Create a Consulting Proposal
A consulting proposal is a document sent from a consultant to a prospective client describing a job they wish to take on and the conditions under which they will do so. Consulting proposals are usually written only after the consultant and prospective client have discussed the job at length. Knowing how to write a clear, effective proposal can help land new clients for your practice, so it's an essential skill for all independent consultants.
Contents
Steps
Before Writing the Proposal
- Learn as much as you can about the job under consideration. A consulting proposal isn't like a resume — it's not a good idea to just send yours out to as many recipients as possible to drum up business. Each proposal should be tailored specifically to the client you're trying to get. The more knowledgeable you are about the client and his or her needs, the better you can write your proposal, so your first step should always be to educate yourself. There are many ways you might do this:
- The best and most direct is simply to meet with the client and discuss the proposed job. Take careful notes and ask lots of specific questions so you understand precisely what the work entails.
- After this, you can follow up with phone calls and emails to clarify any lingering questions.
- As you write the proposal (see below), it may be useful to do a little independent research as. For example, if you're trying to prove why your services will help your client succeed, finding business surveys that support your point is a good idea.
- Come to an agreement on what your exact role will be. You don't want to sign on to work as a consultant only to have your client pressure into doing work you didn't agree to. Having a very clear picture of what the client expects from you is important — this way, you can word your proposal so that your work will be limited only to what has been agreed upon. Things to note include:
- Your precise duties and the result the client hopes to achieve
- The time frame for your work
- Specific milestones that need to be reached by certain dates
- Sometimes, you may need to speak to multiple people. For example, if you are hoping to consult about a dispute between management and employees, it would be wise to speak to representatives of both parties as well as the hiring client.
- Find the client's financial commitment. This is perhaps the most important piece of information of all. If the client isn't willing to pay you what you think the work is worth, you don't even need to bother writing the proposal. Have an agreement with the client about how much (as well as how often) you will be paid before you start writing. This way, you can refer to the agreed-upon payment in your proposal, which the client will need to sign and agree to to hire you.
- In addition to the fee for your services, you also want to come to an agreement with the client about secondary costs that you may have while working (e.g., gasoline, supplies, travel, etc.). It's in your best interest to get the client to agree to compensate you for these things.
- Do not write a consulting proposal if the client seems uncertain about how much you will be paid (or when).
- If possible, get the work without a proposal. Lots of consultant resources will offer advice along the lines of, "It's easier to write a confirmation of services than a proposal of services." Keep in mind that a consulting proposal is just that: a proposal that doesn't guarantee you any work. It's perfectly possible for a client to solicit proposals from many different consultants and pick just one, so if you can, try to get the client to agree to hire you before you even write the proposal. This way, when you send it, the client will just be confirming that you can start working — not deciding whether or not you can.
Writing the Proposal
- Begin your proposal by addressing the prospective client. Start your proposal like you would start a letter: with a short paragraph summing up that you want to do the work for the client and that you are the best candidate for the job (you'll get to the specifics later). Here, it's OK to be somewhat "warm" and personal in your tone, though you should always stay professional.
- Mention the client by name. If you're on friendly names, first names are fine. Otherwise, use "Mr." or "Mrs." You're trying to show the client that this proposal is specifically tailored to him or her.
- See our sample documents below for specific examples of what's needed in each proposal.
- Describe the job in the first paragraph. Draw from the discussions you have already had regarding the job to show your client, in a few sentences, that you know what you need to do. Show that you understand the problem that needs solving, the duties the client expects you to perform, and the scope of your work (one-time gig, long-term, etc.).
- Be specific about the job here, but don't dwell on precise details like money, hours, and so on - you'll get to this later.
- In the second paragraph, describe your qualifications. Here, you're trying to sell yourself as the best possible person for the job. Draw attention to things like your training, your experience, and jobs you've done in the past that have gotten positive feedback. You can also reference your attitude and values, though these should take a back seat to more concrete qualifications.
