HOW TO MAKE A BUSINESS PROPOSAL THAT GETS THE 'YES'

 HOW TO MAKE A BUSINESS PROPOSAL THAT GETS THE 'YES'

Asking someone to make you an offer for something you are selling can be hard, especially if you don’t know that person very well, or if it’s your first time doing so. To get the best possible outcome, you need to create a business proposal that makes it easy for them to say yes and difficult to say no. 

Here’s how to make your business proposal as effective as possible :

1. Know Your Audience

No matter how you frame it, making a business proposal is about selling your idea. When trying to sell your idea, it's important to first know who you're pitching your idea to. Different people are looking for different things from their partners in business. Just like every other type of sales pitch, you need to know who you're talking with so that you can tailor what you say and how you say it. Some potential clients will want to be reassured by facts, while others will be swayed more by stories. What do they already have? What could they get out of this? Once you figure out what they want, then you'll know how to persuade them that they should work with you. One way to find out these preferences is to ask some questions before diving into the details of your product or service. Ask about what excites them, what frustrates them, and where they see themselves in five years. Those answers will tell you what they care about most, which is key when developing your argument. You might even have to give up on one part of your proposal if you notice early on that your prospect doesn't care much about it. It's better to nip any objections in the bud rather than try to win someone over who doesn't share the same enthusiasm as you do for your business idea. If there's nothing else you take away from this post, let it be the importance of research. If you've done your homework and identified all the needs of your audience, then you're setting yourself up for success. Even if your prospect has never heard of ____,  (your product/service), you have a fighting chance to present an idea that will generate excitement. After all, there's no one size fits all strategy here; it takes a little finesse to make sure that your message resonates with the individual person on the other side of the table. By understanding their concerns and motivations, you can start designing a story tailored to convince them that your proposition is the best possible solution for their particular situation. The good news is that getting inside their head means you don't have to spend time convincing them at all-you just have to show them how great your idea is! When crafting your proposal, think about what they'll want to hear. To capture their attention, use concrete language and phrases that show them exactly how you will help. Be wary of jargon because it comes off as too technical and difficult for the layperson to understand. Also make sure not to go overboard with detail or follow too rigidly onto a point because both those things can bore someone pretty quickly. Instead, keep your speech short but sweet - tell them everything they need to know without wasting their time. Try to include the benefits that would appeal to your audience, whether those benefits are monetary, psychological, or emotional. Remember: People buy based on emotion but justify their purchase with logic. In order to keep your reader engaged, you'll want to include plenty of examples and data points. Try breaking up your speech with anecdotes - personal stories about clients you've helped in the past - or statistics that demonstrate the magnitude of what you're proposing. Don't forget to offer a timeline of what the next steps will be. Tell them how long it will take for you to implement your plan, how often you will reach out, and how they will receive feedback on their progress. Now that you know what your audience wants, it's time to design your proposal. You want something attractive enough that it catches their eye, but also clear and concise enough that they're not overwhelmed with information.

2. Keep It Short

When you are preparing to make a business proposal, it can be helpful to look at some examples. You can find many examples online and in books. These will give you an idea of what information should be included in your proposal as well as how much detail should go into each step. 

The following is an example of a summary of what might go into making a business proposal:  What do they hope to achieve? 

 How much time does this project require? 

 Who else will be involved on their team? What resources (equipment, personnel) will be needed? 

What are the costs associated with the production process? 

What level of quality do they want to have with this product or service? What deadlines need to be met? And finally, what is the budget for this project? 

All of these questions and considerations must be answered before starting a business proposal. Once you have all the necessary information, it's important to lay out everything clearly so that your potential client can quickly read through the document and easily answer yes to hiring you for this job. There are several ways you could do this. One way would be to break up the different sections of your proposal and summarize them briefly in separate paragraphs with one sentence under each. Another way would be to use headings that correspond to your major points . In this case, you would need two headings: What we're trying to achieve and How we're going about doing it. In the first heading, make sure to include a short paragraph explaining what your goal is with this proposal. Under the second heading, start by stating your plan for tackling the task--including who will be working on it, when it needs to happen by, how long it will take, etc., and then end by summing up with the total cost. It may also be helpful to include pie charts if there are parts of your proposal that involve money. 

3.Make It Visually Appealing

A business proposal is an important document that can make or break your business and it's worth taking the time to make sure it's structured in a way that will get you to yes. We've created some templates for you, so all you need to do is fill in the blanks! 

- Template 1: For an established company 

- Template 2: For an established company with an offer on their product/service and looking for a partner. 

 What are the disadvantages of this template?

