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How to Write a Compelling Email

Today’s business person will spend hours at the tailor crafting a fine business suit, hours at a power lunch sweet talking their next big client and hours pouring over proposals or negotiations to try to get every last penny they can, and then spend 30 seconds banging out an important email that will single handedly cost them a dozen more potential clients. While grammar and spelling aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, knowing basic email rules is an absolute must in this day and age where email has taken over as the primary form of communication used in today’s business world. Here are a few simple tips.

Let your email utilities work for you

The world of email has come a long way since Outlook Express. Today’s email clients are quite sophisticated and come with all sorts of bells and whistles that can make sending an email easier. It used to be that email spell checkers were absolutely horrible, but they have been vastly improved and most use the same spell check library as Microsoft Word. If your email client is old and doesn’t have a grammar or spell checker, upgrade now, or simply type your emails in Microsoft Word and copy/paste. Make sure you check how the format looks before you do by sending yourself an email.

Use a template

If you have trouble setting up the formal date/address/body/signature form in every one of your emails, than simply write one and save it as a template that you can go back and use again and again. You can even have multiple templates ready to go for clients you email on a frequent basis; that way, much of the hard work is done before you even get started.

Avoid being overly casual

Since most people still view email as a casual way to communicate, the one problem that costs more businesses clients more than any other is the urge to be overly friendly and casual when communicating with current clients or future clients. When writing a professional email, it is always better to sound formal and stilted than casual and overly friendly. If you have trouble coming up with the proper vocabulary, have a dictionary and a thesaurus on your desk that you can flip through to come up with better verbiage. You can even use websites like Dictionary.com or similar sites to help increase your vocabulary so you don’t sound unprofessional in your correspondence.

If all else fails, ask for help

We all know that many competitive office environments will take asking for help as a sign of weakness, but if you want to get the process of writing compelling emails down, there is no shame in asking for an occasional email to be proofread by someone else in the office who has an English background. Most bosses will take asking for help as a sign of maturity, and before you know it, you’ll be a master of the formal email.

Many people think that if you can write a compelling letter then you can automatically write a compelling email. The truth is that writing a compelling email is a learned skill that takes practice.

How To Write Your Close Protection Resume

Submitting your CV should be considered part of your employment interview and thus be treated with the same level of professionalism and preparation. First of all there are a common misunderstanding that a resume and a CV is the same thing, it is not! CV stands for Curriculum Vitae, which is Latin and means “Life history”. A CV is therefore commonly from 4 to 10 pages long as it covers ones “life history”, the CV is most commonly used in higher positions within the corporate and intellectual environment.

The Resume

What is most commonly used in the Close Protection world is a Resume. A “Resume” is a really a brief introduction to your full CV. Thus in your resume you include the vital points from your CV in a short and simple manner. As the resume is a short version of your CV it should preferably be one to two pages long.

Getting started

If you are using Microsoft Word as your editor then save yourself time on the layout, by simply opening Word. In the “File” tap choose “New”, from the “right panel” options choose “General Templates” and from the Templates menu choose “Other Documents”, then open “Elegant Resume” or “Professional Resume” based on your personal preference. I prefer the elegant version, but that’s just me.

The template you have opened will give you a general layout of what information should go where etc. However, when it comes to writing your details then the template cannot provide you with more than a generic description; this is where you need to be creative. Having a resume that merely looks good isn’t going to cut it, you need a resume that will be opened and read.

Don’t be lazy and just quick type your resume into the email message, there is nothing more annoying for the receiver, than having to copy and paste the information into a Word document before it can be saved. Ask yourself why should someone else do your work for you? And then ask yourself, if you think that will help you get a contract? I am sure it won’t! Most résumé’s that have been written directly into the email message gets lost in the inbox somewhere or are simply deleted.

