Sell it! Business Proposals Made Simple

BUSINESS TODAY

Business today means fierce competition and aggressive marketing. The extent to which business succeeds or fails often depends upon that business’ ability to be awarded contracts or attract other businesses. To accomplish this usually requires two key items: Good ideas and the ability to present those good ideas in a superbly developed business proposal. (Campbell) If you sell a complex product or one that involves the delivery of professional services, learning how to write effective business (selling!) proposals can be critical to your success. (Rigg, 2006)

Just contemplating writing a business proposal can be daunting. Depending upon how much you enjoy writing, writing sales proposals can be a joy, purgatory or something in between. (Rigg, 2006) I’m going to give you tips for a simple proposal format because perfect proposals can be crafted in one or two pages. These are lean, highly focused, customer-specific documents that are written to sell anyone that reads them. (Rigg, 2006) These are effective selling proposals that can be used to sell your products, services or ideas.

Mostly people use the “skim and scan” method of review. Customers are experiencing a landslide of information. In this age of mass emails, junk mail, advertising, social media and phone solicitations, it’s imperative to cut through an overload of information. Try a new strategy and offer a simple proposal, clearly stated and organized. Create a proposal that’s quick to read and contains all the crucial data needed to make a decision. (Riley, 2002)

People might say it’s easy to write a business proposal. Well it’s all hard until it’s easy, right?

Kurt Weiland is president and CEO, aka El Jefe Gordo, of Jefferson Smith Training and Consulting. His advice for someone writing their first proposal is:

“Proposal writing is not magic. It doesn’t require any secret or special knowledge. You can do this. You won’t win every proposal, but you’ll get better each time you try.”

FIRST, WHAT IS A BUSINESS PROPOSAL?

Unlike a business plan, which is written to run your company and raise capital, a business proposal is an unsolicited or solicited bid for businesses. (Zahorsky, 2011) I’m giving you tips for what is technically termed an unsolicited business proposal. This type of proposal gives you flexibility for both content and format. A well-written, unsolicited business proposal can win the hearts and minds of your target audience. (Zahorsky, 2011)

(For you own edification, a solicited business proposal is when a corporation or government entity asks other companies to bid on a project by sending out a request for proposal (RFP). It’s an entirely different animal. Usually these proposals take teams to write, review, edit and finalize. They can literally fill volumes of binders. We aren’t even going to tackle this gargantuan topic.)

A simple business proposal uses persuasive language and still includes all the facts. It has a clean, easy to follow format that naturally flows from one topic to the next. You build your case by using facts and reasoning. Your proposal should encourage the reader to see through your eyes and give a call to action. A proposal is more than just figuring out the costs and writing a lot of words. (Lawrence) It’s about orchestrating the information and building the momentum for the customer to buy. Think of the proposal as a photograph—one complete image composed deliberately for one frame. (Riley, 2002)

WHEN WOULD YOU USE A BUSINESS PROPOSAL?

You can use this simple format for many projects: a training agreement; a new job; a community project; a simple grant request. You might even use the proposal within your own company to propose an idea you have for an improvement.

HOW DO YOU START?

First you need to have a clear understanding of the results you want from your proposal. (Letters for Business) Who is your audience? Who is the reader? You need to decide to whom you are writing the proposal and make sure you write for the customer. (Glisson, 2004)

The more you know about your target reader, the more you understand her needs and underlying issues. At the end of the day, we’re dealing with people. And regardless of how good your proposal is, someone sitting in an office is going to have to approve it. Make sure you know the person. (Walsh, Business Proposal Tips) Safford’s First Law of Proposal Writing: If you assume you know what the customer wants without asking her, you will be wrong. (Proposal Works, 2011)

Experts on selling always tell you to start by doing a needs analysis for the customer. (Humrichouse, 2011) Essentially you just need to know what the customer’s problem is and tell her how you can help. Knowing who will receive your proposal will help shape the content and tone of your writing. (Rigg, 2006)

Obviously knowing the customer personally helps; but if you don’t know the reader, use your resources. Search LinkedIn for potential connections, talk to someone else from the same profession and check to see if there are any recent press releases on your customer. Knowing about your reader helps you determine your strategy. Is the reader conversant on the topic you’re proposing? If the proposal is to provide a Microsoft Word class and you’re sending it to the training director, you may not need to go into the details about adult learning. However, if you’re proposing a new training software package requiring a technical infrastructure, you may need to provide a framework for the project.

