How to Write a Services Sales Proposal

If you're in the business of selling services, the odds are that you are perpetually seeking new clients. Decades ago, you might be able to get by with a phone book listing, maybe a newspaper ad, and word-of-mouth recommendations. Those days are long gone. These days, the competition is fierce. This means that you need to know how to write a proposal to pitch your services to new clients.

Not a writer? Never written a proposal before? Don't panic. Creating a business proposal might seem like a formidable task, but it doesn't have to be. Plenty of resources are available that will show you how to introduce yourself, highlight your services, outline your costs, and help your clients understand you are the right person for the job. Here's the key: you don't have to start from scratch, staring a blank page on your computer. Using pre-designed templates and reviewing similar sample proposals can help you write your own winning proposal quickly and efficiently.

New proposal writers sometimes make the mistake of sending out only a cover letter along with a list of services and associated prices. Don't do that. A price list can never substitute for a real proposal. A proposal is a document intended to persuade potential clients to give you their business. To be successful, you must gain the clients' trust and make them understand that you can deliver the services they need.

As a general rule to prepare for writing any kind of proposal, your first step should be to gather enough information about the client to present a proposal that is tailored to that client's specific needs. Yes, it might take a bit of work, but that work is much more likely to pay off. It's never a good idea to send every potential client an identical sales letter. A client is much more likely to accept a tailored proposal.

After you've collected information on your potential client, writing the proposal is a reasonably straightforward process. That's because proposals that offer services, regardless of the type of services, follow a similar structure: first comes the introduction, then a summary of the client's needs, followed by descriptions of the services offered, as well as details and costs. Then the proposal should conclude with information about the service provider, such as relevant experience, credentials, and capabilities.

So, for the introduction section, start out with a Cover Letter and a Title Page. The Cover Letter should be brief: simply deliver a personal introduction and provide your company contact information. The Title Page is just what it sounds like: it should introduce your tailored proposal and give a clear message about the project or scope of services you are pitching. Some examples might be "Proposal to Provide Window Cleaning Services for The Beaker Building", "Proposed Payroll Services for Morgan Corporation", or "Landscape Care Plan for North Community College Campus". Don't forget to add a call to action and ask for the clients business or schedule a meeting.

After the Cover Letter and the Title Page, add topic pages to show that you understand the needs of your client. Depending on how large the proposed scope of work is, you may or may not need to precede the detailed pages with a brief summary. For a complex project or variable scope of work that needs a summary, this summary section (often just a page or two) is normally called an Executive Summary for corporate clients, or a Client Summary for a less formal project. In the pages of this client-centered section, describe the needs of the specific prospective client and demonstrate your understanding of that client's requirements, goals, and desires. Be sure to mention any restrictions or limitations you are aware of. This is not yet the place where you talk about yourself. This section is all about the client.

After the client-centered section comes your turn to shine. The next section should be all about how you can satisfy the client's needs and desires. You'll add pages about your services and costs, with titles like Services Provided, Benefits, and Services Cost Summary. Include all the topics you need to describe exactly what you propose to provide and how much your services will cost. Finally, you need to persuade your client that you are the best choice for the job, so add pages like About Us / Company History, Capabilities, Our Clients, References, Credentials, Awards, and Testimonials; in other words, include everything you need to convince your client that you can be trusted to deliver the services needed.

After you have all the information written for your proposal, it's time to focus on making your proposal visually appealing. Add some color and graphics by incorporating your company logo. Consider using colored borders and selecting custom bullet points and fonts that match your business style.

Once you feel your proposal is complete, carefully proofread and spell-check all the pages. You should have someone who is unfamiliar with your proposal proof it as well, because it's very common to miss mistakes in your own work.

Finally, save your proposal as a PDF file or print it and then deliver it to your potential client. The best delivery method will depend on your business and your relationship with your potential client. Emailing PDF files to clients is very common; however, there are times when a nicely printed, signed and hand-delivered proposal will be more impressive, because it shows you value that potential client enough to put in some extra personal effort.

