Writing Proposals Made Easy: Sample Business Proposals
On the lookout for new clients? In today's economic climate, there's no reason to improvise when you must write business proposals. Try picking up a sample business proposal or template, and flesh out your sample until you have an attention getting document that will win over your clients and earn you some business when you most need it.
The first step of any writing endeavor should always be pre-writing. Don't be concerned about the quality of your writing -- what you are going to be writing now is purely for your benefit; they're not going to see this, so relax and do it your own way. Through pre-writing we can start to see exactly what services we want to offer, what goals you can realistically achieve, and what qualifies you for this position more than the next worker.
Think carefully about your business proposal. Divide your goals into several steps, taking notes the entire time on what will be necessary to accomplish each step. Finally, write down each step and organize them so the reader can see that, by using your services, they will inevitably be led to the goal you defined when you were pre-writing.
Start off the writing process with a simple cover letter. Make sure to use two or three paragraphs to summarize your goals -- for instance, you could write: "Our company will help you by doing x, y, and z. X number of businesses in this region do regular business with us." There's nothing wrong with elaborating on your successes. Don't ruin your chances with an exaggerating cover letter.
Next, the hard part: actually write your business proposal. Proposals are usually split into five pieces: the executive summary which states what you do and who you are, a statement of work dictating what services you plan to give your client, a list of steps to achieve your goal, a list of reasons why you are better than the next guy, and last but not least the legalese terms of your contract and payment arrangements.
Keep in mind that this is still just a first draft, so don't freak out -- stay calm and write what you want your client to know. Imagine potential customers sitting across from you right now. What would you say to them that would make them want to invest in your services?
Quality is not important at this stage. The only thing you need to worry about with the first draft is simply getting that proposal written according to correct proposal structure. Word changes, spelling and grammar fixes and combing for redundancies can all be done later.
Think about your contract terms and pricing. Look into similar companies to your own and see what they charge. If you have to find out you're overcharging people, it's best to do so when you're in front of a computer screen by yourself rather than when you're sitting down to discuss business with your client.
With that first draft in the can, it's time to rewrite your business proposal as is necessary. Try asking a friend to look over your proposal to catch any typo's you may have passed. If you would like to fix, change, or add, do it now, and then re-read your work.
Before your meeting, try out some role-playing. Try putting on your client's shoes for a minute and figure out how they would react to your proposal as it is now. Are there any complaints they could voice? Will something in the proposal make them hesitate? Think up as many reasons for them to say no as you can, and then come up with answers to soothe their concerns.
It may be difficult, but writing a business proposal from a sample business proposal is not rocket science. Take some time to incorporate each of these steps into your working process and before long you'll produce a solid proposal that will keep the attention of your clients through a long, healthy relationship. - 23212
The first step of any writing endeavor should always be pre-writing. Don't be concerned about the quality of your writing -- what you are going to be writing now is purely for your benefit; they're not going to see this, so relax and do it your own way. Through pre-writing we can start to see exactly what services we want to offer, what goals you can realistically achieve, and what qualifies you for this position more than the next worker.
Think carefully about your business proposal. Divide your goals into several steps, taking notes the entire time on what will be necessary to accomplish each step. Finally, write down each step and organize them so the reader can see that, by using your services, they will inevitably be led to the goal you defined when you were pre-writing.
Start off the writing process with a simple cover letter. Make sure to use two or three paragraphs to summarize your goals -- for instance, you could write: "Our company will help you by doing x, y, and z. X number of businesses in this region do regular business with us." There's nothing wrong with elaborating on your successes. Don't ruin your chances with an exaggerating cover letter.
Next, the hard part: actually write your business proposal. Proposals are usually split into five pieces: the executive summary which states what you do and who you are, a statement of work dictating what services you plan to give your client, a list of steps to achieve your goal, a list of reasons why you are better than the next guy, and last but not least the legalese terms of your contract and payment arrangements.
Keep in mind that this is still just a first draft, so don't freak out -- stay calm and write what you want your client to know. Imagine potential customers sitting across from you right now. What would you say to them that would make them want to invest in your services?
Quality is not important at this stage. The only thing you need to worry about with the first draft is simply getting that proposal written according to correct proposal structure. Word changes, spelling and grammar fixes and combing for redundancies can all be done later.
Think about your contract terms and pricing. Look into similar companies to your own and see what they charge. If you have to find out you're overcharging people, it's best to do so when you're in front of a computer screen by yourself rather than when you're sitting down to discuss business with your client.
With that first draft in the can, it's time to rewrite your business proposal as is necessary. Try asking a friend to look over your proposal to catch any typo's you may have passed. If you would like to fix, change, or add, do it now, and then re-read your work.
Before your meeting, try out some role-playing. Try putting on your client's shoes for a minute and figure out how they would react to your proposal as it is now. Are there any complaints they could voice? Will something in the proposal make them hesitate? Think up as many reasons for them to say no as you can, and then come up with answers to soothe their concerns.
It may be difficult, but writing a business proposal from a sample business proposal is not rocket science. Take some time to incorporate each of these steps into your working process and before long you'll produce a solid proposal that will keep the attention of your clients through a long, healthy relationship. - 23212
About the Author:
When writing your own business proposal, it makes sense to find a sample business proposal that can be used as a starting point. Download sample business proposals from a site with real scenarios, so you are sure to get genuine proposals that have been tested.
posted by X - Men @ 5:55 AM
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