Business proposals - 42 - English at Work helps you make the perfect proposal
Waiter: Would you like to see the menu?
Waiter: I was asking the lady actually.
Narrator: Hello again. Anna and Tom are finally on their dinner date at a pizza
restaurant. Eating could be difficult for Tom because he's sprained his arm
after that accident in the office. He might still have romance on his mind
but Anna is thinking about something else. Are you feeling nervous Anna?
Narrator: Being out on your own with Tom. What are you going to talk
Anna: Don't worry. I can handle this, besides I want Tom's ideas about
developing a new plastic vegetable.
Narrator: A plastic vegetable! Oh right. Well, good luck.
Tom: So this is nice. Finally, us together, on our own, me and you, pizza, red
wine… expensive red wine, actually.
Anna: Lovely Tom. You know Tom, Paul wants me to develop a new idea – plastic
vegetables – I thought, maybe, you might like to help me?
Tom: Come on Anna, we're not here to talk business. Tell me about you – the
real Anna. Have you had many… err, many boyfriends before?
Anna: That's a bit personal. What do you think about plastic peas?
Tom: Err? Can you not switch off from work for one minute?
Anna: Tom. I think you and me are very similar – we're a good team. If we could
come up with a great idea for Paul then who knows… we may get to travel
the world selling it together?
Tom: Oh, I see. I hadn't thought of it like that. Right well…
Waiter: Your pizzas… madam… sir (putting plates on the table).
Anna: Thanks. Tom, I think you'll need some help cutting that.
Tom: Thanks. (Pizza cutting noises) Mmm, you smell nice… or is that the pizza?
Anna: (Sudden brainwave) I've got it!
Anna: Yes. Plastic aubergines. They would look great on this table – a sort of
Tom: Yeah! And you could put sauces inside… or salt and pepper. You could be
Anna: We need to put a proposal together, to give it to Paul. But what should we
say?
Narrator: Anna, your proposal needs to be brief but clear. Use positive language to
propose your idea to Paul. Use words like 'exceptional', 'fantastic', 'quality',
and talk about how it would benefit the business by using words like
'profit', 'efficiency', and 'value for money'. Good luck!
Anna: (Scribbling) Yes. Just writing some things down.
Tom: OK, well write down how we could target restaurants and cafes. They'll be
begging for our vegetables. Oh this is so exciting… let's drink to our…
succ… (Bottle knocked over) Oh!
Anna: Tom! What have you done? You've knocked red wine all over me… and my
Tom: Ermm, sorry. We had better get you out of that dress.
Narrator: Hmm, what a mess and what a date! But what may be lacking in romance
is made up for in a potentially successful business deal. Let's find out how
it's going much much later at Tom's flat…
Anna: …this exceptional product has fantastic potential…
Tom: Say 'demand for this plastic aubergine will reach melting point!' My little
joke.
Anna: …by making the production more efficient, our customers will get value for
money and our profits will increase. There, done.
Tom: Great. We can pitch this to Paul first thing on Monday morning. So now,
maybe we can get back to our date? Look I saved some of that pizza.
Anna: It's all cold! (Walking away) Anyway, I had better go. It's late and I want
to tidy up this proposal. But it's been great. I can't wait till next time.
Narrator: Well, that went well! The pizza may be cold but Anna and Tom have
developed a red hot proposal. Here's a reminder of some of the words you
might want to use to make your business proposal stand out…
Narrator: So with the proposal written, Tom and Anna just need to convince Paul –
and that means pitching their idea. Find out how they get on next time.