As you can see, a services sales proposal can mean something different to everyone who needs to write one, and everyone’s needs for what to include will vary, depending on organizations, projects, and the scope of services involved.

The good news is that all services sales proposals follow a similar format and structure, and you can find all the templates (and contracts) you need in Proposal Kit. The templates contain explanations of what those particular pages should contain, and they will guide you in writing and formatting appropriate information for your proposal sections. Proposal Kit also contains a wide variety of sample services proposals that will give you great ideas and help you get a jump start on writing your own winning proposal.

How to Write a Security Business Proposal

Are you an expert in the field of security? That category can include a lot of different businesses—everything from providing bodyguard services to designing software security programs to selling and installing burglar alarms and security cameras.

You know all about your field. You know your capabilities and what your clients need from you. But do you know how to win new clients and gain more business share? These days all businesses are clamoring for attention, and there's a lot of competition out there, too. So the old business practices of sending out form letters and paying for an ad in the local phone book is probably not the smartest strategy. The best way to succeed in expanding your client base and securing more contracts is to master the art of writing a business proposal.

You've never written a business proposal? Don't sweat it. There are four elements that make up every business proposal. Here's the basic structure: Section 1) introduce yourself; Section 2) show that you understand your prospective client's needs; Section 3) highlight your goods and services and present your costs; and Section 4) persuade the client that your organization is the right pick for the job. Doesn't sound so tough, does it? You can also get a head start by using pre-designed templates and samples along with some automation software to help you efficiently write your proposal.

If you follow the four-section structure described above, writing a business proposal for a security related business will be fairly straightforward. The number of pages in your proposal will vary depending on the complexity of the project you are proposing. An average proposal is five to ten pages long. A complex proposal could have dozens of pages. A very short one might include only an introductory Cover Letter, a Work Order or a Products or Services Provided page, and a Price List.

The secret to creating a successful proposal is to tailor it to the party who will make the decision about whether or not to accept your proposal. Put yourself in the other person's shoes. What does that person or organization need? What are their concerns? If you don't know that party well, you may need to do some research, but it will pay off in creating a customized proposal that is much more likely to succeed than any form letter.

Tailoring a proposal doesn't mean that each page needs to be unique. You will naturally reuse many of the same pages in multiple proposals. But each proposal should be targeted to the specific client's needs. A proposal is a sales document; its goal is to persuade potential clients to give you their business. To be persuasive, you must instill trust that you can deliver the goods or services they need, and that takes some personalized effort.

Proposal Pack Security #1

Start your proposal by introducing yourself and the proposal with a Cover Letter and Title Page. Keep your Cover Letter brief: explain who you are, include all relevant contact information, and print the letter on your company letterhead. The Title Page is exactly what it sounds like: a page that introduces your proposal and the specific project you are proposing. Some examples might be "Installation and Monitoring of Security Cameras and Alarm Systems for the Ryleston Buildings," "Proposal to Provide Security Services for the Regional Mayors Conference," "Proposed Upgrading of Computer Security for XYX Corporation."

After the introduction section comes a client-centered section. Here you will include topics that show your understanding of your potential client. Depending on the complexity of the project you are proposing, you may or may not need to start off with a detailed summary (called an Executive Summary for corporate clients or a Client Summary for a less formal project). In this client-centered section, describe the prospective client's needs, goals, and concerns. This is not yet the place where you talk about your goods or services. This section is all about your client.

After the client-centered section comes your section and your chance to shine. Add pages that describe how you will provide solutions to the client's needs with your goods or services. You'll add pages with titles like Safety, Security, Services Provided, Benefits, Products, Price List, Services Cost Summary, Warranty, Guarantee and so forth—include all the topics you need to describe exactly what you intend to provide and how much it will cost.

You will need specialized topics that pertain to your particular business. Add pages with details the client will want to know. For example, a company that sells computer security software might want to include descriptions of Software or Specifications, as well as Certifications held by their employees. A bodyguard service will probably need descriptions of Personnel, details about their Training, Contingency Plan pages, discussion of Discretion issues, and so forth. A company selling security cameras and other devices may need to include pages about Equipment, Service Plans, Customer Service pages, and Warranty or Guarantee pages.