Your Cover Letter

It always amazes me that so many applicants send their resume, with the subject line flatly saying “My CV or Resume”, and the email itself often contains no text but simply has an attached CV or Resume. How well prepared is that? The first thought a receiver will have of the person, who emailed this message will likely be something like this; “if you are that lazy when it comes to writing and delivering your resume, your work ethics is most likely just as lazy…”. After that thought they are very likely to simply press the delete button!

A CPO, who is sending out his CV or Resume, is actually asking strangers in HR positions, to either hire him or find him a close protection contract. But he does not even have the courtesy to say thank you, or please, or even introduce himself first. He is so full of arrogance that he feels everyone he sends it to, should be overly joyful that he has shown them mere humans, the honour of applying for a position with their company. Well no matter what is in that resume, it is not going to place him on top of any HR managers lists for anything; it is simply going for the deleted items bin… and I am know that I am not the only one who does that!

Therefore you need to write a cover letter, which goes with your resume that introduces you and your reasons for sending your resume. The cover letter is the key that unlocks the door for you and give the receiver a little knowledge about you, before he either deletes your message, or opens and read your resume. To not just unlock the door, but also open it, requires that your cover letter makes the receive wants to read your attached resume!

The AIDCA Approach

The AIDCA approach has been used in advertising and marketing for decades and it is still being used because it works. Your resume is your advertising brochure, aimed at selling your personal services to a CP employer; you need to approach your job applications as if it was a marketing campaign, which it is! Because, if you want to compete for the few contracts that are available for outsiders; you need to “sell” yourself and your experience and skills better than all the other applicants.

AIDCA stands for:

o Attention

o Interest

o Desire

o Conviction

o Action

Attention: is what your email subject line should create. Many persons base their decision, on whether to open and read an email or ignore it, simply on what is in the subject line. So make sure it is short, direct and most of all informative.

Writing “My CV” is definitely short and direct, but it is definitely not informative and worse it is just plain rude. “Experienced & SIA Licensed CPO at Your Service” is short, direct and yet informative and much more likely to catch the attention of the receiver. Think about it, next time you compose the subject line before sending your resume by email.

Your Cover Letter, whether it is in printed form or an email message, should also use the “Attention” factor in its first “heading” and the first full paragraph. The first paragraph should ideally consist of 2-3 or max 4 lines, and basically further “bind” the reader’s attention, so that he will be compelled to read your resume and do it with a positive attitude.

So your first “heading” and paragraph have to be well composed and follow this simple and proved guideline:

o Communicate the offer – what is your purpose of the communicating and what you are offering.

o Highlight your best aspects – what are your best qualities and what makes you the ideal candidate for the job.

o Engage the reader – what do you know that is of direct relevance to the position or company you are applying with.

When your head line and opening paragraph accomplishes to deliver all three points, then the Human Resource department or receiver will open and read your resume! So put some real work into it, after all it is your economic future and security career that you are securing by adding a little extra work to your resume.

Your resume (or curriculum vitae), combined with the cover letter, are the master keys to opening the prospective employer’s mind and the company door; so that you can proceed to the next step in the process – the job interview!

Interest: this is the first “body” section of your resume, and this is the second most important part. You have to make sure it that the first two parts stimulates the interest of the reader, so that he will continue to read the rest of your CV. That means that in the interest part, you should describe your last employment relevant actions such as; a recent job function, related military background, police background of relevance, specific security operations or special training you have completed etc.

Desire: this is the third part of your resume and should describe your complete employment history in order of relevance. Always place the most relevant position first, then follow with a chronological list of your all other employment records. Always start the chronological section with the most recent position first and then backwards through time.

If your history of employment includes positions of little relevance to what you are applying for, then simply state the position, date and company/employer, do not describe what you did if it is not relevant. For all prior job positions that are of relevance, you should describe what responsibilities you had and the positive effect your involvement had. This is where you have to take some honour upon yourself, whether you like it or not. A resume is not the right place to display humbleness; unless of course you are applying to be a priest!

Basically the desire part should make the reader think positively about having you and your skills in their company and how they would benefit from that; you need to make them desire to have you working for them!