Even though a lean proposal is a simple format, it still involves complete knowledge of the subject. Verbal skills, intuition, discipline and clarity are required to keep things simple. A successful proposal comes from expressing complex thought in few words. (Riley, 2002)

Be confident about your work. You can’t hide sloppy work or fake it through the facts. You must be logical and put in the preparation time. List what you know and list what you don’t. Then fill in those knowledge gaps by doing research. The internet, news articles, studies, industry data---wherever the information is that you need---get it. You goal is complete understanding of the facts and the customer.

At minimum, you should ask these basic proposal questions (Wood, 2001):

• Who will review the proposal?
• How will the evaluation occur?
• Who is the competition?

Remember this is just a tool. You still have to put the time and effort into it to ensure that you’ve evaluated and prioritized every bit of information. Never deliver a sales proposal until you completely understand the client’s needs and the scope of the solution. (Lawrence) A reader should not have to figure out what you are quoting in your proposal.

Mr. Weiland says:

“Identify what the customer wants. Do your research. Look up the company on the internet. Find out what they do. Fit your offering to what they do. Use their point of reference.”

DO YOU KNOW WHO ELSE IS IN THE GAME?

Identify the key players in your industry. You don’t even have to mention them in your proposal, but play to your key strengths---especially if you offer similar products or services. It can help to speak with key people from your target market to determine what they want, why it adds value to their lives, how much they want to pay for it and where they’d likely purchase the product or service. These details will give you tremendous insight. (Brookins)

There’s always a chance that a competitor might attempt to undermine the success of your proposal. Knowing your customer and her environment can help allay competitive interests. Address concerns plainly. Suppose you’re proposing a training project and you know your customer is concerned about how to offer the classes to the graveyard shift. If you’re competitor will offer the training at midnight, then you need to identify solutions for your customer. Anticipate her concerns to make it easier for her to say yes to your proposal.

BE POLITICALLY CORRECT

The issue here is to avoid offending the people who will receive your proposal document. Avoid any language that might be construed as offensive to people---including women, men, persons with disabilities, persons belonging to visible minorities, multi-generations, etc. (Campbell)

If you know that you have a bias or are unsure of the correct terminology, consult with someone knowledgeable before ever submitting your proposal.

ARE YOU WRITING FOR A GLOBAL AUDIENCE?

We live in a global market. Ask if your proposal might be evaluated by persons living in other countries or by persons for whom English is a second language. (Campbell) Even if you’re submitting your document to a local company, its evaluation may go well beyond the immediate community. One of my Ogden, Utah proposals was sent to Paris. Well to be fair, it’s actually Paris, Texas, but my point is you never know who will read your proposal. If you deliver on your promises, the company may pass along your information to one of their subsidiaries beyond the United States.

Another note is not to use slang or pop culture terms in your proposal. When persons from other cultures study the English language, they are taught to speak formal, correct English. They are often unfamiliar with the use of slang terms. (Campbell)

Adnan Khashoggi, Saudia Arabian businessman, says, “Few decision makers can ever afford to read more than one page when deciding if they are interested in a deal or not. This is even truer for people of a different culture or language.” (Riley, 2002)

WHAT “VOICE” DO YOU USE?

I prefer to use the active voice (“we will….) to avoid being ambiguous. The “you” voice is reader centered and is especially valuable when writing sales documents. (Wood, 2001) There is a little debate about which voice should be used in proposals. Some writers stand firmly that proposals should be written in the active voice. Others recommend using third person (he, she, the company) to prevent the reader from feeling she has received a piece of direct-mail marketing. (Riley, 2002) Don’t forget your global audience. Non-western cultures take a less individualistic approach and may feel uncomfortable with the active voice. (Riley, 2002) In the end this returns to knowing your customer. What will make her feel more comfortable?

Whichever voice you choose to use, be positive and energetic. Your friendly voice should radiate off the page. Use strong, active words instead of wimpy, passive words. Don’t say we “can’t” in a proposal. Instead voice what you can do and how you will help the reader. Tone is the body language of the document.

DO YOU HAVE TECHNICAL TERMS?

