How to Create Project Proposals that Gets Approved

The base of a successful project is an intriguing project proposal. This draft, which speaks of your course of action right from the initiation stage to its completion stage, shows how well prepared you’re and what’s your bandwidth. This gives an idea to the client whether you’re in a capacity to fulfil their requirements or not.

Sadly, most companies produce a less engaging and brief project plan resulting in the loss of the project, eventually costing them a lot. To ensure that you don’t go on the same path, listed below are some of the tips about writing a project proposal that's engaging and will ensure that you get the project. However, before we proceed to that, let’s have a quick look at the benefits of a good proposed plan.

Benefits of an Impressive Project Proposal: 

1. Viability: A well-drafted project proposal speaks about your ability to finish the project on time and meet the client’s requirement. 
2. Clear structure: As you work on the project proposal you chalk out a clear path from the start to the end of the project, making sure you’ve everything in place, hence reducing any last minute confusion. 
3. Expectations: It is important that both the parties, client and you, are on the same page. A project proposal is a way to judge that. 
4. Budget: No one wants to have an ad hoc budget requirement while working on a  project. Hence, a concise and well-structured project proposal gives out a clear indication of the budget one would need to finish a project successfully. 
5. Branding: A well-made project proposal speaks for itself. This, surely, will increase your chance to reach out to the stakeholders and their alliances letting you build your credibility in the market.
6. Business Growth: Good branding and word of mouth will lead to getting more projects resulting in increased cash flows and business growth. And it all starts from an effective project proposal.

Tips to create a successful project proposal: 

1. Short as Simple: No one likes a text-heavy document. Honestly, we skip the ‘Terms and Conditions’ page despite knowing that we mustn’t do it. If not, then most of us skim through it. Likewise, if your project proposal is text-heavy, clients would skim through it, and that’s the last thing you would want. Thus, make sure that your project proposal is as precise and simple. Don’t elaborate it unnecessarily. 

2. Ask, if not clear: There is no harm in asking the client if you’re not clear on certain things. This will save time, an embarrassment of guessing the situation, and will give you a clear picture of what exactly the client wants. Speculations might steer the project proposal in a direction you don’t want it to go. So, ask, if you’re not clear of certain things. There is no harm in doing so. 

3. Client’s Language: If you want to be heard, speak their language. You just can’t speak your jargons to impress them. This will not only confuse them, but you might also lose the project from your hand. Make them believe that you understand them and are there to help them in every way possible. 

4. Engaging Proposal: Who says that proposals have to be only text? You have the freedom to include creatives and make it more engaging. It is understood that creating a project proposal is tiresome, but to make things interesting, add graphics, charts, figures, wherever possible. Creatives will not only make it more engaging but also help clients to understand things quickly. 

How to formulate a project proposal template?

We have understood the benefits and looked through some quick tips to make proposal engaging and interesting. Now, let’s have a look at what a successful project proposal template looks like. 

Let’s get one thing clear, a project proposal isn’t a contract. Through the project proposal, the client only wants to know your course of action and approve the content, that’s it. Business Proposal is the document that comes afterwards and that has legal obligations and terms upon which both the parties agree to finish the proposed project. 

Writing a project proposal is tricky, as it gets. You must follow a simple and detailed template that will give you every information one needs to know. Make sure you’ve all the information you need before you start drafting your project proposal. Check the following boxes to eliminate any confusion. 

1. Audience: Knowing the audience is a must. You’re creating a project to address certain challenges faced by the client’s audience or to bridge a gap. Unless you’ve been into the shoes of the audience creating a project is worthless. Your project proposal must speak of what the audience wants and how well you understand them. 

2. Problem Solving: In a survey conducted with 300 customer executives, 57% stated that there was no clear description of the problem and its solution. Your project proposal must speak of the solution. It should address the pain-points and what solutions you’ve for them. This way, you would be letting the client know that you understand them and their audience well. 

3. Research: Nothing should go without research. A project proposal without proper research is full of assumptions and speculations, which might be far away from reality. So, research well even before you start drafting your project proposal. Look into the client, their brand positioning, market research, their audience, their unsaid requirements, similar projects done in the past and so on  

4. Foresight Success: What is the purpose of the project? It’s not only to address the issues, but also to take the company to a new height of success. A good project proposal must have this. It’s important that you mention the success in terms of tangible and intangible deliverables the company will attain upon successful completion of the project.  

5. Well-defined Roadmap: A roadmap serves various objectives. Foremost, it creates different milestones that you would achieve over the course of the entire project. Second, it will define the resources needed in each step. With this roadmap in hand, you can easily judge if you’re running behind the schedule and make plans for the same.