Conviction: this is the part where you include your references, your written recommendations, your accomplishments and any merits and medals you have received. Provide full contact details for at least two people, who hold positions of relevance and are ready to vouch for you, and recommend you to the new employer. Make sure the referee, is a person that would himself hire you again if needs be. There is a standard “coy” question all human resource managers ask… “Well that sounds fine, so you would be happy to have him work for you again tomorrow?” “Eeeh… well no because we did not get along that well and his work ethics are different than mine eeeehhh so…” And that is all the HR manager needs to dump your application in the waste bin. Make sure you only provide the referees that were happy with your performance!

When reading this part of your resume, the reader should feel confident that everything you have stated so far is correct, and that you are indeed a competent and highly trustworthy individual, whom the reader would be lucky to employ before someone else gets you.

Action: the final part of your resume, this is where you should include an “action trigger” that will compel the reader to contact you for a conversation or to schedule an interview. Therefore this part has to be specific about when you will be available and how to best contact you. A lot of CPO’s who sends out their resume, only place their contact details at the top; which is a good place to have it, but you have to repeat the contact details again in this part and with a prompt, to contact you today.

One way to get the reader to take action and contact you are to include a specific date and time, which you are planning a visit with them for an interview. “As you have seen in my resume then I have the necessary skills and experience that your company needs and would therefore like to present myself for a proper employment interview. I will be in your area/city on Wednesday next week and will call on you at 10 am, if that suits your schedule.”

With a direct and timed call like that, the reader will have to get back to you, even if he does not want to or are not capable of meeting you at that time. This response gives you an extra opportunity, for communicating with the reader. Just make sure that you are ready and able to keep the appointment yourself!

Now print this message and read it again; then sit down and rewrite your resume using the basic guideline included in this message and then go and apply with those companies that have not employed you yet. Don’t be concerned about sending your resume to the same company again; just include in the description line that this is your updated resume. Send it every three to four months, and within a year they will remember your name even if they have not had any positions for you yet. Being known and remembered is a key to getting employed. In many sectors of the private security industry it is not “What you know but who you know, that gets you a job”. So get known by repeated communications, but don’t stalk them!

My last resume advice is these ten points, which are wise to remember when writing your resume.

1. Keep it focused and businesslike

2. More than two pages is to much for a resume

3. Check the grammar and try to get the punctuations right, always remember to spell check and have someone read it over for you

4. Keep the resume relevant to the specific company or position

5. Make sure it looks good and reads well, have “white” space in it, that mean empty space and not a page that is filled from edge to edge.

6. Make sure you describe what you can do today, not only past skills but also what you are presently learning

7. Be honest; self advertising is good, but exaggerations are not

8. Follow any specific instructions if required by the company you are applying to, for both the format and content

9. Make sure your resume is received, specify the receiver and follow up with further emails or even better a phone call

10. Use a cover letter and keep it short and focused on catching the attention of the reader

Good luck with your job hunting! If you need ideas about where to seek your next foreign close protection contract, then read my last EzineArticles.com article; Close Protection Versus Crime in Mexico.

3 Reasons Why You Should Write a New CV Today

Over the past decade the quality of CV writing has risen dramatically. This is down to the amount of free information you can find online. There are lots of CV writing guides and tips which help anyone wanting to improve their application, and this has pushed the quality up to a whole new level.

Because of this employers are now expecting a higher quality of CV, which leaves anyone not swotting up online in the past. The old style of writing a CV is not good enough anymore and it’s harder than ever to now get an interview.

If you’re worried that your CV may be failing you, here are 3 massive reasons why you must write a new CV today.

It’s too generic

If your current CV is purely a list of all your skills, qualifications and experience – then read on. This approach to CV writing is out of date and not going to impress anyone. But what will help you get a job interview is tailoring your application.

