I spent the last few days reviewing a variety of documents that I’d put into the general “proposal” category – services proposals, product proposals, service and product proposals, requests for proposals (RFPs), etc.  What always amazes me is the wide range of overall quality, structure and writing styles that appear from each proposal to the next.  I am not here to advocate some type of standard proposal structure as that would be impossible (and would eliminate the already decaying value of creativity), but there are some simple tips that should be considered in just about any proposal:

• Be as brief as possible.  There’s no magic proposal length.  I’ve seen effective 1-page proposals and effective 20-page proposals.  Proposal writers know when they’re including irrelevant information, but we often get sucked into the idea that saying more means the proposal will look more impressive.  Not so. 
• Include background information on company, staff, approach…but do NOT regurgitate the entire company history.  I always include this information even if the recipient knows me well for one simple reason:  there’s always a chance the proposal will land in the hands of other staff members or advisors, and a proposal without some background typically leaves something to be desired.
• If there is a product involved – be it software or hardware – provide some level of detail on the software or hardware.  Brief written description, screen shots or photos work well, as long as it’s not overkill.  This may not be necessary if the product is not unique to the solution being presented – if the proposal revolves around the use of a specific piece of CRM software (and all other vendors are proposing solutions around that software), then there may not be a need to describe the software in detail.

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I encounter a lot of franchisor and franchisee websites in my daily life, both as a consumer and businessperson.  While some franchise systems have figured how important it is to build a well-branded, easy to navigate, action-oriented site, the vast majority still miss the mark. 

Here are a few “dos” for the consumer audience:

• Make the homepage simple.  Layout should be clean.  Information should be limited to what is most important to the consumer.  Page should load lightning fast.
• Allow the consumer to find the closest location, or for that matter any location, from anywhere in the site.  That, in addition to gathering information, is the most common reason for the consumer’s visit to the franchise website.
• Provide more than just address information for each location.  Add local coupons.  Add a picture of the store so the consumer can identify landmarks.  Add easy ways to get in touch with the local store, like store-specific emails, phone numbers or even click-to-call functionality.

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