Find innovative ways to highlight your key differentiators whenever possible. Your network or candidate evaluation methodology may deserve superlatives, but in a field where many bidders claim the title of ‘best,’ standing out requires a different strategy. How does your firm use technology to avoid bias in the selection process? How diverse is your candidate network? How will you harness your connections and networks to serve your clients better? Answer to these questions will dramatically improve your chances of proposal success.

Don’t tell our writers, but winning proposals are also a visual medium. Most executive recruiting proposals rely too much on the written word, forcing evaluators to read through pages and pages of copy to find answers to their questions. Complex pieces of information, particularly processes and flow charts, are better communicated with graphics

No matter which industry you’re pursuing, it’s crucial for your firm to communicate its market-sector-specific knowledge and expertise. If you do not have relevant industry experience, showcase projects that involved a similar recruiting process and highlight the similarities and relevancy of that engagement.