How to Write a Business Proposal That Drives Action

A well-crafted business proposal is a great tool that can help you connect with and win over potential customers. The value proposition of any business proposal must be summed up in a concise and persuasive format that will convince businesses or organizations to work with you. If your presentation doesn’t follow a concise format it risks been ignored and discarded. As research implies, most business proposals are either accepted or rejected within the first 4 minutes of review.
It is therefore crucial that you take all required measures to ensure that every component of your proposal encourages the reader to take the appropriate action. This article highlights the ideal format to present a business proposal to necessitate a positive reaction from your reviewer.

1. Title Page
The first page of any business proposal should be the title page. The title page should convey and make clear certain fundamental details about your company, your target audience, and the proposal title. Your full company name, the name of the author, and contact information should be written boldly on this page to enable prospects reach you conveniently. The title page can also contain your website and social media handle details. Your title page must to be polished and able to grab the reader’s attention. Avoid including overly-complicated images and extraneous text in the structure of the title page.

2. Table of Contents
The table of content page is often referred to as the navigator page. It is the page that contain the page number of every other page in your proposal. The table of contents page is usually placed after the title page.
You must connect each item in your proposal to the table of contents. The table of content page should include how the pages are numbered as well as the titles of each part for physical submission.

3. Executive Summary
It offers a thorough description of the entirety of your proposal’s content, as the implication would suggest. Your executive summary should describe what sets your business proposal apart from the competition and how your customers will gain from working with you. It is similar to the value proposition and your chance to introduce your business, brand, and any available goods or services. After reading the Executive Summary the reader should be able to quickly understand who you are, what your organization does, what need your proposal covers and how it can particularly meet the client’s needs. In the executive summary, it’s crucial to remember that being succinct is critical.

4. Problem Statement
This section gives you the opportunity to outline the problem that requires attention, as well as to demonstrate to the reader that you have done extensive research on the subject and have a thorough understanding of the issues at hand as well as the steps required to solve them. The client will be able to ascertain that you did an excellent and in-depth research on their issue thanks to this.
A sense of urgency should be created in your problem statement by being as specific as you can be in expressing the scope of the issue your proposal is addressing.

5. Solution
The most significant portion of your proposal is the solutions page. You present a concise and thorough plan in this part on how to address the issue a business or client is experiencing. The decision as to how to handle the situation is entirely up to you. Some authors of business proposals mention a number of concerns and propose comprehensive answers, whilst other authors concentrate on one or two complex issues and offer a number of avoidance or remediation measures.
Keep in mind that a timeline is crucial in this part because your client will want to know when to anticipate the solution and when to anticipate outcomes. Additionally, the more specifically tailored your suggested solution is to the client’s viewpoint, the more appealing and convincing it will be.

6. Qualifications
Your credentials are included in the list to reassure your clients or audience that you have the requisite team of specialists or experience to solve the problem.
Because the readers of the unsolicited proposal don’t know you, your task in this section is to persuade them. This section typically appears in the unsolicited proposal. Qualifications are not necessary in solicited proposals, however, as the use of an RFP demonstrates that the clients are already aware of your credentials.
The easiest way to support your credentials in this part is to use social proof. Display previous client endorsements, positive social media comments, accolades from the industry, or pertinent examples that may demonstrate the value you offer your clients. Nearly as significant as the social proof is the tone.

7. Price Summary
You don’t want to overprice or underprice your goods and services, which could make this part a little tough. Here, you should describe your solution’s financial cost as well as any additional expenses that might arise.
Giving potential customers choices is essential for effective pricing. Your clients have more negotiating power when there are options available on an option-free table. Additionally, if appropriate, make sure that prices can be cut off only when necessary.
Particularly if your proposal will be presented online, your pricing structure should be laid out in a table that is simple to read and understand. Make sure they are fully aware of what they are purchasing and the cost.

8. Terms and Conditions
You should describe your project timeline in detail and discuss the billing process in this part. Before sending the proposal to the client, it is also the page where all legal requirements are stated. Both of you will understand what has been agreed upon in this way.
This section is required for proposals that are aimed towards clients or customers, but it is probably not required for internal proposals. To avoid frustrating your readers while they are reading, refrain from utilizing complicated legalese and industry jargon. Be straightforward and concise.

9. Conclusion
Everything that has a beginning must have an end. The conclusion page is the end of the proposal. Here you summarize the problem statement and the potential solutions.