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How to keep your customers happy

Posted by Admin on Friday, September 3rd 2010   

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The success of any business largely depends upon its customers and customer ‘service. They are the lifelines for the survival of any venture in the world and no business can proper if it does not have potential customers in its distinguished market. Listed below are some guide lines that how to keep your customers happy and make them coming back to you-

To retain customers for your business it is very imperative to keep your existing customers happy and contented with your products and service. Provide them the best of the world with your products and services.

Keep a regular touch with your customers by sending e-mails and cards at their given address. Make them aware incase there is any sales promotional activity or special discounts running on a particular season. It is a great way to foster a feeling of belonging in customers and build customers rapport.

You could also send a small gift once in a year, on the occasion of Christmas or New-Year. You could save their birthdays and anniversaries at your database with their permission and send them cards as well. It is a great marketing strategy to retain customers at a very low cost. Never forget to appreciate them for being your loyal customers. It also creates personal bond with them beyond the boundaries of your business.

Always pay utmost attention to their negative feedback and complaints, do not ignore their problems. It is easier to sell your services to your existing customers rather than to new customers who have no idea about you company and products. Hence, to build a list of happy customers it is important to give time to their concerns and issues.

Give your existing customers top priorities and put them first when it comes to provide customer service. Sometimes your customers may have other issues such as with the purchase of the product or its quality, prices etc. Try to get into the root of trouble and make them feel special.

Acknowledgement of your customers is also a nice way to form a bond with them. Whenever your customer walks in to your store or work place, greet him/her with gratitude and courtesy. It makes him important and lures him to keep coming back at your store again and again.

You should make a customer feed back form where he/she can write down about his experience shopping at your store and the reaction of your employees. It is helpful to know your customers’ grievances and improve your customer service in the future.  Make sure whatever time your customer spends at your store for shopping, he/she gets the best and instant customer service and his purchase goes smooth.

Keep your terms and conditions for the purchase and exchange of the product or item vary clear and transparent. Make sure your customers do not face any hassle while returning or exchanging any item and enjoy a delightful shopping experience at your store.

You could also provide sales, discounts and other value added products time to  time in order to increase your sales and keep your existing customers happy by giving them other options like “buy one, get one free” etc.

Customers who are very frequent in your store and buy multiple products from your stores you could offer them buying program or reward. For your loyal customers you could also organize special privileges like holidays, food coupons etc. this is an excellent method to hold back your loyal customers and create a trust with them.

<a href=”http://www.businessmarketingplans.net/”>Business Marketing Plans</a> – Business Marketing Plans provides full information about <a href=”http://www.businessmarketingplans.net/”>Business plan</a> samples for all business types, including restaurant business plans.
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What You Will Find Within Banner Ad Blueprint

Posted by Admin on Friday, September 3rd 2010   

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Finding the right opportunity that can forever change your life does not happen every day. Fortunately, this is precisely what Banner Ad Blueprint can do for you. Within this opportunity you will find a plethora of tips, information, tricks and secrets to making a living off of banner advertising.
Within the 12 hour video course you will learn how to make money easily with very little cash upfront. The best part is you do not have to constantly come up with fresh ideas or new products to profit. You can get paid over and over by simply using banner ads that will promote other people’s products.
It can be difficult generating the type of traffic that is needed to succeed online. The good news is this product will show you how to generate waves of traffic regardless of what it is you are offering. If you can appeal to the right crowd, traffic and sales are bound to come your way.
Because this is a banner advertising opportunity, it is crucial you understand how to use these ads properly. Within the product you will see exactly what sizes of banners you want to use and how to create effective banners that will reel in visitors. With custom designed banners free of cost, you can say goodbye to photoshop and start focusing your time on other opportunities.
If you are going to make money on the internet, you need to learn the importance of branching out and taking on multiple opportunities at once. With Banner Ad Blueprint you will learn how to make money from a plethora of different sources. The internet is the land of information and opportunities and it is waiting for you to take advantage of it.
There are some tremendous affiliate programs out there and it is up to you to jump on them. Believe it or not, there are lucrative independent affiliate programs that have little competition with a great deal of potential. By taking the time to research and find these programs, you can do great things with banner advertising and promoting affiliate programs.
Finally, there is one simple thing that can greatly change the kinds of results you get from your marketing and advertising campaigns. In fact, this secret that will be revealed within Banner Ad Blueprint can boost your bottom line by as much as 75%. It is incredibly simple and can have a drastic impact on your income. The only way to find out is to take a look at this tremendous banner ad product today.

