Writing a winning cover letter
Writing a cover letter is an art that gives you the key to getting ahead of the competition from the moment a client opens your
submission. You may be completely unfamiliar with this art – you may not be submitting cover letters at all. Or, you may already submit a cover letter with every bid, based on a standard template where you only change the client’s name and a few
details each time.
Whatever your current approach is, this guide gives you some essential tips to apply best practices and give yourself a winning edge. If you are using a standard or ‘boilerplate’ cover letter – stop now. Instead, start your journey to crafting cover letters that put you ahead of the rest.
It’s a brief letter that thanks the client for the opportunity to submit it and gives them an overview of your strategy for meeting their needs. A cover letter is professional but also gives the client a feeling of personal connection to your company. It should be signed off by a suitable senior manager. This is the opening piece of your submission and a powerful tool; don’t underestimate its role in helping you win.
As its name suggests, the cover letter is one of the very first things the client should see in your bid. For example, you may have your proposal cover, followed by your index/table of contents, then your cover letter, and finally your executive summary.
Keep your cover letter to one page or, at a maximum, two pages.
The highest-level person in your organisation that the customer personally knows (and has signature authority) should sign the cover letter. Do not dual signatures unless a strategic partnership between two companies is making the offer. Remember to place the cover letter on your company letterhead.
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