A little technical guidance if your proposed project involves technology. Be very careful about your explanation because your customer may have little to no technological background. Even terms like branding, organic, turnkey solution, and e-commerce are not necessarily understood by everyone. (Campbell)

A good solution is to explain your technology in terms of what it will do. For example, “A member can use the database to search for information about your products.” (Campbell) If you have to use an appendix or a glossary of terms, that’s your sign that the information might be too complicated.

GOT VALUE?

How do you sell value? The answer is simple: Value is whatever the customer thinks is valuable. Saving time might be valuable, so focus on how you will meet or beat schedule deadlines. If it’s saving money, then tell the customer how she can afford your product. (Proposal Works, 2011) Present the benefits rather than the facts. (Al Borowski Company, 2008)

Sell yourself by telling the client why you are the best person for the job. Don’t over generalize. Use your educational background, past experience and even testimonials from past clients to support your claim. Clients want to know that you have the knowledge and skills to see the job from start to finish. (Brookins) Take into account that your client probably has to sell this proposal to her boss or a committee. Articulating your value helps her make a case for why your proposal should be approved.

WHAT’S YOUR PRICE?

Where should price go in the proposal? Often writers bury the price toward the middle or end of the document. (You won’t have that problem with a short proposal because you’re going to conclude in two pages or less. Still, it’s important to understand a little pricing psychology.)

We often believe that after buyers read all of the benefits, when they get to the price, they’ll be ecstatic. Actually it doesn’t work that way. What do you do? Flip through the pages looking for the price? This is how price works. If a customer is happy, she keeps reading. If she thinks it’s too expensive, she’ll still keep reading to see why your proposal is pricey. (Walsh, Some Important Tips on Proposals and Price)

You might assume that every customer wants low price, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes it’s more important to have the product on time or early and that may justify a higher cost. (Brookins) If it’s achievable and appropriate for your project, price products or services in chunks or give volume discounts. Then your customer can assess which products or services meet her immediate needs and budget.

Should you call it cost, price or investment? I look for cost or price because those are the words that stand out to me, but I’m not your client. What do you think your client wants?

ARE YOU READY TO LAY IT OUT?

You’ve completed your research thoroughly and understand exactly who your customer is and what she needs. You have guidance on how to write your proposal. Now you’re ready for the framework. Your proposal will have seven sections:

Contact Information–Put it at the top so it’s easy to find. Now that most short proposals are emailed or faxed, you want to make it simple for your reader to return the signed document.

Title – Name your proposal in a single phrase. Memorable but simple. You can include a subtitle to pique the curiosity or add more detail.

Intention - Identify the target of the proposal. Reinforce the goals of your customer. Use bullet points or list your key information.

Rationale - Basic reasons why the action is necessary. How and why you’re the right person or this is the right idea. This is your “sell it” section!

Money Matters - Identify the costs by quantifying and qualifying.

Status – What is the situation now? Identify what work you’ve done to this point. Answer any questions before they’re even asked.

Call to Action – A signature, commitment, recommendation or investment.

Remember the old real estate saying: Location. Location. Location. A good document allows the reader to get the main points of the document by scanning the information. (Wood, 2001)

The proposal sections are like stairs that are cemented in to place one by one to carry your target reader from point A to point B. (Riley, 2002) When the reader arrives at the end of the proposal, you want her to say, “I’m ready to sign.”

DETAILS MATTER

Use headings to help the reader find relevant information quickly. Headings should be two points larger than the body of your text. One effective writing style is to write the headings as questions. (Walsh, 2011) Consider your format. Do you need to add more bullet-point lists? Put keywords in bold? Use more white space? Your title and headings should always stand out.

Use a twelve-point standard business font like Times Roman because readability is critical. Fonts with serif (feet) are easier for the eye to grab a hold of. San serif (without feet) are fonts that are more difficult to read. (Wood, 2001) Scrunching the text down to a nine-point font and cramming more details onto the page defeats your purpose, too. A good approach is to keep the formatting single spaced with a double space between sections. This is about keeping everything simple, clean and clear.

WRITE IT!

Organize all of your research and notes into the applicable sections. Write one sentence for each piece of research you’ve collected. Rough out each section and by the end you should have a list of sentences that you can begin to string together. (Riley, 2002) In each point, lead with your most important support.