http://www.articlebiz.com/article/1051310387-1-what-you-will-find-within-banner-ad-blueprint/

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Recycle Now Not Tomorrow

Posted by Admin on Friday, September 3rd 2010   

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Sep

Every year Recycle Now, the national organisation for recycling, holds its annual celebration of recycling and being ‘green’ and that got us thinking about environmentally friendly paper and printing. It is obviously fairly commonplace to recycle as much of our household and business waste as we can but we still need to build on the number of organisations actively choosing to use recycled products.
Here we outline some of the terminology, the benefits as well as dispelling some of the myths surrounding recycled paper:
What exactly does ‘Forest Sustainable’ mean?
A sustainable forest is a forest that is carefully managed so that as trees are felled they are replaced with seedlings that eventually grow into mature trees. This is a carefully and skilfully managed system. The forest is a working environment, producing wood products such as wood pulp for the paper and card industry and wood based materials for furniture manufacture and the construction industry. Great care is taken to ensure the safety of wildlife and to preserve the natural environment.
Why do printers use inks made from vegetable oil?

Vegetable oils are better for the environment as they emit less harmful pollutants than mineral oils. There is also a move towards converting diesel delivery vehicles to run on vegetable oil as it is much cheaper and also better for the environment.
Is recycled paper more expensive?
Most paper is evenly priced with non-recycled stock, especially letterheads, envelopes and business card board. Where recycled papers cost more, price differentials are usually quite small and most printers will buy in larger quantities and plan ahead both of which helps reduce price premiums on recycled paper.
Is it possible to produce the same high quality results on recycled and non-recycled?
Absolutely. Recycled paper will have the same feel as virgin paper, it just comes down to choosing the correct stock. Colour quality is not affected either. The only drawback is that there are a much smaller variety of paper, paper sizes and weights but if large quantities or a specific type of paper is needed, most printers will be able to source the right stock in adequate amounts with some notice.
What is Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) recycled paper?
Without giving you too much science, ECF is the process of bleaching paper and compared to other methods it virtually eliminates, not just reduces, dioxin and other persistent chlorinated organics which are harmful to the environment. The other main method of bleaching paper is called TCF but the paper produced using this method is weaker meaning it can’t be recycled as many times and it requires 6-10% more wood to make a ton of TCF pulp than ECF pulp.
Is most paper recycled now, do I really need to ask for it?
At the height of its success, recycled paper only had about 10% of the printing and writing paper market and even those papers contained mostly virgin materials. Now distributors, printers and paper mills say that demand is dropping because buyers believe they no longer have to ask for recycled. As we said at the start of the article, we are all getting better at recycling but not necessarily better at then using recycled products.

http://www.articlebiz.com/article/1051313644-1-recycle-now-not-tomorrow/

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Find a Mentor in Your MLM Program

