Proposal Writing:

Proposals are sales presentations

Persuasion lies at the heart of proposal writing.

It matters little whether your proposal is a memo / a letter or a
full document.

What does matter is the structure you apply to writing good
proposals.
You may write internal proposals for a certain service that you
expect from your organisation, or for a service that you would
like to take up, or arranging a series of lectures from the
industry so that the students benefit from these lectures.
Your company can also go outside, submitting a bid! that you
are "ualified to do a certain #ob for someone for a fee.
$rchitectural companies, management consultants, independent
contractors, and special service companies fre"uently submit
proposals to potential clients.
$lthough proposals contain some elements of a formal report,
their structure conforms more to the $I%$ formula of a sales
piece.
&ince a written proposal must sell an idea, you need to support
your argument in a compelling and convincing manner. You
must show your reader what you have to offer, how they will
benefit, and why, your proposal should be accepted.
'ollow these steps(
). Pre *writing(

What is the purpose of your proposal+beyond selling your ideas,
Who is the reader and what are the needs and motivations,
-ow do you catch the reader!s attention,
What results or outcomes the reader would like to have,
What information or background research wil you need in
writing your proposal,
.. Writing the proposal( /any companies have a standard format
for proposal. $ standard proposal format has these following
features(
0ackground of the situation
%escription of the current problem
Your approach to the problem
/ethodology 1 research2methods of gathering data 1 how
the research would be conducted
3xpected results 1 specific action steps
4ime 1 cost re"uirements2budget for proposed work 1
estimated time for completion
5 6evising the proposal
Sample Proposal Letter:
7ovember ), .88)
/r. 6amesh 4iwari, 9P, -6
0eyond *Persuasion! &ystems :td.
.; 9eer 7ariman 6oad
'ort
/umbai <88 88)
%ear /r. 4iwari,
:ast week, you spoke to /s. 6atna =apoor, our senior consultant,
about some of the organi>ational problems your firm is
experiencing. $t that time you asked us to submit a written
proposal outlining our approach to those problems and including
an estimate of time and expenses. 4his letter is in response to your
re"uest.
?ur @nderstanding of the Aurrent &ituation(
0eyond+ Persuasion! &ystems has rapidly grown since the time it
was founded in )BB8. 4he company has diversified into office
appliances, Aall Aenter re"uirements, and international sales. 0y
.888, the company sales also reached 6sC./. 4he number of
employees has grown from )88 to )888, with five branch offices
opened in Pune, %elhi, 0angalore, Ahennai and =olkata an one in
:ondon. %uring this total period of eleven years, the company did
not experience any decline except during )BBB when W4? and
other restrictions affected the business marginally.
-owever, the company has been experiencing organi>ational
problems along with its growth. Aommunications among
management levels and with support staff are often poor. Doals and
ob#ectives are not often communicated clearly throughout the
organi>ation. &ales and service ares overlap in some cases, and
there is considerable confusion about who services which
customers. Euality control is far from satisfaction, and faulty
e"uipment and appliances have been turning up in customers!
orders at an alarming rate. 4he morale of the workers is poor. 4he
union organi>ers have approached the company within the past
month to recruit union members from among employees in the
firm.
In short, the company is experiencing Fgrowing painsGin making
the transition from a small family *owned concern to a medium+
si>ed firm several branches across the country.
?ur $pproach to the Problem(
0eyond *Persuasion!&ystems is on the verge of entering a new
phase in ite development. We have assissted mant firms in making
the change from a small company to a larger concern. We can offer
consulting services on reorganising your management structure
without losing key individuals or disrupting the flow of
businessC.Hspecifically state how you propose to solve the
problems for ex. Providing training to the staff, accounting
procedures, distribution networks etc.I
3stimated 4ime and 3xpenses(
?n the basis of our past experiences with companies similar to
yours, we estimate that the tranisition period will take about six
months to completeC
Hhow you will redefine the organi>ational structureI
&incerely yours,
%r. :eena &en
CENTRE FOR COMMUNICATION STUDIES


=inds of Proposals(
6esearch Proposal Hacademic in natureI
0usiness Proposal H :ike reports may be solicited or unsolicited, has similar parts like
reportsI
Parts of Proposals(
4itle Page
3xecutive &ummary or &ynopsis
4abe of Aontents
Introduction H Purpose, Problem, &cope, Pro#ect 4eamI
0ackground
Procedures
3"uipment 1 'acilities
Personnel
0udget
). 4itle Page2should include the title, the name of the personor the company to whom
the proposal is submitted, the person submittingthe proposal, and the date.HIt is like
the title page of a reportI
.. 3xecutive &ummary2even brief proposals must have executive summaryJ the
evaluator will seek a "uick reviewJ it should speak for the complete proposalJ what
the ob#ectives are and what procedures should be followed
5. 0rief proposals do not re"uire 4AJ long proposals do.
<. Introduction++