After you've described your goods and services and costs comes the final section, where you provide information about your company. Your goal is to conclude your proposal by convincing the prospective client that you can be trusted to deliver the goods or services you have described. Here, you'll add pages like About Us / Company History, Awards, Testimonials, References, Qualifications, Capabilities, Our Clients, Experience, and so on. Include everything you need to convince the client that you can do what you've promised.

That's it! The proposal is written. Now, take a little time to make your proposal visually appealing. You want it to stand out from the competition. Add color and graphics by incorporating your company logo, selecting custom bullet points and fonts, or adding colored page borders. Don't go overboard, though—you want to match  your business style.

Be sure to carefully proofread and spell-check all the pages. If your proposal seems carelessly thrown together, the reader will probably conclude you're careless, too. It's always hard to spot errors in your own work, so it's a good idea to have someone who is unfamiliar with your proposal do the final proof. Remember that spell check cannot catch words that are correctly spelled but misused.

Save your proposal as a PDF file or print it, and then deliver it. Although it's common to email PDF files to clients nowadays, a hand-delivered printed proposal may impress the client more. If the new business is especially valuable to you and you have a lot of competition for work, you should put your best effort into the proposal and delivery.

You can see that each proposal for a security business will include different pages, and for maximum success, each proposal should be tailored for the party receiving it. But you can also see that all security proposals will follow a similar format and structure, and you can reuse some pages, so you'll become more efficient with each proposal. Plus, remember that you don't need to start from scratch—you can find templates for all the pages mentioned in this article in Proposal Kit. These templates contain instructions and provide examples of information to include on each proposal page. The product also contains sample proposals, including samples for a variety of security related businesses. Using Proposal Kit's templates and studying the sample proposals will give you a giant stride forward toward creating your own winning business proposal.

How to Write a Transportation Industry Business Proposal

Like most businesses these days, your transportation business is no doubt under pressure to find more clients, stay ahead of the competition, and look for ways to cut costs. To land a new client or get a project accepted, you most likely will need to write a business proposal.

Never written anything like that? Don't panic—writing a proposal doesn't have to be a daunting process, and after you've written your first proposal, all others will come much easier.

That's because the goals and structure for any business proposal are the same:

• Introduce yourself
• Highlight the services you offer
• Describe the costs
• Persuade your prospective client that you are the perfect choice for the project

You can also speed up the proposal writing process by using pre-designed templates and studying sample proposals.

The basic proposal structure is the same, whether your business is shipping services, import/export services, logistics management, personal transportation services, or even asking for funding to create or grow a transportation business. Here's the order your proposal sections should follow:

• Introduce yourself
• Summarize the prospective client's needs
• Describe your products, services and costs, and finally
• Provide information about your organization, your credentials, and your capabilities.

You will want to include details about your particular services, projects, and business experience that are relevant to your client's specific project. For example, a limo services company might include photos of their cars, rates, and service areas; logistics specialists may want to include details about how projects are managed; freight hauling companies may include information about their equipment specifications and ability to handle special situations such as hazardous materials; and so forth.

The most important idea to keep in mind is that the goal of any proposal is to convince potential clients to award you their contracts, to convince your boss to sign off on your proposed project, or possibly to secure funding for a new venture. To persuade your readers, your proposal must demonstrate that you can deliver the services, products and logistics they need. It's never a good idea to send your clients only a price list; that will not substitute for a real proposal.

Your proposal should be tailored to a specific client and that client's needs. This means you need to gather information about that client so that you can create a customized proposal to meet that specific client's requirements. Don't make the mistake of sending all your prospective clients an identical sales proposal. A proposal targeted to a specific organization or person is much more likely to succeed.

