The Writing Successful Business Proposals course teaches the skills required to prepare successful business proposals for potential customers or clients. It teaches the structure of a business proposal as a series of actions into which you will place persuasive information. It then teaches methods of persuasion and effective, clear, correct writing. The course stresses the competitive nature of proposals and the need to understand the readers and decision-makers.
You will practice writing the essential parts of a business proposal and will produce at least one complete business proposal. You may use a proposal you are actually preparing for your business.
As with the other Business Writing Center courses, the course has online lessons like the lectures in a college course. The materials contain many examples and easy-to-understand explanations. It is self-pacing, so you decide when to work. You send assignments to your instructor attached to an e-mail. Your instructor will evaluate your writing, comment on how well you have learned the skills and coach you through learning any skills you haven't mastered.
Course Time
You will go through the course at your own pace, so you could complete it within a few weeks. However, you have up to four months to complete the course so you can fit the study time into your schedule. All lessons must be finished within the four-month period.
Course Content
- Lesson 1: Your orientation toward proposals
- Lesson 2: Analyzing the potential customer or client
- Lesson 3: Developing strategies for producing a successful proposal
- Lesson 4: Developing themes and persuading
- Lesson 5: Writing the situation and objectives
- Lesson 6: Writing the methods
- Lesson 7: Writing the qualifications
- Lesson 8: Writing the costs and benefits
- Lesson 9: Writing: beginning and revising
- Lesson 10: Special techniques: headings, lists, tables, graphs, charts
- Lesson 11: Format and appearance
- Lesson 12: Producing the finished document
- Lesson 13: Evaluations, reviews