Posted by Admin on Friday, September 3rd 2010   

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Sep

Finding a mentor to follow in network marketing/MLM is a critical aspect of your success or failure in the profession. You may even have a couple of mentors to guide you through the process of developing and growing skills to continually get better & better at building your business. When I say ‘program,’ I don’t mean your company. I mean it is your plan or schedule of activities, procedures, etc. to be followed to reach success in your network marketing business!
The reality of the network marketing profession is that many times we join a company out of emotion or maybe we went looking for a company and sign up with the first person we come into contact with. One of the biggest complaints (however, I call them excuses) is that, ‘Oh, my upline isn’t teaching me,’ or ‘My upline just quit and now I have no one to turn to.’ Again, this excuse crap because if one is truly dedicated to finding success in our profession, they will undoubtedly find it in THEMSELVES to figure it out by finding mentors.
Mentors are critical, but realize, that sometimes, a mentor may not be your immediate upline or maybe not even in your own company or industry! A mentor is defined as ‘a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.’ Mentors usually come free of charge. They are usually someone who is successful, and successful people tend to genuinely want to help others succeed. The ‘Go-Giver’ effect (great book, by the way by Bob Burg!). Mentors are sometimes stumbled upon or maybe they are someone one has known for a long time. No matter what, the goal of a mentor is to motivate you, guide you, inspire you to be better, no matter what!
I, personally, have several mentors. Some don’t even know they are my mentor! I have had a business mentor for 16 years. He was my first boss right out of college and he took me under his wing. I had NO skills, NO guts, NOTHING at 21, but Henry saw more in me than I saw in myself. He taught me business skills without saying, ‘I’m going to teach you some negotiating skills today, Vidette!’ He was an extremely humorous man and would just say, ‘Watch this!’ He’d dial up a client, ’schmooz’ the client, hang up the phone with an order. We would laugh and, at the time, I didn’t really know what I was learning. Looking back, I now realized the importance of relationships in ANY business. He had an amazing relationship with his clients, and where I thought it was ’schmoozing,’ I now realize it was Henry building and reinforcing his relationship with the client. I left the company, at Henry’s direction, a couple years later, but he wanted more for me. It was time for me to move on and Henry guided me in the direction. I still stay in touch with Henry and he always knows what I’m doing because he set me on my path and now that I’ve never been in a happier place, I owe a lot of that to Henry.
Another mentor of mine is my business coach Jeffrey Combs. I was introduced to Jeffrey through a mutual friend, and I hired him that day. Jeffrey has changed my life by helping me reveal and see emotional barriers that had been holding me back in becoming successful. I had been carrying limiting beliefs for so long that I didn’t even know I had them. I still have limiting beliefs, but because Jeffrey has helped me identify them, I am more aware of them and work around them. He is an amazing person who has a skill of changing 1,000’s of people’s lives and I aspire to do the same!

http://www.articlebiz.com/article/1051313318-1-find-a-mentor-in-your-mlm-program/

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Small Business Marketing by Video

Posted by Admin on Friday, September 3rd 2010   

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Sep

Marketing Your Local Business With Video: 7 Benefits
You’ve probably heard that using video to market your business can bring incredible results. But do the benefits outweigh the effort it takes to put your video online? In a word, Yes!
It’s true it takes a bit of time to shoot a video, edit and format it, and upload it to the Internet with the right title and description. But the pay-off from video marketing can be tremendous.
Here are seven real benefits of marketing with video:
1.Personal Connection: When someone visits your website, making a personal connection with your potential market is a huge selling factor. With video, your audience can truly get to know you, eye-to-eye. They get to see you as indeed a real, live person. As you share your message, they start building a deeper relationship with you and feel as if they actually have met you. It’s what marketers call the “Know, Like and Trust” Factor and it’s a powerful motivator.
2.Social proof: There’s an old proverb: Believe nothing of what you hear, and only half of what you see. On the Internet, it’s easy to be a fake and a fraud. People are naturally skeptical about claims they read online, and they should be. Video puts a face and voice to your words. Speak with passion and authority. Show your expertise and personality. In the viewers’ eyes, you’ll become more believable and trustworthy.
3.Traffic: People are watching 2 BILLION videos per day on YouTube alone! That’s a whole lot of traffic you’re missing if you’re not marketing yourself with video. It’s free and easy to add your video to a large number of the video sites available online.
4.Emotional Influence: The classic horror movie is a great example of how audio has an emotional impact on us. When the creepy music comes in, you immediately sense that something bad is about to happen. Now, imagine combining that audio with powerful video cues to influence the emotions of the listener. That creates a much more compelling message than with plain text alone.
5.Portability: Maybe even more than articles and ebooks, video is portable. We live in a mobile society. People are on the go. Smartphones, iPhones, iPads and all kinds of other devices allow people to watch video anywhere. You can also allow people to download your video easily so they can take it with them and view it over and over again.
6.Demonstrations: Reviews, case studies and examples are great ways to sell products and services. It’s why infomercials make millions of dollars. I’m not suggesting you need to be as annoying as the Sham-Wow guy to make money with video. You just need to produce videos that show and tell your potential customers why your product or service will help them. Think of ways to entertain, inform and maybe even inspire your viewers and they’ll want more of you.
7.Engagement: There are many reports available online to show that video boosts response and conversion rates. When someone is watching a video, you have their full attention with their eyes and ears. Unlike with the written word, they’re less likely to skip ahead or gloss over important information. If the video is done right, most people will watch a video from beginning to end, allowing you to clearly present your message and deliver a call to action that engages your audience.
There you have it. Seven benefits that make video is an effective online marketing strategy. Plus video is only growing in popularity and not just for Internet-based businesses.
Savvy local businesses are adding video to their marketing mix. Why? People search online for local businesses everyday. An eye-catching video will put you at the top of the major search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. Using online video marketing can make you stand out from the competition and attract more clients, more sales and more profits to your door.
Since video is here to stay, why not check out the options for your business? Find how quickly and easily video marketing can work for you.