Proposal Pack Transportation #1

Now, getting back to the basic order described above, begin your proposal with a Cover Letter and a Title Page. In the Cover Letter, write a brief personal introduction and provide all your relevant contact information so the client can easily contact you for more information. The Title Page is exactly what its name indicates: a page with the title of your specific proposal (for example, "Optimizing  WestWind’s Shipping Logistics," “Freight Transportation Quote,” "Limousine Luxury Travel Services," or “Import/Export Services for Jenson Brothers, LLC”).

Next, after this introduction, write the section that describes the needs of the prospective client. In a lengthy proposal for a complex project, you should provide a summary preceding the detailed pages. In proposals to corporations, this summary is usually called an Executive Summary. In complex but less corporate proposals, the summary is usually called a Client Summary. On this summary page and in the detailed pages of this section, describe your client's needs and goals and discuss the limitations or restrictions that may be associated with the project. Don't insert your own ideas yet; this section is where you demonstrate that you understand the client's needs.

In the last section of the proposal, you get the chance to promote your project, products, and services. In this section you will include pages that describe precisely what you have to offer and what it will cost. This section should contain some pages with general headings like Services Provided, Benefits, Features, and Cost Summary, but it should also incorporate more detailed pages that fully describe your products and services, explain how you can fulfill the client's needs, and list the associated costs.

Your specific business will determine the specialized topics and pages you need to include in your proposal. The size and scope of the project will determine how many topics and how much detail will be required.

A cargo hauling company might need to include topics like Equipment, Options and Fleet to describe the equipment options available to customers. Topics such as Shipping, Handling, Routes, Service Area, and Storage would be used to cover how and where client cargo will be transported. You might also need to include topics to outline special circumstances for hazardous materials or special needs, including pages such as Safety Plan, Security Plan, Training, Certifications, Site Specific Requirements, Special Needs, Regulations, Permits and Licenses, and Insurance.

A company providing import/export services might want pages such as Imports, Exports, Time Line, International, Logistics, Partners, Transportation, Routes and Process Management.

A limousine service may include topics such as Fleet, Price List, Service Area, Services Provided, and Our Clients.  If you are offering services to corporate clients, you may need to supply extra information such as your Training, Certifications, and Insurance. If you supply high-end corporate services, you may also want to include topics such as your Safety Plan and Security Plan.

A proposal for an internal company supply chain project may require additional topics for how a project will be managed. Include topics such as Project Management, Reporting, Key Positions, Logistics, Supply Chain, Distribution, Suppliers, Procurement, Sourcing and Fulfillment, Automation, Risk Management, Disaster Recovery Plan, and so on.

If you are proposing an internal company project, not only do you need to look good; you need to make sure your boss looks good, too. You need management to trust that if they support you, you will deliver. Include topics that show you understand every aspect of the project. Make sure you have considered Assumptions, Risk Analysis, Contingency Planning, Accountability, SWOT Analysis and the Expected Results.

A transportation project for the government can be even more complex, as you will have an RFP with rules that must be adhered to.  In this situation, make sure to use the Compliance Matrix, RFP Cross Reference, government grant/contract Cover Sheet and any other topics that are specifically required by the RFP.

A transportation business seeking funding will want to include pages that describe the particular business and analyze its place in the industry, such as a Competitive Analysis, Industry Trends, Market and Audience, Marketing Plan, Insurance, Liability, Disaster Recovery Plan, Time Line, Funding Request, Services Provided, Products, Company Operations, Income Projection, Sources of Funds, Uses of Funds, Personnel, Legal Structure, and any other topics required by the lender. Funding or investment proposals also require a number of financial statements such as your Cash Flow Analysis, Balance Sheet, Revenue, Profit Margin, Profit and Loss Statement, Operating Costs, and so on.

No matter what your particular transportation business may be, be sure to provide pages describing your organization (About Us or Company History) in this final proposal section, as well as pages that explain your skills and experience or provide information from other clients. These pages are typically have titles like Our Clients, Personnel, References, Testimonials, Qualifications, and Capabilities—whatever you need to instill trust in the prospective client that you can deliver the goods and services they're looking for.

