Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Sample Business Proposals Are Effective Templates

By Patrick Ross

On the lookout for new clients? In today's economic climate, there's no reason to improvise when you must write business proposals. Try picking up a sample business proposal or template, and flesh out your sample until you have an attention getting document that will win over your clients and earn you some business when you most need it.

The first step of any writing endeavor should always be pre-writing. Don't be concerned about the quality of your writing -- what you are going to be writing now is purely for your benefit; they're not going to see this, so relax and do it your own way. Through pre-writing we can start to see exactly what services we want to offer, what goals you can realistically achieve, and what qualifies you for this position more than the next worker.

Think carefully about your business proposal. Divide your goals into several steps, taking notes the entire time on what will be necessary to accomplish each step. Finally, write down each step and organize them so the reader can see that, by using your services, they will inevitably be led to the goal you defined when you were pre-writing.

Start off the writing process with a simple cover letter. Make sure to use two or three paragraphs to summarize your goals -- for instance, you could write: "Our company will help you by doing x, y, and z. X number of businesses in this region do regular business with us." There's nothing wrong with elaborating on your successes. Don't ruin your chances with an exaggerating cover letter.

Next up: write the business proposal proper. Typically, proposals are sectioned into five parts: first stating what you do and who you are in an executive summary, a declaration of work stating the services you actually plan on providing, steps to take to reach this goal, reasons why you are more qualified than the next business, and finally the payment arrangements and terms of your contract.

Don't let yourself freak out over mistakes, as this is still your first draft and will probably be prone to more than a few goofups. Imagine your client sitting with you right now. What could you tell them that would cause them to invest in your ideas?|

The quality of your writing doesn't have to be high -- first drafts are rarely error free. Just worry about completing your proposal and squeezing all your information into the rigid structure of the proposal. If you need to change anything, make a note of it but don't actually follow through yet.

Take a look at the prices you're offering and the terms of your contract. Try searching the web for businesses that are similar so you can be sure to offer competitive prices. If it turns out you are overcharging, it is far better to discover this now than when you are sitting across from your future client.

Rewriting begins when your first draft is finally complete. Try having a friend give your proposal a once over to see if they can find any obvious typo's or other mistakes. If you're still holding on tight to what you needed to fix and doctor up from your first draft, do so at this time.

Before your meeting, try out some role-playing. Try putting on your client's shoes for a minute and figure out how they would react to your proposal as it is now. Are there any complaints they could voice? Will something in the proposal make them hesitate? Think up as many reasons for them to say no as you can, and then come up with answers to soothe their concerns.

Though it's hard work, writing a business proposal is far from impossible. By taking the time to run through the above steps with your sample business proposal in hand, you'll save tons of time and deliver a quality piece of work that will satisfy not just clients, but your company also. - 23309

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Real Estate During A Poor Market

By Doc Schmyz

OK a few ground rules for this article first.

1) The market has had a down turn before and people still made money.

2) Not every deal will fall into a cookie cutter format keep your eyes open...and your mind even more so.

3) Not every tactic or idea works in EVERY state/province. ALWAYS check local laws pertaining to real estate transactions.

The above being said let's move on.

So the market has taken a big drop this doesn't mean that you, as a real estate investor/professional, are out of luck. It only means you need to add new tricks and tools to your tool box. (Be warned I use "tool box" a lot.)

Marketing/locating property

Besides the normal channels of real estate agents and brokers (still the best way to find good investments in my opinion) you have a vast amount or resources at your fingertip with the Internet.

You can find and join website communities for investors, follow blogs, get in on group discussion etc. All of these things can lead to new and interesting deals.

Several of my investments have come to me via a web community of some sort. I also have gotten countless tips from other investors on investments and financing issues. Do not over look the value of belonging to an "investor community website."

I truly feel that the future of investing will be web related. Not just in finding investment projects but in doing the research for them as well as finding the funding and the marketing/exit strategy as well.

Finding financing

Everyday we are hearing about how the current market and credit crunch is making getting loans harder for everyone. This is currently a fact. No way around it. The loan process has changed. So what options are left?? The answer is several.

Lease options. Assumable loans. Seller financing. Just to name a few.

The above mentioned may well become the big trends in the next couple of years. I am waiting to see how the lenders change the loan guidelines in the next few months to "re introduce" the assumable loan. We are already seeing a HUGE trend in short sales. (This was a practice that was used only in limited capacity in the last 10 years by most lenders now it seems like every other distressed listing is a short sale in some cities.)

Please don't let the current market conditions scare you in to sitting this investment period out. Take the time to do the research on finance options, look into building a LLC perhaps. Find out about buying real estate with your IRA. Etc, etc.

Read investment the strategies of the big names in investing. Buy books build your investment library. Use the time to educate yourself and above all be creative.

When everyone is running for the hills it is your time to figure out how to buy the valley they just left. - 23309

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