How to write business proposal to

Business Proposal Letter Template – Format, Sample & Example

A Business Proposal Letter or proposal letter for business allows a business to create an opportunity for itself by sending the list of services, the probable outcome, and process of the deal to a potential client or customer. A business proposal letter is crucial for an individual or organization since it allows them to explore new opportunities in the market. It is also a part of your effective communication strategy as it describes the details of your professional goals accurately before you send the actual business proposal to a company or individual.

Business Proposal Letter Format

A business proposal letter is a formal introduction to your company as it describes its values, goals, and professionalism. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain a formal tone that is usually used in corporate transactions. The fundamental elements of a formal letter should be followed in this letter as well and you can explore the different samples and templates provided on numerous sites on the internet before writing your first business proposal letter.

The letter must start with the name and details of the sender and after that, the name and details of the recipient must be mentioned. A proper salutation for the recipient is a must and the main motive of writing the letter must be short and crisp. Overall, the main body of the letter can contain three of a maximum of four paragraphs and before concluding the letter you thanking the recipient to giving his/her valuable time to read their proposal letter. The letter should be concluded with the sender’s name, his designation in the company and the name of the company.

How to write a business proposal letter?

An effective business proposal letter is a must if you want to present yourself or your organization is the best manner. Apart from using a proper format and following the basic rules of a formal letter, you must also understand how to use a perfect tone and structure for writing an elite proposal letter for business. Here are a few tips that you can follow while writing a business proposal letter:

Mention the date and ‘Re’ after the recipient’s address as you do in a formal letter. Mention the purpose of the letter clearly after the ‘Re’ so that the recipient gets an idea before reading your letter.

Do not forget to mention the background information in the 1 st paragraph itself. For example, if you have met the recipient personally before writing this letter, you can use the reference for your meeting.

Mention the intent of your letter clearly in the first paragraph itself and follow it with the list of services provided by you or the features of your products. Avoid making any quotation in this letter as that should be included only in the actual business proposal. Remember that this is just the cover of your proposal.

Attach the necessary documents and details that would further authenticate your business proposal letter.

How to start a business proposal letter?

It is also important to start a business letter properly since many people goof up this part.

Do not start with your name and details if you are writing on company letterhead as the details will be already mentioned in the letterhead.

Always use a proper salutation like ‘Respected’ instead of ‘Dear’ if you are writing to a higher authority or a person who is working at a higher designation than you. Also, address a person as Mr. or Ms. only if you are sure of their gender. If the recipient holds a doctorate degree or honor, you can also use a ‘Dr.’ before his/her name.

Business Proposal Sample Letter Examples

Before writing a formal business proposal letter, you can refer to the different types of business proposal letter templates and samples which are available on the internet. However, before following a particular format or template, make sure that it suits your business and purpose of writing.

If the main purpose of your business is to sell products, then you need to focus on the product business proposal letter samples. A perfect letter would help you sell your products easily and you will also be able to earn more customers in the future. While referring to the product business proposal letter sample see that the product mentioned in the letter and its benefits are similar to the ones that you are intending to sell.

A business proposal letter with intent is used when are about to close in on a particular business deal. It could be used for starting a joint venture, for acquiring a new company and any other important business transaction.

Sample 1: Product Business Proposal Letter Sample

From,
Tamara Howe
3415 Lobortis. Avenue
Rocky Mount WA 48580
(655) 840-6139

To,
Keegan Blair
Ap #761-2515 Egestas. Rd.
Manitowoc TN 07528

Dear Keegan Blair,

Coolmoon Restaurant is presenting this letter of intent with the purpose of buying a commercial space in Starworks Building.
We are a reputed chain of restaurants in Chicago and have many branches across the city. Therefore, we are planning to expand our business further and ‘Starworks Building’ is deemed as a perfect place by our board of directors.
The necessary terms and conditions are mentioned in the attached enclosure. We are confident that our restaurant fits the idea and business purpose of Starworks Building and therefore we are looking forward to closing this deal with you.
Please let me know if you have any queries or doubts regarding this deal.

Yours truly,
Signature
Tamara Howe
Owner, Coolmoon Restaurant

This letter is used if you are offering any services to the recipient.

Sample 2: Sample Business Proposal Letter for Services

From,
Keaton Underwood
Ap #636-8082 Arcu Avenue
Thiensville Maryland 19587
(564) 908-6970

To,
Nasim Strong
Ap #630-3889 Nulla. Street
Watervliet Oklahoma 70863

Dear Keegan Blair,

I, Keaton Underwood, am writing this letter on behalf of Galaxy Info-Services. Our company is into web and graphic designing services and we can provide them at a reasonable and competitive price range. Your SEO Company might require our services and we will be glad if you consider us perfect for this opportunity.
Thank you for giving us your valuable time and we are looking forward to your response.

Yours truly,
Keaton Underwood
Co-owner, Galaxy Info-Services

This letter can be used when you are offering a business partnership to someone. Here’s a sample for understanding the format better:

Sample 3: Sample Business Proposal Letter for Partnership

From,
Pascale Patton
P.O. Box 399 4275 Amet Street
West Allis NC 36734
(676) 334-2174

To,
Ivor Delgado
Ap #310-1678 Ut Av.
Santa Barbara MT 88317

Dear Ivor Delgado,

I, Ruth Stevens, am writing this on behalf of Global Cloud Services. We are in an IT firm and we have worked on several international projects since 2011.
Recently, we got to know about the exceptional content writing services you offer for your clients. Therefore, we consider it a good opportunity to offer you a partnership with our firm. We ourselves require a lot of content in various niches and we can also use our contacts to get more and profitable work for you. I think that together we can grow exponentially and would like to hear from you soon on this matter.
Thank you for giving us your valuable time.

Regards,
Pascale Patton
CEO – Global Cloud Services
Signature

This letter can be used while offering your transport services to a business or organization.

Sample 4: Sample Business Proposal Letter for Transport Services

From,
Pascale Patton
P.O. Box 399 4275 Amet Street
West Allis NC 36734
(676) 334-2174

To,
Ivor Delgado
Ap #310-1678 Ut Av.
Santa Barbara MT 88317

Dear Ivor Delgado,

We, Consol Cab Services, are providing cab services to various organizations and MNCs since 2015.
Recently, we came to know that your organization requires cab services for night-shift employees. We are pleased to offer our services to you at the best competitive market rates. Also, we would like to inform you that we are known for providing timely and user-friendly services. Therefore, I think that you would give us an opportunity to serve your organization.

Regards,
Pascale Patton
MD – Consol Cab Services
Signature

A business proposal cover letter acts as a formal cover letter to a business proposal.

Sample 5: Business Proposal Cover Letter Sample

From,
Jordan Calderon
430-985 Eleifend St.
Duluth Washington 92611
(427) 930-5255

To,
Zorita Anderson
1964 Facilisis Avenue
Bell Gardens Texas 87065

Dear Zorita Anderson,

I, Richard Timpson, am writing this letter on behalf of Virtual Catering Services. As per our telephonic conversation dated on 9 th June 2019, I’m sharing a proposal with you. The complete quotation and terms of business are mentioned in the attachment. Please feel free to call me if you have any queries or doubts regarding the same. I’m hoping for a fast response from your end. Thank you for considering our business proposal.

Yours truly,
Jordan Calderon
Owner – Virtual Catering Services
Signature

This letter can be used to offer distributing services for a particular brand or product.

Sample 6: Business Proposal Letter for Distributorship

From,
Sade Higgins
Ap #287-3260 Ut St.
Wilmington OR 05182
(422) 517-6053

To,
Dante Bennett
481-8762 Nulla Street
Dearborn OR 62401

Dear Dante Bennett,

I, Wilton Sherling, am writing this letter on behalf of Richard & Co Distributors. We are offering distributorship services in Chicago, Washington, and New York since 2014. In these years, we have provided our services to numerous international brands and businesses.
We came to know that a few of your products need distributors in Washington. Therefore, I’m writing this letter to offer you our best services in the most competitive rates. I have attached the complete details of our services in the attachment. Also, I think that together we can grow at an exponential rate.
Please reply us back after receiving this letter. Thank you for considering our business proposal.

