So, you’ve done the legwork and found a fantastic prospect. You’ve communicated your value and shown how it can contribute to the prospect’s success. You’ve discussed a specific project to partner on, and the prospect has requested a business proposal. Congratulations! This is great, right? “Right,” you might be thinking, “but how do I make sure my proposal leads to a sale?” Read on for some tips on doing just that.
It’s Not About You
Keep in mind that a business proposal is a promotional document. As with all promotional documents, it’s not about you; it’s about how you are going to make the reader’s life easier. With a proposal, you should spell out how your specific services will meet their specific needs in this specific situation. The best way to make sure your proposal does this is to have a thorough conversation with your prospect before writing it. Ask them things like what their deadlines are, how involved they are willing to be, how often they expect to meet with you, what constitutes “success” on this project for them.
Structure
Each business, and therefore each proposal, is different. But, there are some basic elements that should probably be included in your proposal:
- Background / Objectives – Describe why the project is needed, and what the outcomes are expected to be.
- Solution – Describe how your services will produce those outcomes.
- Process – Describe how you will perform your services.
- Pricing and Payment – Clearly spell out your fees and explain how they are to be paid.
- Next Steps – Explain what needs to happen to start the project.
Be Specific
Throughout your business proposal, be as specific as you can. What are the deliverables? What are the steps involved? Who will perform them? What is expected of your client? When will the project be completed? What happens if things don’t go as planned?
Follow Instructions
If you are responding to a Request for Proposal (RFP), follow instructions to the letter, for format, supporting documents, information to be included, etc. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you are an “exception.” You’re not, and the last thing you want is to write a great business proposal that doesn’t get considered because you failed to meet the criteria of the RFP.
Take Your Time
While it is important to deliver a business proposal in a timely manner, it is also important to get it right. Take the appropriate amount of time to develop a sound proposal that will wow your prospect and win you the sale.
What are some of your business proposal best practices? Please share in the comments.
About the Author: Karen Marcus, M.A. is a Northern Colorado copywriter who has been helping clients in a wide range of industries to put their best word forward for 13 years.
Need assistance developing a business proposal? Karen can help! Click here for contact info.
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@Scott, great point. The purpose of all promotional materials is to get prospects to the next step in the sales cycle (from education to interest, from interest to action), and I like to think of a proposal as a very important promotional piece, the one that will get prospects from action to engagement.
@Amanda, yes, proposal development is something anyone with decent writing skills can do, especially if you have the ones your proposal writer wrote to use as a template. Let me know how it goes!
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Many of the proposals I’ve read neglect to include the “next steps” phase you describe. That is like setting up a case without giving a closing statement. Always make the push in the final section to convince the reader to go with your proposal.
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Thanks, Karen. We usually have a professional proposal writer do this for us, but after reading your post I’m thinking it’s something we might be able to do on our own.
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