Enterprise UK Blog

You’ve met with a potential client. They’ve expressed interest in what you have to offer. They’ve asked for a proposal so it can be given due consideration. You head back to the home office and think ‘what now?’ Here’s what. Follow these 6 steps to successful proposal-writing and turn those proposals into profit!

1. Write it first thing in the morning

Or at whatever time you’re most focused. For me, this is during those sacred hours between 6 and 9am when there’s no calls, no emails, no noise (no allusion intended to Hillary Clinton’s no way – no how – no McCain!) This quiet time is the perfect backdrop for writing a good proposal.

2. Plan the structure
Adopt a standard template for proposals starting with an ‘Executive Summary’ or ‘Background’ that puts in to context why you’re writing the proposal and sets out what the reader can expect to find in the following sections.

For example:

Following a meeting with Mr Smith of Company ABC, it is understood that company ABC is looking to xxxx (insert here the objectives of your potential client)

Based on this understanding, this proposal has been prepared to suggest that Company ABC xxxx (include here the nub of what you’re proposing)

In particular, this document covers :

• Product description
• Benefits to company ABC
• Team credentials
• Level of Investment

3. Keep it brief

Your potential client is busy. They want to see the facts and figures that you’re proposing but it doesn’t need to be an essay. Include bullet points and sub-headings for ease of reading and include bulky detail in Appendices.

4. It’s all about you

Check the proposal for mentions of the word ‘you’ and ‘we’ – what you’re aiming for is to have ‘you’ mentioned much more liberally than ‘we’ – your potential client wants to know what you can do for them. Not just what you can do!

5. Read it twice

Check the proposal document again. Read it from top to bottom before sending and, if you have time: write it, go for a quick break, and come back to read it again. Look out for things like:

• Is the client and company name spelt right?
• Do the figures add up?
• Is the timetable correct?

6. Follow up
Once the proposal is sent, leave the potential client for around a week before following up. But do follow up and don’t loose heart if you don’t get an immediate response. Persistence pays and is the perfect follow-on from a strong proposal.

Turn positive meetings into strong proposals and you’ll be winning new work all over town! – Emma Jones

Emma Jones is founder of www.enterprisenation.com, the home business website, and author of ‘Spare Room Start Up – how to start a business from home’ published by Harriman House.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 30th, 2008 at 11:47 am and is filed under Emma Jones, Guest bloggers, Women's Enterprise. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.