Yours truly,
Sade Higgins
MD – Richard & Co Distributors

This letter can be used to offer a transport business to a client.

Sample 7: Transport Business Proposal Letter

From,
Daniel Malone
2136 Adipiscing Av.
Lima RI 93490
(360) 669-3923

To,
Emerson Espinoza
Ap #247-5577 Tincidunt St.
Corpus Christi WI 97020

Dear Emerson Espinoza,

I, Rich Stone, am writing this letter on behalf of Docket Goods Transport Services. We are involved in long route goods transport since 2011 and have served many MNCs during this period. We have heard that you require a reliable transport service for delivering some of your products to your outstation customers.
Therefore, I have written this letter to offer our services to you at the most budget-friendly rates. A detailed quotation letter will be sent to you after your confirmation.
I’m waiting for your response. Thank you!

Regards
Daniel Malone
CEO – Docket Goods Transport Services

This letter can be used to offer laundry services to another business.

Sample 8: Laundry Business Proposal Letter

From,
Elmo Lopez
Ap #481-7473 Cum Rd.
Yorba Linda South Carolina 28423
(295) 983-3476

To,
Aaron Trujillo
Ap #146-3132 Cras Rd.
Kingsport NH 56618

Dear Aaron Trujillo,

We, Elite Laundry Services, are working in this industry since 2010. We are known for our user-friendly and reliable services across the state. Recently we have come to know that your garment factory needs laundry services on a regular basis. Therefore, we take this opportunity to offer our services at economical rates to your company.
I’m awaiting your positive response. Thank you!

Yours truly,
Elmo Lopez
CEO- Elite Laundry Services

This letter can be used to offer a product to a particular business or organization.

Sample 9: Product Business Proposal Letter

From,
Liberty Walton
343-6527 Purus. Avenue
Logan NV 12657
(581) 379-7573

To,
Hu Park
1429 Netus Rd.
Reedsport NY 48247

I, Kevin Reaves, am writing this letter on behalf of Aqua Away that supplies water purifiers to industrial and residential projects. We are working in this industry since 2011 and we take pride in being one of the most reliable brands in the market today.
We have heard that your company, Arnold Engineering requires water purifiers for different hydro plants and projects. Therefore, I’m writing this letter to offer our product ‘Escrow Water Purifier’ which is compatible with all the hydro plants. You will find the details of this product in the attachment and you can also call me on 1234-234234 for more details.

I’m awaiting a positive response from your end. Thank you!

Regards,
(Your Signature)
Liberty Walton
MD – Aqua Away

This letter is generally used to reject a business proposal.

Sample 10: Free Business Proposal Rejection Letter

From,
Cleo Best
282-8351 Tincidunt Ave
Sedalia Utah 53700
(252) 204-1434

To,
Ina Burt
Ap #130-1685 Ut Street
Tyler KS 73510

I, Steve Smith, am writing this letter on behalf of Sun Computer Systems. Last week you had sent a digital marketing proposal to me on behalf of Stole IT Services. We had a detailed look at a proposal but we are sorry to inform you that we are rejecting it on the basis on lack of explanation on the implementation and execution part.
Our company requires a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. While your ideas were innovative and impressive, the proposal did not contain any details on the implementation and execution of those ideas.
I also suggest you work on this and send me a revised business proposal so that we can have a look at it again.

Regards,
Cleo Best
CEO – Sun Computer Systems

This letter is generally used to reject a business proposal.

Sample 11: Business Proposal Contract Letter to Client

From,
Lyle Sutton
Ap #250-9843 Elementum St.
South Gate Missouri 68999
(736) 522-8584

To,
Palmer Gay
557-2026 Purus St.
Watertown TN 07367

Dear Palmer Gay,

I, Wilson Margot, am sending this letter on behalf of Devolt Microsystems. Last week we had a telephonic conversation regarding the installation of computer systems in your office. You had asked about the specifications and details and I have attached them in this mail.
Please have a look at them and also send a line of confirmation if you agree on the same so that I can send you a detailed business proposal. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours truly,
(Your Signature)
Lyle Sutton
Director – Devolt Microsystems

You can use this letter to get approval for a business loan.

Sample 12: Business Funding Proposal Cover Letter

From,
Wilma Pace
Ap #676-6532 Odio Rd.
Darlington CO 06963
(926) 709-3295

To,
Vielka Nielsen
Ap #517-7326 Elementum Rd.
Fort Smith North Dakota 79637

Dear Vielka Nielsen,

Yours truly,
Wilma Pace
Director – Thompson Industries

This letter is usually used by non-profit organizations and NGOs to collect funds from a business.

Sample 13: Business Sponsorship Proposal Letter

From,
Jasper Carney
1195 Lobortis Rd.
New Orleans New Hampshire 71983
(763) 409-5446

To,
Remedios Hester
487-5787 Mollis St.
City of Industry Louisiana 67973

Dear Remedios Hester,

We are running a restaurant named ‘Govind Bhojanalay’ where we provide free meals to orphan and poor children. Of late, we are unable to meet our financial needs due to a shortage of funds.
We learned that your company, Stuttgart Industries provides sponsorship for those institutions and organizations that are involved in humanitarian causes. Therefore, we request you to sponsor our daily meal program where we provide 2-meals daily to orphan and poor children.
I have enclosed details of our work in the attachment. Please call me on 1234-223435 for further details.

Yours Truly,
Jasper Carney
Founder & Co-owner – Govind Bhojanalay

If you are writing a business proposal letter to your client then you can have a look at this example.

How to Write a Business Proposal

How to write a business proposal

Learning how to write a business proposal is a key skill for business owners who are seeking to grow through new ventures and partnerships. A business proposal is used to provide details of how your business can benefit the potential client. Writing a business proposal can be challenging because you have to strike the balance between promoting your business and providing demonstrable facts. Luckily, there are a number of business proposal templates, samples, and ideas available to assist you with writing a winning business proposal. The steps below will give you tips on how to write a business proposal irrespective of the industry you’re in. The tips can be used to write a retail or restaurant business proposal or for any other business you operate or you could consider using a business proposal template.

What is a business proposal?

A business proposal, which is also referred to as a ‘work proposal’ is different from a business plan. A business plan is a document that sets out business goals. On the other hand, a business proposal is a document that contains an offer to provide a service or a product to a prospective client or buyer.

Business proposals normally fall into two categories:

Solicited – These business proposals are requested by potential clients. Solicited business proposals are normally provided after you’ve made your sales pitch and your potential client has asked for formal details of your offering.

Unsolicited – Business owners send unsolicited business proposals on a speculation basis on the off-chance that the potential client will be interested in their offering.

Business proposals require a lot of time and effort, so it’s advisable that you should focus mainly on solicited work proposals because they have a higher chance of success. However, if you own a restaurant, sending out unsolicited business restaurant proposals may not be as time-consuming. You could send your restaurant business proposal to local companies asking whether they need catering services for special occasions. As the type of food you provide remains the same for each potential client, there’s no need to spend time making countless amendments to personalize your restaurant’s business proposal.

The essential elements of a business proposal

According to Bidsketch, a company that provides business proposal templates and samples to help business owners save time, there are three Ps of a successful business proposal, which are as follows:

Problem statement
You must be able to articulate your potential client’s pain points in a straightforward and simple way. This will demonstrate that you understand what the potential client needs help with before providing a solution.

Proposed solution
As you’ve shown that you understand the client’s problem, you now need to offer a resolution to the issue. The proposed solution should go into detail about how you will solve the potential client’s problems.