Don’t substitute clarity of thought with sloppy, wordy, rambling explanations, vague descriptions and heavy reliance on buzzwords or jargon. (Campbell) Limit your sentence length to about 20 words. Short sentences of only five or six words are especially useful for emphasizing ideas. (Wood, 2001) Seriously, if you can’t summarize in a few sentences, then you are not ready to start writing.

You’ve already done your research so avoid generalizations in your content and stick to your facts. Let your research support claims you make in your proposal. You may think your product or service is the best in the world, but don’t make sweeping statements in your proposal. Describe your idea or service in more believable terms. Remember, getting your reader to back your proposal is an act of trust. (Riley, 2002) You won’t be trusted if you sound fake or phony.

You are an intelligent business person, but a lean proposal is not the place to show off your expansive vocabulary. Using multi-syllable words and acronyms makes a simple proposal difficult to read and understand. If you have a good idea and you can communicate that idea clearly and effectively, the recipients will be impressed. (Campbell)

Depending on the topic, it’s okay to infuse your personality into the proposal to help clients get an idea of your work and communication style. (Brookins) A proposal for a movie idea might have a completely different tone than a proposal for a community project.

What does our expert, El Jefe Gordo, have to say about the most important component of a simple business proposal format:

“The benefits---not the features, but the benefits---to the client-reader. What can you do for her? How will you make her life, her work, better? How will you make her look good in front of the boss?”

REVIEW IT

Clarity: What parts of the proposal are difficult to understand? Are the sentences too long and complex? Make sure your ideas aren’t lost in a sea of unnecessary words. Readers can only handle five or fewer concepts at a time. (Wood, 2001)

Repetition: If the same information is repeated in several sections, does it have any real benefit? You have limited space and you need to make it count.

Size: Sometimes you have to downsize. You probably have a sizeable stack of research, and not all of it will fit into your lean proposal. Don’t despair. If you’re asked to make a presentation as a follow up to the proposal, you might use the information. Label and keep it until the project is complete.

While in edit mode, check the grammar, spelling and punctuation. Be careful of commonly misspelled words like affect and effect. Make sure you have subject-verb agreement. Invest in a few helpful books such as The Elements of Style, The Careful Writer and Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Use them.

Above all make sure you have the correct spelling of your customer’s name and title and the proper name of the company. (You will have the correct name because you have done your research.) Spelling a company name incorrectly highlights your unfamiliarity with the subject or the industry. (Riley, 2002) Just as a Human Resource Director scrutinizes a resume, your reader (or her team) will inspect your document. For some of them, it’s the first and only impression they have of you. Make it a really, really good one.

THE FINISHED PRODUCT

The finished proposal should be perfect or as perfect as you can get it. Your proposal is now oozing with clarity and simplicity. It says to your customer, “Read me. Love me. Sign me.”

HOW DO YOU DELIVER THE PROPOSAL?

The proposal should never be sent without a preparatory conversation with your customer. If you send your proposal electronically, make sure your message thanks your customer for her time, opinion and opportunity. Tell her when to expect to hear from you whether it’s eight hours or three days.

Kurt Weiland says the content of the email is critical, but it’s got to be short:

“Wanda---

Thank you for including us on your proposal list.

I’ve attached our proposal. Take a look.

I’ll call you on Friday to answer any questions.”

ARE YOU DONE?

Writing the proposal was only half of your job. The most important goal of a proposal is to get it approved! Follow up with your customer. Follow up. Follow up. Call or email when you say you’re going to because everything you do matters.

YOUR EXAMPLES

If you’re like me, the practical application is the best section of any instructional text. Like a cherry on top of a sundae, this is your reward for reading the article. Yeah, give me the good stuff! This is the “show me how it’s done” section.

Lucky Seven Tips from the Expert

1. Tailor the proposal to the client. It cannot---cannot, cannot---be a boilerplate proposal. Address their needs. How can you ease their pain? Their difficulty? This is probably the most important of all the suggestions.

2. Learn and use desktop publishing software (for example Adobe InDesign) rather than word processing software. It’s worth it. Your document will look better and create a better, more professional impression.

3. Make your proposal look good. Use lots of white space. Open up your document. Use short paragraphs. Use lists.

4. Use short words and short sentences. Don’t be fancy. The greatest communicators use the shortest words:

“Ask not what your country can do for you….”

