Used properly business proposals are tools that could easily double your hit rate on the business you pursue, substantially increase the margin on all the business you win, and bring existing and new clients back to you again and again.
My focus throughout this entire business proposals post series is upon teaching you how to write excellent, winning proposals, step-by-step.
Before getting into the other great resources here on business proposals, though, it’s important to be sure that when we talk about proposals — who uses them, why they are used, and how you will learn to produce “best of class” examples — that we are all thinking about the same thing. It’s important to be sure that we have a common answer to the question “what is a business proposal?”
The business proposal – a Definition
Anyone involved in modern solution selling need to be an expert proposal writer. A proposal is a lot like the artist’s sketch of a new building, which shows the general form of the proposed structure. It’s not intended to be a detailed floor plan (a specification), or a detailed blueprint showing electrical or plumbing arrangements (a design), nor is it supposed to be the final product.
A business proposal is designed to describe — to an extent sufficient to sell the idea — the concept you are proposing to your client.
The Business plan on Business Information Systems
... Business Solutions Proposal Business Information Solution Over the years, the nature of business has changed drastically. Part of the reason for this is that businesses ... proposal will focus on a very special set of tools to help you do your job. Chapter 1 GRC’s Business Plan General Business ...
There are many more grandiose definitions of just what a proposal is, but the following describes those everyday that make up the majority of proposals you’ll come across:
‘A written proposal is a selling document, a statement of your capabilities to address a given client requirement. A proposal says I can do what you want.’
The Winning Proposal – a definition
A winning proposal, on the other hand, does not simply say, ‘Hey, I can do that!’ but rather:
‘Hey, I fully understand what you are trying to do, I have a much better understanding than any of my competitors, I have a better solution to your problems than anyone else, I can do a better of job of delivering the required solution, and at a more attractive cost than anyone else, and here’s why…”.
A winning proposal is a genuine selling document. It is winning business proposals that this site will show you how to produce – step by step.
What is a business proposal? By the time you’re finished with this series of posts you’ll agree that the winning business proposal is best friend to anyone trying to sell anything of value.
