Proposal personalization brief

Purpose

Give a proposal team an evidence-backed map of what to emphasize for one prospect. It translates discovery evidence into audience-specific themes, proof points, terminology, and safe personalization opportunities.

Scope

Use the prospect account record, discovery notes, RFP, stakeholder map, existing proposal or solution template, approved case studies, and brand or messaging guidance.

Excluded: writing unsupported claims, changing approved pricing, sending the proposal, or researching private facts outside the supplied corpus.

Data basis

• Account and opportunity record with industry, segment, stage, value, stakeholders, and stated objectives.
• Discovery notes, RFP requirements, evaluation criteria, objections, competitor references, and customer language.
• Approved proposal template, capability descriptions, case studies, brand guide, and reference metrics.

Result

A personalization brief with audience map, requirement priorities, message pillars, section-level edits, proof-point matches, terminology guidance, do-not-claim items, and open questions.

Quality criteria

• Every personalization recommendation cites prospect evidence and an approved source for the proposed claim.
• Mandatory requirements and evaluation criteria are represented in section mapping.
• Case studies are selected by documented problem, industry, or outcome relevance.
• Unsupported personal, company, or performance claims are explicitly blocked.

Instructions

Mirror the prospect's terminology only when it is clear and non-conflicting with approved product language. Separate quoted customer priorities from inferred themes. Map each proposed change to a proposal section and audience. Use approved case-study wording and preserve metric qualifiers. Do not invent a stakeholder preference, competitor weakness, implementation result, or named executive concern. Flag contradictions between the RFP and discovery notes.

Adapt before use

• Add the approved proposal template, messaging guide, case-study library, and reference metrics.
• Map CRM, RFP, stakeholder, and proposal-section fields.
• Define audience labels, forbidden claims, language, and the evidence standard for personalization.

Process detail

Profile the prospect and audiences

Capture account context, buying stage, evaluation criteria, stakeholder roles, stated objectives, and decision milestones.

Data basis: CRM account/opportunity fields, stakeholder map, RFP cover page, and discovery notes.

Result: Audience profile with fact, source, and confidence fields.

Acceptance criterion: Every audience fact has a citation and inferred items are labelled.

Exception: Do not infer authority or preference from an unverified title or meeting attendance.

Extract requirements and customer language

List requirements, success measures, objections, repeated phrases, and evaluation weights.

Data basis: RFP requirements, discovery transcript, and evaluation matrix.

Result: Prioritized requirement and language table.

Acceptance criterion: Every mandatory criterion and explicit objection appears once with location.

Exception: Preserve conflicting wording as separate evidence and flag it for resolution.

Map themes to proposal sections

Assign message pillars, section emphasis, and audience angle to the approved proposal structure.

Data basis: Proposal template, requirement table, account objectives, and messaging guide.

Result: Section personalization map.

Acceptance criterion: Every mandatory requirement maps to a section or an open question.

Exception: Keep a proposed message distinct from a confirmed customer statement.

Match approved proof points

Select case studies, capabilities, references, and metrics based on documented relevance.

Data basis: Case-study library, capability catalogue, reference metrics, and requirement rows.

Result: Proof-point table with relevance reason and citation.

Acceptance criterion: Each selected proof point has a source and a direct relevance match.

Exception: Exclude a case study when its outcome, industry, or metric qualifier does not support the prospect need.

Record wording and claim guardrails

List preferred terms, avoid terms, claims requiring approval, unsupported claims, and section-level do-not-say items.

Data basis: Brand guide, approved messaging, prospect language, and proof-point table.

Result: Editorial guardrail section for the proposal team.

Acceptance criterion: Every blocked claim names the missing evidence or approval source.

Exception: Do not convert an open question into a suggested fact.

Document what could not be assessed

List missing evaluation criteria, incomplete stakeholder evidence, absent case-study fit, and unresolved contradictions.

Data basis: Source inventory, requirement map, and guardrail log.

Result: Open-questions section with affected proposal section.

Acceptance criterion: Every gap cites the missing document or exact conflicting passage.

Exception: State no open questions only after audience, requirements, proof, and language checks.