No matter if you are an SMB, large-scale enterprise or a freelance worker, you are obsessed with one goal: you want to give solutions to prospects that will help them solve their issues and facilitate smooth business operations.
Be it an SMB, enterprise-scale company, or even solopreneur, they all work toward one goal: provide offerings to prospects and customers that solve their issues and ensure smooth business operations. So how do you write a winning proposal? By knowing the basics before diving in. Scroll down to find things that you need to know about writing proposals so your idea has the best chance of success.
Making an offer to a customer can be a daunting task. You want to make sure that you are putting your best foot forward, but you also don’t want to overwhelm the customer. It’s important to find the right balance when making an offer.
Businesses should consider using proposals in digital format documents to share information with customers. This allows customers to review all the details of the offer without having to speak with a sales representative. It’s important to make sure that the proposal is convincing and includes all the necessary information for the customer to make the right decision.
Basics Of Business Proposal
A business proposal is a document used to propose a solution to a prospect or customer. When writing a business proposal, it is important to explain all your points in a brief and clear manner so that prospects can easily grasp the main points. You should come across as someone who knows the business model of their prospects.
Bonus Tip: Include an executive summary. The executive summary is typically located at the beginning or end of a business proposal and should provide a brief overview of the entire contents. This will give your audience context for each section and help them determine which sections to read in detail and which sections to skim.
Always ensure that the information and documents you are sending are authentic. Many prospects could not understand the complex documents, and are unable to find which one is a better proposal, which is not what you want for your venture, as well as an unsolicited email from someone who claims they have experience with our industry but requests too many unnecessary details before providing any help or advice at all!
A lot of times they use these terms interchangeably when in fact there’s an important difference that can make or break your company – don’t let it happen to you by not having clear communication with potential clients about what kind of document each individual requires for their particular situation; this could lead them down the wrong path if its unclear how things work around here (which happens too often).
Types Of Business Proposals
There are different types of proposals that businesses use depending on if they are sending the proposal now, or later. If you want to send a proposal now, you should make an informal one. If you want to send a proposal later, make a formal one.
Solicited Business Proposals
If you are a new business owner, it is important to know about solicited proposals because these are the two types of proposals that are sent.
Formally solicited proposal: This is sent as a response to a formal request for a proposal or an RFP made by the prospect. It can be easier to prepare, everything is known about the prospect, though it might seem more difficult to sell if their request for proposal has already been answered by other businesses who have responded too.
Informally solicited proposal: This type of proposal is sent in response to conversations that happened informally. You need to work a little bit harder to gather information related to your clients, as you don’t know enough about your clients, unlike in a formal proposal request.
If you are a salesperson trying to approach a prospect, then knowing about solicited proposals will help you understand how the prospect is viewing your products or services. Informal conversations may be easier to start, which can lead to formal requests for proposals being sent out.
If it seems like the client does not want to discuss the project further, you could try proposing a proposal in order to get a chance to sell your products or services. If you do not hear from them again, it might be better to move on and leave the client alone.
Solicited proposals can make a difference in your business depending on how prepared you are when sending one out.
Unsolicited Business Proposal
A prospective client is presented with an unsolicited business proposal when they have not specifically requested one. The intention behind this type of letter-writing to grow your company’s customer base and overall success rate in the marketplace.
Writing A Business Proposal
What information you provide is a critical aspect of writing a business proposal. A well-drafted business proposal could make all the difference between success and failure.
There are details that you should never forget while drafting your proposal. Keep in mind everything you would like to cover in this document when writing it. You will need to include information about your company, what you offer, pricing, the target market, the objectives of this project, and all other details in order to make your proposal stand out among others. It is important that when composing this document that you remember that it was created for outsiders (prospects) and not insiders (yourself).
The things that make an ideal business proposal are these: Complete; Credible; Concise; Well-written with a clear call to action.
Be sure to outline what you’re going to include in your proposal and not include any unnecessary information. The average length of an ideal business proposal is nine to eleven pages. The process of writing a proposal is difficult and it takes both time and patience. Use simple language and avoid technical terms throughout your proposal.
Make sure the customer is fully aware of what they will receive for their money. State how you plan to go about accomplishing this goal in detail, including any pertinent information such as costs involved, methods used, time frame, and any other information to ensure they have a clear understanding of what is expected throughout the process.
Explain clearly the statement about problem areas: it should convey that you know the problems that your prospect is facing now, and provide reasons as to why they should accept your solutions over your competitors. Make sure to repeat and defend your point throughout the document.
Begin your proposal by first highlighting the current services and solutions currently available on the market. This will allow you to use this as a point of comparison later on, when explaining how your product is better than everyone else’s.
Offer context-relevant information (e.g., who are the target customers?)
The proposal document should be a document that impresses the reader from the very first page. It should be clear, concise and compelling in order to convert leads into customers. A good proposal document should be able to give readers a clear view of the product being proposed, its features and functionalities.
Components Of A Business Proposal
A business proposal is a document that you use when you want to buy something. It has five parts in it. You need to know what they are before you can write one.
1. Title Page
Every business proposal has a title page. It is the first page that comes before any of the other pages. This is because it is what other people will see to help them know what the proposal is about. The basic information on the title page should include:
- The name of the proposal
- Who it was prepared by
- Who it was prepared for
- When it was prepared
Many document management software provides ready-to-use proposal templates with customizable title pages that allow you to update your company logo. This is a great way for authenticating the offeror and keeping them updated on who the offeror is.
