How a business proposal is written and presented can mean the difference between winning and losing the business. Naturally, the proposal will contain many specifics, but here are the main elements that the proposal must address:  

• What is the key business problem that the business owner or manager is trying to solve?

  • It is not enough to simply state the symptom of the problem. You will have to be very specific about stating this problem in terms that will break it down to its basic elements. For example, “slow sales”, or “poor customer service” is only a symptom. The real problem could be marketing, pricing, product positioning, quality, etc… The reason(s) as to why these are the root cause should be articulated.

• The result: If this problem was to be solved, what would the effect of this outcome be on the business? Again, state specifics, such as, increase revenue by 12%, reduce employee turnover by 5%, or reduce cost by $65,000 a year. You need to be clear and credible on how you arrived to this ROI

• What bad things will happen if they don't do it? Would not doing this work cause further loss of revenue? Result in declining product quality? Etc…In some cases, one may find that doing nothing is perfectly ok. If this is the case, you need to be perfectly honest, and say so. You will earn the business owner’s respect, and boost your credibility for future business, or another project.

• Timing: Why is it important to do this work now? Stating the time element can mean the difference between starting the project next month or next year. If the project can wait without a downside, you owe it to yourself and to the business owner to say that, and move on to the next project. The project goes to the sales pipleine, and your customer will appreciate your candor.