Pricing information
This is the section that potential clients will pay the most attention to. If your offering is for a short amount of time or for a small piece of work, a fee summary will work well. However, if you’ll be providing your goods or services over a long period of time, you should use a fee schedule. This includes a comprehensive breakdown of your offering with associated fees.

Including the three elements above in your business proposal could help you to secure more work. For example, if you own a restaurant and plan to grow your business by offering catering services, you’ll need to create a restaurant business proposal to motivate companies to choose your food.

Business Proposal Template

Lucky for you, the team at Visme has 29 business proposal templates ready for you to use. You can easily customize them to fit your business needs.

Business proposal ideas

A business proposal doesn’t necessarily have to follow a set format. Consider business proposal ideas that will make your work proposal stand-out. For example:

Include a checklist – This business proposal idea involves a checklist to enable your potential client to quickly compare your services to your competitors.

Encourage action – The first action you want your potential client to take is to read your proposal. So why not offer a direct prompt – for example, “start reading” or “view quote” – on the cover page of your proposal? This business proposal idea grabs your potential client’s attention and encourages them to read your work proposal.

Use multimedia – To get your business proposal noticed, why not create a personalized video and embed it on the introduction page?

The four steps of writing a business proposal

Business proposals need to be succinct without skimping on important details. A long business proposal will increase the likelihood of it ending up at the bottom of your potential client’s to-do list. To make your proposal as short as possible, include extra information, such as client testimonials in the appendix.

Here are four steps for writing a business proposal:

Before you start to write your business proposal, you should take some time to do background research about the business, the decision-makers and the project. Although you’ll want to submit your business proposal as quickly as possible, skipping the research phase could significantly reduce your chances of being awarded the work. If your proposal is time-sensitive, you can provide details based on limited knowledge and include a stipulation that some aspects of the work proposal may be subject to change. To speed up the work proposal process, take a look at some business proposal examples for inspiration.

Clarifying key pieces of information will help you to write a better business project proposal. Ask yourself the following questions to gain a more thorough understanding of what the work you’re proposing would involve:

Who will be responsible for delivering the goods or services? Will you be doing this yourself or will it be delegated to members of your team?

What will it cost your business to deliver the goods or services?

Where will the work be undertaken? Do you or your team need to be at the client’s site?

How soon would you need to start?

How many milestones will there be?

When will the project come to an end?

When is payment due and how is it made?

What’s involved in the day-to-day carrying out of the business project?

What checkpoints will be in place to determine that the quality of the work is kept to the specified standard?

What’s the main benefit to the potential client and when will these benefits be realized?

Writing brief answers to the above questions will allow you to determine whether you have everything you need to complete the business project. Answering these questions will also provide you with information to include in your business proposal.

You need to work out your costs as soon as possible in order to provide accurate pricing. If you have done similar work previously, it will be easier to establish the pricing. However, if this is a totally new type of project, you’ll have to estimate the costs based on how many people will be required to do the work, your overheads, and your expertise.

After you’ve completed your research and answered the relevant questions, it’s time to start writing your business proposal. If you’ve gone through the research and the Q and A processes and you’re still feeling stuck, you should review some business proposal samples. These samples will give you ideas on what to include in your business proposal. Better Proposals provide similar services to Bidsketch and offer free business proposal samples to help you get started. After you’ve decided on a business proposal format, the following sections should be included:

Introduction – Begin your business proposal document by telling the reader about your business and your mission. This should be done in a way that shows how your business will benefit the potential client. You should include unique facts and accomplishments that differentiate your business from the competition.

Executive summary – The executive summary is used to provide reasons for awarding you the work. It’s a brief statement that highlights the main message you want the reader to take away from your business proposal. Use the executive summary to highlight why your goods or services should be chosen instead of the competition.

Table of contents – If you’re going to write a long business proposal, including a table of contents will make it easier for the reader to jump to sections that are of interest. Ideally, your business proposal should be as short as possible but, in the cases where you need to include a lot of detail, a table of contents will be appropriate.

Body – Use the body of your business proposal to elaborate on the information that you’ve provided in the executive summary. You should make use of the answers to the questions you asked yourself in this section. The body of your business proposal should include details such as logistics, milestones, scheduling, and fees. You can also list the documents that are included in the appendix.

Disclaimers – It’s recommended that you incorporate caveats into your business proposal. Your disclaimer should make your potential client aware that the pricing provided is based on the work listed in the proposal and you reserve the right to charge extra for work outside of this scope.

Conclusion – Sum-up the information you’ve already provided in the conclusion of your business proposal. Use your conclusion as another opportunity to explain why you should be awarded the work. You must include a call to action in your conclusion so that your potential client is clear about the next steps to take if they decide to work with you.

Appendix – The appendix of your business proposal should include supplementary information that will help you to secure the work. Include information such as resumes, customer testimonials, case studies, projection, and graphs.

Writing a business proposal letter

A business proposal letter can be sent on a speculative basis. Due to the fact that the potential client hasn’t requested this information, it makes sense to keep this work proposal letter as short as possible.

The following elements should be included in a business proposal letter:

Format the letter with important details like the date and company address.

Get straight to the point in the opening paragraph. Explain why this company needs your services. You can start by letting your potential customer know how working with you can increase their bottom line or help them to save on costs.

The next paragraph should provide more details about the claims you made in the preceding paragraph. You’ll need to explain how exactly you can make (or save) your potential client money.

Include details about your qualifications. Emphasize the benefits of working with your business and how your work has helped other companies.

Lastly, your call to action should spell out what you’d like your potential client to do next.

When writing a business proposal letter, make it as easy to read as possible. Use short paragraphs and avoid complicated language. Write in simple and clear language that requires minimum effort on the part of the reader.

Business proposal follow-up

Ideally, your business proposal would have impressed your potential client enough for them to get back to you immediately. However, this is rarely the case, so be prepared to contact the potential client after a few days of sending your business proposal to ask whether they have any questions.

Writing business proposals to secure new contracts can be filled with uncertainty because you never know whether your potential client will choose to work with you. However, one area of your business that should run smoothly with no hitches is workforce management. Try Deputy for free and discover how workforce management software can provide everything you need to create accurate and easy scheduling.

Important Notice

The information contained in this article is general in nature and you should consider whether the information is appropriate to your needs. Legal and other matters referred to in this article are of a general nature only and are based on Deputy’s interpretation of laws existing at the time and should not be relied on in place of professional advice. Deputy is not responsible for the content of any site owned by a third party that may be linked to this article and no warranty is made by us concerning the suitability, accuracy or timeliness of the content of any site that may be linked to this article. Deputy disclaims all liability (except for any liability which by law cannot be excluded) for any error, inaccuracy, or omission from the information contained in this article and any loss or damage suffered by any person directly or indirectly through relying on this information.

How to Write a Business Proposal in 2022 (the A-Z Guide)

You just finished an amazing meeting with a client, they seem ready to pull the trigger and excited to work with you. Then they utter the following sentence:

“Please send me a business proposal”

As a business owner or salesperson, that’s the best thing you’ll hear all day. Until you get back to the office and realize you actually have to write it. This guide will give you a system and guidelines on how to write a successful business proposal and make that process super easy and simple every time. Whether you’re forming an LLC and need consultation or are looking for new business partners, your pitch should be professional and engaging.

You can seek the assistance of a skilled writer who can offer the best custom writing service in accordance with the customer for a better and more captivating proposal.

Writing a business proposal is actually not that fun. In fact, most business owners absolutely hate this task. Writing a proposal for a company is not easy, but there is a much better method.

If you want to learn how to write a business proposal like a professional, read on to find out:

Things to know before you start writing business proposals

At the most basic level, your proposal writing system is two things:

The first thing, getting your business proposal template in order is vital. The best tip we have is to choose the next proposal you need to send and allocate a good day to getting it as good as it can be.