To find out if your CV is too generic, grab a highlighter pen and print off a copy of your CV. Having read the job advert you should have a good idea of the skills and experience they require. Then, highlight all the information which isn’t relevant to the employer you are going to send it off too. After highlighting all the irrelevant parts you will probably have most of your information in yellow by now!

Like so many other CVs you should find that most of your information isn’t going to be of interest to the employer. Now that you’re staring at a huge sea of yellow or pink highlighter, you can see why a generic and untailored CV is not going to get you an interview.

Now would be a great time to start again completely from scratch. Keep your old CV so you have all your work history, but create a new one which now takes into consideration what the company wants.

You must tailor your CV to the role and the company if you want to succeed. The hiring manager wants to pick up your application and instantly see that you are suitable. A generic CV will force them to read between the lines, and most of the time they won’t bother.

You only update

If you keep the same CV and simply keep updating it every time you change jobs, you definitely need a new CV. Your old and tired CV is going to continue to slowly step out of favour with its design and content.

“Tailor your CV. Look at the company’s website and social media accounts, look to see if they’ve recently been mentioned in the local press and use the job advert to make sure your CV is targeted to the role and employer.”

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/cvs-and-cover-letters/how-to-write-a-cv

We’ve already covered the topic of tailoring your CV to the role, and by doing that you will prevent this from happening. You don’t need to keep making small updates if you always write a brand new CV every time you apply. Even if you’re applying to numerous employers for the same job title, you should still write a new one for each – there will always be differences, no matter how subtle they may seem.

So stop making small updates and start again. It will ensure your information is relevant and fresh, and you can also choose a new design for your layout. This brings us on to…

You haven’t used a CV template

A CV template is a ready made layout that you can use to simply insert your details. Not only will that save a lot of time and stress, it will look great!

Unless you are a graphic designer or have a keen eye for this sort of thing, you should always choose a ready made CV template. You just have to make sure you pick a good one and avoid any rogue websites. Unfortunately not every CV template website you come across offers the best designs, but hopefully you will be able to filter out the good from the bad.

There are lots of modern designs to choose from and most are free to download. If you can find one that’s recent and clearly looks fantastic, it will certainly help you get a job interview. The overall layout and design of your CV is just as important as the skills you have to offer.

How to Write a Good Cover Letter – Where to Start

In today’s world with the struggling economy we have enough to worry about, writing a good cover letter shouldn’t be another worry of ours. For most, writing a good cover letter wasn’t something that we were taught in college or even high school for that matter. Which is quite sad to think about it, we spent all that time in school preparing for life, but we were never showed one of the most important aspects of job hunting and how to write a good cover letter.

When starting out, you need a good cover letter to be attached along with your resume. A cover letter is an introduction to you, prior to a prospective employer reading your resume. This is your first impression so to speak. You want to grab their attention and keep their focus and make them want to learn more about you. Doing this will make the job hunting process a little less frustrating for you.

Tip 1.

Upon the mastering the basics required for writing good cover letters, it shouldn’t take too long to whip one up pretty quickly. The first rule is simply, that your main agenda in writing a good cover letter is to get the employer to give you an interview. You should do what you can to grab their attention and keep it.

Try to imagine yourself as if you are an item for sale, and you are trying to self yourself to the employer. You need some attention grabbing headlines. Seize your opportunity of landing a second interview. The cover letter is, for all intensive purposes is your first interview. This is the reason why learning how to write a good cover letter is vital when job hunting.

Tip 2.

You need to come out swinging and keep going. You opening to your cover letter must captivate your reader. By keeping this energy going, your reader will continue reading.

Your next paragraph must explain why you are perfect for the job. Relate your skills and experience to the position your applying for. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to throw in some information about the company your applying with as well, it’ll give your reader the impression that you have thoroughly done your homework and are truly interested in working with them.

A further selling point for yourself, would be to include a few lines about something you love to do and the passion and dedication you would be able to provide to your potential employer.

Your final paragraph is the contact section. Provide your email address or phone number. Don’t make it difficult for the reader to get in contact with you. These are the essential pieces of a great cover letter, now we are going to close it out with a bang.

