Sarah spent three weeks in discovery calls with a potential client. She asked all the right questions, took detailed notes, and felt confident she understood their challenges. Then she submitted her proposal.
The prospect's response? "Did she even listen to what we told them?"
Sarah's proposal opened with generic industry challenges, corporate buzzwords, and solutions that could have been copy-pasted from any competitor's pitch. Despite weeks of conversation, her background section gave the impression she hadn't been listening at all.
Many proposals fail before the buyer reads about the solution or gets to the price, because they don't prove the seller truly understands the buyer's world. The Background section is where you either earn credibility or lose it entirely.
Here's how to write a Background section that makes buyers think, "Finally, someone who gets it."
The generic proposal problem
A common buyers complaint is "Their proposals all sound the same." Sellers rush through background sections with copy-paste content that could apply to any company in the industry. They jump straight to solutions without proving they understand the specific problem.
The result? Buyers who think, "This person wasn't listening at all."
Your proposal needs to follow what psychologists call "schemas" — mental checklists buyers use to evaluate proposals. They expect to see their reality reflected accurately before considering solutions. That means combining two of the six universal proposal blocks — Situation and Objectives — into a Background section that proves you were paying attention. (Note: you can read more about the six universal blocks and how to use them in my book, Effortless Sales proposals.)
Miss this foundation, and nothing else matters. Get it right, and you've earned the credibility to guide them forward.
Story → key challenges → closing: your background blueprint
Every compelling Background section needs three components working together. Think of them as setup, exploration, and bridge to your solution.
Component 1: The story
Your story isn't about spinning tales. It's about reflecting their reality back to them in a way that makes them feel understood.
Weave together four elements: their current situation (how did they get here?), the core problem they described, the implications if nothing changes, and any past attempts that fell short. If you've used SPIN selling during discovery, you'll recognize this logic: situation, problem, and implication questions become proposal content.
Keep it tight: two to three paragraphs maximum. Include specific details from your conversations. When that CFO mentioned her team "pulling data from three systems that never talk to each other," work that phrase in. It shows you were listening, not just waiting for your turn to talk.
Pay attention to your language choices. This is where your core theme starts emerging naturally. If speed matters to their success, words like "delay" and "bottleneck" will appear. If precision is crucial, you'll write about "consistency" and "eliminating gaps."
Component 2: Key challenges
After capturing attention with their story, go deeper. Explore the complexity and implications of their core problem using one of three approaches:
The Strategic questions approach works best for analytical buyers. Frame crucial questions using "we" language to signal partnership: "How might we integrate existing tools without major disruptions?" feels collaborative, while "How can you integrate..." sounds like their problem to solve.
The Critical issues approach suits action-oriented buyers who want direct problem-solving. Present challenges as statements: "Integration must happen without disrupting current workflows" or "Any solution needs to account for three legacy systems operating simultaneously."
The Stakeholder perspectives approach works when you're dealing with buying committees. Acknowledge different viewpoints: "Sales needs faster response times to compete effectively. Operations requires bulletproof processes that won't break under pressure. Finance wants measurable ROI within twelve months."
Avoid challenges that could apply to any company in their industry. Generic problems signal generic thinking.
Component 3: The closing
Now comes the bridge. You've painted their current reality and explored key challenges. Time to point toward what "better" looks like.
Your closing should state clear objectives ("reduce cycle times by 40%, stabilize quality metrics across regions"), connect these to business value (improved efficiency, cost savings, competitive advantage), and create logical flow into your solution section.
This is where your core theme crystallizes. If you've been building toward "precision at every step," your objectives should reflect systematic excellence. If acceleration is your theme, focus on speed and competitive timing.
Be specific about success metrics, but don't overdo it. You're defining what victory looks like, not proving you can deliver it yet.
Using their words to prove you were listening
Many proposals sound like they were written by someone who's never met the client.
Avoid that by including specific phrases your prospects used. Reference their unique constraints and industry dynamics. Show you understand not just what they do, but how they think about their challenges.
Let's take a generic challenge like "needs to improve efficiency." Here's how discovery details transform it:
Generic version: "Rising operational costs and inefficient processes are impacting profitability across the organization."
Specific version: "Your finance team's month-end close process currently takes twelve days because data flows manually between the ERP system, three regional databases, and Excel spreadsheets that different departments maintain independently."
The second version proves you were listening. It uses their timeline (twelve days), their language (month-end close), and their specific context (three regional databases).
Remember that different stakeholders have different hot buttons. The CFO worries about budget control, the operations manager fears implementation risk, and the CEO thinks about competitive advantage. A strong background section acknowledges these varying concerns while weaving them into a coherent narrative.
Real example in action
Let's see how this framework transforms a typical client situation into compelling content:
Story: Acme Corp's North American sales division has dropped 10% in revenue over two consecutive quarters. The recent merger brought new products and customer segments, but many reps feel overwhelmed trying to master unfamiliar offerings. Meanwhile, a half-deployed CRM system has left critical data scattered across multiple platforms. What should have been a growth catalyst has become a daily source of frustration.
Key Challenges: Three interconnected issues are compounding the revenue decline. First, sales reps lack confidence in the new product lines, leading to longer sales cycles and lower close rates. Second, the incomplete CRM migration means prospect data lives in multiple systems, making follow-up inconsistent and relationship management nearly impossible. Third, without unified reporting, sales leadership can't identify which strategies are working or where to focus coaching efforts.
Closing: By unifying sales processes and establishing clear performance benchmarks, we aim to stabilize Acme's revenue trajectory within 90 days, fully integrate the CRM for 25% higher productivity, and restore sales team confidence through targeted training and tools.
Notice how the story captures their reality, the challenges show complexity without overwhelming the reader, and the closing points toward measurable outcomes. A core theme — "transformation through integration" — emerges naturally from their situation.
Three ways to lose credibility fast
Even with the right structure, you can still torpedo your background section:
Making it about you instead of them: Don't lead with your company history or industry expertise. This section belongs to the client's world, not yours.
Using industry jargon instead of their language: Generic buzzwords like "leveraging synergies" or "optimizing workflows" sound hollow. Use the specific terminology they used in conversations.
Jumping to solutions too quickly: Resist the urge to hint at your approach in the background section. You haven't earned the right to propose yet.
Before you finalize any background section, ask yourself this litmus test question: Does this sound like it could apply to any company in their industry, or does it clearly describe this specific buyer's unique situation?
If it's the former, you need to dig deeper into your discovery notes — or go back and have more conversations.
Making them feel understood
Your background section does more than organize information. It proves you've invested time understanding their world before trying to change it.
The three-component structure—Story, Key Challenges, Closing—creates a logical flow that mirrors how buyers think about their problems. Use their specific language and details from discovery conversations. Let your core theme emerge naturally from their concerns rather than forcing it.
This isn't just about proposal writing. It's about demonstrating genuine understanding and building the trust that turns prospects into clients.
Want more frameworks for writing proposals that actually persuade? I share advanced techniques for turning discovery insights into winning proposals in my newsletter, including detailed approaches for each section that follows your background.