A New Kind Of Template: Sample Business Proposals

By Cameron McDonald

There's not a business on the planet that couldn't use a new customer. Particularly in the moody economics of this day and age, learn-as-you-go business proposals simply aren't going to cut it. Forget about improvising and pick up a sample business proposal and use it as a template to create a great business proposal to secure new customers.

First, never underestimate the power of pre-writing. Since this is your first draft and you're not submitting it to potential customers at this time, relax and try to have fun. Do your pre-writing and figure out what exactly you are going to pitch in this proposal, what goals you have and what will differentiate your services from the other distractions your clients have to weed through every day.

Try organizing your thoughts. Break down any goals you may have into simple steps and take notes on what is needed to make each step safely. Be certain to write each of these steps in such a way as to lead the reader to the inevitable goal you stated during your pre-writing.

Start off the writing process with a simple cover letter. Make sure to use two or three paragraphs to summarize your goals -- for instance, you could write: "Our company will help you by doing x, y, and z. X number of businesses in this region do regular business with us." There's nothing wrong with elaborating on your successes. Don't ruin your chances with an exaggerating cover letter.

Next, the hard part: actually write your business proposal. Proposals are usually split into five pieces: the executive summary which states what you do and who you are, a statement of work dictating what services you plan to give your client, a list of steps to achieve your goal, a list of reasons why you are better than the next guy, and last but not least the legalese terms of your contract and payment arrangements.

Again, this is only the first draft, so take it easy on yourself and write what you would like your client to know. Imagine your target seated at the table with you. What could you tell them that would convince them to hire you?

Quality is not important at this stage. The only thing you need to worry about with the first draft is simply getting that proposal written according to correct proposal structure. Word changes, spelling and grammar fixes and combing for redundancies can all be done later.

Next, consider your pricing and your contract. Keep your prices competitive by doing a little footwork to find out what similar companies are charging. Now's the time to find out you're overpriced -- you don't want to be sitting down at the table with your client when you realize your prices are less than stellar.

Rewriting begins when your first draft is finally complete. Try having a friend give your proposal a once over to see if they can find any obvious typo's or other mistakes. If you're still holding on tight to what you needed to fix and doctor up from your first draft, do so at this time.

When you believe you've got your proposal in a finished state, try a little role-playing to head off troublesome customers. Why not try putting on your customer's shoes for a little while? Consider how they'll see your proposal. Is there anything that might hang them up? Brainstorm as many reasons for the client not to buy from you as possible, and then create counterarguments to squash their anxiety.

It may be difficult, but writing a business proposal from a sample business proposal is not rocket science. Take some time to incorporate each of these steps into your working process and before long you'll produce a solid proposal that will keep the attention of your clients through a long, healthy relationship. - 23204

About the Author:

If you want to write a business proposal, obtain a sample business proposal to give you a better idea of what methods are proven. You can use them as guides, or simply as an example of testing methods. Ensure you obtain it from a trusted source to make sure you're reviewing a real scenario.