Tip 3.

You can close out your cover letter with a PS or post-script. This is the final step of the crucial part in job hiring. Here you summarize your letter. Here is where you include the position that your applying for.

This is how you close your cover letter in the most effective way. Once you nail down these basics and start applying them, you should expect your phone to be ringing off the hook from potential employers wanting to hire you.

How to Write an Effective Resume That Gets You Hired

If there is one crucial tool most job seekers need to master – it is their resume. This is synonymous to a carpenter’s hammer, a writer’s pen, and a surgeon’s instrument. It must work accordingly for the person in order to land a perfect job. Needless to say, ending up with the right career will not be feasible unless you have a ticket for entry. This is when the creation of an effective resume comes in. How will you do this? There are considerations that you have to ponder, of course.

Assembling the Perfect Resume

Assembling an effective resume requires a ton of self-reflection. What are the best ways to write a resume? How will you start? These are the usual steps:

Start with a plan

Prior to sitting down and writing your very own resume, it is vital that you have a plan in mind. Your plan will set the direction. As you do this, you also get to establish coherence which will be of great impact to your resume. Digging deeper to the field that you want to be a part of is also ideal. Once you have your aim clear in mind, materializing the resume will be the next priority.

Showcase your accomplishments and strong points

In resume writing, it is crucial that you know how to show case your strengths. You may do this by foregrounding your accomplishments. Among the information utilized for these are education, training, work history, accomplishments and certifications. Always remember that these will give you the edge over other candidates. As much as possible, highlight the turning point of your features. They should be realistic to the position you are eyeing for. If you can put them in summary, and then that is going to work accordingly.

Make it visually appealing

Little do people know that aside from the substance, the form of your resume will also have to be given attention. It is just safe to say that designing should also be a part of your resume writing and creation. Always glance at the whole document. Does it attract the eyes when placed side by side with other entries? You will not want its design to be a hinder to your qualifications. Do not ever let this cause a problem. It should not. If you can, it will not hurt to go for white spaces. These can be maximized. When it comes to the number of pages, your stand will also be studied. If you are in the middle of your career, and then summing up a two-page resume is just fine. For starters, a one-page resume will do just fine.

Remembering everything above will help a lot in resume writing. Starting from the top, a powerful CV can be the output. Do not ever underestimate the effects of this. Remember, this is the only way for you to get noticed. Give your best shot in it and you will be miles closer to your dream.

Additional Tips

Truth be told – employers do not spend much time going over resumes. They spare about 10 to 20 seconds on it. With this said, capturing their attention should be the name of the game. This is a chance to gain their interest and advance into comprehensive reading. As this is the case, do not fail to master the basic elements of resume writing.

An Inclusive Guide to Write Human Resource Cover Letters

Writing an impressive and well integrated human resource cover letter needs in depth analysis of all the relevant requirements of the position and a strong decisive mind to fulfill those duties. It needs a highly dynamic and extrovert personality who will actively look into the different matters and work towards the accomplishment of the given objectives effectively.

Thus, while writing human resource cover letters you need to take into consideration various key requirements of the offer so that you can focus on the relevant skills and professional experience in dealing with such issues. Here are some of the guidelines which can help you to improve quality of your cover letter. You can go through them to get an exact idea about what your letter should contain and how to project your profile in a better way.

Carry out research of the given position to know more about the duties associated with it. Such a careful analysis helps us in identifying the key result areas of human resource position. List the skills and qualifications which would help you in giving the best result oriented performance. Link your profile with the employer’s expectation by establishing a close connection in between and marketing your personnel management skills and practice.
Project your sound decision making abilities and excellence at carrying out recruitment and selection functions. It helps to put forth your abilities to judge properly and thereby, selecting the best candidates according to the organizational requirement. Highlight your prior experience in dealing with human resource functions and good administration skills.
Rationalize your interest in the given offer and capabilities to handle the given set of responsibilities. Your letter should follow a proper well integrated format and should give information about the source of the opening and reference if any. It helps the recruiter to correlate your profile with the specific offer.
Deal adequately with your management and decision making skills. Professional experience section should state your past performance in relation to handling organizational work force and development functions.
Highlight your training and performance evaluation skills required for appraisal system. It should put forth your abilities to judge and provide efficient recruitment, selection, and compensation management functions.
Listing such proficient operations should lead towards convincing the employer about your capabilities, sincere efforts and practices. It would certainly help to improve your job prospects consequently.

