Books on how to write a tender proposal & RFP Bids
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Must-Read Books to win RFP, Tenders & Proposal writing

“One of the Most Ignored Areas by Organizations: To equip & train the Bidding & Sales Team to win high-value projects”. The importance & potential of such training is still not fully understood, neither by organizations nor by sales professionals. There are some good books, which can help sales & bids professionals with valuable insights and proper guidance on how to win such projects. Moreover, these books are also helpful for the technical team in writing RFP & tender proposal. These books can not only save your jobs but can make you an asset to the organization. Check some good books listed here on winning RFP, tenders, and proposal writing.


Organizations & importance of RFP, Tender and Proposal writing

Organizations achieve great business month on month, due to their sales force, more precisely bid management team or sales managers. Sales team, which go through a lengthy and complex process to win larges size deals of both corporate and government RFP bids/tenders.

Bid management is like mini project management where timelines are critical. In such scenario sales & bid, management has to involve much before the RFP(Request for Proposal) and tender stage. They have to work on how to write a tender proposal & win it. This all requires specific skillsets and training, which are usually overlooked by organizations.

Check all these books, which are written by domain experts on how to Master the RFP/RFI, bids process/system to win big business. If you write a proposal effectively and learn from these Tender or RFP books, this will not only help you to achieve sales numbers but also make you an asset for your organization, which in turn help you in shaping your career.

"One of the Most Ignored area by Organizations: To equip & train the Bidding & Sales Team"

I have been participating in Government & Large Corporate Bids/Tenders for the previous 10+ years & Unfortunately, there are mainly two sources of information in every organization. First is knowledge management within the organization & guidance/tricks from seniors/colleagues (which managers keep with themselves most of the time & very little they share with subordinates to keep their hold on the process). The second one is from clients/competition. Even this topic is quite ignored in most of the organizations that they do not provide appropriate training on the subject which is one of the major bread-earner for them.


Write a Tender & RFP proposal (Proposal Writing)

Writing a tender may be a lengthy and tedious practice. It is like a contract in that it lays out in writing exactly what a company or business will do to complete the job. Writing tenders might be a difficult procedure that demands a high degree of knowledge as a way to win a bid. The tender has to be written in a very clear and organized fashion that likewise reflects a provider’s professionalism.

When it is mentioned in the tender that the payment schedule is going to be on a completion basis then you will need to analyze if you’re capable to control the ongoing expenses like salaries, infrastructure, etc till the time the very first phase of payment is processed by the purchaser.

They should be brief but detailed at the same time. The tenders are essentially the purchasing requirement of the government. The second item of documentation that each tender needs is stipulations. A great tender must demonstrate the writer’s competency.

How to write a winning tender proposal?

There’s no foolproof method to win a bid, but there are a few things you can do as a way to hedge your bets. The aim of the proposal is to produce a persuasive case that results in a sale. In order to ensure a winning tender proposal, take note of these points:-

Tendering is a procedure that necessitates thorough comprehension and study. Finding out how to respond to an RFP request for proposal can be exactly like running a profitable successful organization.

Time management abilities and the capacity to work under pressure. Tender application writers have to be able to work well under pressure and know about the time frames related to the tender they are applying for.

The most essential part of any tender response is the deadlines.

Ability to consider away innovative and out-of-the-box Tender writing. Which often requires creativity so as to answer the questions asked.

If you’ve lost, the feedback is able to help you improve your future proposals.

Another important portion of delivering a prosperous tender response is choosing the ideal referees.

Can I get help from Tender/RFP books on writing the proposals?

I haven’t found much eye-catching write-up on this topic on the web, so I decided to come up with a piece of detailed information on the matter. I thoroughly searched maximum available books & reader’s opinions on many platforms, discussed with industry veterans about books on how to win RFP Tender/bids & high-value sales, used my own experience about such study material. Below is the list of the Top 10 best available books on how to win a Tender proposal, RFP/ RFQ, Bids :

  1. The Shredder Test: a step-by-step guide to writing winning proposals by Robyn Haydon
  2. Persuasive Business Proposals: Writing to Win More Customers, Clients, and Contracts By Tom Sant
  3. Selling to the Government: What It Takes to Compete and Win in the World’s Largest Market by Mark Amtower
  4. Writing Winning Business Proposals, by Richard C. Freed, Shervin Freed, and? Shervin Freed, and? Joe Romano
  5. RFPs Suck! How to Master the RFP System Once and for All to Win Big Business by Tom Searcy
  6. Handbook For Writing Proposals, by Robert J. Hamper
  7. Agile Selling by Jill Konrath
  8. Selling to Big Companies by Jill Konrath
  9. Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
  10. Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar

Books on how to write & win tender proposal & RFP Writing

1 . The Shredder Test: a step-by-step guide to writing winning proposals

Bidding ,tender RFP books -  The Shredder Test by Robyn Haydon (how to write a tender proposal)
Courtesy Amazon
Tender books- The Shredder Test by Robyn Haydon

Why read it: This book provides real-world experience & crucial insights. Highly recommended, if you are keen on global and open B2B bidding. If you are unorganized in proposal writing then this book will effectively make you organize and if you are already one with no or less success then this book will make you relook the existing strategy with great value addition. It’s a must-have tool for the Bidding & Sales Department.

