Helping Format Your Sample Business Proposals

By Brandon Mitchell

You're only going to get one chance to show your clients what you're made of, so you're going to have to make it count by presenting them with a professionally formatted business proposal that communicates your products and services as efficiently and attractively as possible. Using a sample business proposal to start with can make getting to the sale a lot faster.

Formatting your sample business proposal is probably the easiest step that far too many overlook. Guidelines are created for a purpose. Following these tips will improve the readability of your sample business proposal and assist you in communicating your concepts with more clarity, which will convey a comforting and professional image.

Adding White Space Improves Readability

Different ideas should be separated with bold headers that emphasize the key points from each few paragraphs. Always use margins from the beginning of your proposal all the way to the end. A margin of .5" to 1" should be fine. Only use fonts that do not distract from the text itself. For this reason, I use a 12 point Times New Roman or Courier New. Doing this will create plenty of white space in your proposal.

White space is advantageous in your document for two reasons. First, your text will be able to "breathe" a little more, you'll avoid looking stuffy and the text will look easier to get through. Another benefit is that leaving plenty of white space provides areas for your client-to-be to take notes or comment on your proposal. Use any feedback they give you to make an additional offer, and keep this change in mind for future proposals.

Using The Right Graphics And Colors To Accentuate Your Message

What you're trying to accomplish with your proposal is communication. You're trying to pitch services or products that your business can provide for your client, and hopefully get a contract signed in the process. Try accentuating your information with relevant graphics and charts and use color schemes that will help to differentiate your company from the next one.

Proposal writing is always going to be dull, so improve yours as well as you can to make it at least mildly interesting to look at without going overboard and becoming a flashy annoyance. This will help your text shine.

Manage Your Front Matter

"Front matter" is anything at the beginning of your sample business proposal that organizes your materials in a professional way. Examples of front matter include tables of contents, lists, and price sheets - pretty much anything that would be helpful to have for customers to cross reference as they read your proposal.

If your manuscript is large enough, it might be a good idea to put it in a three ring binder. Add a few appendices at the end if you can think of supplementary information your reader should know about.

Final Thoughts: Business Proposal Formatting A Must

Sample business proposals are helpful to start with, but if you're going to go out and get the accounts you want, you're going to have to do your part to look and act professional. Be sure that your hard work reflects the way you want to be treated.

Make your proposal as professional looking as possible by leaving plenty of white space, inserting appropriate graphics and stand out color schemes. Make your proposal easy to read, and it will be easy to get others to read it. - 23221

About the Author:

Are you freaking out over a proposal executive summary? Don't have a sample business proposal to aid in maximizing your resources? Purchase with confidence anything you need to push your business over the hump and start making real money today. Buy anything you need from genuine online webstores to obtain an optimal outcome.