So there you have it: all the basic steps for creating your proposal. Now for the finishing touches. After you have inserted all the words and data in your proposal, spend a bit of time making it visually appealing. Add your company logo, choose different fonts or use custom bullets, or consider using colored page borders. Don't go overboard, though; you want to match the style of your proposal to the style of your business.

Don't send your proposal out before you spell-check and proof every page. If possible, have someone outside of the project or organization do the final proofreading pass. It's too easy to miss mistakes in familiar information.

Finally, print the proposal or save it as a PDF file and deliver it to your client. In the modern business world, it's common to email PDF files, but keep in mind that a printed, personally signed, and (where possible) hand-delivered proposal could make a bigger impression because it shows you're willing to make an extra effort to get the job.

You can see now how transportation business proposals can vary widely in content because of the variety of transportation related businesses and the variety of projects for which the proposals are tailored. Your company's proposal content will be different from anyone else's. But you can also see that all transportation proposals will have similar formats and follow the same basic structure.

To speed up the proposal writing process, you can use the pre-designed templates in Proposal Pack. They contain easy-to-understand instructions and suggestions and examples that will guide you to provide appropriate content. The product includes sample business proposals for all transportation businesses, too; these can give you a head start on creating your own winning proposals.

How to Write an Employment or Human Resources Business Proposal

If you work in a Human Resources/Personnel department at a large corporation, or work for a small agency that sells temporary labor or executive search services, then you're in the business of evaluating personnel needs and pitching people and their skills. You may need to convince your boss or a new client of the need to create one or more new job positions, or persuade the boss or client to fill existing positions with personnel you recommend. Perhaps you are persuasive enough to do that with a phone call or casual conversation in the hallway, but odds are better that you will need to write a proposal to pitch your ideas and persuade the client or upper management.

Now you may be thinking: Uh-oh, I've written business letters, but I've never written a business proposal. Don't fret! Proposal writing is simpler than you think. Basically, you need to introduce yourself, explain what you're proposing and why, describe any costs involved, and convince that boss or prospective client that you can be trusted to fulfill the promises you make. You can find lots of advice on the Internet and in special proposal writing packages like Proposal Kit. Starting with a proposal product like this can speed up the process by giving you pre-designed templates and lots of samples you can learn from to create your own winning proposal.

If you are pitching your idea or services to multiple parties, the one thing you do not want to do is send out a general form letter along with a standard brochure or stack of resumes. That sort of 'one size fits all' approach cannot substitute for a real proposal. The goal of a proposal is to persuade the client or boss to endorse your idea and let you do the job. To succeed at convincing them, you need to focus your message to a specific situation, gain their trust and show them that you know what you're talking about and can deliver what they need.

In proposal writing, your first step should always be to gather information about the party who will judge your proposal. That's because you want to present a proposal tailored to that party's specific needs and knowledge level. In other words, you need to put yourself in the other party's shoes and look at the situation from that party's point of view. If you are pitching to your boss or your company executives, you might already understand their positions and their concerns. But if you are pitching to people at another company, then you will need to do a bit of work researching who they are, what they do, and what their needs are. Yes, that research can take a bit of effort, but putting in that effort makes your proposal much more likely to succeed.

After you collect the basic facts about the party you are pitching to, writing the proposal will be a fairly straightforward process. All proposals follow a similar four-section structure:

• Introduction
• Summary of the situation and needs
• Descriptions of the idea or the goods, personnel, or services you are offering, including relevant details and costs
• Conclude with all the information you need to persuade the proposal reader to trust you, such as your experience, credentials, and capabilities

The introduction section is the shortest. Start out with a Cover Letter and a Title Page. Keep the Cover Letter brief: simply write a personal introduction to explain who you are and provide your contact information. The Title Page should be exactly what it sounds like: a title that introduces your proposal and provides a clear message about the ideas and/or services you are pitching. Some examples might be "Proposal to Create a New Executive Assistant Position", "Proposed Temporary Services to Benefit the Stuart Corporation", "Executive Search Services Proposed for Jameson Company", or "Suggested Candidates for the Vice President Position".

