How to write a proposal

If you visit bld.ai, even without logging in, you can chat with our AI agent who can write you a proposal, amongst many other things. I genuinely think it’s useful, and I now exclusively use that agent to write proposals myself. Anyone, including you, can use it and write a proposal just as good as mine. Yet, in the past week alone, I’ve probably been asked to write 5 proposals.

My first internal reaction to this is to suggest reading my blog post on selling because I feel that this blog post coupled with our AI agent is sufficient to write good enough proposals. In fact, this very blog post is part of the Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) powering the bld.ai agents. By interacting with the agent about this blog post, you can learn about proposal writing if selling is your goal.

My proposal writing algorithm

But perhaps when people ask, “How do you write proposals and sell so well?” they’re referring to the mechanics of proposal writing and selling? If that’s the case, here’s how I currently approach writing proposals:

1. Pre-Meeting Preparation: When an introduction is made via WhatsApp, Gmail, or through our website, I immediately visit their website, test their product, and note down detailed negative feedback. Even better, I record myself using Descript. Spending 15-60 minutes gives a solid understanding of the problems their app, website, or business faces.
2. Draft Proposal with AI: I then use an AI agent (like ChatGPT 4.5 or bld.ai’s agent) to draft a hypothesis of how we could help the potential client based on our skills and the service providers available on bld.ai.
3. Initial Asynchronous Communication: I prefer early-stage asynchronous communication as it is quicker and more efficient. Sharing detailed negative feedback and the draft proposal early usually results in eager interest from the client.
4. Recording the Call: During the actual call, I actively take notes and ensure the conversation is recorded. Tools like Google Gemini or granola.ai help by transcribing and summarizing discussions.
5. Analyzing and Iterating: After the call, I feed the transcript back into the AI agent, which helps structure the proposal, including situation, complication, resolution, milestones, hourly rate calculations, and identifying solutions or providers from the bld.ai network.

My proposal writing mindset

Writing good proposals isn’t just about the algorithm above. it’s about also about understanding and challenging the business model, rather than simply fulfilling requests. Being a “task monkey” limits your impact; high-level thinking and provocation help you genuinely add value and improve your client’s business.

At bld.ai, our proposals combine purchasing existing solutions and building upon them. It’s about integrating professional services, engineers, designers, accountants, attorneys, and more, all of whom you can find on our network.

However, beyond mechanics, proposal writing is fundamentally about mindset. A crucial shift happened to me in my late teens while responding honestly to a philosophy essay prompt. Writing authentically, clearly, and truthfully transformed how I approached essays and later, proposals. Rather than treating these tasks as chores, I learned to genuinely express my thoughts.

My best writings were often shorter than required because authenticity doesn’t need verbosity. Clear, direct, unembellished, and simple language reflects honest communication. This approach proved successful in both academia and my consulting career, where proposal writing became a strength rather than a burden.

Writing style

Many in consulting hide behind ambiguous PowerPoint slides, avoiding clarity. I prefer simple, clear, and honest writing. An thoughful email often holds more genuine power than a polished PowerPoint because it communicates ideas unambiguously.

At bld.ai, proposal writing is straightforward: start by honestly saying what you think. There’s no right or wrong answer, only authenticity. Clients appreciate truthful dialogue because it fosters genuine collaboration and clear understanding.

I hope this makes your next proposal clearer, stronger, and more authentically you.