2. Table Of Contents
A table of contents is a list to help you find what you need in a long document. It tells you the name and where to find it. It helps people know what they want to read about. For example, if someone wants to know about your services, they could see the table of contents and go right there without reading everything else first.
3. Executive Summary
When you start a new business, before you do anything else, you need to write a summary of your business. If you can get the person reading it interested in what is inside your business plan and then they will want to read the rest and decide if they should work with you or not.
4. Body Content
The proposal’s body should be concise, clear and professional. The sub-sections address different aspects of the proposed offering in detail with each section providing supporting data or rationale for why that particular point is important to make within your overall message.
The main part focuses on outlining what you are looking for specifically which will help give our client an idea as well!
“About” information for the company
If you are new to the company, it is important to know about it. You should know what they do and who is in charge of it (really important). You need to tell them about the people who will be working on their project.
This adds a personal touch and shows you care about the success of this company.
Build up the relationship with prospect by sending them small notes such as “We at Company Name will be working on your project” etc. This way you will be remembered by them in a positive way.
Problem statement
When you’re writing a business proposal, it’s important to start by stating the problem that your business is trying to solve. This will help the reader understand why you’re proposing the solution that you are. It also establishes trust that you understand the problem well and will address it with the most optimal solution.
Proposed solution
To be more elaborate, you can explain the deliverables schedule like what service or product will be delivered and when. For example: a proposal with clear communication from beginning to end is much easier for clients than one that only has vague benefits highlighted in an outline without specific details on timing of completion pieces as well as their effectiveness at solving customer problems.
It’s essential for outlining your idea so people can clearly see what they will get out of working with you.
Qualifications and credentials
If you’re interested in writing your qualifications and credentials in a business proposal, here are some tips:
- Your credentials should be presented in reverse chronology. If you have more than one degree or certificate, introduce them afterward. Remember to mention the type of degree (e.g., Bachelor of Commerce, Masters of Education).
- Place your professional experience at the end of the list (i.e., if you’ve been doing this for five years).
- If you’re building your professional profile for the first time, consider including all your accomplishments to date under “Education.” This will help give potential employers an idea of where you might fit into their organization.
- Include an overview statement
Pricing options and structure
When writing a business proposal, it is important to include pricing options and structure. This can be found in the project fee, all the tax information, and what discounts are applicable. It is also important to prepare a pricing plan that is appropriate and fair for your offerings. The price should not be too overvalued so you don’t turn away your prospects or too undervalued and incur your loss.
Terms and conditions
When proposing a business deal to a potential partner, it’s important to include a section about the terms and conditions of the agreement. This will help to ensure that both parties are on the same page and that there is a sense of certainty and continuity if the deal goes through successfully. By including these terms and conditions in your proposal, you’re demonstrating that you’re serious about doing business with this person/company.
Signature and CTA
When you’re writing a business proposal, it’s important to include a section about signature and CTA. This is the part of the document where you explain how the deal will be finalized and what actions the other party needs to take in order to complete the transaction. You should also include a call to action, which is a brief sentence telling the other party what they need to do next.
5. Conclusion
If you’re not sure how to write concluding remarks in a business proposal, here are some tips. Don’t forget to use action words and provide an invitation for the person reading your business proposal to contact you. There are different types of proposals, so figure out what type yours is before writing or rewriting your conclusion. You can also include information about how they’ll be able to reach you if they want to talk more about your services.
How To Write A Good Business Proposal
Here are some key tips for creating a strong business proposal.
1. Focus On Visual Appeal
To make your proposal stand out, you need to include some other things that most businesses miss or don’t pay attention to. Business proposals can be text-heavy documents and sometimes they get boring to read through.
If you want to stand out, take the time and effort into including images that will make your proposal stand apart. Images are 38% more likely than text alone at capturing someone’s attention.
2. Include Client Input Forms
Do not forget to include client input forms in your proposal to increase the chance of closing the deal. Client input forms are required by many organizations and should be attached for this reason. Here’s how to send them or include them in your proposal:
If you’re mailing the proposal, put the intake form(s) in a secure envelope and attach it to the proposal. Ensure that you’ve securely tape or seal all sides of the envelope.
3. Explain All The Details In Easy To Understand Language/Formats
When writing a business proposal, it’s important to be clear and concise. Use simple language and avoid using jargon. Talk to the point and make sure your proposal is easy to understand. If you confuse the customer, you’ll lose them.
Ninety percent of proposals fail to secure clients because they are poorly written, making it difficult for the right audience members. To remedy this issue focus on being clear and precise while writing your proposal as well as ensuring that you target specific people with custom content tailored just for them
4. Time Your Proposal
You might also want to understand the patterns of the market that are working for other businesses in your industry. If you follow them, you might increase your chance of closing the deal. Keep in mind that it doesn’t ensure success but increases the probability of a win.
5. Make A Device-Friendly Proposal
When writing a business proposal, it’s important to keep in mind that many people will be viewing it on their mobile phones. This means that your proposal should be formatted in a way that’s easy to read on different devices. You can do this by using software that creates proposals that are device-friendly.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to writing a business proposal, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, make sure to send your proposal to the right people. Secondly, make sure your proposal is well-drafted and easy to understand. And finally, make sure to send your proposal on time so that it arrives before the competition does. That way, you’ll increase your chances of getting the deal.
The Team Compare BizTech is made up of people from marketing backgrounds, digital marketing & content marketing backgrounds, each with unique experiences and nuggets of wisdom to share with you. The team is passionate about creating unique, accurate, and engaging content.