http://www.articlebiz.com/article/1051313757-1-small-business-marketing-by-video/

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Online Education for Internet Marketing in Vancouver

Posted by Admin on Wednesday, September 1st 2010   

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An online education for Internet marketing in Vancouver or anywhere, is the most Powerful! Internet Marketing tool you can posses.
Education creates value, Knowledge is power. It’s what makes and individual an “expert” or a “person in authority” within a certain field or niche. By getting an online education in Internet Marketing and getting to know the basics and the “in and outs” of a particular marketing method as a whole. You will have created value in yourself and the more value you create the more you will be looked upon as the expert or authority, with success in the field your in. Moreover, you will be able to teach and lead other people, because they look upon You as of person in authority and expert. The best way to make something stick is to give it away.
Education (value) is VERY IMPORTANT, especially in the Internet marketing community. It’s considered to be the most essential tool for entrepreneurs to succeed in their investments (themselves). You need to educate yourself and learn the basics of Internet marketing so that you’ll be able to determine which marketing strategies are best suited for you and/or your products.
It’s been proven that you not succeed in earning money through your efforts in Internet marketing, unless you first get an online education in Internet marketing. Success in Internet marketing in Vancouver or anywhere else for that matter requires you to obtain a knowledge, creating value in yourself and taking action. Achieving this will save you both time and money in your online marketing efforts.
Most Internet marketers are looking for a “get rich quick” solution for their problems, and they come into this industry without learning the basics. If you do not posses the knowledge and apply the value created in yourself within your marketing strategies. Failure is certain.
Since Internet marketing is an online business, the education that you need is definitely right there at your finger tips. So where do you find this online education for Internet marketing? There are many resources you can use to educate yourself but the most efficient is going to THE LEADERS.
Internet marketing has its own leaders. These leaders are individuals who have educated themselves and have created enough value to be positioned as leaders, teachers. They were educated not only from the content they found online but from other leaders experiences, successes and failures. Following them and doing what they do, and teach. Is by far the best way to really get started on your online education for Internet marketing in Vancouver or again anywhere for that matter.
A Internet entrepreneur who’s passionate about leading and teaching people how to achieve a successful business online. Giving them the ability to create for themselves and their family’s more time, freedoms and opportunities.

http://www.articlebiz.com/article/1051310967-1-online-education-for-internet-marketing-in-vancouver/

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Make Money Online Today! Your First $500 in 15 Days or Less!

