Hello, friends many medium-sized and large companies have proposal writers on staff who write proposals full-time. Some smaller companies do not have that luxury.
“Most proposal writers will tell you that they fell into proposal writing,” Harris says, adding that he got into it when someone at a former company (who needed to write a proposal) realized that he could write well. Then, he was hooked: “Most people who are proposal professionals will tell you they do it because there is a thrill to the win.”
But, he needed to learn. “You need to know how to write, but you also need to know what to include and exclude,” Harris points out. Business and other schools only touch on the subject, but are starting to add more curriculum about proposal writing. Some universities have writing centers dedicated to helping craft project proposals, since proposals and proposal writing are integral to student research projects.
APMP has sponsored a book called Writing Business Bids & Proposals for Dummies to teach people the basics about proposal writing. The association also has an annual conference in which industry professionals learn from each other about the latest trends and tips.
Three APMP certifications are also available. The level of certification depends on the years of experience in the field and other factors. Harris says certifications are the main reason many of the association’s 8,200 members join. “They want to be known as someone who has credentials to set them apart.