The Entrepreneur's Guide to Writing Business Plans and Proposals

by Chambers, K. Dennis

• ISBN13: 9780275994983
• ISBN10: 0275994988
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-12-30
• Publisher: Greenwood Pub Group

Summary

Entrepreneurs--and entrepreneurial companies--live or die by the quality of their plans and proposals. Whether it's to get funding for a new product line or business from a client, writing hard-hitting prose that answers essential questions and makes specific requests is an indispensable skill. Entrepreneur, ad man, and writing teacher Dennis Chambers shows how entrepreneurs can persuade people, through skillful writing, to pony up capital or contracts. This ability--which can be learned--is rare in today's media-saturated world. But it counts more than ever if an entrepreneur wants to make it over the magical "five-year" hump and on into lasting business success. Numerous examples and exercises ensure that entrepreneurs understand how the writing game is played--and that they play it well. Unfortunately, most don't play this game well. Most business writers mistakenly believe their task is to inform. They write to fill an information gap or to update the reader on a particular project. Or they write about what's important to them. What these writers do not take into account is that the speed of today's work world has reached overdrive. The typical reader simply doesn't have time to ponder dense, poorly organized information and intuit the appropriate action. And readers don't give a hoot about what's important to the writer--they want to know what's in it for themselves. Business writers need to use all the tools at their command to persuade, inspire action, and in general move a project forward. This book is about how to be persuasive in two key skills in business: writing proposals and writing business plans. Step by step, Dennis Chambers illustrates the techniques of effectivebusiness writing, with numerous examples throughout. Whether the objective is to secure financing from an investor, lay out a marketing strategy, or secure a large contract, getting results requires crafting an effective structure for the proposal, and using words that sell. Chambers is an able guide in saving entrepreneurs time and undue effort while reaching the goal of long-term business success. Besides expert advice and insights, the book includes: *Examples and practical guidance, all geared toward the entrepreneur/small business owner. *Exercises, templates, cases, glossary, and model letters and plans.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction	p. xi
How to Write a Business Plan	p. 1
Start from Strength: What's in It for Me?	p. 3
Capture the Elusive Readers: What's in It for Them?	p. 20
Conquer the First Draft: The Easy Part	p. 29
Edit for Power: The Hard Part	p. 44
Prepare for Success: Develop a Realistic Marketing Plan	p. 60
Demonstrate Financial Credibility: Money Still Makes the World Go' Round	p. 68
Writing in the Twenty-First Century: A Guide to Today's New Mechanics	p. 105
How to Write a Business Proposal	p. 123
Raise the Bar: What You Are Really Proposing	p. 125
Tie the Knot: Why Your Proposal Makes the Prospect so Nervous	p. 131
The Art and Science of Persuasion: Convince Readers to See It Your Way	p. 143
Watch Winners at Work: A Model Proposal	p. 149
Appendices	p. 169
Financial Ratios	p. 169
Estimating and Calculating Direct Costs	p. 169
Key Financial Terms	p. 175
Financial Resources on the World Wide Web	p. 177
Index	p. 181
About the Author and Contributor	p. 185
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