Go all out on your proposal! If you really want the project, pull out all of the stops to make your proposal the best professional job possible. If you do not know how to do some of the computer stuff, hire someone who can.

My biggest successful public mosaic project bid this year was awarded to me in large part because of what the project manager said was my “great enthusiasm” shown in the proposal. The project budget was just under $50,000, including a separate fee to a colleague for installation. I presented a 38 page bound proposal with lots of images of past mosaics, references from the best known local arts people, and a budget carefully stating each cost item.

My one mistake—I specified that the budget bid included three design revisions. It took more than seven revisions to satisfy the clients and I forgot to add that to the revised budget. So I ended up doing many of the revisions for free. But in the scope of this project that was ok. And I learned….