After the Cover Letter and Title Page, add topic pages to show that you understand the position and needs of your boss or prospective client. If your proposal is complex, you might need to begin this section with a brief summary—a page or two that states the most important points you will describe in detail in the following pages. This sort of summary is called an Executive Summary for corporate clients or a Client Summary in a less formal proposal. Your goal in this section is to describe the needs, goals, and desires of your client (i.e., the person who will make the decision about whether or not to accept your proposal). This is not yet the place to talk about what you want to offer. In this section, you must demonstrate that you understand the other party's position and requirements.

Following the client-centered section, it's your turn to describe your ideas and what you are offering. You might need to add pages with titles like Resume, Compensation Package, Salary, Bonuses, Services Provided, Human Resources, Job Description, Cost Summary, Job Creation, Personnel, Key Positions, Competitiveness—the topics you select for this section will depend on what you are proposing. Include everything you need to describe your ideas and/or services and any associated costs and benefits. Finally, at the end of this all-about-your-ideas section, you must convince your proposal readers that you can deliver everything you've promised. To do this, you can add pages like Experience, Testimonials, References, Company History or About Us, Our Clients, Awards, References, Credentials, and so forth. Your goal here is to wrap up your proposal by persuading your readers that you have absolute credibility and are trustworthy.

Okay, now you've written the proposal. The finish line is in sight, but you're still not quite done. Take some time to make your proposal visually appealing. You might want to incorporate your company logo, use colored borders, or employ special bullet points and fonts. Just make sure that any added graphic touches match your style and the tone of your proposal.

Don't forget to spell-check and proofread every page. For the final check, it's a good idea to recruit a proofreader who hasn't read your proposal before. It's way too easy to miss errors in your own work.

Then, deliver your polished proposal. Save it in a PDF file or print it out, or both. The best delivery method for you depends on your relationship with the party who will receive your proposal. It's common to attach PDF files to email these days, but for your situation, it might be most impressive to hand-deliver a nicely printed and signed proposal.

In summary, you can see that the specialized topics in an employment-related proposal will vary depending on the situation, your goal, and the needs of your boss or prospective client. But now you know that all proposals follow a similar format and structure. And remember that you don't have to start from scratch: you can find all the templates you need in Proposal Kit. The templates contain explanations and examples of the information specific pages should contain; they will guide you in writing and formatting your proposal sections.

In addition to hundreds of templates, Proposal Kit includes a wide variety of sample proposals, many of which are employment-related. For example, there's a sample proposal for temporary services, a sample that pitches the idea of opening a new sales office with new staff, and a sample proposing a job-share situation, just to name a few. The sample proposals in Proposal Kit will spark your imagination and help you efficiently create your own winning proposal.

How to Follow Up Your Sales Proposal with an Information Packet - and Win More Business

You have written and delivered a sales proposal to a prospective client, and you have won the contract. Congratulations!

But the odds are that you didn't put all the useful information you have into the proposal. For one thing, if you included everything you know, the client's eyes would glaze over at the number of pages. For another, a very thick proposal might appear so intimidating that the client would simply skip over it in favor of competing proposals that are easier to thumb through.

You probably have additional information that will benefit a third party, such as the ultimate recipient of your goods or services, or a third party that will be affected by a process or the end result of the project.

So why not put together an additional information packet you can distribute to these third parties and thus provide more value, gain more name recognition, and potentially land more business? You can even suggest these information packets as a bonus service within your initial sales proposal, thereby winning more points with the prospective client.

So, what should go into an information packet? The contents would vary by the types of business and the proposed projects, but the basic answer is: any details that are specific to the project or your business that you didn’t include in the proposal, and any information that is important for third parties to know.

Take, for example, a company selling pest control services for commercial outlets such as office buildings and apartment complexes. The sales proposal would follow the standard order and include the standard contents, which would typically be a Cover Letter, Title Page, Executive Summary, Goals and Objectives, Services Provided, Services Cost Summary, Options, Assessment, Recommendations, Company History, and References. This proposal would be sent to management companies that would contract with the pest control company.