Posted by Admin on Wednesday, September 1st 2010   

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How to Make Money Online Today
One of the questions that usually interest people when Internet is mentioned is how to make money online Today. The follow-up question then becomes “is it really possible”? The good news is that it is possible. There more than a hundred ways to generate money in the most unusual place: the Internet. Since Internet become popular in the 90’s, it was only used for very limited purposes such as communication and research.
However, since people got really innovative and creative when it comes to internet usage, it became more popular with all other things such as advertising and employment.

Internet is a great medium for people offering their skills and services. Many professionals even use the internet as source of their extra income. Some of them include web design, content writing, editing and all other services that they can possibly offer.
Another way of making money online today is through selling items. Internet facilitates sales of anything that has a value. Items may be sold at a specific and fixed price or you can auction it in a site. The opportunities are endless. Moreover, it is not limited to brand new items. You can even sell those that are already used.
The thing on how to make money online today is also dependent on how well you advertise your service and products. Make sure that you place them on sites that are frequently visited by your target market. This is to entice them to purchase the goods that you’re selling.
Online opportunities improve and increase along with ways on how to make money online today. Some of these methods are familiar while other ways seem to be a hard task to accomplish. So, what are the successful ways on how to make money online today? Here are the three ways you can earn money online:
How to Make Money Online Today#1 – Product Promotions

You can simply earn profits just by selling products online. If you think you are efficient in doing advertisement, then here is the way to make some money for you. You can simply join by signing up at some websites that provide opportunities of advertising their products and services. Some ways to implement production promotions are video marketing, blogging, and banner advertisements. Just by promoting products online, you can earn a good income. Each time web visitors click the advertisement found at your website, suppliers or companies will urgently deposit your share of profit.
How to Make Money Online Today #2 – Affiliate Marketing
Online promotions are considering affiliate marketing as one of the most popular tools for increasing web traffic and of course, sales. Affiliate marketers can refer consumers directly to product’s official website. Each time these referrals are clicked by consumers, suppliers will deposit an amount to your bank account. See? It is really simple to start making money online. Yet, you have to make sure that your supplier pays with credibility.
How to Make Money Online Today #3 – Earn from What you Enjoy Doing
Some enjoy surfing the web, answering surveys, or even joining some discussion boards. If you are one of those individuals, then it is high time for you to earn money by simply enjoying what you do best. Nowadays, surveys are paid where you can share information or answer questions. Afterwards, a certain amount is deposited on your bank account.
There are different ways on how to make money online. Just search the web and you will a lot of results to choose from. With the ongoing economic crisis, earning money online is the most convenient way to have another source of income.

http://www.articlebiz.com/article/1051312686-1-make-money-online-today-your-first-500-in-15-days-or-less/

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Recent Trends In Trade Show Exhibits

Posted by Admin on Wednesday, September 1st 2010   

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In the world of trade show displays, it is important to stay up to date on the latest trends. First impressions are a big deal, and attendees will want to do business with a company that seems to be innovative and ahead of the curve over one that is stuck with the same exhibit they had 10 years ago, for instance. There are a variety of new materials, props, technology, display types, and exhibiting styles on the market that can help improve your company’s experience at these events.

New Materials And Lighting
As in nearly any field, it is important for those promoting their company through exhibiting to stay on top of the latest technology. In a large convention center filled wall to wall with trade show exhibits, staff and companies alike will want their booth to stand out from the crowd. How will you do that if you have the same old, tired, black curved wall display? Consider buying or renting a new display that is made out of newer materials, like fabric. Fabric is very versatile, lightweight, and costs less than most other materials. It can be used as a backdrop for the display or in banner stands.
Lighting is also being used more and more in trade show exhibits to create a mood for the space. Filtered or wash lights can drastically contrast with the harsh overhead lights of a convention hall. LED lighting is very energy efficient and can be used, along with filtered/wash lights, to bring attention to products you would like to highlight.