“I have a dream.”

“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

“If you can find a better car, buy it.”

5. Use visuals. Put a picture of their headquarters (which you retrieved from the internet) on a cover page. Title it “A Proposal for Ajax Company.” (Notice: Their company headquarters, not yours.)

6. Proofread for content and correctness. Wait a while to get a fresh look at the document. Ask someone to proofread the document.

7. Beat the deadline. It will always take longer than you thought. Build any transmittal time into your milestone calendar. Carry the proposal by hand to your customer if necessary.

Example of a Simple Business Proposal

I’ve modified an example from the book titled The One-Page Proposal. It’s written in third-person voice and provides a good reference if you’re writing for a global audience. Taking advice from our subject matter expert, Kurt Weiland, you could easily include a picture of the proposed pyramid.

YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION HERE: NAME, PHONE, CELL PHONE, FAX AND EMAIL
YOUR READER'S INFORMATION HERE: NAME, PHONE, CELL PHONE, FAX AND EMAIL

THE GREAT PYRAMID OF CHEOPS

A powerful monument in tribute to Pharaoh, in an ageless geometric design

GOAL: TO DESIGN A MONUMENT HONORING THE GREATNESS OF EGYPT AND ENSURING THE ETERNAL LIFE OF THE PHARAOH

• To protect Pharaoh’s body and his treasures as they travel to the next life
• To demonstrate Egypt’s cutting edge technologies

(This is your rationale section) The great Pharaoh Cheops has decreed his intention to build a monument during his lifetime. Ever since the Great Unifier, King Narmer, was buried at Abydos in a pit tomb topped by a mound-like superstructure, the pharaoh of Egypt has been assigned a unique status in the eyes of men and gods. Yet none of the previous tombs has reflected the ultimate relationship between the sun god Ra and the pharaoh himself. No architecture has been advanced enough to protect the pharaoh’s body and his treasures as they travel through to the next life. Already evidence of grave-robbing can be seen at the monument of Pharaoh’s father, King Snefru.

(This is where you sell it! Notice how educational background is integrated here. You could even include a short customer testimonial.) Hemon, a most innovative architect of the royal palace, has developed a novel and superlative design for a monument in the shape of a pyramid. The proposed design is unique in the history of Egypt but promises great continuity in design of existing structures and the traditions of our land. Hemon has an outstanding record of handling large projects in the Pharaoh’s palace. A trusted member of the Pharaoh’s family, he is a manager whose competence is unchallenged.

EXPECTED BENEFITS:

• Magnificent site for the pyramid on the strongest bedrock of Giza Plain
• Projected status as the largest structure in the world
• Engineering within a maximum deviation tolerance of less than eight inches for the entire structure

FINANCIAL:

The Great Pyramid will require one-fourth of the treasury of Egypt to complete---an increase of only 5 percent over that spent by the Pharaoh’s father. From preliminary drawings, Pharaoh’s royal palace engineers estimate that the 482-foot pyramid design will require approximately 2.3 million blocks of stone. The estimated time of completion is 23 years, and the cost of construction can be paid out gradually.

Final Investment: 2,000,000 Guinay

STATUS:

Preliminary drawings are complete. Quarries near Giza have pledged to meet the demand for both limestone and granite. New sources of gold and cedar wood for ramps have been located in Egypt’s new territories of Byblos and Lower Nubia. The Department of Civil Service can provide a workforce of craftsmen and workers, which will ensure completion by 2528.

ACTION:

By endorsing this document, Pharaoh Cheops hereby authorizes and appoints Hemon as Chief of Works, specifically authorizing him to carry out the building of the Great Pyramid.

__________ _______________________

Pharaoh Cheops Date

Helpful Websites

www.fedworld.gov

Comprehensive repository of federal government information. Provides links to government agencies, government branches, departments, courts, embassies and other government websites.

www.fedstats.gov

Site provides a search engine to find and retrieve statistics published by U.S. government agencies.

www.info.gov

Search engine to government and military databases, a federal directory, a directory of popular consumer categories, international links and the Federal Information Center.

www.access.gpo.gov

U.S. Government Printing Office home page (Keeping America Informed). Provides access to Supreme Court decisions, congressional records and bills.

www.wolframalpha.com

Access to world facts and data. Calculates answers across a range of topics.