This means editing the copy like it’s a headline on your website. Consider the wording, about what they’re thinking and really make each section as good as it can be.

Later in this article, we’ll look at what is included in a business proposal, and that goes for your template too. Once your template is sorted and you know it’s brilliant, the next thing is to know what needs editing.

When you’re having that meeting with your potential client and they ask you to write them a business proposal for your solution, you can confidently walk away, knowing exactly what task is ahead of you.

What is a Business Proposal?

A business proposal is a sales document created with the purpose to persuade your potential customers to buy from you. Whether you’re starting a new business or growing an existing business, a business proposal is used in a variety of industries to help sell a wide range of products or services. From selling carpets to offering enterprise software solutions and social media marketing, all of it starts with a business proposal.

Besides the difference in industry, the main division is between solicited and unsolicited business proposals. A solicited proposal is sent when you already have a connection with the potential buyer and they’re interested in what you’re selling. Usually, the buyer themselves will ask for a proposal.

On the other hand, an unsolicited proposal is sent without the explicit request of someone who may be interested in what you’re selling.

How to write a business proposal

Most people think that writing a business proposal is boring and time-consuming. And for the most part, they’re right. There really is no creative flare in writing them and it’s all about pitching your product or service so that the client says yes and gives you money.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. There is a way to make proposal writing easier and more efficient and get your prospective client on board more quickly.

In the following sections, we’ll show you that writing a business proposal is more about preparation and using the right tools to make writing easier. In other words, we’ll teach you how to write a business proposal with minimal effort and maximum sales performance.

But first, let’s tackle a very important term – business proposal templates.

What is a business proposal template?

Put simply, a proposal template is a proposal that is about 90% finished. As mentioned above, a template includes everything that you want to send in a single proposal. Your best introduction, your best pricing strategy, your best type of proof, best title page, etc. A template combines all the best elements of the proposals you’ve sent which resulted in sales for your product or service.

If you want to create a template of your own, simply think of the best proposals you’ve ever written and grab the most effective piece from each one. If you’re using proposal software like Better Proposals, this shouldn’t be difficult, because you will know which proposals work on your target audience.

What if you’ve never sent proposals before so you don’t have a basis for templates? What if you don’t have the time or you just don’t know a thing about proposals? The good news is, you have no reason to worry – our proposal library has more than 100 different proposal templates for a variety of industries and different applications.

Once you have your template, you can fill out the major details, such as:

Once you add these, your proposal is ready to go. The main idea is that templates help you write proposals in 15 minutes instead of 5 hours.

What questions are your customers asking?

When writing a business proposal, there’s a situation going on that only the best salespeople understand.

Your potential client has a list of questions. They’ll rarely tell you what those questions are. Mostly because they’re pretty awkward. For example, we had a situation when I quoted someone £40,000 for some software once. The proposal was about 17 pages long and the client replied with one sentence.

“Sounds good. What happens if you die? How do I get my data back?”

I didn’t think it was an appropriate time to go back to him and explain I probably wouldn’t care about his data if I was dead. I did explain to him a contingency plan that we had in place for nearly a decade now for this exact situation. I told him, he signed up.

This got me thinking. This guy was bold enough to ask that question but he can’t have been the first guy to think it. From that moment on, we included that in every business proposal we sent under a section called How we protect your data.

What other questions might your potential customers have that they won’t ask you:

You can’t assume that clients will ask these questions. Think about it. How many questions do people actually ask on the back of proposals? Answer these questions in your proposal before the client gets a chance to ask them.

How do you want your potential clients to feel?

Don’t think of business proposals as sales documents. Think of them more like taking someone on an experience.

Think about movies. The emotions override the content. It’s less important how you get them to feel sadness at the end, so long as you do and they’ll use every trick in the book to do it.

When you write a business proposal, think about the emotion you want them to feel at the end of reading your proposal.

Only you know what’s most appropriate. What you don’t want to be doing is talking in “maybes”, “ifs” and using suggestive wording when you want someone to trust you. It sounds like you’re not sure.

As a good friend Mitch Miller says:

“The doctor doesn’t ask the patient if it’s the right prescription. He just prescribes the right thing and tells them to get out of the office”.

Take an appropriate stance when thinking about the language of your proposals in relation to how you want them to feel at the end.

Consider using proposal software instead of writing manually

The truth is, rarely anyone writes proposals these days – most people use proposal software. Here are some of the reasons why it’s a good idea.

These are just some of the many reasons why you should consider using proposal software rather than opening Word the next time you want to write a business proposal.

The 8 key elements of every winning business proposal

There are 8 elements most business proposals should include. Some are absolutely essential; some are not – that depends on your specific situation. Here they are:

2. Detailed specification

8. Terms and conditions

Does your proposal need to have all of these sections? Maybe yes, maybe not – it depends. However, all of our proposal templates have these sections out of the box.

There is one thing that we didn’t mention on purpose – the title page.

All proposals should have a well-designed title page, with an image and some text to address the specific client. We’re leaving it out because all of our proposal templates come with a beautiful title page out of the box.

The introduction – also known as executive summary

Good business proposals always start with a great introduction. This is the most read part of your proposal so it needs to get across that you understand their situation, you’re clear on their goal and that is stated in advance. Your meetings and discovery sessions should be heavily predicated on getting the information for this section of the proposal.

The reason you don’t win jobs is that you didn’t get a chance to do a meeting or call about the job. As a result, you never discovered what the client wants to achieve, what’s important to them and what makes them tick. This is one of the most important things to include when you learn how to write a business proposal.

As a result, because you don’t know that information, you lead with the things that don’t matter as much. For example the price or the technicalities of what you’re trying to do when writing a business proposal for them.

In other words, the introduction should show the client that you’ve listened to their problem and that you have the cure, which you will show them in the next section. If you want to show your clients how you offer custom services, this is the place to stress that. Show them how you customize your usual offer to match their exact pain point.

According to our own research, this is the most read section of all business proposals besides the pricing. Most clients read just these two sections, so make sure that you invest extra time and care in this one.

This section is also known as a summary or an executive summary, depending on your resources. Even though the title is different, everything else is the same – it’s a section where you discuss how you’re going to solve the client’s problem.

Business Proposal Cover Letter

You may have heard about the term business proposal cover letter. A cover letter is essentially the same as the introduction. It’s an additional document that should be read before the “meat” of the proposal. Its purpose is to convince the client that you know their business and their needs and it should get them hooked to read the actual body of the proposal.

To keep things simple, we use the introduction of the proposal for the purpose of a cover letter.

The detailed specification

This part varies depending on what you’re selling. If it’s a website, this could be a list of pages and features. If you’re selling a marketing campaign, then this could be the strategy or the talent and credentials of your team. It’ll vary.

The basic idea is to be as detailed as possible in your offer. That way, the client understands exactly what you’re doing for them and how you’ll get it done.

The reason it’s important is that if the deal goes bad, you both have this section to refer back to. It keeps you more accountable and the client knows what to hope for. Moreover, it also serves as a good exercise for you when writing a good business proposal as this is all the information you’re going to gather in any discovery phase of the deal.

It’s important here to keep this in plain English. Stay far away from jargon as it will only confuse the client. The less the reader understands, the less they trust you.

Also, if you absolutely must write about your company, this might be the place to do it. Who you are, what you do, how long you’ve been doing it and what makes you stand out. However, don’t spend too much time or space on this because the focus is on the client, not you.

The timescales

It doesn’t matter if it’s a wide bracket like 2-4 weeks – you have to give the client some clue about when you will finish the work. Otherwise, it’s a massive unknown.

It can be really useful to find out if they have a special event, or reason for a timescale to be important to them. If there is, tie that in. You can even tie that into scarcity to give them an incentive to sign the proposal off by a certain date.

