How to Write a Proposal Letter: Professional Guide

Writing a proposal letter is a work that requires good skills and enough time. Some people often neglect writing this document, and eventually, they lose an excellent opportunity to make a tough connection with a potential client. In fact, it is not very difficult to find out how write a proposal letter, but you have to know the main principles of creating this important document.

In this detailed guide, we will share many useful ideas on making a successful proposal letter. Read our article and follow all hints carefully to make a great proposal letter that will attract a lot of potential clients into your business! We have gathered the most effective and simple ideas for making a successful paper without wasting your time.

What is a Proposal Letter and How to Make it Properly?

Let's define what is a proposal letter? It is a professional paper where you state why a particular company or organization should support your business. In fact, this document can be made when you're making a request about a business loan, asking for a grant, or appealing to the publisher with the new book of yours. Needless to say, writing this paper requires enough time, but it is worth trying!

Usually, the process of creating this document includes five simple steps:

  1. Start with a formal greeting. You should use a proper title for your recipient, like Ms, Mr, or Dr. If you're writing to a woman, there is no need to address your paper to Mrs or Miss unless they have asked you to do it. Add a colon after your greeting, and it should look like this: "Dear Mr. Green:"
  2. Include background information. Provide your recipient with clear but brief information about your proposal. Do not include too many facts in the first paragraph, and you will have enough space to explain all the details in the main part.
  3. Formulate the main goal of your paper. Explain to your recipient why you are making this letter to them and tell about your expectations. If you're making a proposal about business, provide your clients with the main terms, and emphasize the main benefits they can get from cooperation. Your main task here is to write clearly and briefly, so your recipient can understand everything easy.
  4. Finish your paper properly. Do not forget to thank your recipient for reading your letter, and inform him or her about contacting you with any questions. You have to finish your document with the words "Yours truly" or "Sincerely" with a comma after it, and then type your name and sign the letter above.
  5. Include any supportive documents. If you want to attach any papers to your proposal, create a list of enclosures on the left side under the signature.
  6. Proofread the document. Do not forget to re-read your paper and correct errors and misprints. That is a very important official document that should look professionally.

In our next paragraphs, we will tell more about writing a beginning and an end for your proposal letter correctly.

How to Start a Proposal Letter Successfully?

Here are the things you should focus on when you're thinking about how to start a proposal letter correctly:

  1. Before you start creating this paper, ask yourself what you would tell to the person if you had just a couple of minutes to talk to him/her directly. It will help you to concentrate on the crucial moments of the future document.
  2. Make sure you've written the recipient's data correctly. It is better to check twice than to make a document with a mistake.
  3. Provide your recipient with brief background information about your proposal. Explain to people why you write a proposal letter to them.

Example:

Alan Wright
Vice President
Starsburn Co. Inc.
43 Northern Str.
Beverly Hills, CA 38086
Dear Mr. Wright,
As promised, we kindly enclose two copies of the proposal that reflects our agreement we reached on Monday, June 15 in the office of your company. The electronic version was forwarded to you this morning.

How to End a Proposal Letter Correctly?

Do you want to get advice on how to end a proposal letter successfully? When you've explained the goal of this document to the client and shared all the benefits and terms, you must encourage them to do something. Here are good variants to finish your paper:

  • Include your number and inform the client he or she may feel free to call you and ask all questions/discuss further cooperation/sign contract/etc.
  • Inform a recipient that your paper contains all supportive documents to review.
  • Inform a recipient you'll call him/her on a particular date to discuss a possibility of your cooperation.

Example:

I will call you on Thursday, June 18 to answer all the questions you may have and discuss our possible collaboration. I hope we both will get many benefits from our partnership.
Thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
Graig Newton, Ph.D.

Proposal Letter Format: Useful Hints

Needless to say, your paper must be appropriately formatted following standards. It is easy to do, and all you have to know is just some simple rules on how to format a proposal letter correctly:

  • If you're creating a document on letterhead, place your name, contacts, and address in the center at the top. If you're making the document on a usual paper, type this information in the right upper corner of the sheet.
  • Put the recipient's address and name in the left corner under your name and address, two lines down.
  • The date should be placed in the center or on the right side under the recipient's data.
  • Write "Re" below the date and place a topic of your document. For example: "Re: Business proposal to cooperate on the new terms."

We hope that our guide was useful and you have created a successful document for your recipients. We wish you good luck with getting a positive reply to your letter in the shortest time!