Subject Matter Expert Interview

Kurt Weiland, President & CEO

Jefferson Smith Training and Consulting

Mr. Weiland served for 23 years in the United States Army. He taught communication skills and leadership at the United States Military Academy at West Point. His client list includes: Mazda North America, Purdue University, Zions Bank, The Federal Reserve and Texaco. Jefferson Smith Training follows five principles:

• Maintain absolute integrity. No fudging.
• Serve the customer.
• Have fun. Laugh a lot.
• Think outside the box.
• Look on the bright side of things.

Words that Matter

Power Words to Use	Negative Words to Avoid
You	So
Proven	Fail
Save	Why
Easy	Poor
Money	Reject
Help	But
Love	If
Free	Negative
Discovery	Never the less
New	Despite
Results	However
Guarantee	Neglect

Positive Versus Negative

Opportunity, Transaction	Deal
Presentation, Demonstration	Pitch
Fee for Service	Commission
Total Investment Monthly Amount	Cost or Price
Initial Investment	Down Payment
Monthly Investment	Monthly Payment
Agreement, Paperwork, Worksheet	Contract
Own	Buy
Get Them Involved	Sell or Sold
I represent	I sell
Authorize, Approve, Endorse, Okay	Sign
Challenges	Problems
Open	Interested

References

Al Borowski Company. (2008). Proposal Writing Success. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from Proposal Writing Sucess Web Site: http://www.proposalwritingsuccess.com/Article-expert-samples.htm

Brookins, M. (n.d.). Tips on Writing Business Proposals. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from Small Business Chron Web Site: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/tips-writing-business-proposal-706.html

Campbell, J. (n.d.). Business Writing Tips. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from Entrepreneur Tips & Advice Web Site: http://www.entrephelp.mixph.com/?p=437

Cherry Leaf. (2011). How to write a sales proposal. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from Cherry Leaf Web Site: http://www.cherryleaf.com/How_to_write_a_sales_proposal

Glisson, A. (2004, Fall). Georgia Southern University. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from Georgia Southern University Web Site: http://class.georgiasouthern.edu/writling/professional/TechWrite/2-1/glisson/index.html

Humrichouse, R. (2011). Winning Business Proposal Writing. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from Business Proposal Writing Web Site: http://businessproposalwriting.org/winning-business-proposal-writing-puts-customer-first.php

James Abela ELT. (2011). James Abela ELT. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from James Abela ELT Web Site: http://www.jamesabela.co.uk/exams/Proposal.pdf

Lawrence, J. (n.d.). Blog: Why Propose Value? Retrieved June 13, 2011, from Sell Results Web Site: http://sellresults.com/blog/?tag=proposal

Letters for Business. (n.d.). Tips for writing a business proposal. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from Letters for Business Web Site: http://www.lettersforbusiness.com/tips-for-writing-a-business-proposal.htm

Proposal Works. (2011). Selling Value in a Proposal. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from Proposal Works Web Site: http://www.proposalworks.com/pre-proposal-writing-tips/value

Rigg, A. (2006, Nov. 12). Proposal Writing Tips. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from Proposal Writing Blogspot: http://proposalwriting.blogspot.com/2006/11/how-to-write-effective-selling.html

Riley, P. G. (2002). The One-Page Proposal. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Walsh, I. (n.d.). 7 Essential Ingredients of Successful Business Proposals. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from Klariti Web Site: http://www.klariti.com/proposal-writing/Business-Proposals-7-Writing-Skills.shtml

Walsh, I. (n.d.). Business Proposal Tips. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from Klariti Web Site: http://www.klariti.com/proposal-writing/Business-Proposal-Tips.shtml

Walsh, I. (2011). Klariti Business Writing. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from Klariti.com: http://www.klariti.com/business-writing/new-english-rfp.shtml

Walsh, I. (n.d.). Some Important Tips on Proposals and Price. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from Klariti: http://www.klariti.com/business-writing/TipsOnProposalPricing.shtml

Wood, S. (2001, June 13). Owner, IFI Training. (M. Schwenk, Interviewer)

Zahorsky, D. (2011). www.sbinformation.about.com/cs/bizlettersamples/a/proposal.htm. Retrieved June 15, 2011, from SB Information Web Site: http://sbinformation.about.com