Thus, human resource cover letter should project your excellence at organizational and administration functions needed to implement organizational policies effectively. Hence, you can utilize your sound knowledge of human resource processes and expertise in dealing with key human resources issues. Thus, the ultimate aim of such letter is to strengthen your profile by offering adequate details which would serve as a basis to the recruiter and help him to rationally judge your suitability for the position.

How To Write A Cover Letter For A PQQ

Completing a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) in itself is a challenge. It involves days, if not weeks of difficult and time-consuming paper work. So, you are done with weeks of hard work on the PQQ, you have completed it, collected all the required legal policy documents and have signed all the relevant Appendices.

Now, the final task remaining is to write a cover letter before you send your documents to the company for review.

The PQQ letter matters a lot. For, it’s the first thing that is read in your proposal.

It needs to be impressive and should make your proposal stand out amongst the others. It should be written in such a way that the company should think, “I want to read more about this.” A PQQ covering letter needs to be professionally written and it should be very precise without getting into the unwanted details. In other words, it should have only what’s required and what works for you. It should portray a professional image of your hard work and your company.

There are a few things that need to be kept in mind whilst writing a cover letter. There are the things that are professionally required of your company to adhere to and it shows that you take your work seriously.

A cover letter should always be written on your company’s letter head. This gives it a professional look and helps in providing credibility to your proposal.

Use your company or organisation’s VAT registration number, if your company is VAT registered. The quality of paper used for this purpose should be very good and the print quality should be great too.

You sure don’t want to let your hard work on the PQQ down by the quality of paper or print used for your cover letter.

Write the contract reference and the title for your PQQ covering letter as a header in bold ad underlined. Always choose the title for your cover letter with utmost care.

You shouldn’t sound like a typical salesman. No-one likes the hard sell!

The letter should introduce your company in a precise and professional manner explaining how you are suitable for the tender convincingly.

The address of the procurement team needs to be written clearly as in the PQQ specification documents. Also, you should write your personal details such as phone number and email address which is helpful in case the procurement team requires contacting you. Also, write an index for the list of accompanying documents. Never forget to sign the letter.

How to Write a Cover Letter for a Job Application: 10 Easy Steps

Learning how to write a winning cover letter is easy and so important! We have 10 simple steps to show you how to write an awesome cover letter so that you stand out when applying for your next job. Apply for you next job with confidence.

Provide your contact details at the top of the Cover Letter – make it easy for an Employer to contact you! These should not take up half the page either. Just list them in a couple of lines. Be sure to include your first and last name, don’t worry about your middle name, a contact phone number (don’t provide multiple numbers, just one will do), and your address.
Personalise the Cover Letter by using the Company name AND the name of the person in the company if possible. Take the time to address the letter to the person who will be reading it. This shows that you are prepared to pay attention to detail. Many people do not do this, so by making sure that you do, you are already showing that you are better than your competition!
State the job title and reference number of the job. The company may be filling more than one role. This is usually stated in the job ad. Look for it and use it. Again this shows excellent attention to detail and will suggest that you will be an efficient employee!
Customer your Letter and make sure you match the skills and experiences in the job ad. If the job ad asks for someone to be enthusiastic, make sure you tell them that you are enthusiastic. If it asks for someone with good people skills, make sure you state that you have good people skills. Use the same words that they have used. This is a sure-fire way to ensure that you tick the boxes and get short-listed.
ALWAYS state your key qualifications such as degrees, diplomas and certificates. If you have them you must boast about them! Sure they are in your Resume, but you MUST mention them in your cover letter too. Don’t leave them guessing, tell them your strong points.
ALWAYS state how many years of experience you have in a similar role. Don’t wait for them to figure it out from your Resume, tell them how many years you have. The more the better. You do not need to be exact, you can say things like over 5 years, or almost 3 years.
Describe your current job and the main duties you perform. Again try to match the duties to the duties that they have listed in their job ad where possible.
Sell Yourself! Include some compelling reasons why you are perfect for the job. Are you highly productive, a great communicator, highly experienced with skills that match the job perfectly?
In your closing sentence, you need to have a Call To Action – request an interview or a time to meet.
Finally, check your Cover Letter length. It should not be longer than 1 page.