Then the pest control company would be smart to create an information packet that the management company could provide to their tenants—the individual office or apartment residents. The information packet would explain the process the pest control workers will use, give instructions on how to prepare for the process, and provide any needed warnings. The information packet would also have the company contact info on it and would be an additional sales piece that would be left behind with each resident as well as with the property managers.

For example, in our pest control case, the information packet would use topics like the following:

• Cover Letter—A brief explanation of why recipients are receiving the packet along with company contact information.
• What You Can Expect—An explanation of the process. This will help the residents plan for the project.
• Precautions—A description of issues the residents should be careful about, such as cleaning surfaces after a treatment and keeping pets and children away from traps.
• Monitoring—Instructions about how to monitor the residence or office for new outbreaks.
• FAQ—Answers to frequently asked questions.

An additional information packet works in all sorts of situations. For example, you might want to create an information packet that describes additional services or products you offer that you didn't mention in your original proposal but that you feel the client or associates might be interested in. When a project will affect neighbors or other parties, you might want to create an information packet for those third parties—for example, a large building contractor might want to assemble information for neighbors explaining potential traffic disruptions and parking issues, noise, and so forth; a concert organizer might want to create a similar packet.

Information packets can be effectively combined with your business proposals for many types of situations and industries.

A technology company can create technical documentation for their product that can be delivered with the customer’s shipment.

A healthcare provider can create an information packet about tips to help aid in recovery and treatment.

Event planners can create information packets that include more details for individual participants such as maps, directions, schedules and parking information.

Financial planners or accountants can create information packets that include tips on how to prepare for taxes and manage their investments.

You can even put your information packets in PDF format and provide them as downloadable files on your web site or put them on your laptop or iPad to show clients in the field.  The possibilities for creating extra collateral material to supplement your business proposals and increase your visibility in the marketplace are endless.

What you put into a packet will depend on your business, the project, and the type of information that will be useful to the intended recipient. You already know what you want to say to these third parties; you just need to write it down. Be sure to always include your company information and contact information—you want to get the credit for supplying the helpful information as well as the name recognition you'll gain by distributing the packets. You'll be thought of as a good neighbor and a good organization to do business with, and this can all lead to more sales.

As with any promotional piece you send out, make sure to proofread your information packet and spend some time making it visually appealing. Remember that these pages represent your organization, just like your proposal does.

You can see that creating an information packet after winning a contract can be a smart business strategy. A bonus packet can be used for many different purposes and directed to many different audiences. But there's no need to start from scratch with blank pages. You can find all the templates you might need in Proposal Pack, along with samples that will provide inspiration and help you write efficiently and creatively.  Not only will a Proposal Pack create your business proposal, it can also be used to create your information packet so all of your collateral material has a consistent look and design.

How to Write a Wedding Planner Business Proposal

If you're in the business of planning wedding services for clients, you know that there's no such thing as a long-term contract. You're always looking for the next client to fill your schedule and your bank account. How are you going to find the new clients you need?

You might attract interest with an ad placed in an appropriate publication or on an internet site, but after the initial phone call or meeting with a potential client, odds are that you're going to have to write a proposal to land the contract. This is true whether you are a full-service wedding planner, a caterer specializing in weddings, a bridal salon, a wedding photographer, or even a printer that creates customized wedding invitations and associated pieces.

Writing a proposal is not as difficult as it might sound, even if you've never done it before. That's because you know your business, so you already have most of the ingredients you're going to include. Plus, all proposals follow a basic structure, and here it is: introductory section, then a client-centered section, followed by a proposed goods or services section, and ending with your company-centered section.

You can begin first proposal page with a blank screen in your word processing program, but you don't have to. You can save time if you start with a program like Proposal Kit, which offers professionally designed templates with instructions and examples to help you get the right information on each page. It also includes sample proposals so you can see what a finished proposal in your business category could look like.

