Writing Proposals: Getting a Leg Up on the Competition

Proposals are a key element of communication in the everyday business world. As a new business owner a proposal is used for internal purposes to make changes within your organization, or external purposes such as a sales proposal. I will go into more detail on the latter, giving you keys for success when convincing potential customers to purchase your services or product.


First you have to decide who the audience is that will receive the proposal. Often times there will be multiple readers of the proposal because they often require more than one level of approval within a company.


Second you will need a clear purpose in your writing. Some questions that you need to answer before you start.

• What is your plan?
  
• What does your plan address?
• What action will take place?
• What will the cost be?

Third make sure the proposal is organized. A proposal contains three main parts like most other writings.

• Introduction- This is where you state the purpose of your proposal and what the cost will be for your services or product.

• Body- This is where you go into detail explaining what will be done and how it will be done. What are you selling to the potential customer?

• Conclusion- This is where you show how your services or product exceed what your competitors are offering. Always conclude with an expression of gratitude that your proposal is being considered by the potential customer.

If you employ these strategies when you write a proposal your small business can get a leg up on the competition.