How to Write a Business Plan Funding Proposal

You have a great idea for starting a new business or expanding your current one. You’ve thought through all the issues and created a roadmap for success. Now all you need is the funding to put your dreams into action. But how are you going to secure that funding? You can’t just stroll into a bank or sit down at a committee meeting and hand them your notes and spreadsheets. You need to write a business proposal to lay out your plans and request the funds.

You’re an entrepreneur, you think, not a writer! You’ve never written more than a business letter and a meeting agenda. Don’t worry. It doesn’t need to be an intimidating process, because there is a basic structure to every business proposal. Here are the four parts, in order: simply 1) introduce yourself; 2) show that you understand your customers/clients and their needs; 3) describe how your goods and services meet those needs and present your expected expenses and profits; and 4) persuade the bank or committee that you have integrity and can be trusted with the money.

You don’t need to start out with blank pages, either. You can speed up the proposal writing process by using pre-designed templates and samples, along with simple automation software.

The length of your proposal will vary depending on the complexity of the project you are proposing and how much funding you require. It is obviously easier to describe an expansion plan and present financial data for an existing business than it will be to describe how you will get a new business up and running. Your proposal might be only ten pages long, or it might need to include dozens of pages.

The secret to creating a successful funding proposal is to show a need or desire on the part of your prospective clients/customers, and then to show how you will meet that need and profit from providing the solution. When requesting funding, you also need to keep in mind the needs of the bank or funding committee. Put yourself in the other party’s shoes. What does your prospective funder need or want? What are their concerns? How have you gathered this information? What sort of information about your business experience and financial know-how will the funding institution want from you before handing you money? Lending institutions and grant committees want to understand your background and your plan to determine if your business is likely to succeed. A bank or investor will also want to see your plan for paying them back.

Start your business plan funding proposal by introducing yourself and the proposal with a Cover Letter and Title Page. Your Cover Letter should be brief: simply explain who you are, include all relevant contact information, and print the letter on your company letterhead. The Title Page should simply introduce your proposal and the specific project you are proposing. Some examples might be “Business Plan for New Panne Bella Italian Bakery,” “Proposed Expansion of Grayle’s Hardware Store,” or “Funding Proposal for New Downtown Art School.”

After the introduction section comes the section where you talk about your clients or customers: the people who want or need your goods or services. Here you will include topics that demonstrate your understanding of the business market. Depending on the complexity of the project you are proposing, you may or may not need to start off with a detailed summary (called an Executive Summary or a Client Summary). In this section, describe the market need that you intend to fill, and provide statistics and data to back up your assertions. You need to impress the proposal readers with your market knowledge. This is not yet the place where you talk about your goods or services. This section is all about proving a need or desire for your business.

After the market-centered section comes the section where you explain how your goods or services will provide solutions to the needs you described. You’ll add pages with titles like Products, Services Provided, Benefits, Price List, Services Cost Summary and so forth—include all the topics you need to describe exactly what you intend to provide and how much it will cost. Depending on the sort of business you are requesting funding for, you may also need to include descriptions of Facilities, Equipment, and Personnel that you need for your proposed project.

