Wednesday, January 16, 2008

The art of writing a new business proposal

The delay in getting to this next posting has been due to a heavy amount of new business proposal writing. Which leads to the question of what makes a good proposal, how much time do you spend on a project you might not get, and what do potential clients need to hear?

While each case is different, most RFPs in the PR and GR category need the following:

1. Background: Background on the firm and why they are the best choice for the job. Descriptions of work done for similar clients and industries is key.

2. Objectives: Well defined objectives that are realistic and reflective of the prospective client's needs.

3. Strategies: Several research-based strategy ideas that show your solution for communicating their issues/product/service/organization. These strategies need to be detailed enough that they can be understood from a conceptual and execution standpoint.

4. Team: Information on who is going to be working on the account. This step is often undervalued. Clients what to know upfront who they will be dealing with day-to-day. This means, proposals that only include company principals are not enough.

Good luck pitching!

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