Be as specific as possible, but also use this section to your advantage. More time to deliver means two things:

1. You can finish earlier than promised and impress your client

2. You have more time to spare if something goes unexpectedly wrong

More time is always better, but make sure that you consider the need for urgency as well.

The proof

You must prove to your client that you can actually do what you say you can. Now, you might say “we have examples on our website”. That’s nice – but the client is not looking at your website, they’re reading your proposal – your one big “ask” for the business. They want solid proof and a few good case studies will do.

You need to have sufficient proof in a good business proposal. This could be examples, testimonials, video case studies, screenshots from a client proving you helped them with something, a recording of a voicemail – anything.

To help them feel like they’ll be in good hands, indicate relevant credentials and certifications your team managers and members have. After all, product managers and team leaders will play a massive role in ensuring that your product or service will be of top quality. Moreover, you can and should use a good employee engagement platform such as Sparkbay.

Take some time to check out Foundr’s guide for freelancers with useful tips on self-branding.

It doesn’t have to be complex and have the production value of a Spielberg classic. It just needs to get the point across.

The good news is, there is more than one type of proof that you can choose. Case studies, testimonials, portfolio pieces, explainer videos – there are lots of ways to convince your clients that you’re the real deal.

The price

Based on some of our own data, this is the second most read section of any proposal – people usually jump straight from the introduction to the pricing. Needless to say, spend some extra time here to make it look right.

That said, there are a few things you want to make sure of. The first is that the pricing is super clear. If you have somewhat of a confusing pricing structure then this might be time to think about simplifying it.

Speaking of which, we’ve done some research on pricing in business proposals and you can see our results in the latest Proposal Report. As it turns out, it’s a better idea to have a single offer and price instead of trying to get more money with upsells. Proposals with a single offer sold significantly more – 20.6% for offers with upfront costs and 33% higher for offers with monthly retainer costs.

The reason is that a business proposal is a matter of getting a simple answer – yes or no. The more options you add, the more difficult it gets for them to decide whether to sign or not. Keep your pricing tables super simple.

Along with your price, try and include a testimonial above it suggesting that your price is value for money. Another thing is how you charge. Ideally, you want to be charging on value rather than a day or hourly rate.

How to name your pricing section

Finally, there is one more thing that you should know about the pricing section – don’t call it that way. We’ve discovered that these names work better:

Basically, you want your clients to see your services as an investment in their business, rather than a simple cost and money down the drain. Small businesses or enterprise clients, no one wants to spend money, they want to invest it.

The guarantee

Some people love the idea of a guarantee. Others don’t like giving guarantees for fear of abuse. However, a guarantee is a great way to push clients further towards conversion.

Instead of a typical money-back guarantee, consider guaranteeing a part of your service or a timescale. Cheryl Laidlaw has her service “Website in a day”. She (at time of writing) charges £1,995 for the day and delivers the website THAT NIGHT. The client doesn’t go home and neither does Cheryl until it’s done – which is an amazing offer.

The next steps

A lot of times, people seem to forget the very basics – to show the client what to do next. Sure, some people might read your business proposal and say “Great, okay let’s go ahead”. But why would you leave it up to them to figure it out?

It’s not their job to figure out how to buy from you. Just make sure to tell them what the next steps are.

Usually, this will be something like:

Step 1: Sign the proposal by typing your name in the box below and hitting ‘Sign Proposal’.

Step 2: We’ll invoice you for 50%. Please, pay for this immediately.

Step 3: We’ll arrange our initial consultation call with you.

Anyone can do these tasks on their own – they’re not all that complex. The problem is that if you leave all of this unsaid, you’re leaving your clients wondering.

Stick to basics and explain what’s going to happen next.

Terms & conditions

You absolutely should be including your contract or terms and conditions. Just put it on a separate page called Terms & Conditions or Terms of Business.

There’s a great contract written for freelancers which covers 98% of the basics. If you’re not using a contract in your business right now, then you can use this until your business demands something better.

You should always include your terms in your business proposals because when someone signs the proposal, they automatically sign the contract. It covers you and it covers the client, so it’s only natural to include it. Just reading the words “terms and conditions” may make you feel dizzy because of the work ahead, but it’s actually something that you can do once and never fret about it later.

The takeaways

If you follow the ideas set out in this article, you’ll dramatically increase the number of people who say yes to your proposals. It’s really that simple. In summary, here are the exact steps that you need to take to write an amazing business proposal:

1. Start off with a proposal template

2. Find out the questions that your clients are asking

3. Think of how you want the clients to feel as they read the proposal

4. Include the 8 elements of a winning business proposal, as listed aboveUse proposal software to automate the wiring process

5. Use proposal software to automate the wiring process

One of the biggest reasons people take forever to write business proposals and ultimately do a bad job is because they are using software that simply isn’t geared up to doing the job in an effective way. It might sound like a self-serving suggestion, but you should take a look at using Better Proposals for writing your next business proposal. The business proposal templates in the Proposal Marketplace alone will save you a ton of time and our proposal software has everything you need for writing proposals in one place.

Now that you know how to write a business proposal, it’s time to use the right tool for the job. Sign up for Better Proposals today and find out how to win more business with less work!

How To Write a Winning Business Proposal

While a successful business proposal can lay the foundation for a prosperous relationship, writing it can be downright daunting. But once you understand what makes a winning proposal, the whole process becomes a lot less scary and a lot more effective.

Jennifer Faulkner
Director of Communications

(This article was originally published on 4/17/2018 and updated on 5/25/2021)

The sales landscape is constantly evolving, but we’ve come up with a proven proposal writing process that continues to close. And lucky for you, we like to share. By the end of this article, you’ll have everything you need to write a winning business proposal of your own.

What is a business proposal?

A business proposal is a sales document that is used to persuade a prospective client to purchase goods or services. It’s your chance to convince them that your company is the right choice for the job, so it’s crucial that you get it right. There are multiple ways to deliver a business proposal, but the end goal remains the same: sell.

Solicited vs unsolicited business proposals

On the other hand, an unsolicited business proposal is sent to prospective customers (think direct mail or cold email) that haven’t requested it. In this situation, companies use generic proposals to cast a wide net that filters out uninterested recipients from potential clients.

Without details about your prospects business or needs, unsolicited business proposals are pretty much a shot in the dark. While you can certainly send off a bunch of cold emails in hopes of pulling in a few leads, chances are your message will go straight to spam or end up in the trash. We recommend avoiding unsolicited proposals and instead focusing that energy on your lead qualification process and sending them the perfect proposal.

What you need to include in a business proposal

Starting a proposal can feel overwhelming. However, if you break your proposal writing process down into sections, it becomes much easier to get the ball rolling. Once you’ve organized your thoughts, you can tackle one section at a time. By the end, you’ll end up with some great content you can even reuse for future proposals.

The key elements of a business proposal:

1. Proposal cover

The main goals of a proposal cover are to grab the prospect’s attention and set the stage for your proposal before you dive into the details. A good proposal cover can leave a great first impression and get the prospect excited for your pitch.

2. Executive summary

One of the biggest misconceptions about proposals is that the executive summary is a summary of your whole proposal. It’s not; it’s a summary of why your solution is the right one. It outlines why your potential client should choose your company over the competition.

The purpose of the executive summary is to sell, so it should be persuasive and focused on the benefits of your company/product/service, rather than descriptive and focused on the features. A good executive summary should have five key components:

Put them all together, and you have the recipe for a winning executive summary that will knock your prospect’s socks off.

If you’re still wondering how to write an executive summary for your proposal, we’ve got you covered. Learn about the do’s and don’t of executive summaries and more in our blog post.

3. Problem statement

Potential clients want to know that you get them, and this section is the perfect place for you to show your diligence. Understand and outline the exact problems and challenges that your prospect is facing, whether they are aware of them or not. This will help build trust and reinforce the importance of solving their issues, which paves the way for you to sell your solution.