At each step in this section, you will need to describe expected expenditures and returns. Depending on whether you are requesting funding for an existing business or asking for money to launch a new enterprise, you will need to prove your case by including pages with titles like Funding Request, Income Projection, Breakeven Analysis, Project Budget, Annual Budget, Cost Management, Cash Flow Analysis, and Return on Investment. Also make sure to include a Repayment Plan to show the bank or investor how they will be paid back and potentially profit from funding your business.

After you’ve described what you are proposing to do and how much it will cost comes the final section, where you provide information about your company and your financial history. If you’re already running a business, you’ll need to provide a financial overview of that business, including pages such as a Profit and Loss Statement. Your goal is to conclude your proposal by convincing the prospective client that you can be trusted to deliver the goods or services you have described, succeed in your business, and pay back the funding. In this section, you’ll add pages like About Us / Company History, Awards, Testimonials, References, Qualifications, Capabilities, Our Clients, Experience, and so on. Include everything you need to convince the bank or funding committee that you know what you’re talking about and can do what you’ve promised.

After the proposal is written, take some time to make sure the pages look good, too. You might consider adding color and graphics by incorporating your company logo, selecting custom bullet points and fonts, or adding colored page borders. Don’t go overboard, though—keep the overall tone business-like.

Be sure to carefully proofread and spell-check all the pages. If your proposal seems sloppy, the reader may conclude that you are not professional and don’t pay attention to details. Recruit a proofreader who is not familiar with your proposal to do the final proof, because it’s nearly impossible to spot errors in your own work. Keep in mind that spell check cannot catch words that are correctly spelled but misused.

Save your proposal as a PDF file or print it, and then deliver it. If the bank or funding committee has specific rules, obey them to the letter. It’s common to email PDF files nowadays, but a hand-delivered printed proposal may impress the money-lenders more. If you have a lot of competition for limited funds in your area, put your best effort into the proposal and delivery.

You can see that each business plan funding proposal will include different pages because each must describe the market need, how the proposed project will meet that need, and why the management is credible and can be trusted with the funding.

But you can also see that all business plan funding proposals follow a similar format and structure. And remember that you don’t need to start from scratch—you can find templates for all the pages mentioned in this article in a proposal kit. A kit of templates will contain instructions and provide examples of information to include on each page. A proposal kit will also contain a variety of sample funding requests. Starting off with a proposal template kit with sample business plan proposals will give you a big head start on creating your own winning business funding proposal.

How to Write an Email Interview Thank You Letter?

Do a quick follow up with the employer by learning how to write an email interview thank you letter. Typically, only about 5% of those looking for a job send out thank you letters. Be one of the few and get a second interview or land the job.

The key to success is to send out a note the same day or no later than the next. This way you can get your name in front of the employer as quickly as possible.

Career experts and employers are not in total agreement on whether or not sending a thank you letter through email is proper protocol. Technology has changed the job search market with today’s online job boards, email, and web resumes. Let the company’s culture guide you when making your decision about emailing a thank you letter. Your best bet is to send an email and then follow up with a formal lette through snail mail.

Follow the tips below and keep your thank you note brief:

Be sure to check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Thank the interviewer for his or her time.
Tailor the letter to the company and the relationship you established with the interviewer.
If during the interview you forgot something of importance mention it in your email.
Do reinforce important information provided during the interview.
State your interest in the job being offered.

Quick and to the point, that’s how to write an email thank you letter. This sample can serve as a model when you write your email thank you note:

Dear Mr. Jones,

Thank you for the opportunity to interview for the position of Loan Officer at Bloomington National Bank. I believe my education and experience are a fit for your organization. I look forward to helping your bank expand its market share and achieve its goals as it expands into the commercial mortgage field.

If I can provide you any additional information, please let me know.

I look forward to working with you soon!

Sincerely,

James Lichner

(123) 456-7890

email address

Follow up with your thank you note as soon as possible and place yourself ahead of the competition in the job search race.