EP028: Liberate Your Inner Writer & Start the RFP Process – with Sandra Younger of ComeBACK Solutions
What is the most frustrating aspect of writing an RFP? For many, the most difficult part of the process is simply getting started. So, what can we do to liberate our inner writer and set up a protocol that works for us? How can we take the pressure off and remember that writing is just talking on paper? What strategies do career writers use to get in the zone and generate a first draft?
Sandra Younger has 30 years of professional experience as a journalist and storyteller. Her Amazon bestselling memoir, The Fire Outside My Window, tells the story of her experience during the catastrophic California Cedar Fire in 2003. Sandra leveraged what she learned from the fire to found ComeBACK Solutions International, an organization that works with disaster survivors and emergency leaders to build resilience and transform disaster and loss into opportunity and legacy. She is also the founder and Chief Story Strategist with Strategic Story Solutions, a firm that helps individuals and businesses discover the meaning, message and mission in their own stories.
Today, Sandra joins us to explain why getting started is the most frustrating part of the writing process and offer strategies on establishing a writing protocol that works for you. She describes how storytelling creates emotional connection and builds the trust necessary to drive sales. Sandra also shares the value in knowing your audience, asking headline questions of attraction, and writing in a way that is both professional AND conversational. Listen in for Sandra’s insight on liberating your inner writer to generate a winning RFP—and learn how to build a strategic argument in favor of your unique ability to meet the client’s needs!
Key Takeaways
The unique perspective in Sandra’s book on the Cedar Fire
Why getting started is the hardest part of the writing process
How emotional connection builds the trust that drives sales
Why storytelling is the #1 way to create emotional connection
The importance of using case studies in your RFP response
Sandra’s tips for writing to make the sale
Know your audience
Leverage storytelling
Ask for sale with CTA
Sandra’s insight on leveraging headline questions of attraction
How to write in a way that is professional AND conversational
Sandra’s tips for initiating the writing process
Remove distractions and establish protocol
Put self in here and now
Write without censoring (set timer)
Use mind mapping or talking to plan
Why your first draft should NOT be perfect
The concept of liberating your inner writer
How to develop a strategy for persuasion through writing
The value of knowing the rules and regulations of grammar