What should be included in a proposal?

Most people include lots of information about their company and their products when they write a proposal. But understand that customers want to know about you products and your company, but only within the context of how its going to help them solve their problem. In other words, you proposal needs to be customer focused, not product or seller focused.

With that said, every proposal should include these sections:
1. Cover letter
2. Title Page (that gets their attention)
3. Table of Contents (so they can easily find whichever part is most interesting to them)
4. Project Review that focuses on the issues they're trying to solve and the outcomes they expect (so they know that you understand their project).
5. Recommendations (a description of the solution you are proposing). This section should also include price, any logistics or timing issues, and the next steps you or they need to perform.
6. Explanation (why and how the solution you are recommending will actually help them to overcome the issues they face, and achieve the outcomes they seek).
7. Strengths (why your solution is better than any other solutions they may also be consider.
8. Contact information (who they should contact if they have questions).
9. Attachments, including contracts, statements of work, project plans, etc. Remember that a proposal is not a project plan, a brochure, a contract, etc., it is a sales tool used to persuade someone to purchase the solution you are proposing. Anything that doesn't directly support this effort necessarily impedes this effort. So take good hard look at all those documents that you might otherwise include in your proposal. Exclude them if they dont' make sense. If you do want to include them, include them as attachments, not part of the body of the proposal.

There are other things you can include in your proposal if necessary--such as a company history, success story, customer references, etc.--but only include these if you think they are necessary to persuade the decision maker.

Dave Seibert
President
The Seibert Group, Inc.
http://www.persuasionselling.com
dseibert@persuasionselling.com
513-598-4647