4. Proposed solution

5. Project deliverables

Specify what’s included in the proposal and what the prospect can expect to receive from you. It’s important that you have detailed descriptions for each deliverable. Don’t assume your lead already knows the scope of each service, or even what it means. Clarity and transparency early on can help you avoid any misunderstandings about expectations later.

Keep in mind that the person you deliver the proposal to might not be the only (or final) decision maker. In the event that your proposal is shown to other stakeholders, a detailed breakdown of the deliverables can help them understand exactly what they’re signing off on.

6. Project milestones

Give potential clients an idea of what to expect and when they can expect it by breaking the project into phases. This will allow you to outline the events and deliverables for each, including how long it will take, who is responsible for what, and what will be accomplished at the completion of each milestone. By keeping potential customers in the loop right from the start, you’ll be better prepared if either party needs to make any adjustments to timing or deadlines.

7. Budget/pricing

The pricing section includes everything related to… pricing. It covers everything from fees and taxes to discounts and beyond, helping potential clients understand exactly what they are paying for. While this section was once considered optional, it’s now pretty much essential. In fact, we analyzed over 2.6 million proposals and found that 97.6% of proposals contain pricing information. So don’t skip it.

Instead, find a way to make it work for you. Many sales professionals use interactive pricing tables to display the pricing section, as they provide an easy way for clients to experiment with options and create opportunities for cross selling. Plus, our research shows that proposals with interactive pricing have a close rate 12.6% higher than those with static pricing.

Here at Proposify, we recommend calling this section “your investment” because it positions the project as an investment into the prospect company’s growth and success rather than just a cost.

8. About Us/team

Explain who you are as a company; what you do, why you exist, your expertise, and your unique selling proposition. Outline all the services or products you offer, not just the ones relevant to this proposal. It may be a chance to cross-sell your clients, or can at least give them an idea of what else you have to offer.

9. Social proof

While proposals outline what you’re going to do for a client, social proof proves that you can do it. No matter how many times you claim that your company has “extensive experience,” without a case study or other form of social proof to back it up, those words can be meaningless and risky to a new prospect.

Businesses are often hesitant to include case studies with their proposals because it’s more work on top of everything else, especially when you’re in the depths of preparing and sending a proposal on a tight deadline. The key is to stop seeing case studies as optional and instead view them as an essential selling tool; the tool that just might be the tipping point between you and competition.

Save time with proposal templates

Proposal templates are an extremely effective way to write winning business proposals. Instead of winging it each time you start a new proposal, get a leg up by using a professionally designed template that can be customized to your needs. Say goodbye to the boring Word docs, bland pricing tables, and mismatched images, proposal templates make it easy to showcase your brand and accelerate your deals. Here are just a few of the many perks:

Send proposals faster

Business proposal templates help you get your proposal off the ground faster by giving you an established starting point. Rather than starting from scratch each time you approach a new prospect, you’ll start with a template and fill in sections according to the needs of each prospect.

Get peace of mind

If you’re still manually assembling your sales documents and sending them off to prospects, you’ve probably had things go wrong in the past. Big PDFs often get stuck in spam filters, files refuse to open, and compatibility issues are rampant. Using a business proposal template, you simply send a link to your prospect and they can view your proposal online, anytime, anywhere. Plus, you’ll be able to track who has viewed it and when.

Be more consistent

If you have multiple people or teams working on your proposals, you know how hard it can be to maintain consistency in your sales documents. From formatting to design and everything in between, it’s difficult to ensure everyone is on the same page (and version). By creating your own proposal templates, your sales documents will always be consistent as your team collaborates to deliver them to potential clients.

Avoid errors and omissions

Creating proposals from scratch and emailing them back and forth between different stakeholders leaves plenty of room for error. Let’s face it: without a streamlined document review process, typos and incorrect information are bound to slip through the cracks every once in a while. Avoid the headache by using a proposal template that puts creating, approving, and sending proposals in the same place.

Content library

Any good proposal software has a content library that allows you to create and save sections, images, and other info you use frequently. So instead of digging up content or re-writing copy every time you send a new proposal, you can pull pre-saved and up-to-date information directly from your library into your proposal template.

Browse our library of proposal templates, then explore some winning business proposal examples to get your creative juices flowing.

Business proposal examples

If you’re looking for sample business proposals to get you started, you’ve come to the right place. From accounting to website design and everything in between, we have a comprehensive library of proposal samples that will help you close deals faster.

Consulting proposal template

Construction bid proposal template

Marketing proposal template

Tips for writing a memorable business proposal

Creating a memorable business proposal requires more than just writing. In order to stand out from your competition, you need to connect with your potential clients and tailor each proposal you send. After all, no prospect wants to receive a boring cookie-cutter business proposal that was clearly repurposed at the last minute. Here are some tips to help you go the extra mile and create memorable business proposals that your prospects can’t resist:

Own your proposal writing

The actual writing part of a proposal is arguably the most challenging part of the process. It can be easy to get bogged down in not just what to say, but how to say it.

The way you express yourself in your proposal reflects on your company, your expertise, and your working style. You need to convey information clearly, persuasively, and efficiently. At Proposify, we achieve this by adhering to the (new) three P’s of marketing:

1. Pithy

Less is more. Attention spans are short, so you have little time to get people interested. It’s important to be concise and expressive in your writing, but you should also look beyond the words. Use white space, headings, headings, tables, bullet points, and other elements to make your content easier to digest.

2. Precious

In order to stand out to your prospects, your solution needs to be seen as valuable. Social proof is the best way to demonstrate your value, and word of mouth is your golden ticket. Incorporate testimonials, referrals, and reviews into your proposal to persuade prospects to join your long list of happy customers.

3. Prudent

Even if your product is miles ahead of your competition, you need to demonstrate that higher value doesn’t mean higher risk. Customers like going with the lower-risk option, so it’s important to find ways to reassure them that you’re providing a value-packed, risk-reduced solution. Do this by highlighting perks such as training programs, 24/7 customer support, money-back guarantees, or any other «risk-reducing» extras you offer.

Learn how to price a business proposal

Between building trust with your new client, getting them to open up about their real budget, convincing them of your value, and trying to make it all profitable, pricing can feel like an uphill battle. You can use proposal pricing discounts to guide your prospects across the finish line, but whatever you do, don’t sell yourself short.

Find the pricing method that works best for you and focus on your own profitability. You don’t want to be known as the lowest-priced business in your industry, but you definitely don’t want to scare away prospects with prices they could never afford. Interactive pricing tables are a friendly way to present multiple pricing options, and they can even create opportunities for cross-selling. Not to mention that the close rate for proposals with interactive pricing is 12.6% higher than proposals with static pricing.

Pricing is a tricky subject, so we wrote a guide on how to price a business proposal to help you find the right balance.

Curious about how other sales professionals handle pricing? Download the State of Proposals 2021 to get data-driven insights on pricing, discounting, and more.

Millions of proposals. Thousands of survey responses. Ten actionable takeaways.

The analysis and insight you need to dominate your deals in 2022 is right here.

Use eSignatures

Gone are the days of sending physical copies of your proposals and contracts. Even before COVID, delivering and signing paper documents was a huge bottleneck, so we’re happy to say good riddance. Nowadays, over 97% of closing documents are delivered virtually, so there’s really no reason to go back. But if you’re still hesitant for some reason, you might want to know that eSignatures help increase deal close rates by up to 465%, and help them close up to 66% faster. Beyond the numbers, here are many other reasons why you should use eSignatures in all of your sales documents.

If you really want to impress your prospect, consider countersigning your proposal before sending to avoid the back-and-forth. We analyzed over 2 million proposals and found that countersigned proposals had a 12% higher close rate compared to proposals that weren’t.

