Concise and professional business writing skills are required for generating new business and avoiding problems later on with clients. You must know how to write effective business proposals and contracts. Spelling, punctuation, and grammar must be correct. Nothing turns off a potential client like a poorly written letter or proposal. If things aren't written clearly, you'll have problems later. Clients may misunderstand what you are providing, when the final guest count is required, and what your cancellation policy is.

If you lack business-writing skills, take a course at the local community college. Once you get the hang of writing your cover letter and proposal, it will be easy to adapt them for other clients. Some of the newer catering software systems integrate word-processing functions into their costing and menu-planning functions, making letter and proposal writing that much easier. CaterEdge, for example, works with Microsoft Word so that you can easily e-mail proposals to prospective clients.

Software, however advanced, cannot do the writing for you. Even with automatic spelling and grammar checking, you still must know how to write clear sentences and include all the salient information in a proposal. The proposal is a tool to help get you the business, so you must offer creative proposals, meet the client's needs, and make a profit for yourself while doing so within the customer's budget.

Writing Your Catering Biography Statement

For your Web site and catering company sales and marketing information folder, you'll need a one-page biography of yourself. The first paragraph should name your business and describe what you do. The next few paragraphs should list your experience and how it pertains to catering. List some clients you've cooked for. Include any cooking training and certificates or degrees that you've earned. Mention any high-profile jobs you've catered for or well-known restaurants you've worked in. Make sure you include your contact information on the bottom of the sheet.

On the bio, include a professional headshot of yourself. If you don't have one or if it no longer looks like you, you should have a new one taken. Make sure you get a haircut and have your hair color done. You want to look as youthful and attractive as possible. Have your makeup done so that your complexion isn't shiny. Make sure the photographer gets pictures in both color and black and white and that he shoots in a digital format, so you can easily use the picture on your Web site and on other printed materials.

Developing Your Catering Services Packet

Rather than printing up an expensive brochure, start out by creating a few separate pages of information and putting them in a double-sided folder that you can purchase at an office supply store like Office Max or Staples. Have some labels printed with your name and Web address and affix the label to the front of the folder. You can easily design inexpensive custom labels online and have them mailed to you. Voilà! You now have a customized presentation folder. On the inside is a slit for inserting your business card.

In the folder, you'll have your biography statement; a page titled “Services Offered,” which lists the types of catering you offer (wedding, off-premise, picnics, cooking parties); suggested menus with some pricing details; copies of any recommendation letters from clients; a few photos of events you've done; and a blank contract. You can buy photo album sheets at an office supply store and print 4 “ × 6” photos of your food and buffet setups. This folder will be what you leave behind with prospective clients, and it is all you need to start selling your services.

Everything comes together in your catering services packet. You have a name that reflects the business image you want to project, professional photos of yourself and your services, and well-written menus and descriptions of your business.