How to Write a Business Proposal That Gets You the Job You Want

Business proposals are written to impress. They’re not just a way to set yourself apart from your competitors; they’re a way to show that you understand the value of what you’re proposing and how it will help make your business successful. If you don’t know what you’re getting into, then your business proposal might end up being as uninspiring as your startup itself. After all, great ideas have nothing to do with how original or clever they are — it’s what a company can actually deliver that counts. Fortunately, there are still plenty of ways to come up with a killer business proposal without too much effort. Keep reading to discover the most important elements to consider when writing one and how to do so accordingly.

Define your focus

Before you start writing a business proposal, you’ll want to know exactly what your business is about. This will help you to structure your proposal so that it’s focused on what you love to do and why you’d love to do it. If you don’t know what you’re getting into, then your business proposal might end up being as uninspiring as your startup itself. After all, great ideas have nothing to do with how original or clever they are it’s what a company can actually deliver that counts.

Tell your story

Once you’ve defined your focus, it’s time to tell your story. This is the backbone of any business proposal. Your story will help potential customers and investors to identify with your business and understand why they would want to buy your products or sign up for your service. A great way to start telling your story is to list out your key benefits. In your business proposal, you’ll want to make sure that your benefits match the needs and wants of your target audience. You’ll want to make sure that your benefits are related to the value you’d like to offer your customers or investors. For example, if you have a products or services that help people sleep, then you’ll want to list out the value that your product or service provides.

Show, don’t just tell

Having a “how to” section and a “how to do it” section in your business proposal is fine, but doing so alone doesn’t cut it. You must also weave your business proposal story together with details, examples, and statistics to back up your claims. To keep your audience’s attention, you also need to keep their interest in you. This is why we recommend using examples, statistics, and other methods to pique your reader’s curiosity. People like to learn, and examples, statistics, and other ways of showing your business’s value pique their interest enough to keep them reading.

Network, network, network

Lastly, don’t just focus on how you’ll get the job focus on how you’ll keep it. When prospects ask you to send them your business proposal, you need to make sure that you have a follow-up email address. From there, you can send regular reminders to make sure that you’re keeping your options open and that you’re not set in stone.

Keep it simple but effective

A business proposal isn’t just a way to state your case, it’s an effective method to state your case. Although you don’t want to write a complex or lengthy business proposal, the core ideas and information you include should be relevant and necessary to get your business up and running. In other Business proposals words, don’t include information that you’re not necessarily required to give away-stock options, financials, etc. Keep it simple, don’t over-describe, and make sure that your audience gets the points that they need to know. All this, combined with effective writing, will make your business proposal stand out from the crowd.

Summing up

Writing a business proposal can be nerve-wracking. It’s one of those things that you want to do with confidence, but you also don’t want to be too confident because you don’t want to sound like you’re asking for a job. That’s why it’s important to keep these 10 steps in mind when writing a business proposal and how to do so accordingly. A well-written business proposal is the difference between getting Business proposals the job and not getting the job.