1. Department of Management Sciences
CUST

2.  A proposal is an essential marketing document
that helps cultivate an initial professional
relationship between an organization and a
donor over a project to be implemented.
 The proposal outlines the plan of the
implementing organization about the project,
giving extensive information about the
intention, for implementing it, the ways to
manage it and the results to be delivered from
it.

3.  There are two types of proposals
1)Research Proposal
2)Business Proposal

4.  A research proposal is a document written by a
researcher that provides a detailed description
of the proposed program.
 It is like an outline of the entire research
process that gives a reader a summary of the
information discussed in a project

5.  A business proposal is a written offer from a
seller to a prospective buyer.
 Business proposals are often a key step in the
complex sales process—i.e., whenever a buyer
considers more than price in a purchase.
 The professional organization devoted to the
advancement of the art and science of proposal
development is The Association of Proposal
Management Professionals.

6.  A proposal puts the buyer's requirements in a
context that favors the sellers products and
services, and educates the buyer about the
capabilities of the seller in satisfying their
needs.
 A successful proposal results in a sale, where
both parties get what they want, a win-win
situation.

7.  There are three distinct categories of
business proposals:
1)Formally Solicited
2)Informally Solicited
3)Unsolicited

8.  Solicited proposals are written in response to
published requirements.It contains.
 Request For Proposal(RFP):RFPs provide
detailed specifications of what the customer
wants to buy and sometimes include directions
for preparing the proposal, as well as
evaluation criteria the customer will use to
evaluate offers. Customers issue RFPs when
their needs cannot be met with generally
available products or services.

9.  Request for Quotation (RFQ):Customers issue
RFQs when they want to buy large amounts of
a commodity and price is not the only issue--
for example, when availability or delivering or
service are considerations.
 Invitation for Bid (IFB):Customers issue IFBs
when they are buying some service, such as
construction. The requirements are detailed,
but the primary consideration is price. For
example, a customer provides architectural
blueprints for contractors to bid on.

10.  Request for Information (RFI):Sometimes before a
customer issues an RFP or RFQ or IFB, the
customer will issue a Request for
Information (RFI). The purpose of the RFI is to
gain "marketing intelligence" about what products,
services, and vendors are available.
 RFIs are used to shape final RFPs, RFQs, and IFBs,
so potential vendors take great care in responding
to these requests, hoping to shape the eventual
formal solicitation toward their products or
services.

11.  Informally solicited proposals are typically the
result of conversations held between a vendor
and a prospective customer.
 This type of proposal is known as a sole-source
proposal. There are no formal requirements to
respond to, just the information gleaned from
customer meetings.
 These proposals are typically less than 25-
pages, with many less than 5 pages.

12.  Unsolicited proposals are marketing brochures.
 They are always generic, with no direct connection
between customer needs or specified
requirements.
 They are often used as "leave-behinds" at the end
of initial meetings with customers or "give-aways"
at trade shows or other public meetings.
 They are not designed to close a sale, just
introduce the possibility of a sale.

13.  Proposal management is an inherently
collaborative process. It often consists of the
following basic roles and responsibilities:
1) Creator - responsible for creating and editing
content.
2) Editor - responsible for tuning the content
message and the style of delivery, including
translation and localization.

14. 3) Publisher - responsible for releasing the
content for use.
4) Administrator - responsible for managing
access permissions to documents and files,
usually accomplished by assigning access
rights to user groups or roles.
5) Consumer or viewer - the person who reads or
otherwise takes in content after it is published
or shared.

15. Five tips for creating a efficient business proposal.
1) Know What Your Customer Needs:
Your proposal shouldn’t be centered around
your fantastic products or benefits of working
with your firm. It should focus on addressing
your customer’s needs.

16. 2) Keep It Simple:
You should stick to the basic templates. You’ll
need to include
 An overview of your company
 The goals you want to help the client achieve
 An outline of how you’ll achieve those goals
 A timeline for getting it done
 Pricing
 Policies, such as cancellation
 Contact information

17. 3) Get Professional:
You can modify any number of business proposal
templates online, or you can use software
like QuoteBase, which allows you to modify
proposal modules and email the finished product
directly to your clients.
4) Keep Them on Their Toes:
Business proposals don’t have to be boring. Don’t
be afraid to inject a little of your own personality
into it (as long as it’s professional). Graphics, too,
can spice up a proposal and keep it interesting.

18. 5) Re-Read it for Errors:
So many salespeople pen off a proposal and
hit “send” without spell-checking or reading
through it one last time. Read it to make sure
it’s easy to understand. Keep sentences short.
Make sure you define any terms the reader
might not know.
After you present the proposal, make sure
you’re available to answer questions and close
the sale!