[SOUND] Welcome to our next module. Write a Proposal and Get Results. I'm Leah Attruia, and I'll be your instructor for this module. To begin, I'd like to tell you a quick story. One day, around lunch time, I was at my desk wondering about what to eat. When I heard a knock on the door. When I opened it, a smiling person handed me a box of sandwiches and said- >> I hope you and your coworkers enjoy these. >> And handed me his card. As we chatted, I learned that he had opened his own sandwich shop just down the street, and that he was looking forward to having us as customers. His visit with his complimentary sandwiches was just like a proposal. And that's what a proposal does, but in writing. It gets you results, or in the sandwich guy's case, it got him new customers. Like this, a proposal may be your first introduction to a new client, or it can be a response to a request by a customer or someone in your company where you work. In this module we'll look at how to organize a proposal and how to write it clearly and actively so that the reader knows that you, your service or your ideas are the best choice. What we'll focus on this lesson are the three essential parts of every proposal. Number one, state the problem. Number two, provide the solution. And number three, highlight your qualifications. Let's look at each of those parts to see how you can develop proposals and get positive results. First, state the problem. Show your readers that you know the problems they face and send the message that you are thinking about them. That way, you will grab their attention. Let's look at the sample of a proposal from a wedding photography service. Your wedding day is a day that you want to cherish forever, so it's a day that requires the perfect photographer. It's your day, and the last thing you need to worry about is your photographer. But choosing that perfect person is the challenge. Does this describe a problem? Yes, this is a clear and straightforward statement about the situations all couples face when they start planning their weddings. But they don't have the expertise to do it. They need help. And this statement makes them feel confident that the writer understands them and can help them. In order to be able to state the problem, you have to know it. So before you write your proposal, you need to do some market research. As you do, the questions that you ask your clients, community contacts, co-workers and the answers you get will give you the information you need to write a strong problem statement. You can ask questions like, what is your goal? What are the difficulties? When do you need to get started? How fast do you need this done? What is your number one priority? Going back to our last example, this part reflects the answer to this question. And this part reflects the answer to this question. Now that you've stated the problem the next step is to provide the solution. In this part of the proposal, you described your product, service, or idea and explained how it can resolve the reader's problem. For example, it can save them money. It can help them attract new customers. It can make their big event perfect. It can help their businesses be more efficient. Whatever the problem is you can help them solve it. Let's look at a sample solution section now. This time from a website developer. At ABC Design, we are proud to create websites for our local business. Our web design and development team builds attractive, interactive and easy-to-run, easy-to-use websites. We'll have yours ready when you need it at a price you can afford. When you state your solution like this, readers will also feel confident about you and your services, and they'll be open to your solution. Let's do a review of what active writing looks like. Which one is active and clear? A, Most of the work will be accomplished according to your schedule. B, Our team will complete the work on time when you want it. If you picked B, you are correct. Why don't you try writing your own active and clear sentence stating a service you provide? Now, let's look at the third essential part of every proposal, highlight your qualifications. In this section, you clearly state important facts and figures about you or your company. This could include information about years of experience, reliability and reputation. Here are some examples. We have photographed weddings for over 10 years. We keep costs down and maximize your budget, whether it's $1,000 or $10,000. Our staff of writers, designers, and staff developers have created and built more than 300 unique websites. We have over 500,000 downloads since we launched our first app. Our hundreds of happy customers are our best publicity. You try this time. Let's review what we've looked at in this lesson. Our main focus was how to organize a proposal so that we can get positive results. Do you remember the three key components to a good proposal? That's right. Number 1, state the problem. Number 2, provide the solution. And number 3, highlight your qualifications. In our next lesson we'll look at more ways to write actively by focusing on verb tense and parallel structure. Don't miss it. I'll see you again soon.
