How to write business proposals that persuade clients and win contracts
Your Proposal Must Persuade
Business proposals are written for one reason - to win business. You win business when your proposals persuade clients that your solutions are better than your competitors. So, as you start to write your proposal, bear in mind that your main objective is to persuade the reader to buy your service.
Persuasion takes four steps
Your proposal will persuade the reader if you do four things:
1. Understand the client's need
You get the reader's attention by stating a specific need or problem they have and explain how you can solve this. Every client-centred proposals show that you understand their need. Show clients that you recognize
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8. How to support or prove assertions? What evidence is required to persuade the client?
9. What are the main weaknesses in the proposal? Where could it fall down or be rejected it?
10. What assumptions are made in the proposal?
11. Does this proposal state that the client must take some action? Are the consequences of inaction explained?
12. What costs, in time and money, would result in this inaction?
13. Are there human resource issues involving coordinating large numbers of people and resources for the proposal? Prepare a Winning Strategy
What every strategy must consider
Every proposal must include an understanding of three things:
Their business needs
Your strengths
The competitor's strengths and weaknesses The client's business needs
Of the three elements in any strategy; this is the most important. If your get this step wrong, all your efforts will be in vain. Use the seven-step, client-centred approach mentioned earlier to identify the client's need or problem. Your company's business strengths
To win proposals, you need to establish the difference between itself and the competition. To do this, head separate sheets of paper with the names of your products and services. Beneath each heading, list everything that makes you stand out in the marketplace, and that separates you from the competition. Try to identify "uniqueness selling points" about your business. The competitor's strengths & weaknesses
Look at
Starting a business, one may ask some questions to evaluate his or her ability to run a business successfully. An owner needs to question the finances, the challenges, the strengths, and weaknesses. First, the owners need to know finance: how much capital to startup business, what loans are available based on the business plan and financial statements, and how to keep up with profits and losses to determine the future of the business. Besides determining capital, the owners need to know what challenges they will face. Writing a well-executed business plan is the first challenge and important because it is a guideline to start business and to show lending institution or to attract investors for the business. Also, owners need to think who ideal customers are and who they can target to make a successful marketing strategy. Moreover, they have to think about their competitions because no business operates without competition whether it is direct or indirect. The competition has a significant impact on customer’s buying decisions. In order to compete with their competitors, they have to know their strengths and weaknesses: Are their products unique? Is the product better than the competitors’? Is the price
When collecting evidences must ensure there are no confidentially information which relates to neither the company nor their clients/customers. The evidences must be created by the candidates so that way they are valid and fair. If the candidate does not create the evidence then it is hard to identify whether or not it is fair. All evidences must be valid. I must check dates and check the assessment reports. I must speak to the Manager and advise them which type of evidence the candidate will be submitting.
Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank founded Home Depot Corp in 1978 (The Home Depot, 2013). The business created strategic product analysis providing an assortment of items to consumers. From the beginning, workers have been able to deliver superior customer satisfaction in the business, helping consumers with jobs such as handling power tools, changing out parts on appliances, laying tile, etc. The Home Depot employees all underwent arduous training to familiarize each employee with products. In addition, the business began hosting workshops to teach consumers on how to do things themselves.
Persuasion is the attempt to influence the attitudes, beliefs, or actions of members of a particular audience. Persuasive messages are designed to target audiences who are inclined to resist (Hirsh et al, 2012). They are generally longer and more detailed than sales messages and require more strategic planning. To persuade a skeptical or hostile audience, it is important to establish credibility. Persuasive request messaging seeks to appear reliable and worthy of confidence. Information aids understanding and communicates the benefits of a specific course of action.
Sussman 's article deals with the idea of framing the message that provides the perspective that we want others to adopt by presenting a rationale, and a sequential pattern for presenting the evidence for that position. The article draws from Aristotle 's traditional method of examining the ethos, pathos, and logos pattern of persuasion. Sussman provides for steps to framing a message which includes: determine your specific objective, conduct a swot analysis of the other party 's current status, determine the other party 's core values, and write a simple, vivid, evaluative statement linking the other three. The frame is important because it orients the receiver to examine the message with a certain disposition. The three goals of the frame that are to choose the evaluative theme that is believed to be the most credible or compelling. Next, decide on the evidence that supports that perspective, and create a structure that provides the perspective that we want the receiver to understand.