Registration Technology And Display Types
There are more modern ways of registering attendees at trade show exhibits these days. Smart cards, magnetic strips, and barcodes help speed along the registration process to save attendees and event sponsors time and work. This trend benefits everyone at the event because attendees have more time to visit booths. There is also newer technology for retrieving leads at trade exhibits. Attendees often swipe their barcode nametags in a machine which automatically inputs their demographic information into a computer system, a time-saving improvement from older methods like filling out index cards.
Many newer trade show displays are also on the market. Pop-up displays are unique, lightweight, flexible, and fun. They are usually made of aluminum, can be constructed in any shape, and help your exhibit stand out.
Experiential Exhibiting

With this type of trade show exhibit, booth employees generally steer away from the usual product pitches and instead serve more as soft-sell consultants. As an alternative for aggressive selling, exhibitors find they are often more effective by creating a strong, positive impression of their company through other methods. For example, testimonials can paint a positive picture of the business. The idea is to keep the attendee engaged and help them have a memorable experience at your trade show exhibit. To facilitate this, consider having a special feature or gimmick like a game, prize wheel, or something similar.
Through new materials, technology, and experiential exhibiting, staff at trade show displays can stay up to date on the latest trends and remain an influential force in the trade exhibit world.

http://www.articlebiz.com/article/1051313374-1-recent-trends-in-trade-show-exhibits/

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How to Choose the Right Network Marketing Company

Posted by Admin on Wednesday, September 1st 2010   

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There are so many MLM opportunities out there that it can make it too hard to decide which one you should register with. This is actually quite common so don’t panic. However, sometimes people end up with the wrong company which costs them valuable business building time and a lot money! Follow these guidelines to ensure you don’t lose out.

If the time comes to select another network marketing company, then what selection criteria should you base your decision on? Would it be on reputation, size, popularity, performance or because a friend strongly recommended it to you?

Sure, you want to go with the best Company, but more importantly you need to sign up with the right Company. Why? This is because the best Company isn’t always going to be the perfect match for you and your needs.
If you really want to increase your chances of succeeding in the first year with that new company then it is crucial to make the correct choice.
There are many aspects which need to be taken in consideration and this article is going to highlight the more important ones you should think about before settling with any MLM Company.
First up we have the history of the Company. Common trends show that young network marketing companies tend to fizzle out in the initial three years of being in operation. Imagine if you belonged to one of these companies, where you have put a solid years’ work in then lose all of your progress due to it going under.
Therefore you must always do a background check to see how long an MLM Company has been around for. The safer companies are those which have been around for more than eight years, simply because they have proven themselves.
The second most important trait you should look for in a Company is its product range. If you want to be a network marketer, then it pays to be able to market and sell products which you are comfortable with or are willing to learn about and potentially consume. You will find that large companies will have a vast selection of products such as cosmetics, nutrition, jewelry, home care, energy supplements etc.
This means that you may want to decide what kind of product you are most likely to specialize in first. The main point to take onboard here is that you don’t want to end up finding yourself stuck in a company where you aren’t able to sell or consume any of its products.

Now that you are getting closer to figuring out your ideal Company, it will also pay to check on the product ordering procedure and serviceable regions of your top candidates. You don’t want your business potential to be limited by a poor ordering process. It should be fast, easy and preferably be able to be done online or over the phone.

In addition to this, the distributing Company should have a ready supply of products available at all times. Finally, determine the territories that your possible Company operates in, including other countries around the globe. This isn’t only good for businesses capabilities but indicates how well established the Company is. You will find that growing Companies will have expanded in numerous countries.
These points are all you need to get you started in that decision making process for choosing the right company for you.

http://www.articlebiz.com/article/1051311146-1-how-to-choose-the-right-network-marketing-company/

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How to Write a Business Proposal in Response to a Request For Proposal (RFP) Or Quote (RFQ)

Posted by Admin on Tuesday, August 31st 2010   

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Here’s the situation: a potential client asks you for a proposal for services or products in response to a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Quote (RFQ), but where do you start? If you have never written a business proposal before, this can be a daunting task. However, by using a logical document format, you can develop a quality proposal that will maximise the chances of it being accepted. Then you’ll discover that you can repeat the same formula for any subsequent proposals.

