Companies are constantly competing fiercely over things like funding, contracts, and customers. They all want to be the first and the best. But before landing a deal or closing a sale, they must know how to entice their clients with their proposals.
Starting and running a business involves making a deal. And before it gets signed, it must first get the attention of the person with whom you want to do business.
Proposals can make or break a deal, and that’s why it’s important to make a good first impression. It all starts with the proposal introductions.
The Importance Of Proposal Introductions
To be taken seriously, you must craft a professionally written, and structured proposal. While writing a proposal requires extensive research and planning, you can shorten this time by using a proposal software like Prospero. Aside from using the right words, you must also confidently and wholeheartedly believe in whatever you offer.
But that’s not all. You must write an effective introduction.
It’s one of the most commonly overlooked components of a proposal. You must ensure that you catch the attention of the company’s decision-makers that you want to win over right from the start.
No matter how well-crafted your proposal is, if it fails to capture their interest at the onset, your efforts are bound to fail.
That said, the introduction must be interesting. It must also keep the reader hooked so they’ll continue to read it until the end.
Characteristics Of An Effective Proposal Introduction
What makes a proposal introduction effective? Here are the main characteristics of a compelling proposal opening:
- Well-Researched
Proposals need to be well-researched. You must know the ins and outs of the potential project and client.
Who is your audience? What are their needs? What problems are they facing? How can you help? What will they achieve after reading your proposal?
Understanding all these gives you better chances of creating an effective and attention-grabbing introduction to your proposal.
- Well-Organized
Your proposal must make sense and be well-organized. This applies not only to the entirety of the proposal but also to its introduction.
To help you get started, you must come up with an outline. Doing so will help you avoid getting stuck, confused, or overwhelmed with the details or elements that you should include to make the opening stand out.
Aside from being well-organized, the proposal must be error-free. This applies to the introduction and the rest of the proposal.
- Short and Concise
The introduction should serve as an overview of the entire proposal. It should give the reader a good idea of the content of the business plan.
Avoid writing needlessly long introductions. Instead, it should be short and direct to the point. Readers these days have short attention spans. That’s why getting them hooked after reading the first sentence is essential.
- Identifies The Problem
One excellent way of catching the reader’s attention in the introduction is to identify their problem. Prospective clients would only do business with those who can help them.
If you don’t know what their problem is or misidentify their needs, they won’t be interested in whatever it is that you’re about to offer. Since this section needs to be brief and concise, you need to explain this in just a few sentences.
Remember, identifying the problem within the introduction of your proposal lets your readers feel that you understand what they’re going through. It will also inform them that your proposal could be the key to solving or addressing their concerns.
You’ll stir their desire to find a solution by identifying their needs. You’ll also promote a sense of urgency, which would encourage them to take action right away.
- Offers A Solution
After identifying the problem, you should also present a solution. It must be realistic and attainable if you don’t want your proposal to be pushed aside after only reading the introduction.
Don’t forget to be specific. Say you provide coaching for real estate beginners, you must briefly lay out the steps required for your offered solution to take effect.
Cite evidence that will back up your claims. This way, they’ll know that you’re serious about solving their problems or helping them achieve their desires.
Emphasize the benefits of your offered solution and highlight the points that set you apart from your competitors. You should clearly explain why they should do business with you instead of your rivals.
- Establishes Credibility
Your intro must encourage the reader to trust you after reading the introduction. You can do this by presenting yourself as a reliable and knowledgeable expert in your field. A good illustration is the “Why Me” section of this Wix Web Design proposal template.
You must sound credible after they read the introduction of your proposal. But you must be able to maintain that until they reach the end. If not, they’ll consider you pretentious and your proposal useless.
How To Write A Captivating Introduction
You can choose from several approaches when writing a captivating introduction. Here are a few options to consider.
- Tell A Story
You can tell a story that your reader can relate to. Through this approach, you’ll get a chance to connect with your target client. If they find it interesting, your readers will continue reading until they reach the end of your proposal.
- Give Surprising Statistics
If there’s something that readers find interesting, it’s when they read about shocking statistics.
For instance, if you’re promoting a certain service, you can mention a certain number of people who share the same problem and what solutions they’ve tried. You can link those figures to your offer by briefly explaining how you can help them out.
- Highlight Their Desires
You should highlight the desires of your readers and ask them if they want to achieve them. If you determine what they want, you’ll catch their attention with this kind of introduction.
Let’s say you’re offering a solution to increase their social media following. An attention-grabbing introduction may include a line that tells them that you can help grow their followers by the thousands. Remember, though, that you must only promise something that you can deliver.
- Share Success Stories
Who doesn’t love to read about success stories? You can use this approach when crafting an introduction.
If it’s about starting a small business, you can share stories of the people you’ve helped by showing before and after visuals. If it resonates with your readers, they’ll come to think that they can also get what they want with your help. And they’ll want to know more about your proposed solution by reading your proposal until the end.
- Make A Stand
An unusual yet effective approach is to express your stance on a certain controversial topic. It encourages your audience to continue reading. But this will only be effective if you make your stance known on a topic that’s relevant to your reader’s business.
Random comments about a popular topic or something unrelated to their company, products, or services would mean nothing to them. The stance you take must be supported by the rest of the content of your proposal.
- Ask A Question
You can ask relevant questions that will encourage your readers to think about new possibilities. Of course, they should be thought-provoking and make them realize they need to consider other options.
Mistakes To Avoid When Writing A Proposal
Making your introduction stand out isn’t easy. You may have crafted something interesting but still failed to get your potential client’s attention. To avoid getting rejected, be sure to avoid any of these mistakes when writing your proposal.
- Focusing On Your Needs Only
When writing the introduction, don’t focus on your needs. Many companies make the mistake of talking mostly about their business and their accomplishments.
Although you can mention them in your proposal, they mustn’t be the priority. Instead, talk about the prospect, their needs, and the solutions you can offer.
- Using Boring Blocks Of Texts
Content is king. That remains true even when writing proposals. But your readers may get bored if your proposal contains blocks of black-and-white text only.
You should consider adding graphs, charts, infographics, or other relevant images. But don’t go overboard. Use visuals to a minimum to avoid distracting your readers from your proposal’s main content.
- Failing To Explain What Makes You Better Than Others
You must not forget to immediately highlight why you’re better than others. For example, if you’re a SaaS provider, it’s your responsibility to explain what makes your products stand out from your competitors.
You can compare your offer to others and highlight the benefits that your clients will enjoy if they choose you. However, don’t defame your rivals, lie, or exaggerate. Instead, you can provide reviews of former or existing clients who have trusted and chosen your product or service.
Final Thoughts
Don’t be like the others who take the introduction for granted. The first part of your proposal is as important as its remaining content. Don’t take it lightly, and neither should you write one just for the sake of having one.
You must create a captivating introduction if you want your potential clients to continue reading your piece. It must reflect a deep understanding of your audience, attention to detail, concern to solve their problems or meet their needs, and presentation of a real solution.
So, the next time you write the introduction for your proposal, don’t forget to take your time, research well, and do your best.
Of course, the introduction shouldn’t be just empty promises. You must be able to deliver the value you promised to avoid upsetting and disappointing your readers. Remember that it’s one of the main keys to winning over decision-makers of the company you’re hoping to do business with.
