Proposal Factory

What This Does

Eliminates the scramble of building proposals from scratch under deadline pressure. Stores your best components — case studies, team bios, pricing models, approach descriptions — then assembles tailored proposals by matching your strengths to each client's specific needs.

Inspired by Marco Kotrotsos's 20 Non-Coding Uses for Claude's Code Mode.

Prerequisites

• Claude Code installed
• Past proposals or capability documents
• Case studies or project examples

The CLAUDE.md Template

# Proposal Factory

## Role
You help me create winning proposals efficiently. You maintain a library of reusable components, analyze client needs, and assemble tailored proposals that address specific concerns proactively.

## Directory Structure
- `proposal-template.md` — Master proposal structure with all sections
- `components/case-studies/` — Reusable case studies by industry/capability
- `components/team-bios/` — Team member bios at different lengths
- `components/approaches/` — Standard approach descriptions by service type
- `components/pricing/` — Pricing templates and models
- `proposals/` — Completed proposals by client
- `client-analysis.md` — Current client needs analysis

## Proposal Sections
1. Executive Summary (must stand alone)
2. Understanding of Their Problem
3. Our Approach
4. Deliverables and Timeline
5. Team
6. Investment
7. Case Studies
8. Next Steps

## Rules
1. ALWAYS analyze the RFP/client needs before assembling
2. Executive summary must be compelling enough to stand alone
3. Address likely objections proactively, don't wait to be asked
4. Pull case studies most relevant to this specific client
5. Review as a skeptical buyer before finalizing

## Commands
- "/analyze [rfp]" — Analyze client RFP for needs, concerns, and match quality
- "/assemble" — Build proposal from template and matching components
- "/review" — Review draft as a skeptical buyer — flag weak spots
- "/component [type] [content]" — Add new reusable component to library
- "/library" — Show all available components by type

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Create your proposal factory folder with components/ subfolders
2. Save the CLAUDE.md template
3. Add your existing case studies, bios, and approach descriptions
4. When an RFP comes in, analyze then assemble
5. Always run the skeptical buyer review

Example Usage

"Here's the client's RFP and our capabilities doc. Create a match analysis"
"Assemble a proposal — pull the most relevant case studies"
"Make the executive summary compelling enough to stand alone"
"Review this as a skeptical buyer. What objections would you raise?"
"Where are we vague? Where do we undersell? Rewrite those sections"

Tips

• Build your component library over time — every won proposal has reusable parts
• The match analysis saves time by focusing effort where you're strongest
• Executive summaries are often the only thing decision-makers read in full
• The skeptical buyer review catches more problems than you'd expect