For now, let's get back to that structure, starting with the introductory section. This should always begin with a brief cover letter—simply explain who you are and why you're sending this proposal, provide your contact information, and state what you hope to get next from your reader—a phone call, a face-to-face meeting, a signed contract, and so forth.

A title page should follow the cover letter. This page should simply name your proposal: you'll probably want something like "Proposed Plan by Katrina's Weddings for the Smith-Jones Wedding" or "Catering Plan for the Benson Wedding." These two pages might be all you need in the introduction section for most wedding proposals, but if you're laying out your ideas for a major extravaganza in a long proposal, you might need to include a Client Summary (usually a bulleted list of important points) and/or a Table of Contents to complete the introduction.

Next comes the client-centered section. This section is truly what separates successful proposals from those that end up in the shredder, because this is where you prove that you understand your potential client's needs and desires. There's nothing more personal than a wedding!

Reiterate all the important information about your potential clients—that they want, what they need, what their restrictions and budget allowances are. You may need to ask your potential clients or their families some questions up front to write this section, but that work will pay off in a customized proposal that is much more likely to be accepted.

After you've described what your clients want and need, we're on to the third section, where you explain exactly how you propose to meet those needs and desires, and what your products and services will cost. No bragging yet - just do your best to show that you can give them what they want. These pages in this section will vary depending on what you're offering, but might include topics like Services Provided, Catering, Schedule, Entertainment, Transportation, Destinations, Special Needs, Security, Venues, Rentals, and so forth.

In the fourth and final section, explain why you are the best pick for the job. Here's where you can brag about your background, your company history, your experience. Keep in mind that it's always more credible to show kudos from others, so be sure to include any referrals or testimonials and references you have. Finally, wrap up your pitch with a call to action, requesting that the potential clients take the next step—call you, sign the contract, visit your store, whatever you want them to do.

A proposal is not always just about landing the business. Weddings can be fraught with potential problems - security risks, cancelations, equipment failures, and other problems introduced by your contractors. Make sure to include your Policies and Insurance information in the proposal. A proposal can be considered part of the contract, so you need protections built into the proposal, especially in complex wedding planning where you may have to expend considerable resources during the course of the project.

After you have all the information down on your proposal pages, you're nearly finished, but you still have a couple of tasks left to complete. Weddings are all about appearances, so your proposal needs to show you care about appearances, too. Take some time to make your pages look great. Choose special fonts, use colored page borders or bullet points, or add your company logo.

You could also choose to start off with a professionally designed proposal pack from Proposal Kit—there are several wedding themes and party-themed packs. These include all the same templates and information and samples mentioned earlier, just presented with a special "look."

Make sure to proofread every page of your proposal before it goes out the door. If your proposal reads as if you never mastered spelling or grammar, your potential clients might think you can't be trusted to handle their special day. It's always best to choose a proofreader who is not working on your proposal, because it's easy to overlook mistakes in familiar material.

When your proposal is perfect, deliver it. You could send it as a PDF file attached to email, but that might be a bit impersonal. Consider delivering it in print form, either via messenger or in person. Remember that you want to impress your potential clients.

Examples of wedding planning and event proposals created using Proposal Pack:

• Wedding Planner Services Sample Proposal
• Event Party Planner Services Proposal
• Food Services Catering Sample Proposal
• Music DJ Sample Proposal
• Hotel Facilities Services Sample Proposal

Proposal Pack for Any Business covers wedding and event planner proposals and includes the samples listed above. There are also some specialty design themes available:

• Proposal Pack Wedding #1
• Proposal Pack Elegant #1 
• Proposal Pack Elegant #2
• Proposal Pack Elegant #3

Depending on the scope of the services you're offering, a wedding proposal could be short or long, simple or complex. But whether your proposal is five pages or fifty, you now know the basic structure it should follow. And you know that even though you will use a lot of the same information in every proposal you write, each proposal should be tailored to the clients receiving it.

You can speed up the process by starting with a product like Proposal Kit, which includes all the topics and instructions you'll want, as well as sample proposals that can give you great ideas. Need contracts, too? You can also find those at ProposalKit.com.