There are an estimated 213 million companies worldwide, and all of those companies want the same thing—to make a profit. Many people think that the most important part of running a company and being profitable is to focus on lead generation.
But to be truly successful, you need to make sure those leads are interested in the services you have to offer. And the best way to get them to sign that contract is with a well-written business proposal.
If you’ve never written a business proposal before, here are some tips that could help.
Know what your potential clients want
Ideally, you should reach out to your client before you present them with a proposal. After all, you can’t write a proposal that will prove you are the right fit for a job if you don’t know what the client wants and expects from you. A project proposal template can help you in this regard
This will help you make a good first impression while also saving you a lot of time in the long run. If you know what’s expected from you and if you use a good business proposal sample, the rest of the process will be much smoother.
Prepare an engaging introduction
The key to closing any sort of deal is making a good first impression. And the first thing your potential clients will see when reading your business proposal is the introduction.
This can make or break your proposal, so make sure you do it right. In your introduction, you need to provide clients with an insight into what your company does, why it’s better than competitor companies, and why you are the best choice for the job.
The introduction shouldn’t be too lengthy. Ideally, it should be just 3 or 4 sentences long.
Describe the services you’re providing
The point of your business plan is to show what you’re going to do for your client and how you’re going to help them achieve their goals. In this part of your business plan, you need to be clear about what you’re planning to provide and how you are going to do that.
For example, if you’re an advertising company, you can talk about the best ways to advertise a business and explain what strategies you plan to implement. Just make sure you’re as straightforward as possible so there are no issues once the project starts.
Don’t forget about social proof
Not all clients you approach are going to know who you are and if they can trust your business. So apart from talking about all the things you can do for them and ways you can help their business, you need to show what you’ve done for other companies in the past.
That’s where social proof comes in. Just like 87% of consumers check out reviews of local businesses online wanting to know if their previous customers are satisfied, your clients want to know the same. But instead of making them search for this social proof by themselves, provide it for them.
Talk about your previous clients, what you did for them, and how you helped them achieve their goals. You can also ask previous clients if you can include their contact information in case your new clients want to confirm the social proof you provided.
Be clear about your price, terms, and conditions
Finding the right price could be tricky, but it’s not impossible. Try to find a balance between what you know you’re worth and what your competitors are charging. If possible, you can offer different pricing tiers if you can offer different levels of service.
Include your terms and conditions
Your client should know exactly what they’re getting into when they sign a contract with you, which is why you should include terms and conditions. Here are some of the things you can specify when writing your terms and conditions:
- How many revisions do you plan on doing on a piece of work;
- What the penalties are for any missed deadlines;
- Who holds the rights of usage for the things you create while working for the company;
- What guarantees you’re willing to provide.
Of course, terms and conditions will vary based on the scope of work, the timeline of the job, and other factors. But as long as you and your client are both on the same page, there should be no issues.
Final thoughts
Writing the perfect proposal often feels like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. Even though the future of your company depends on the quality of your proposals, as long as you know how to write a good business proposal, there is nothing you should be worried about. If you’re having trouble writing a business proposal, make sure you read our tips again.