twin sister, learning German, and creating watercolor prints.

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Grace Cuddy

Grace has extensive experience in Instructional Solutions' online English courses and also works with individuals and groups from several international companies across Europe as a business writing coach. She is an expert in business writing and loves to help students advance their technical writing careers or new technical writing jobs.

She is bilingual in English and Spanish and has a keen sensitivity to global writing. She has a strong background in corporate communication and management plan and successfully developed cross-functional writing and communication processes in a large corporate team. She has also helped professional engineers and firms develop professional training proposal classes.

She enjoys yoga, travel, and dance. She splits her time between New York City and Madrid.

Janet D'Angelo

Janet is a business writing and marketing instructor, consultant, author, and public speaker with more than 20 years of experience working with individuals, small businesses, and corporations to develop all facets of business communication. She writes and speaks extensively on business writing and marketing writing, and has been a featured speaker at numerous business and education conferences in the U.S. and abroad. Janet taught analytical writing, marketing writing, proposal writing, and general business writing classes at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Janet holds a B.S. in Education from Salem State College, M.Ed. from the Boston-Bouve College of Human Development Professions at Northeastern University.

She enjoys gardening, yoga, hiking, and exploring the endless beauty of the New England seacoast where she lives on the South Shore of Massachusetts.

KatieAlmeidaSpencer

Katie Almeida Spencer

Katie is an experienced Business Writing and English as a Second Language instructor, business writing coach, content writer, and teacher trainer. She taught Business Skills and Academic Writing at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

She is very skilled at evaluating both the substance and language of business documents. Her writing critiques, instruction, and coaching have received stellar evaluations from our clients at Chartis Consulting, DuPont, Shell, Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council, and the World Wildlife Fund, as well as out clients with the Federal Government.

She holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Rhode Island and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Her areas of expertise include business writing and technical report writing, proposal writing, English courses, government proposals, government contracts, and syntax and non-native writing.

Course feedback and testimonials

The technical proposal team at Workday reported a significant boost in their proposal impact, with many noting they were able to close more deals and cut writing time, all while delivering clearer, more persuasive value propositions.

View our course evaluations on Survey Monkey.

As someone who is so entrenched in the engineering and the details, this was a chance to take a step back and think about my work and how I communicate with others. I came to the session truly thinking it was silly for me to be there. You changed my mind about the importance of my writing and interpreted your lessons in a form that makes sense to me. I now have a logical process for "engineering" my writing.

Solutions Engineering Director

Dematic

My sales team is closing more business because our proposals are written to capture business. Huge improvement.

VP of Sales

TransUnion

Grace's comments were to the point and spot on. She gave me precise criticism. This gave me the perspective and knowledge I needed to write better RFP responses.

Account Manager

Nouryon

I will be able to write more direct proposals using less wording in less time.

Engineering Director

Dematic

Become a better business proposal writer.

Sign up today or schedule a discussion to become a stronger proposal writer.

INDIVIDUALS

$895

Sign up today and start learning how to become a better proposal writer or proposal manager.

Enroll now

GROUPS

We offer customized and flexible online, virtual, and onsite courses, workshops, and classes that match your company’s writing needs.

Schedule a call

Frequently Asked Questions

What is included in the Proposal Writing Course?

The Proposal Writing Course includes step-by-step instruction on how to plan, write, and refine winning proposals. You'll gain access to expert-led instruction, real-world examples, practical templates, interactive exercises, and individualized feedback on your writing.

The course also covers key topics such as audience analysis, structure, persuasive messaging, pricing and terms, tone, formatting, and proposal submission strategy—giving you all the tools you need to craft proposals that close more business.

What support is available if our team has questions during the course?

For online self-paced learners: Participants receive direct access to their instructor for questions and guidance throughout the course. Instructors provide personalized feedback on assignments and are available via email to support learning and clarify concepts. The course also includes a live one-hour coaching session.

For instructor-led group training, Teams benefit from real-time interaction with the instructor during live sessions, where questions are addressed directly. Additional follow-up support is available after the training, including optional Q&A sessions or email access, to ensure your team can confidently apply what they've learned.

Will I receive a certificate upon completion?

Yes, all participants who complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion, which verifies mastery of proposal writing skills and can be shared with employers or added to your professional portfolio.

How can I enroll in the Proposal Writing course?

For a team, please schedule a meeting to help us understand your team's writing requirements and current challenges and to clarify training goals. We will support all scheduling and course administration for you.

Individuals can register directly here.

How does the Proposal Writing Course improve our company’s business prospects?

The Proposal Writing Course equips your team with the skills to write clear, persuasive proposals that stand out and win more business.

By improving how your team structures, writes, and presents proposals, you'll shorten sales cycles, increase close rates, and better communicate your company’s value to clients and stakeholders—directly strengthening your competitive edge and bottom line.

What are the benefits of enrolling a corporate team in the Proposal Writing Course?

Enrolling a corporate team ensures consistent, high-quality proposal writing across your organization.

Your team will learn a shared framework, adopt best practices, and receive tailored feedback—leading to more cohesive, persuasive proposals that align with your brand and business goals.

Group enrollment also enhances collaboration, reduces proposal development time, and ultimately increases win rates.