Software Development Proposal Worksheet

Software Development Proposal Worksheet

Software Development Proposal Worksheet Proposals are a powerful marketing tool that can help you earn clients, convert potential leads, and make money. As a developer, they are probably the single most effective means of winning a project that you have available to you. A well-written proposal tells the client that you understand and know how to solve their problems, and that you are the best option for your job. Unfortunately, software design doesn t exactly come with a proposal writing manual. A badly written proposal can have the opposite effect of a good one, so you have to master the art of creating a persuasive proposal before you send them out. Because the big companies with the best pay and the best contracts mostly only hire developers who send proposals, it s a skill you have to master. Writing a development proposal is going to take time and research, but you don t have to spend hours on it. You can learn the basic proposal structure and then leverage that structure into a system that you can use to quickly write and turn around proposals. You can also learn various marketing tricks that will help you to be more persuasive.

This worksheet will help you learn how to do both of those things. It will also help you to get improve your proposal writing skills so that you can convert clients and move on to the software development that you love. Let s get started. Research The key to creating a persuasive pitch is to understand why the client needs your services. Unfortunately, most won t come out and tell you. They ll either have trouble voicing it, automatically assume you re on the same page, or might not even think of it. You will have to research to find out why they need your services. For example, if the prospective client wanted someone to design their new mobile app for them. You can take the time to research why they want an app. While most businesses will simply sell an app, or use it to promote their services, you get the idea. The business wants something, a return on investment, out of what you are offering. Find out what that is and use it in your pitch. Take a few minutes to research the problems that the client is facing. If they didn t have a problem, they wouldn t need a developer. Research and write the actual reason the client needs a software developer:

Example: ABC Company wants to launch a mobile app for customers to collect rewards, but do not currently have an in-house development team. Because hiring a new team would be too expensive, they intend to outsource the work to a freelancer. Your turn: What actual issues are your potential clients facing that would make them want to hire you? By taking a few minutes to research why the client wants to hire you, you are putting yourself in position to write a persuasive pitch for the rest of your proposal. Create an Outline You can create an outline and use it to make a proposal template. The following layout includes the basic structure that you should follow for almost all of your development proposals.

a.problem Statement b.recommended Solution c.benefits d.pricing e.call to Action Putting it Together You can use the research you did for problem one with the layout from problem two to create your proposal. 1. Problem Statement The problem statement is one of the most important parts of your proposal because it s at the beginning. It s your first chance to grab the client s interest and keep it. By including the information you already researched, you can get their attention and separate yourself from your competitors. Example: While a custom business app could benefit ABC Company in terms of sales and repeat visitors, the company does not currently have the budget for an in-house design team. Using a generic app designer would not solve ABC Company s needs, so the best solution is to bring on a custom software developer to create a unique app from the ground up. This would eventually help with sales conversion, as well as credibility and app popularity after launch.

Not it s your turn: Notice that you re not talking about what the client needs, but why they need it. 2. Proposed Solution Your proposed solution is the follow up to the problem statement. You ve outlined the problem and told the client what their real problem is. Now tell them how you can fix it. Look at the actual issues and offer solutions to those issues. Example: ABC Company can save money without sacrificing app quality by hiring a software developer to create their app for them. The app, which would be tailored to their business, would be designed to offer promotions and rewards points for purchasing, thereby increasing sales and repeat business. Now you try:

Notice how you re talking about solutions not services? The client already knows you can develop software, tell them how that solves their problem. 3. Benefits Unfortunately, the majority of clients might not understand how your services benefit them as a business. Most clients won t really understand software development at all, so you will have to take the initiative and tell them. Explain how your services benefit them, and you re already a long way towards winning the bid. Example: By investing in a custom app with branded logos and design, ABC Company can increase both business branding and repeat sales via incentives from the app. Integrating a sales reward and coupon app would help to encourage repeat business, while integrating an e-commerce section might also increase web sales. By ensuring that the app is a custom design, ABC Company can improve brand awareness and ensure that app performance stays up to their quality standards. Now you try:

4. Pricing Section Your pricing section is more important than you might think because if you mess it up here, you can still loose the bid. A confusing pricing section is the fastest way to lose a potential client. You don t want to make the client struggle to understand how much you will charge them for work. Make the pricing easy to understand, break prices down at a high level, and use a grid format. For example: Custom App..... $4,970 Initial Meeting We ll meet with you talk over your requirements, preferences, and style to get an idea of what you want and need in an app. Interface Mockup We ll create a mockup of your app including logos and colors, and then work with you to change it into something you love. Working App We ll create your app from the ground up so that you have a completely custom working app. Launch Finally, we ll get your app on the app stores of your choice, and send you files for your customers to download. We ll make it easy for you to get your app up and running. *Monthly app maintenance available on a per-month basis Total Price: $4,970

Your turn: Price Service One Service Two Service Three 5. Create a Call To Action The final part of your proposal is your call to action. This section allows you to ask the client to contact you and more forward with the proposal. While many of your competitors won t include a call to action in their proposals, that s okay. It helps to differentiate and separate you from them. A winning call to action will remind the client that they want to contact you, and that they want to do it now. You don t necessarily have to ask for direct action, just tell the client how to proceed with the project and where to get in touch with you. Here s a quick example: To get started with the project, ABC Company can follow these steps:

1.Call us at (xxx-xxx-xxxx) to accept the proposal as is or discuss desired changes to app or contract details. 2.Finalize and sign contract. 3.Submit initial payment of 50% of the final budget. Your turn: Once the contract has been finalized, we ll kick off with a meeting to talk about what you want and need in your app, and then get started. Make it Look Great Once you ve written your proposal, you have one thing left to do before you submit it to the client. You want to make sure it looks as good as it sounds. Proofread the proposal and ensure that you ve taken out any placeholder text, that all of the text is about the client, and that all of your fonts are the same. You ll also want to consider adding a subtle design to the header and footer for visual appeal, although this step is easier if you have software. Finally, do one last check of everything and if you re happy, send it in.

Good luck writing your developer proposals. You can definitely see immediate results if you implement even one of the suggestions in this worksheet. Of course, your results will improve even more when you implement several or all of them! To find out how Bidsketch can help you land 18% more clients while earning 32% more on each project, visit the link below: http://www.bidsketch.com