Writing a business proposal to get a contract or close a deal (Guest article)

In my experience as a web designer, I've found that in many cases, I'm not the only person vying for the job. At the end of the day, the firm or individual in question has to make a choice on who they will contract their work out to, based on the business proposals they've received.

In any sphere of business, proposal writing is a lengthy process, and costs you time and money every time you're not awarded the contract.

Earlier on in my web design career, there were a number of jobs I knew I could do well, but I never got them, simply because I didn't know how to put together a professional-looking business proposal.

It took me a long time to build up a set of business proposal templates, and I sought professional advice on a number of them. Now that I have developed a set of business proposal templates, I can very easily apply for contracts, and each time, I can present a business proposal that's well-laid out, looks highly professional, and is very compelling.

I've found that another important facet of a business proposal is its legal aspect. In any business, it's very important to lay out specific terms within the law, to prevent yourself being taken for a ride or otherwise ripped off.

In any business, with the right proposal, you have an excellent chance of winning a contract, even when it's just you, competing against a large firm.

I cannot emphasise the following strongly enough -

"Just being able to do the job well is not good enough. You have to let the client know it."