Writing a joint venture proposal is really just a fancy way of saying to your potential partner, “Hey, let’s do a deal.” And brief, to-the-point proposals are just as effective as the stereotypical twelve-page document packed full of corporate jargon…and a lot less work and expense.

The truth of the matter is that regardless of who your potential partner may be–whether they’re a magazine publisher, a competing business owner or even if they’re the CEO of a Fortune 500 company–they’re all going to be asking themselves the same question when they receive your proposal:

“What’s in this for me?”

More specifically, they’ll be wondering how exactly you might be able to benefit them and their company.

Therefore, the most crucial component of your proposal is obviously going to be explaining “what’s in it for them”. So it’s important to note that you must have something of great value to offer your potential partner.

Furthermore, it is absolutely crucial that your offer is laser-targeted, relevant and highly beneficial, as well as very lucrative, for your potential partner. It’s also very important to research your potential partner (and their company) in order to see what they would most likely be looking for - and it’s not always more money….


With this in mind, let’s take a look at how to write your proposal:

1. What is your potential partner looking for specifically? Find this out by talking to them, reading their mission statement and researching them, as well as how they make decisions. This will reveal the “button” that you’ll need to press as you describe the benefits of the partnership (ie. more profits, something new to offer their clients, giving their business a new edge on competition, etc.)

2. Make an offer they can’t refuse. Again, this will also take some research, but within reason, you should bend over backwards to accommodate your potential partner and make it as profitable for them as possible. Remember that the clients you acquire from a joint venture will work with you again and again–and it’s usually the “backend profits” after the JV where the real money gets made…

3. Make it as easy as possible for them to say “yes”. People in general are obnoxiously lazy. Many proposals have been rejected simply because it either seemed too complicated , or it sounded like too much work to them, regardless of how lucrative it was. Simplify your proposal whenever possible.

4. Show them the money. Don’t be vague when it comes to potential earnings. Logically explain to your prospect how much they could reasonably earn from the partnership. It is very important that you do not simply make an “educated guess” - base your predictions entirely on your current marketing stats, sales conversion rates and other real data. This is likely the most overlooked, yet crucial, part of any given JV proposal.

5. Be personal. Relate to your prospect and emphasize their values by validating their interests, goals and passions. Also, if you want to really make an impact, send your proposal as a hard copy via FedEx. (Email is simply too easy to ignore, erase or forget about.)

6. Add a real sense of urgency. You want to subtly hint to your potential partner that you won’t wait long to hear back from them, which is true, because if they say “no”, you’ll have to find someone else anyway. Word this in such a way that it compels them to action either way. But don’t be overbearing, deceptive or unrealistic.

7. Most importantly, build rapport with your prospect. You must understand that the majority of business people, especially those that are very successful, would much rather work with someone that they know, like and trust than a complete stranger. In fact, it’s crucial that you do this before you even send them a proposal.

By following these seven steps in a direct, succinct proposal you’re on your to securing the desired joint venture proposal you desire.


For the most comprehensive report on how to barter “big time” see: FastStart

This entry was posted on Monday, January 14th, 2008 at 4:53 pm and is filed under Entrepreneurs & Small Business, Marketing, Purchasing & Financing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.