- Template 3: For new start-up company looking for investors 

- Template 4: For new start-up company looking to borrow money from lenders We'll show you how to structure your proposal in a way that attracts the interest of potential investors by including plenty of information about your company. 

4.Highlight What's in it For Them

The best way to ensure that you are presenting a proposal that gets the 'yes' is by highlighting what's in it for them. You should avoid asking for money, and instead make sure they understand how they will benefit. For example, if you're asking for funding from an investor, explain how your new business will help them reach their goals. It can also be helpful to include testimonials or letters of recommendation from people who have worked with you before or know about your skills/history/pursuit of this opportunity and emphasize why this would be advantageous for the company rather than just mentioning it as an afterthought at the end of your proposal. After all, it is usually more difficult for the person reading your proposal to grasp what you want without reading a list of the benefits they'll get. Consider giving examples and statistics whenever possible. If you've done research on your audience beforehand (by speaking to someone in charge), use this knowledge to tailor your presentation accordingly. However, don't go overboard and turn it into a sales pitch; this isn't about you anymore! Instead, talk about their specific needs and ways in which your product will satisfy those needs. They need to see that the investment of time and resources won't go to waste; give them tangible proof that they'll succeed with you! Once they've been convinced of this, tell them the next steps they'll take: Once they've been convinced of this, tell them the next steps you plan to take. Namely: A) What kind of paperwork do we need? B) When do we sign? C) When can I expect my first payment? D) What happens when we part ways? E) What does my involvement entail day-to-day? F) Where do I start? G) How long will it take? H) Who am I working with and who can I contact? I) How often will I hear from you? J) Am I able to work remotely? .Therefore, there is always a place for a brief paragraph where you state your passion for their company, what you're looking forward to accomplishing while there, and why this job means so much to you personally. This shows them that you aren't just trying to land any old job; instead, you want to invest yourself in their mission and really make a difference.

5. Edit, edit, edit

A business proposal is your one opportunity to sell your business idea and convince someone else it's worth their time and investment. If you're not careful, this can turn into an unreadable mess of text. Spend some time editing your proposal down so it's clear and concise. Let the reader know what they will get out of reading your proposal, how it benefits them, and why they should care about what you're saying. Put yourself in the shoes of your prospective client: be persuasive, but don't be pushy. Keep things conversational; keep using you as opposed to I. Your proposal isn't just for you, but also for the person who might invest or hire you after reading it. You want to tell your story and make it easy for them to do what they need to do next with little resistance on either side.

For Example :

Let me help show you the best way (with my expert advice)  ____ _____ _____ _____ _____ ______ _______ . With a list of projects and corresponding goals, we'll figure out which ones are most important. Once those are determined, we'll divide the tasks up and delegate them accordingly. By creating a timeline together, we'll have something concrete to follow that outlines the progress being made on each project. The last step is deciding when to meet again so that we can update our status reports and share any findings from meetings with stakeholders and other team members. I usually recommend every three weeks since it allows us to stay organized and still feel productive. That would mean our next meeting would be scheduled for March 22nd at 9am PST? Good. Here's my email address if you need anything before then I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

6. Use Simple Language

A business proposal is a formal document that outlines your idea, how it will work, and why it will be beneficial. You can make an excellent business proposal in five sentences. 

- Title: What you want to do 

- Who is this for? - Why do they need what you're offering? - What's your plan? - How much does it cost? Where are you going to get the money? How long will it take to implement? When would we see results?

 I've put together some of my ideas into a few sentences below. Please let me know if you have any questions. 

- The title should be concise but still clear about what the project is about  

- Include who this is for and why they need what their services/idea  

- Be specific about how long it will take to complete, when people will see results, and where you'll find funding  

- Keep language simple - Use plain language  

- Address how successful it is  

- Assume people know nothing about the industry you are working in 

- Give a good overview of the problem without being too detailed  

- Describe the solution without getting too technical - Tell them how successful it will be  

- Outline which industries it could apply to  

- Explain why you're qualified to offer this service - List costs  

- List benefits  

- Define success - Introduce the current problem  

- Describe the solution  

- Make sure people know you're qualified by explaining how you came up with the idea 

- Establish credibility by providing evidence from previous successes or citing industry experts as supporters 

- Show urgency with phrases like time is running out or opportunities are shrinking to create pressure; use these phrases sparingly so it doesn't come off as desperate or unrealistic. If there's a deadline, state it! When would we start seeing results? 

-If there's anything else you don't understand, feel free to ask. We hope that this brief overview provides enough information for you to decide whether our proposal is something worth investing in. 

-We appreciate your consideration and look forward to hearing back from you soon. Thank you again for taking the time to read over our proposal. We sincerely appreciate all of your time, attention, and feedback.