Create a proposal conversion strategy

Writing the perfect proposal is only part of the story. In order to seal the deal, you’ll need to figure out how you’re going to use your proposal to convert your prospect into a client. Here’s how:

1. Establish your goal.

Most times, that goal is getting your prospect to sign off on your proposal and keep them moving through the sales pipeline.

2. Create an outline.

If you haven’t started writing your proposal, now is a good time to create an outline. Examine each section and establish how each one moves the prospect towards your goal. By ensuring that each section has a specific purpose, your outline acts as a guide for your writing.

3. Audit your proposal.

Once you’ve completed your proposal, look at every section and ask yourself if it pushes your client towards your goal. If it doesn’t, adjust it to align with your goal or get rid of it.

4. Nail your delivery.

Now that you’ve created the perfect proposal, take some time to perfect your delivery. Make sure to touch on your prospect’s pain points and add a personal touch to continue building rapport. Don’t forget to follow up and offer to answer questions or walk them through the proposal.

Incorporate visual elements

Like it or not, your prospects are going to judge your proposal by its cover, so it’s essential that your documents look as good as they sound. Potential clients see the design of your proposal as a reflection of your company and your abilities, so it’s time to skip the boring one-page Word doc and opt for something more on-brand. At the end of the day,if your proposals don’t match your brand image, your deals could be doomed. Here’s why:

1. Buyers get behind brands.

If your proposal effectively conveys your brand and evokes a connection from your prospect, you’ve got a much better chance of closing.

2. Buyers like things that are familiar.

Consistency is important. If your website, emails, and demo are cohesive, but your proposals stick out like a sore thumb, you’re off to a bad start.

3. Buyers like proposals that are easy on the eyes.

Nobody wants to read a wall of text, so you should use visual elements to your advantage. In fact, including images in your proposal can improve your close rate by 23%.

Learn when to send a business proposal

Your proposals and, more importantly, your time, are precious; you don’t want to waste the effort on a lead that has no intention of actually doing business with you, even if they seem well-intentioned.

So before you start rushing around and spending a whole lot of blood, sweat, and not-so-virtual tears trying to pull together your next business proposal, stop and ask yourself this:

Does this sales lead even DESERVE a proposal?

Because sometimes the answer is a hard NO. And if you want to be more profitable, you need to know how to pick your battles. Here are five questions to help you learn how to qualify a lead and determine if they are proposal-worthy.

Use online proposal software

One of the biggest complaints we hear about creating business proposals is how time-consuming the process can be. If you want to make it easier to get proposals out faster, the only solution is to automate your process. And the best way to do that is with online proposal software.

Another major pain point in the proposal process is a lack of transparency. It’s crazy how businesses measure every single part of their sales and marketing efforts, then send their proposals into the void without any way to track them. Sure, you can turn on read receipts to see if your prospect opened the email, but you still won’t know key details like:

Without proposal software, there’s a black box in your sales process, and it could be costing you deals. Using Proposify, you can take back control and gain visibility over your proposal process. You’ll be able to track your proposals as soon as they leave your inbox, allowing you to see who opens your documents, how they spend time on them, where they’re getting stuck, who they’re forwarding them to, and more.

Online proposal software is designed to streamline your entire proposal process. From writing, to design, to sending and tracking, it unites all your separate tools and steps under one efficient roof.

Conclusion

Your business proposal is a chance to show potential clients why you’re uniquely positioned to help them solve their issues. But between finding the best proposal format, writing the actual proposal, and tailoring it to each client and project, the process can really bog down your deal velocity.

Proposify can help you kick things back into gear with proposal software that streamlines your proposal workflow. Take control of your sales process with the tools you need to dominate your deals.

About Jennifer

Director of Communications @proposify. Channeling Maria Von Trapp, Queen Elizabeth II, and my taxi-driving, yard-sale-obsessed grandmother. Professional word nerd and unapologetic disciple of the Oxford comma. Connect on LinkedIn

How to Write a Business Proposal (Examples & Templates)

The great Mark Cuban once said, “Sales cure all.” If a business doesn’t sell, it doesn’t make money and by extension the business fails. That’s why you need to write business proposals.

A well-written business proposal can often mean the difference between winning or losing a prospective client.

In this in-depth guide to creating business proposal templates, we show you how to close more deals, make more sales and crush your business goals.

Here’s what this guide will cover (click to jump ahead):

What is a business proposal?

An effective business proposal is a document used by a B2B or business-facing company (this may not always be the case) where a seller aims to persuade a prospective buyer into buying their goods or services.

A business proposal outlines what your business does and what you can do for your client. It can be general like this business proposal example:

Or it can be more specific, like this business proposal template which focuses on proposing a project for the Newton Center Rail:

Or this business proposal example, which presents a plan for a social media strategy and campaign:

To design a business proposal that holds the client’s attention, identify their pain points. Then provide your buyer with the right solution to alleviate those frustrations.

What should you include in a business proposal?

A business proposal usually aims to answer the following questions:

You can see how this sample business proposal template covers the above points.

Notice how this proposal template addresses the same project like in one of the previous templates, but uses a completely different design style (more retro, while the previous business proposal template is more modern and minimalistic).

If you aim to create a holistic business proposal, feel free to just edit from the two templates right above. You can also add your brand colors and logo to your design, using My Brand Kit:

Here’s another example of a business proposal template that you can edit:

What are the types of business proposals?

Generally, there are three types of business proposals:

1. Formally solicited

A formally solicited business proposal is made when you respond to an official request to write a business proposal.

In this scenario, you know all the requirements and have more (if not all) information about a prospective buyer. You simply need to write the business proposal for your buyer to evaluate so you can begin the sales process.

2. Informally solicited

Informally solicited business proposals are written when there isn’t an official request for a proposal. A prospective buyer is interested in your services and asks for a proposal so they can evaluate it.

An informally solicited proposal requires a lot more research from your end. These types of proposals are usually created out of informal conversations. They are not based on official requests which often contain more detail.

3. Unsolicited

Think of this as a marketing brochure or a cold email. Unsolicited business proposals will often take a generic, one-size-fits-all approach to business proposals. Unsolicited proposals lack any understanding of the buyer or their requirements.

But with additional market research, personalization and identifying customer pain points, you can propose a customized solution based on your buyer’s needs. This can be a very persuasive approach, such as in this business proposal example:

How do you write a business proposal? Business proposal templates

Before you start creating your business proposal template, you need to know what it comprises. At a high level your effective business proposal should include the following:

Below, you can see business proposal examples that demonstrate how to include these 10 sections.

Business proposal title

A compelling title could mean the difference between someone reading your proposal or ignoring it in favor of a competitor’s.

What makes a good title page? Here are the essential elements to include:

The gray business consulting proposal template above contains all the details a prospect would want to know. The title also offers a strong tangible benefit to the prospective buyer. Honestly, “Who doesn’t want to grow their business?”

Table of contents

The table of contents is a fundamental part of every winning business proposal template. It makes your proposal scannable and easy to read.

The people you will be pitching to are usually C-level executives. These are busy people who don’t have time to read your entire proposal in one go.

That’s why most of the business proposal examples in this list include a table of contents.

Adding a table of contents to your document makes it easy for them to go through it at their own pace. They can also skim through parts of the proposal that they deem more important. You can see how this abstract business proposal template uses the table of contents:

You can also make your business proposal template easier to navigate by adding hyperlinks to the document, particularly in the table of contents. This way your clients can jump to specific sections without having to scroll through the entire document.

It’s easy to add hyperlinks in the Venngage editor. Select the text you’d like to turn into a link, then click the link icon in the top bar. From there, select the page you want to link to! Then download your completed design as an Interactive PDF.

Executive summary

The executive summary is a staple in all kinds of annual reports, project plans and even marketing plans. It is a concise summary of the entire contents of your document. In other words, write a business proposal outline that is easy to glance over and that highlights your value proposition.

