HOWCOFINANCIAL.BIZ

Here’s one way to give your business proposal more impact: Use a spreadsheet to present a summary. I’ve done it a few times and found it effective. And, not just for the numbers — you can also present worded arguments in a spreadsheet.

A spreadsheet has several benefits: First, it’s an interesting way to organize your case. It allows you to put the salient facts and issues into columns and rows, which makes it easier for others to grasp what you’re saying.

Let’s say you’re part of a team and each team member has taken on some specific tasks, and together these individual tasks add up to a complete project. So why not create a spreadsheet that lists “Who”, “What”, “Where”, “When”, and “Why” as column headers. Each member of the team then would be listed in the “Who” column on the left side of the page, with the detailed information following along on the same row.

Second, it forces you to be very logical in making your argument, and probably forces you to think hard about the issues that need to be addressed. For example, by putting in the dates (“When”) you should be able to see whether or not the timeline works, whether the sequence of task completions makes sense.

Third, it should affect the perceptions of those who get your business proposal. After all, a spreadsheet epitomizes rationality and nothing supports a business case like rationality (whether real, perceived, or both.). There’s nothing like showing you know what you’re doing, and where you’re going, to get the buy-in of senior management.

Let’s consider how we might lay out a spreadsheet, to incorporate the ideas in an business proposal:

As a starting point, create a spreadsheet with six columns. Put the following headers in the columns, in this order:
* Who (who will act, or who will be affected, or both)
* What (what will they do, or what will happen to them)
* When (are the starting and completion dates complementary?)
* Where (important for multi-location teams)
* Why (list benefits or other consequences)
* Comments (any notes that are needed)

For example, “The benefits administrator [who] will circulate a message [what] next week [when] to department heads [where] so we have a standard policy about claims [why].

Alternatively, you could move one of the other column headers to the left column. For example, a time-driven proposal might involve using a When header in the left column, and then filling in the other columns with details related to each date or time.

Of course, these are just a couple of examples. You can configure your spreadsheet in just about any way that works for your business proposal.

In summary, think outside the box when preparing any type of business proposal. One way to do that is to use a spreadsheet, which will help you organize the key facts, help you think logically about your case, and impress the people who read your business proposal.

About the Author:

Robert F. Abbott writes extensively about business communication, including advertising. At Communication-Newsletter.com, you can read dozens of articles, and begin enhancing your communication skill today.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – A Spreadsheet for a Business Proposal?