Check@ Amazon.com

Check@ Amazon India

2 . Persuasive Business Proposals: Writing to Win More Customers, Clients, and Contracts

Bidding ,tender RFP books - Persuasive Business Proposals By Tom Sant (how to write a tender proposal)
Courtesy Amazon
Tender books-Persuasive Business Proposals By Tom Sant

Why read it: Must have for anyone who is participating in B2B selling. This book is literally a great tool for sales professionals. With enough insightful substance, practical advice, and real-world examples/experiences, this is a must-read.

Check@ Amazon Global

Check@ Amazon India

3 . Selling to the Government: What It Takes to Compete and Win in the World’s Largest Market

Bidding ,tender RFP books - Selling to the Government by Mark Amtower  (how to write a tender proposal)
Courtesy Amazon
Tender books – Selling to the Government by Mark Amtower

Why read it: Useful if you are participating in Government bids and RFPs.

Check@ Amazon.com

Check@ Amazon India

Grammarly for resume building

4 . Writing Winning Business Proposals, Third Edition

Bidding ,tender RFP books - Writing Winning Business Proposals by Richard C. Freed, Shervin Freed, and? Shervin Freed, and? Joe Romano (how to write a tender proposal)
Courtesy Amazon
Tender books – Writing Winning Business Proposals

Why read it: If you are in the business of RFP/Bidding or handling large strategic deals then you may find it crucial for your upcoming bidding adventures. If you are an experienced professional then also this will teach you much.

Check@ Amazon.com

Check@ Amazon India

5 . RFPs Suck! How to Master the RFP System Once and for All to Win Big Business

Bidding ,tender RFP books- RFPs Suck by Tom Searcy (how to write a tender proposal)
Courtesy Amazon
Tender books – RFPs Suck by Tom Searcy

Check@ Amazon.com

Check@ Amazon India


Suggested read

Best courses on AI and Machine Learning

6 . Handbook For Writing Proposals, Second Edition

tender books - Handbook For Writing Proposals by Robert J. Hamper  (how to write a tender proposal)
Courtesy Amazon
Handbook For Writing Proposals by Robert J. Hamper

Why read it: A well-written book which defines the process in order to write a proposal. One of the best books on the subject matter.

Check@ Amazon Global

Check@ Amazon India

7 & 8. “Agile Selling” & “Selling to Big Companies” (Two Books)

Bidding ,tender RFP books - Agile Selling by Jill Konrath
Courtesy Amazon
Agile Selling by Jill Konrath

Why read it: Book emphasizes how to absorb new information at a fast pace for the sales department. As per Seth Godin (author of The Icarus Deception) – “Loaded with tactics, tips, and new habits, Jill’s book is a game-changer for any salesperson who wants to thrive in the new connection economy.”

Check@ Amazon.com

Check@ Amazon India

tender books - Big Companies by Jill Konrath  (how to write a tender proposal)
Courtesy Amazon
Big Companies by Jill Konrath

Why read it: Practical book was written on selling to process-oriented big organizations and how to maximize your organizations’ sales by understanding your prospect’s process of decision making. Good toolkit for the sales department.

Check@ Amazon.com

Check@ Amazon India


9 . Challenger Sale

tender books - Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
Courtesy Amazon
Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson

Why read it: It’s a must-read for all sales professionals who are into sales of upcoming technologies/solutions and they can start engaging with the leadership team of prospects well before tender specifications are finalized. Organizations would like to be convinced before giving a particular solution a go-ahead. This is one of the greatest books of sales. A must-read.

Check@ Amazon.com

Check@ Amazon India

10 . Secrets of Closing the Sale:

tender books -  Zig Ziglar's Secrets of Closing the Sale
Courtesy Amazon
Zig Ziglar’s Secrets of Closing the Sale

Why read it: Ignore old type layout of the book and focus on the content, which is wonderful for sales professionals/leaders who are involved in high-value deals with big organizations. Irrespective of the size of your organization, you should own a copy of this book.

Check@ Amazon.com

Check@ Amazon India

11 . Bids, Tenders & Proposals:

tender books -  Bids, Tenders & Proposals (how to write a tender proposal)
Courtesy Amazon

Why read it: This book is a manual for Bids/RFP and written from US and EU markets in mind, but applicability is universal in nature. If one would like to study in detail and understand the complexity of RFP/Bidding process then this book is recommended.

Check@ Amazon.com

Check@ Amazon India

Also read – Must read inspiring Indian Biographies/Autobiographies

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