Granted, it is crucial for anyone presenting a business proposal or presentation to have people reeled in and invested from the start; only the smartest presenters can achieve this by understanding each type of person in attendance and talking to each one with the way that can appeal to them. Also, your proposals need to be direct and to the point to avoid making anyone feel bored, which is the last thing you want to do.

So, here are some of the most crucial elements that your business proposal should include.

It needs to have solutions

If your proposal is addressing a specific problem or a lack of resources, then it needs to cover multiple solutions to address these issues. Key people in the audience would want to know these solutions to narrow down which ones are likely to work best; remember to state them at the start of your proposal in your first paragraph. When you let everyone know what you think is the best course of action that needs to be taken, you would have people’s attention and interest because they want these problems to cease. So, any effective solution would be appealing; you can prove the effectiveness as you continue with your proposal and also add evidence and analytical graphs that support your claims. Distributing handouts to the audience, which contains more technical information can be quite helpful too.

Your presentation can’t be too excessive

A lot of presenters in the business world fail with their proposals because they lacked the right style and appealing elements; you would see a lot of people writing too much information on their PowerPoint slides and expect their audience to follow. Speech specialists and business authors at SlideHeroes.com believe that your slides shouldn’t be similar to documents; you need to have important headings while you explain everything in detail so that your audience won’t get lost or feel bored. Your delivery needs to be focused on style and proper structure instead of technical substances, meaning that even though this tool is considered to be flawed and has a bad reputation, it doesn’t mean that you should ignore identifying your audience and engaging with them. Putting all your focus to keep them invested and engaged will help you achieve your goals significantly.

It must be credible

When you’re giving people the information you’ve gathered, you should mention briefly where you got it from; this is crucial to prove that your information has definitive credibility and integrity. Remember to state these sources in your handouts too; the people in charge and technical reviewers would need it as reference. You need people to trust you and your words; it would be detrimental to your reputation and goals if it was proven that your research isn’t credible. Having the trust of customers, CEOs, managers, and other business owners will increase the acceptance chances of your proposal. So, always mention case studies and third-party endorsements to ensure the success and effectiveness of your proposal.

The benefits that come with it

There is an effective trick in getting people’s attention and having them accept your proposal; you need to clarify to your audience the gains they can get when accepting your proposal. This straightforward method of explaining how beneficial it could be for them will get them sold early, having them interested to hear and read more. Remember to list all the positive outcomes, the great efficiency that comes with your proposal, the high chances of return, and complete confidentiality that you can provide if people decide to work with you. Remember to keep your audience happy by explaining how the benefits outweigh the costs and prices, making it both worthwhile and appealing.

Confidence, enthusiasm, and organized structure

You can’t show people someone shy, focused on their notes, or quiet while talking; there should be a level of enthusiasm that comes with your words. Displaying the appropriate body language, clear voice, and proper time focusing on each person in attendance will further make your proposal a lot more captivating and effective. Also, focus on writing your handouts and slides in a language that suits your intended audience, making it familiar and appealing yet professional.

Finally, by taking the above-mentioned elements into consideration you can easily have everybody eating out of your hand on your next presentation or speech; it’s a matter of getting your audience’s attention and making them interested in what you’re saying. Having the appropriate data to back up your claims and prove your analytical research can make your proposal worth remembering, increasing your chances of getting people to do what you want and improving your chances of success.

By Eddy Z

Eddy is the editorial columnist in Business Fundas, and oversees partner relationships. He posts articles of partners on various topics related to strategy, marketing, supply chain, technology management, social media, e-business, finance, economics and operations management. The articles posted are copyrighted under a Creative Commons unported license 4.0. To contact him, please direct your emails to [email protected].