
Composing a winning business proposal is as
much art as it is skill. Carl Dickson, publisher of
CapturePlanning.com, a website offering education in business
development, shares these suggestions.
Offer the basics. Every proposal should at
least describe the work to be done, who will be doing it (including
contact info) and where it will be accomplished.
Don’t bury the lead. Dickson recommends placing
your most important thought right up front in the proposal, rather
than saving the best for last or building to a finish.
Don’t use a template. “We get a lot of requests
from people for samples of proposals,” says Dickson. “People think
if they could just see a proposal they would be OK preparing their
own. We try to advise people to design their proposal around their
particular customer’s expectations.”
Be concise. Less can be more. If the customer
requires specifics, be sure to include them, but if a simpler
proposal would make the case with more clarity, then don’t get too
detailed.