A strong business plan helps set the foundation for a successful business venture. Whether you’re a copywriter or a business consultant, you likely spend your days helping entrepreneurs flesh out how they want to present their business to the public, investors, or their target market.
Half of your job involves getting inside the minds of entrepreneurs to pick out all the most necessary information you need to craft a detailed business plan they’ll be happy with. If you’re looking for a way to spend less time gathering information and more time crafting the plan, then crafting a business planning questionnaire will do you good.
In this post, we’ll share a list of questions you can ask entrepreneurs in a business plan questionnaire, plus we’ll share a tool you can use to collect responses quicker than ever.
A well-structured questionnaire pushes your clients to think critically about every aspect of their business, ensuring no important elements are missed in the resulting business plan. For example, businesses relying on Content Snare to collect information see a 77% reduction in data gathering costs and a 67% reduction in stalled projects.
In a nutshell, the more detailed the questionnaire is, the more organized and comprehensive the business plan will be. A strong business plan ensures all stakeholders are on the same page when it comes to the business’s direction and objectives. It also answers all questions and concerns investors might have regarding the financial health and trajectory of the business.Â
Additionally, it acts as a reference point for clients to monitor progress and hold themselves accountable for meeting business goals, providing a framework for regularly reviewing and adjusting their business strategy as needed.
Upload any supporting documentation that can help inform the business plan. (Financial documents, business license, sales/marketing presentations, SWOT analysis image).
You can easily take the above sample survey questionnaire, copy and paste the questions, and throw it into a Word document or form builder tool of your own — or better yet you could save endless time on all the above by using Content Snare and its ready-made form instead:
In addition to providing a ready-to-send business plan questionnaire template in its dashboard, it also helps you streamline the data collection process with:
Automatic reminders
Ever run into a situation where you request information from clients and they take forever to get back to you? With Content Snare, you can choose a deadline then the tool will remind your clients to complete your questionnaire on time. This means you won’t have to waste time sending endless follow-up emails.
Large document/image uploads
Content Snare supports large file size uploads so your clients can upload their business license, sales and marketing presentations, or other financial documents needed for you to write their business plan without any hassle. The tool helps you collect everything all in one place so you don’t have to collect text responses in one place and then use a whole other platform like Dropbox to gather the rest.
Approve/reject/comment features
It’s not uncommon for clients to submit insufficient information or upload the wrong files once in a while. Content Snare helps you notify your clients if any of their responses need a revision within the dashboard itself, so you don’t have to chase them over email.
An easy client experience
We can all agree that there’s nothing worse than spending ages completing a form, only to get timed out and have to enter all your information again. Content Snare spares your clients from ever having to go through this inconvenience by automatically saving responses so they can exit and re-enter the form as many times as they want. It always helps to use an intuitive tool!
Superior security features
Content Snare’s ISO 27001-certified platform ensures that sensitive client documents like business licenses and financial statements are protected with military-grade encryption, meeting the highest standards of data security.
Ready to give it a go? Try Content Snare for free for 2 weeks, no credit card needed!
A business plan questionnaire helps consultants and business owners gather structured, detailed information to create a comprehensive plan. It ensures no critical elements are overlooked and helps align stakeholders, attract investors, and guide strategic decisions.
Secure client portals like Content Snare are designed specifically for client data collection. They automate reminders, allow large file uploads, provide customizable forms, and help reduce project delays, making them ideal for consultants and business planners.
Sylva Sivz is a seasoned copywriter here at Content Snare, based out of Vancouver, Canada. She has spent years working in agency environments and moonlights as a touring house DJ!
