Today’s Business Proposals 3 Ways They Differ From Yesterday’s

Writing business proposals was different 25 years ago from what it is today. What has changed? Well a lot has changed and here, in my view, are three of the most important changes:
1. Business proposal length
For me the number one change was in proposal length. The notion was that the more you put in the proposal about what you did, and all the work you’d done, the better. You’d convince the client by sheer weight that your project proposal or business proposal was solid. I never liked this approach then and I certainly don’t advise anyone to do this today. My advice is that you keep that proposal bid as short as you can. Clients do not want to wade through masses of unnecessary material. Many of them only want an executive summary on which they can base a decision. They may ask their staff to go through your detailed explanations and comment on them, but their minds are often made up from that executive summary.
2. Importance of case history
There’s much more emphasis on case history. If there’s one thing clients want to see is how you treated something similar to an issue they face. What was the situation? How did you go about analyzing it? What research did you decide that you needed to carry out? How did you reach your conclusions? Then how did you execute your recommendations and what was the feedback? What worked and what didn’t work? And if you have the chance to do it all over again, what would you do differently, and why? It’s critically important that you explain your case history as cleanly and simply as possible.
3. Impact of technology
Technology has changed everything. The business proposal you’re working on can be edited, revamped or completely altered simply because today’s software programs allow that luxury. It can be put on Power Point for easy visual presentation. Now this is a double-edged sword and here’s why. These programs allow complexity; i.e., you can provide an awful lot of information, some of it useful, but sometimes it’s simply done to impress the client. I always opt for simplicity. Keep your presentation as clean and straightforward as possible. Fancy graphics may look nice, but are they actually making a difference to the client? It’s the client’s opinion that counts and it’s important to keep that in mind with any business or project proposal you’re developing.
Next time you’re responding to a bid, keep these three changes in mind. Don’t make your business proposal too long. Do provide the best case history you can to support your bid. Don’t overdo the technology. Remember, simplicity is often a whole lot more effective than a mass of slides or videos unless they can make your point quickly and effectively. Your job is to win that business proposal. In the way you develop and write it, help the client decide in your favor.