Eight Steps To A Winning Proposal

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...Table of Contents, Executive Summary, Introduction, Body, Summary and Conclusions and Bibliography. You might also list the charts, graphs, tables or illustrations you will create and, if you are presenting your proposal, you may also need to create an outline for a slide show.

Step 4. Gather your data. Carry out your research, gather data and assemble the information you need. You might want to include background information on your business and industry and show how your offering saves money or increases income for your customer, and performs better than alternatives.

Step 5. Write the Proposal. Use clear, objective...

...language and write what you would say to your customer if you were making the proposal in person. Remember you are writing a serious commercial document. While you hope it will be the basis of much future business, remember that it will be pored over in the event of a dispute. Both parties need to clearly understand the offer, so your words need to be carefully weighed.

Step 6. Polish and improve. Carefully proof read all documents and check spelling and grammar. Make sure your proposal documents are smartly formatted and use your logo and colours in a consistent style. Use the features in Word to create your cover page, contents, footnotes, page numbers and bibliography.

Step 7. Deliver and present. Get your proposal in front of your client. Present it, or at least deliver it, in person for maximum impact. It is now time to begin the process of overcoming objections, asking for the order and completing the sale.

Step 8. Review the outcome. Monitor and learn from your success rate. If you won the business easily, was your price too low? If you failed to win the business, what can you learn to improve your proposals in the future? Does your proposal writing... continued on page three >

 

 

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