Argument supported by convincing and integrated evidence and/or examples. Clear ‘case’ is built and argument ‘signposted’.
In order to determine how many titles the organization should transform (products to offer), it could compare total revenue and total cost; or, compare the marginal revenue and marginal cost. (McConnell, Brue, & & Flynn, 2009, p. 180) Focusing on the first method of total revenue and total cost. Using the numbers mentioned above, the organization’s total revenue for the older titles if they were to lower the prices to $8, TR= $8,000. Couple this with the idea that the transformation of the older titles should be minimal to nothing because of the fact that it will be done internally. It would be important to estimate the cost of creating the files at $3 a book since the organization is currently using very low cost venue and the organization is consuming the utilities that match that. For the same 1,000 books we used to figure total revenue, TC=$3,000. The organization will be establishing a total profit of $5,000.
Discuss the competitive advantage of your product and explain why people will choose your product over the competition. I think people choose Arby’s because it so darn good. It tastes a lot better than the competition’s sandwiches. I love the Arby’s roast beef with horsey sauce and arby’s sauce. That is some good food right there.
6. Be a problem solver - and a solution finder.Clients hire us to help them solve problems. The more problems we can help them solve, the better. This advice is in line with saying "yes", and somewhat counter to saying "no", but worthy of singular discussion. Sometimes our activities allow us to see things that can be helpful to the client. Weigh these opportunities and when appropriate, help (or offer to help) the client solve the problem - even if they didn 't know the problem existed.This advice starts before you search for those problems. It starts with being observant, and understanding the big picture of the client 's business objectives. Clients will generally be thrilled if you can identify areas for improvement - especially when you have suggestions on how to improve the situation.7. Keep your distance.Therapists say you can 't help the family if you are part of the family. This is true for us as consultants as well. We do become more valuable the more we work in an organization, but we need to keep our role clearly defined within the organization. Even as we build the relationships that make us successful, we need to be diligent in keeping our distance so we can continue to provide valued and effective advice and expertise.Refer to your contract to help you stay within role. Experience shows that letting the client know that you are concerned for
Clearly describe your services in a compelling way that will influence potential clients to use your services instead of a competitors
As the economy changes, so is the need to make changes within the organization. A business proposal would allow for an in depth review of financial structure. A closer look at current business functions will make you aware of what you have and how to use those items to make sure you are moving forward to success. Taking small steps of looking in detail of what changes can be made can make the difference in making money and losing it for a company. Here at Thomas Money Services, Inc., there is a need to make money. That is the goal; to grow in this ever changing business world. This proposal was designed to give a review of what is happening currently with Thomas Money Services, Inc. and to be able to show how it can expand. Forestry equipment is not the primary focus of the business but may be one of the saving graces for more revenue. The changes can be done with ease with a solid business plan.
There are (3) reasons why I have chosen energy drinks as my NAB. First off, there is a growing market for energy drinks. Red Bull and Monster Beverage Corporation, together, form over 80% of domestic energy drinks volumes by estimates. Dollar sales for energy drinks grew almost 6% to $6.67 Billion in measured channels in 2013, which propelled sales growth for convenience stores (Team, 2014). A growing thirst for caffeinated “energy” drinks, which include the likes of Red Bull, Monster, and Rock star, has spurred a heart-thumping surge in sales. Globally, the energy drink industry has gone from a $3.8-billion business in 1999, to a $27.5-billion
1. If you were one of the board members, how would you have initially voted for the proposal? What would your vote be after the recess in the meeting? Why?
The development of start-ups is an important business activity that requires effort, time, and financial resources. It is important to correctly establish the resources that are required by opening a business in order to be able to successfully reach the objectives established for businesses in each situation. In this case, the business plan refers to developing a restaurant that focuses on providing meals that are based on organic foods.
Furthermore, the basic start of a business begins with a business plan. “A business plan precisely defines your business, identifies your goals, and serves as your firm’s resume”