This article recommends and details the minimum content areas that you should address in a business proposal. In this case, we assume that there is no formal document structure requested by your client – so it is for you to decide on the form of the proposal.

Your Aim

Before you start writing any proposal, you must consider your aim – to make a sale of your goods and or services. Two of the major issues considered by your client in deciding whether to accept your proposal are whether, in their opinion, you understand their business needs; and that you can deliver what you promise. You must continually refer to these two fundamental questions when you write your proposal. Referring back to these issues also helps you with developing the content of your proposal.

Proposal Contents

Any business proposal should contain the following areas:

* Scope of Work – this requires you to provide an overview of your services or products that will meet their business needs. The client’s needs are obtained from a Brief that may range from a formal written document through to a verbal conversation. You need to provide the client with the confidence that you understand their business needs and demonstrate how your products or services meet them.
* Project Approach – in this section, you need to provide some explanation about how you are going to approach the work. This builds more confidence for your client, as they read what you are doing (Scope of Work), along with evidence that you have actually thought about and planned the work.
* Past Experience – you should provide details of previous engagements in which you have delivered similar products or services. It is also helpful to include personal references, should the client wish to verify them. The purpose of this is to give the client some measure of how mature and experienced you are in delivering the services or products you are offering.
* Project Team – you should always detail the specific people you intend to use during the engagement, along with their background, skills and experience. It is also useful to include a resumé or CV for each person. You should also mention who will be the main point of contact in your organisation for this project.
* Timeline and Milestones – this section should illustrate the tasks or products to be provided, each with a corresponding planned delivery date. For larger engagements, milestones can be used to serve as control checkpoints for the client or payment points for you (further discussed below). The timeline can be presented in tabular form, or if more complex, you can use a Gantt chart.
* Progress Reports and Meetings – to foster good communications and to maintain a healthy relationship with the client, you should suggest the forms and frequency of progress reports and meetings. Examples of this could include providing weekly email updates, formal written reports, or monthly face-to-face meetings.
* Resources and Materials Provided by the Client – if you need the client to provide you with any facilities or resources for your use or access, you need to state them here. Examples could be provision of a computer workstation or access to their computer systems whilst you are working on their site, or access to the client’s key staff at certain points of the engagement.
* Assumptions – if there are any other assumptions that you have made in preparing your proposal, you should include them here. The point of this is to minimise any misunderstandings you may have with the client after they give you the approval to proceed with the engagement.  For example, you will not be happy if your client asks for a task that you assumed was outside the scope of the project, but never stated.
* Cost and Payment Schedule – the cost of your proposal can be expressed either in a lump sum or on a time and materials basis. You will need to provide visibility of your hourly rates if you are charging on a time and materials basis. If it is appropriate, or if the client desires, you can suggest to be paid according to certain project deliverables that are stated in the Timelines and Milestones section. In this case, you can align the relevant Milestones against appropriate payment amounts. If the engagement is on a time and materials basis, then you can align payments with deliverables or request that payments be made periodically such as fortnightly or monthly.
* Terms of Agreement – if you have any contract terms that you wish to apply to the agreement, they should be included here. These could include anything from ownership of IP through to payment terms. You can use the services of a lawyer to help you develop these terms if required.

The above areas are the recommended minimum contents of any business proposal in response to a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Quote (RFQ). Used systematically, this can guide can help you to develop and refine the format of your proposals. It allows you to breakdown the task of proposal writing into relevant sections, allowing you to focus on the all-important technical content.

When writing a proposal, always remember that you are trying to provide a prospective client with the confidence that you know your products and services, and are experienced in delivering them.  Writing your proposals using this format will help you to develop quality proposals and maximise the chances of them being accepted.

Samantha Yee
Director
Tech Edit
http://www.techedit.com.au

Authore : http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Samantha_Yee

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