As a form of persuasive writing, a proposal attempts to convince the recipient to act in accordance with the writer's intent and at the same time, it outlines the writer's goals and methods. There are multiple types of business proposals and one type of academic proposal—the research proposal. As different as these may be, they all follow a certain set of guidelines.
What Is a Proposal?
In the book "Knowledge Into Action," Wallace and Van Fleet remind us that "a proposal is a form of persuasive writing, every element of every proposal should be structured and tailored to maximize its persuasive impact."
In composition, especially in business and technical writing, a proposal is a document that offers a solution to a problem or a course of action in response to a need.
On the other hand, in academic writing, a research proposal is a report that identifies the subject of a forthcoming research project, outlines a research strategy, and provides a bibliography or tentative list of references. This form can also be called a topic proposal.
Common Types of Business Proposals
From Jonathan Swift's satiric "A Modest Proposal" to the foundations of the United States government and national economy put forth in Benjamin Franklin's "An Economical Project," there is a wide variety of forms a proposal can take for business and technical writing. The most common are the internal, external, sales, and grant proposals.
Internal Proposal
An internal proposal or justification report is composed for readers within the writer's department, division, or company and is generally short in the form of a memo with the intention of solving an immediate problem.
External Proposal
External proposals, on the other hand, are designed to show how one organization can meet the needs of another. They may be either solicited, meaning in response to a request, or unsolicited, meaning without any assurance that the proposal will even be considered.
Sales Proposal
A sales proposal is, as Philip C. Kolin puts it in "Successful Writing at Work," the most common external proposal the purpose of which "is to sell your company's brand, its products, or services for a set fee." Regardless of the length, a sales proposal must offer a detailed description of the work the writer proposes to do and can be used as a marketing tool to entice potential buyers.
Grant Proposal
Finally, a grant proposal is a document or an application completed in response to a call for proposals issued by a grant-making agency. The two main components of a grant proposal are a formal application for funding and a detailed report on what activities the grant will support if funded.
Structure of a Business Proposal
Business proposals are somewhat similar to business plans, in that they outline your business's mission and vision and provide concrete steps towards your goals. The proposals may be formal and informal, but they tend to follow one type of structure and should be tailored to your product and your customer's needs
If you find yourself writing an informal business proposal, you can skip the research-exhaustive steps outlined below and simply stick with a comprehensive overview of your points without necessarily backing them up with research. If your task is to write a formal business proposal, you can omit or adjust certain parts, but you need to include a lot of research.
Sections of a Typical Business Plan
1. Title Page
2. Table of Contents
3. Executive Summary
4. Statement of the Problem/Customer's Needs
5. Proposed Solution (With Methodology)
6. Your Bios and Qualifications
7. Pricing
8. Terms and Conditions
Suggestions for a Successful Proposal
- Proofread your writing multiple times and even have someone else read it for you.
- Your executive summary should be extremely strong. Think of it as an extended "elevator pitch," where every sentence and every word are loaded with meaning.
- Make sure you show that you understand and restate your audience's needs accurately and completely.
- Sell your project on both logical and psychological levels. Be clear about the steps of your methodology and align your solution and your overall mission with your audience's values.
Key Questions
No matter whether you decide to write a comprehensive research proposal and devote yourself extensively to every section mentioned above or if you simply address a few of them, you should always make sure you answer the following questions:
- What do you plan to accomplish?
- Why do you want to do the research?
- How are you going to conduct the research?
Source: Thoughtco
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