Creating Professional Proposals

In order to be successful in business, it often requires that you develop the skillset to create professional proposals. No matter what kind of work you do, the ability to write a compelling and persuasive business proposal can be the difference between closing a deal and going home empty handed.

This post is designed to provide some helpful tips for creating a stellar proposal. We’ll cover everything from content, format, length and more so that your next proposal stands out from the rest.

This guide is meant to provide you with a blueprint for writing outstanding proposals. While there are many tips presented in this article, the end-goal of each of these tips is to help you to craft the best professional proposal possible.

Table of Contents

(Click on each header to jump directly to that section)I. IntroductionII. The Anatomy of a Great ProposalIII. Presenting Your Idea & The Value PropositionIV. Making It Look Good / The VisualsV. Storytelling VI . Expository Writing VII . Graphics VIII . TipsX . ConclusionI. IntroductionIf you're reading this, it means you want to write proposals for other people (or your own business). Despite this, you may still be learning how to compose a good proposal. Or you may already have a great proposal in mind, but you're wondering how to make it even better.Whatever your current level of business writing expertise, I hope that this article provides some helpful tips and tricks for creating the best professional proposals possible.

The purpose of this article is to provide you with a blueprint for writing outstanding proposals. While there are many tips presented in this article, the end-goal of each of these tips is to help you to craft the best professional proposal possible.

When creating a professional proposal, there are certain elements that must be present for your offer to stand out from the crowd. If those elements are not present, you should not write a proposal.

II. The Anatomy of a Great Proposal

I'll start off with a short explanation of the overall structure of a good business proposal. Before diving into this section, it's important to note that not every element has equal importance in every proposal; each element serves as an important component of your writing and layout, but each is also only part of the overall package that creates an outstanding document.

A good business proposal has an obvious beginning and ending. It has a clear message, which is conveyed through story-telling. It has graphics. Its format is clean and easy to read. Its length is appropriate for its audience and subject matter.

Here are the important elements of a great business proposal:

1) An engaging beginning – One of the most common mistakes made when it comes to writing proposals is starting with a dry opening paragraph. A good sell starts fast and strong and appeals to the reader on an emotional level. I often see proposals where the beginning doesn't have anything beyond a greeting paragraph, or an introduction that says "This is my proposal."

A good proposal begins with an opening statement about your company or product that immediately grabs the attention of the reader. The opening statement should make it clear why you're writing this particular proposal, what you can do for them, and how much it will cost them.

Try to get right to the point as quickly as possible. Explain your company, what it can do for them, how much it will cost them, and how they can achieve their objectives.

Be sure to devote the first two paragraphs of your proposal to a concise statement of who you are and what you do. Let your audience know that they're getting value right away by telling them what's in it for them.

2) A well-written, compelling message – This is perhaps the most important element of a successful proposal. If you don't get this part right, then your proposal will likely be rejected before it reaches the end. You must present a compelling introduction — one that presents clear value and clearly defines the problem or opportunity that you're solving for your audience.

Make sure that your reader gets exactly what he or she is looking for in the first few sentences. For example, if you're writing a proposal for an IT support company, you might start off your proposal with the following (taken from this article):

It's no secret that information technology plays a critical role in most companies. In today's highly competitive business climate, small and medium businesses are placing more emphasis on the importance of technology than ever before. Whether it be upgrading existing hardware, or building a new data center, today's companies need to know that their investment will provide them with the solutions they need...

You immediately get right to the point. You tell your reader what you do, who you help (small and medium sized companies), and explain how important technology is to them.

Now that you've caught the reader's attention, your job is to keep it there, and deliver on the value that you promised at the start of your proposal. By clearly defining your solution to their problem and how it will benefit them, you're creating a sense of urgency in the prospect. You're telling them right away why they need to hire you ASAP if they want to avoid falling behind in their competition. You're also making it clear why they should hire you instead of going with a competitor or taking their business elsewhere.

These two simple sentences set up a clear story line that readers can follow throughout the rest of your proposal. They know what you've done for other companies and why it's necessary that they have you do the same thing, or better, for their business.

3) A strong ending – Once your message has been delivered, it's time to end your proposal with a short summary and reiteration of your key points. Your proposal should end with a pitch that clearly tells the reader what he or she will gain from hiring you.

4) Effective storytelling – While the beginning and ending of your proposal are important, none of that matters if you can't effectively tell a story about what you do and why it should matter to the reader.

Conclusion

My hope is that this article helps you to craft an outstanding proposal. If you feel like there's more to be said on the topic, please feel free to leave a comment below – I want to hear what you have to say too!

If writing proposals is important to you, consider taking my free exam prep course: How To Pass The Proposal Exam. In it, we cover in-depth knowledge of the most common questions asked on the proposal exam and equip you with tips and techniques for making your proposals stand out in a positive way.

Download your copy of this course today at: How To Pass The Proposal Exam.