Description
Bid writing requires the highest degree of grammatical diligence, and a consistent style: to a large extent, your organisation’s credibility hangs on the quality of your writing and the standards it reflects.
This reference and tuition manual has been written especially for the professional bid/tender/proposal writer, as well for those subject matter experts who are called upon to author sections for submissions. While it is first and foremost a “style and grammar guide”, as a professional bids coach, author Jordan Kelly has taken the opportunity to provide tuition on many other basics of effective bid-writing (including on strategy, as the essential foundation of a high-quality proposal document).
Exercised diligently, these core principles and practices will see you produce not only grammatically correct, but also highly readable and compelling, submissions.
Readers will benefit substantially from a wide range of topics – from writing with style and clarity, avoiding “fashion-speak”, and achieving believability through substance and substantiation, to ensuring your writing is client-focused rather than supplier-centric, benefit- as opposed to feature-oriented, and smooth and natural rather than stilted and indirect.
Also featured are sections on common grammar traps, commonly mis-spelled words, commonly confused words and terms, and sexist versus non-sexist language and terminology.
CMSadmin –
” … Please take her advice …
“Bad grammar leads to unintended ambiguity. Even if the context makes the meaning clear in many cases, bad grammar also gives an impression of sloppiness.
“When I read a bid, I need to be able to understand it without struggling, and without getting a bad impression of the professionalism of the bid team.
“Jordan Kelly provides a comprehensive guide to correct grammar and common mistakes.
“Please take her advice.”
Director – Infrastructure & Projects Group
Corporate Finance Advisory
KPMG, Sydney
CMSadmin –
“I’ve been overseeing bids for years and years and years, but I got so much out of this.”
“Jolly good, Jordan. A truly great book. Really easy to read, really handy and not condescending, either. The observations you make, the suggestions and tips that run through it, the numerous little on-the-money checklists, are fantastic, as are the real-time examples you use.
“I’ve been overseeing bids for years and years and years, but I got so much out of this.
“It’s a great resource both in terms of a valuable reference guide and also as a great read in its own right. I’m impressed at how it so clearly demonstrates how to put strategy together, how to logically progress that into the writing stage, and then how to deal with grammatical issues as well. I don’t know how you did that all in a ‘grammar guide’, but you’ve done it.
“You guide the whole bid process through logically, and still deliver on your core promise – which is to show us how to uphold credibility in our bids through proper use of the English language.
“One more thing. You’ve demonstrated that you don’t need to be a professional copywriter to put a really solid bid together, and I think that will give confidence to a lot of people.”
General Manager – Northern Region
Ebert Construction
Auckland, New Zealand
CMSadmin –
“A book to keep on your desk – not one to stash away on the book shelf.
“In the age of social media and the informality of electronic communication, it’s refreshing to be reminded of the importance and relevance of the English language.
“What you’ve produced is a very readable and very constructive guide not only to the bid-writing process but to any professional proposal or report. It creates an awareness of the pitfalls that we all so easily find ourselves in, and provides insight into numerous areas for improvement. It’s a top-quality reference guide that should be revisited often to ensure that bad habits do not re-surface.
“Jordan, these really are great books (with reference also to ‘Bid-Writing Lessons from the World’s Greatest Authors’). I have learned heaps from them. The test now will be to put the learnings into action.”
Partner
Polson Higgs Business Advisors
Dunedin, New Zealand
CMSadmin –
“Thanks for the supply of such excellent information. Your trademark writing style gives instant credibility to the book’s content.
“Great information presented this way is both enjoyable and appreciated, and will enhance careers.
“The most effective people at preparing tenders generally come from a trade background. Often communication skills are not understood or promoted in those disciplines, so a “style and grammar guide” that is pleasant to read and easily understood allows the reader to perform at a winning level.
“I see this book having ongoing benefit to the reader, as success leads to improved confidence, and confidence based on ability opens doors and bank accounts!
“Again, sincere thanks for your help, and for filling such an educational void in the building industry.”
General Manager
Premier Waterproofing
Sydney, Australia
CMSadmin –
“Easy to Use: Keep Close At Hand
“Jordan Kelly has produced an easy-to-use and informative resource in ‘The Bid Writer’s Style & Grammar Guide’. I can recommend this book not only to read but also to keep close at hand as a reference when writing presentation letters, executive summaries and other descriptive documents for inclusion in bids.
“It also provides marketing-oriented guidance for the bid writer who may be otherwise coming from a more technical background, helping them produce a compelling bid, focusing on the reader’s concerns rather than on the more usual practice of simply listing the benefits of the product proposed.
“The Guide also offers useful grammar tips to help the writer avoid many of the errors that have become commonplace in modern writing, that detract from the overall quality of the presentation and the impression received by the reader. It is arranged in distinctive sections with a comprehensive index for efficient reference.”
Head of Proposals
Siemens Ltd Australia
Energy Sector, Wind Division
CMSadmin –
“Deals Equally with Strategy Fundamentals
“Despite the name, this book deals equally with the strategy considerations of the bid-writing process. That is what really made the book interesting for me – especially the Parts entitled, ‘Writing for Results’ and ‘Style, Substance & Effectiveness’. These chapters are fundamental to how sales organisations should look at bid writing.
“I also particularly liked ‘Avoiding Fashion-Speak’. That Part, too, is about more than just style; it’s about how you connect with the customer.
“Part 7, on ‘Non-Sexist Language’, is something all sales organisations should read. While we’ve hopefully moved past this issue at the level of mindset, I think, in many instances, we can use guidance to make sure our style matches our minds. This Part of the book sheds light on how to ensure we’re not conveying the wrong message – especially to first-time customers.”
Executive Vice President, Business Development
Veolia Water North America
Chicago