“For your own good” is a persuasive argument that will eventually make a man agree to his own destruction. Janet Frame

Why do you write business proposals? Same reason we do! We write proposals to win more business, pay our bills and send the kids to college.

Same as you, I guess! Right?

I’ve been in the proposal development game for eleven years. I don’t call myself an ‘expert’ but I have learnt a few things that might interest you. Especially if you want to avoid the mistakes I made…

What’s the best way to write a proposal?

There is no ‘one way’ that works every time. But here are some pointers to consider.

To make your proposal work, you need to persuade your client that your solution is significantly better than your competitors. Not slightly better, but so much better that is would be foolish not to accept it. What makes this happen? As you write your proposal, look at where and how you can persuade the reader to buy your product.

Business Proposals: Four Steps

Your can persuade the reader to consider (and hopefully award) the contract to your if you use the follow four tactics:

1. Understand Your Client’s Needs

How do you do this? You get the reader’s attention by highlighting a specific need or problem they have and then explain how you can solve this.

You need to show that you understand their need and approach this from many angles throughout the proposal.

Demonstrate to the client that you recognize their need. State it clearly.

2. Show The Benefits

Next, discuss the benefits they can expect to gain by accepting your proposal. Discuss the solution at a later stage.

Focus on explaining how the client can improve their:

• Productivity
• Profitability and
• Success

with the solution you’re offering.

To support your argument, explain the consequences of inaction or selecting inferior products. You’ll establish credibility not so much by demonstrating your expertise, but by showing your understanding of their business needs.

3. Discuss Your Solution In Plain Language

Make sure that the reader clearly understands what you are proposing. Ask yourself – can they summarize in one sentence what you are proposing.

Make a firm, clear recommendation accompanied by specific action steps. Avoid vague statements.

Recommend a specific approach or application: “We recommend that the Client use our company to design, write and produce its corporate marketing brochure.”

Present it so well that the client believes that your solution will meet their needs.

4. Give Details, Recommendations and Endorsements

Provide the reader with sufficient details. Demonstrate your qualifications and competence to deliver the solution:

• On Time
• Within Budget
• To Specification

This effort will show that you understand the costs involved, particularly the Return On Investment to the client.

Also, discuss related issues, costs, management issues, schedules, risks, future implications. Always return to your key selling point and recommendation presented in terms of a quantifiable benefit. Wrap up by give convincing reasons that the client should choose you over all others.

About the Author: Ivan Walsh is a recovering technical writer who now writes business proposals for clients coast-to-coast. He shares business writing tips for smart people like you at Klariti.

Related posts:

1. Kate Winslet’s 7 Smart Ways to Read Business Proposals
2. Business Proposals: How to Write Costs For RFPs
3. Four-Step Strategy for Better Business Proposals

Use the introduction to place the proposal in context. This section should be one or two pages max. Don’t over-whelm the reader with background material. They can find more details about your organization on your website and in press releases.

So, what goes into the introduction?

1. Identify the Government bodies involved in this procurement process, for example.

The Health Department encompasses five counties in the greater London region. These are…

2. Identify any strategic plans that relate to the success of this project

The London Region, which encompasses the administrative areas of counties X, Y, Z, adopted a Strategic Management Plan in 2002.

3. Identify significant data that the bidder must be made aware of, for example,

The administrative area of this region has a combined population of 500,000 and covers 10000 sq Kilometres.

4. Next, outline your goal:

We now wish to review and replace 2002 Strategic Management Plan in compliance with the Waste Management Act 2003 and the Waste Management Regulations, 2005.

5. Identify other preliminary work that has been performed:

The new plan shall make reference to the existing Waste Management Plan, existing preparatory work, the recently commissioned Waste Management Study, EPA National Waste Database, EU Waste Management Plans and all other relevant documentation and legislation.

6. Close with reference to legal documents and supporting materials.

The new Plan should take account the Government policy statements:
• Changing our Ways
• Recycling Waste
• Waste Management Moving Forward

In the next lesson, we’ll look at how to write the Supervision section.

Related posts:

1. 6 Ways To Write a Better Executive Summary
2. Consultancy Proposal – How to Define the Table of Contents

Over the coming weeks, we’ll look at how to write a proposal for Consultancy Services. This will be of use to government agencies or other bodies that want to procure the services of a consultancy firm, for example, an advertising agency, a PR or HR firm or another type of company that provides specialist services.
This type of proposal differs from contracts where, for example, you want to use a specific product, piece of equipment or have very exact specifications in mind.

In a proposal for Consultancy Services, you want to determine the most appropriate firm based on their expertise and capacity of deliver based on your needs.

There are several ways to do this.

To get started, I will create a table of contents for each of the main sections and then drill-down into each section.

Here is the table of contents

1. Introduction
2. Supervision
3. Deliverables
4. Consultation – Meetings schedule
5. Reports & Presentations
6. Programme
7. Award Criteria
8. Information to be submitted
9. Fee Proposal
10. Conflict of Interest
11. Terms of appointment
12. Ownership of Documents and Copyright
13. Termination of appointment
14. Dispute Resolution
15. Tax Clearance Certificate
16. Withholding Tax
17. Professional Indemnity
18. Confidentiality
19. Submission of proposal

In the next lesson, we’ll look at how to write the Introduction.

Related posts:

1. Why The Table of Contents Is The Heart of Your Business Proposal?