Introduction
A business proposal is a document written to a potential buyer or client that offer particular products or services. There are two types of business proposals: First, solicited business proposal – this type of proposal is written and submitted upon advertisement published by a buyer or a client. Second unsolicited proposals – this written and presented to a potential buyer or client without their request
A business proposal is supposed to specify the goods that are to be supplied including the qualification required. Also, it involves complex services like surveying a market and services like landscaping a park. Proposals are usually first sales document that many established businesses operate entirely on especially in highly technical fields. A business proposal determines the difference between success and failure whether you are a freelancer or you have a company of your own which you intend to expand. In this regard, many entrepreneurs will spend time developing business proposals and presenting them to potential clients to get a contract.
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Therefore, it’s important to consider all aspect of a business entity that your business is based on to come up with a successful proposal that will accept by the client the client upon the first submission. This script is going to cover the guidelines for writing a business proposal and the critical measures that one is supposed to consider to come up with a reasonable business proposal. It will also outline the format of a logical business proposal that readers and researchers can refer. Also, this paper will provide a visual aid in the form of a table which will summarize steps and critical measures to consider in writing a good business proposal.
Winning business proposal
1. 3p’s
The secret of winning a business proposal that will win the will of clients is the presence of 3p’s:
• Problem statement A reasonable proposal should be able to explain to the client what their current problem is just to make them believe that you can solve the situation.
The following is an example of a well-written problem statement.
With improved technology in social media throughout the world, Newspapers are losing effectiveness in the market in providing information to clients on time about breaking news, advertisements and promoting art and literature as it was in the old days.
• Proposed solution
This part offers a solution to the problem identified above being the main reason for the proposal. This statement should provide enough details to address the issue faced by the client. Also, you should explain the benefits of your solution, show why your reason is the best. Standard interests include; cost savings while increasing the productivity, having confidence and professional expertise.
Here is an example of a well-written business proposal regarding the problem identified.
The solution that is recommended for newspaper industries is to digitize the services by using the internet. This means that newspaper website will be created and be accessible to readers, whereby they will be able to read news, advertisements, arts, and literature from their computers and smartphones online.
• Pricing information
According to many clients and buyers, the price of a proposed business plays a significant role in determining whether they offer you a contract or deny your proposal. Writing this segment depends on the solution provided for the problem, the reader wants to know if they can afford your service. Therefore, when writing this segment, you should be conservative enough and make sure to mention that the numbers are only estimates. Depending on the proposal you may need to include information such as; labor costs, supply costs, maintenance costs and initial set up monthly cost charges among others.
2. Carry out proper research in the field of interest.
When writing an unsolicited business proposal, remember to carry out extensive research on that particular business. This also applies to solicited proposals since not all clients will provide explicit details of their needs. Therefore, you need to carry out research comprehensively and, in more information, to include potential competitors and their impacts on the proposed project as well as means of overcoming such competition Li, X. (2012). Research is done to justify the expected benefits of the proposed project; reference can also be made from commentary from prominent, successful people.
3. Answer the question ‘why you?’
You should ask yourself why the client or the buyer will choose to sign a contract with you bearing in mind that several other applicants submitted their proposal to the same client or company. With this regard, it is therefore essential to mention your experience in the field you have carried out your research to validate your information. This will also build confidence in the client that you can implement the business. Hence chances of accepting your proposal will be high. You can achieve this by mentioning similar projects that you have successfully applied.
4. Step in the client’s shoes
When writing a business proposal, it’s essential always to try to see the situation at hand in their perspective. This will help you answer the questions such as;
• What criteria will the client use when evaluating the business proposal?
• Whether the company has existing policies, your proposal should be consistent with these policies.
• Whether attempts were made to solve the problem and why they failed.
5. Define your task schedule
When writing a project proposal, it’s essential to determine the timeline for completing your task. For example, if you propose to expand the infrastructure, it’s important to spell out how long it will take to reach completion.
6. Explain contract terms
This will enable the reader to understand the agreement they are entering easily. You should specify how much should be paid upon signing the contract, penalties assessed upon late payment and policies that will govern cancellation of the deal.
7. Discuss any anticipated oppositions
Some business is prone to irritation from the executive, for example proposing for termination of the contract with some firms or helping business to identify unreliable employees that should be fired. Therefore, you need to counter such opposition in your writing to set things straight.
8. Add a conclusion
In this prospect you should state the benefits of your proposal, you may also inform the client the deadline for responding and hiring you. In this section also remind the client or the company to contact you with questions and clarification, you can also refer him to your website for more information about your business.
The figure below shows a summary of the business proposal format.
Title page | Comprise name of writer, client and date |
Table of content | this is normally used for complex business proposals |
Executive summary | A summary of the proposal should be included in the business proposal |
Statement of the problem | in this section the objective and goals of the business are stated |
Approach | - in this section the writer shows his approach in solving the client’s problem |
Methodology | this section states how the approach will be carried out |
Writers qualification | this section present documentation that justifies why his proposal should be chosen |
Schedule and benchmark | major tasks are presented against the timeline |
Cost proposal | this section involves payment schedule and legal matters |
Conclusion | remind the company to contact you for further information |
Conclusion
Successful business proposals are one that clients regard as “responsive” in a way that they address the client’s needs and aspirations through research. The visual appearance of the study is also essential. However, a beautiful and neat proposal that misses or ignores the needs of the client is less efficient when compared to a dull but proposal that is yet responsive. In conclusion, the research is supposed to do his homework correctly within time constraints to come up with a professional proposal which will meet the needs and limited finance to the client. It’s also essential to make your proposal as short as possible though detailed; this can be achieved by moving superfluous information such as charts, testimonials, and graph to the appendix section. You should also keep an open eye on repetition, keep your proposal consistent and find a single example that will drive your work. About language, use clear, concise and simple words free of technical terms
Reference
Li, X. (2013). Weaving social media into a business project . Business Communication Quarterly,
75(1), 68-75
Young, M. (2002). The technical writer’s handbook: writing with style and clarity. University Science
Books.
Memorandum
To: Professor Silva
From: Damion Johnson
Subject: module 2- Audience Analysis
Date: 4/6/18
In my research on writing a successful business plan, I have sited my work from several books which I have shared the reference. I realized that project proposal and project plan are two terms which are commonly confused, these two terms are used interchangeably by giving a wrong impression that they mean the same thing. A business proposal is written by a specialist and presented to a potential client to offer a particular product or service. In contrast, a business plan is a set of formal statements presenting business goals and how these goals can be achieved. Business plan is normally included in the business proposal hence they cannot be used to mean the same thing.
In addition it’s important to note that before writing business proposal, you need to understand what it is and learn the basics concerning that area that you need to venture in. similarly you need to provide genuine reasons which are honest and straightforward this will help build quality relationships with other business people. Another valuable information I came across is that after writing your proposal you need to take time to learn and understand the client first, this will help you to adjust certain areas in your proposal to suit your client hence increase chances of success. Similarly if you want to be sharp in grabbing contract opportunities with clients, you need to keep contact information such as emails and ensure to submit your proposal on time as well as keeping meeting notes.