- Remember that you may be in competition with other consultants. Try to paint a picture of how you will provide a measurable benefit to the client in terms of money or time saved. This way, you can give yourself an edge over a competitor with similar or better qualifications who doesn't articulate this as well.
- In the next paragraph, describe the work you propose. List, using strict terminology and specific details, what you will do to solve the client's problem. Pinpoint the exact results the client will see from you consultation. Be specific regarding your methods and time frame here.
- To avoid problems later, it's also wise to describe what you expect from the client during your work with regards to personnel, access to work sites, and equipment. For example, name people that you expect to work with full-time, list the sectors that you will have access to, etc.
- Describe what you will not be doing during your consultation. As a consultant, you want to avoid the problem of "mission creep" — gradually having your responsibilities grow without receiving any extra compensation. Isolate the problem you will be addressing and indicate very clearly that related issues are not included in this proposal.
- A good way to present this is in a bulleted list — this makes it very hard for the client to miss the relevant information.
- Propose a price for your consultation. This depends on what you are doing and who your client is. Remember that you may be competing against other consultants, so try to keep your rate competitive for your industry and your situation.
- You will also want to describe any extra costs, such as meals, hotel rooms, transportation, etc., that the prospective client will have to pay for you. Having an approval process in place is a good idea (for example, you may specify that you will present your receipts at the end of every month). This makes it harder for the client to refuse paying you with the reasoning that "they never agreed to pay this much."
- Close by summarizing your proposal. Like in an academic essay, the goal of the concluding paragraph is to offer a quick, succinct summary of the rest of the proposal was about. Reiterate your fitness for the job, your preparations for the consultation, and your confidence in attaining results. Here, as in the opening paragraph, you can be a little more "warm" and refer to the client by name.
- When you're finished, sign and date the proposal, leaving a space for the client's signature.
Making a More Effective Proposal
- Stay short and sweet. Keep your proposal as short as it needs to be to accurately describe yourself and the job. Quality is your goal here, not quantity. Any excuse the client has to stop reading your proposal and pick up another consultant's is something you want to prevent, so make your proposal a quick read.
- For most jobs, two pages is a fine proposal length. If you refer to lengthy datasets in your proposal, attach them in appendices to keep the length of the actual proposal down.
- Keep your focus on the client. While you'll always want to devote some space to your qualifications, the most important person in the proposal isn't you — it's your client. Even when you're talking about yourself, frame your discussion in terms of how well you meet the client's needs (not how great you are).
- Avoid lengthy discussions of your work history (or your firm's, if you're not an independent consultant).
- Avoid buzzwords. Many clients (corporate clients especially) spend all day hearing empty, meaningless phrases parroted by people trying to sound important. Spare them this unnecessary tedium. Instead, write your proposal with clear, succinct language. Don't try to make your promises sound more exciting than they are with flashy jargon. Instead, just make exciting promises.
- Examples of buzzwords include things like "best practices," "synergy," "disruptive," "optimized," and more — each industry has its own. These words have effectively lost any power they once had from overuse and vague application.
- Pay attention to spelling and grammar. This may seem nit-picky, but it's essential. Even if you're not consulting for a position that requires any writing, clean, professional communication shows that you've taken the time and energy to present your best self. Mistakes don't mean you're less-qualified for the job, but they do mean that you didn't pay enough attention to get your proposal exactly right. In a tight competition between two consultants, this may be the deciding factor.
- After you finish your proposal, be sure to go over it a second time, editing for grammar and fluency. If you have time, let a friend or family member edit it as well — they're more likely to see mistakes you've missed since they weren't actually involved in writing it.
Consulting Proposal Help
Doc:Consulting Proposal Template,Personal Consulting Proposal,Corporate Consulting Proposal
Tips
- Your proposal should be as much of a confirmation letter than a prospectus. In other words, you and the client should already know each other, have discussed the job at length, and reached some sort of understanding with regards to cost.
- Never begin creating a consulting proposal without full knowledge of the job at hand. You are less likely to land a job the less you know about it, and, more seriously, you are likely to encounter cost overruns and client disputes in the event that you do enter into a job where you are unfamiliar with the considerations.