The goals of your executive summary are:

This gray business proposal example has a detailed yet short executive summary including some social proof in the form of clients they’ve worked with:

Take a note of how precise this business proposal example is. You wan to keep your executive summary concise and clear from the get-go. This sets the right tone for the rest of your proposal. It also gives your buyer a reason to continue reading your proposal.

Pro Tip: Try to write an executive summary such that, even if your prospective client doesn’t read the entire proposal (with a good executive summary, they most likely will), they should have a clear idea about what your company does and how you can help them.

The problem statement

The point of writing a business proposal is to solve a buyer’s problem. Your goal is to outline the problem statement as clearly as possible. This develops a sense of urgency in your prospect. They will want to find a solution to the problem. And you have that solution.

A well-defined problem statement does two things:

This bold business proposal template above clearly outlines the problem at hand and also offers a ray of hope i.e. how you can solve your prospect’s problem. This brings me to…

The proposed solution

The good stuff. In the proposed solution section you show how you can alleviate your prospective buyer’s pain points. This can fit onto the problem statement section but if you have a comprehensive solution or prefer to elaborate on the details, a separate section is a good idea.

Spare no details with respect to the solution you will provide. When you write a business proposal, explain how you plan to deliver the solution. Include an estimated timeline of when they can expect your solution and other relevant details.

For inspiration, look at how this business proposal template quickly and succinctly outlines the project plan, deliverables and metrics:

Qualifications

At this point, the prospect you’re pitching your solution to likes what they’re reading. But they may not trust you to deliver on your promises. Why is this?

It’s because they don’t know you. Your job is to convince them that you can fix their problem. This section is important because it acts as social proof. You can highlight what your company does best and how qualified your team is when you write a business proposal for a potential client.

This free business proposal template showcases the company’s accolades, client testimonials, relevant case studies, and industry awards. You can also include other forms of social proof to establish yourself as a credible business. This makes it that much more likely that they will say yes!

Pro Tip: Attaching in-depth case studies of your work is a great way to build trust with a potential client by showcasing how you’ve solved similar problems for other clients in the past. Our case study examples post can show you how to do just that.

The timeline

To further demonstrate just how prepared you are, it’s important to outline the next steps you will take should your buyer decide to work with you.

Provide a timeline of how and when you will complete all your deliverables. You can do this by designing a flow chart. Or add a roadmap with deadlines. Pitching a long-term project? A timeline infographic would be a better fit.

If you look at this abstract business proposal template below, even something as simple as a table can do the trick.

The timeline is not always set in stone, rather it’s an estimation. The goal is to clarify any questions your potential client might have about how you will deliver for the underlying B2B sales process.

Pricing, billing and legal

On this page, you can outline your fees, payment schedule, payment terms, as well as legal aspects involved in this deal.

The key to good pricing is to provide your buyer with options. A pricing comparison table can help with this. You want to give your client some room to work with. Make sure you’re not scaring off your client with a high price, nor undervaluing yourself.

Breaking up your pricing in stages is another great way to make sure your potential client knows what he’s paying for. Look at how this simple business proposal template does this:

The legal aspects can slot right into the terms and conditions section. Alternatively, you can add them in the signature section of the proposal to keep things simple.

Terms and conditions

Summarize everything you have promised to deliver so far. Include what you expect from your prospective buyer in return. Add the overall project timeline from start to end, as well as payment methods and payment schedule. This way, both of you will be clear on what is being agreed on.

This step is very important as it outlines all the legal aspects of the deal. That is why the terms and conditions section of your proposal needs to be as clear as possible.

I recommend consulting a lawyer or your legal team when working on this section of the business proposal. If you’re a business veteran and understand the legalities of your business, you can use the same terms and conditions across all your proposals.

The acceptance

The final step of this whole process. Your client has read your business proposal and they want to buy what you have to offer.

Add a small section at the end of your proposal to get the necessary signatures. This way, you and your client can sign the proposal and the partnership becomes official.

Be sure to also include your contact information in your business proposal template. It acts as a gentle prompt to your client to contact you in case they have any questions.

Business proposal examples and design tips

Now you know how to write a business proposal. Below you’ll find some winning business proposal templates and examples to get you started. I’ve also included some design tips to keep in mind when you’re creating your next business proposal:

1. Know your audience

If you have some clarity on who your ideal buyer is, their pain points, their budget, deadlines, among other things, you’ve already won half the battle.

If you are a business that helps clients with everything from running giveaways or helping grow their blog, identify which customers to pitch. This is a sure-shot way to close the deal.

Mapping user personas for your ideal buyer can help bring some clarity. It will also help you position your business proposal correctly. This improves the chance of your buyer moving your business proposal to the “Yes!” pile.

2. Put your brand front and center

If your company follows certain brand guidelines, incorporate them in your business proposal templates. Consider how business proposal examples like the one below highlight brand identity:

From the color palettes to the company logo, everything follows their brand guidelines. The result: a business proposal that’s consistent across the board.

Pro Tip: Switching this template to match your brand assets is actually pretty easy. Venngage’s My Brand Kit feature allows you to import your color palettes, logos as well as font choices. Any Venngage template can now be your template.

You can also consider this sample business proposal template:

Design companies sure do know their design. They did a phenomenal job keeping their brand colors consistent while opting for a black design. This unique color scheme also makes their white logo prominent throughout the proposal.

3. Try less text, more visuals

Have you ever read a proposal and thought to yourself, “Wow, this is all text and has no images, I love it!”? Yeah, me neither.

The free business proposal template below is a perfect example of the “less is more” principle. It does a phenomenal job of communicating what it needs to. By substituting some of the text with icons and visuals, you get a clean business proposal that’s much more scannable.

Want to keep things strictly professional? Instead of icons, you can always add your team’s headshots. This shows your buyer exactly who they’ll be working with.

Check out this formal business proposal format for some inspiration:

4. Switch up your business proposal designs

It doesn’t hurt to go above and beyond once in a while. Jazz up your business proposal template with some extra colors. This helps make your business proposal more engaging. It also helps your buyers retain information faster.

The business proposal example alternates between black, white and grey backgrounds. It still manages to maintain consistency in its branding. Just switching up your backgrounds once in a while can also bring in some variety to an otherwise standard business proposal.

This SEO business proposal sample proves that it’s possible to switch up the colors in every other page. But it still maintains the same color scheme across the entire proposal:

Pro Tip: Not a color expert? Our guide on picking colors can help you pick the right color scheme for your proposals.

FAQ about business proposals

What is the purpose of a business proposal?

Essentially, a business proposal aims to streamline the B2B sales process (which is often complex) between you as a seller and a buyer.

It does this by serving the dual purpose of acting as a source of information. The proposal also acts as a sales pitch aimed at convincing your buyer why they should buy what you have to offer.

What are the best practices for business proposal design?

How long should your business proposal be?

The length depends on the scope of the work as well as the complexity of the project. Here is a one-page business proposal template:

Can your business proposal template really be one page? Yes, as long as you understand who your buyer is and their pain points. You should also have the ability to communicate everything your ideal buyer needs to know about your business in a succinct manner.

Or if you’re feeling adventurous how about just two pages? Often, clients prefer if you go straight to the point and avoid all the fluff.

For example, this green modern marketing proposal template wastes no time in getting down to brass tacks:

There is no one size fits all approach when it comes to deciding how many pages you should include in your business proposal template. And at the end of the day, “the only rules are the ones you set for yourself”.

At the end of the day, writing winning business proposals that sell is all about you understanding your buyer, their potential pain points and positioning yourself as someone who can alleviate those pain points.

Now that you know how to write compelling business proposals, what are you waiting for?

Take action and start creating your own business proposals to close more deals and grow your business today!

Aditya Sheth is a Content Marketer at Venngage. When he’s not busy writing informative content or brainstorming growth experiments you can find him reading nonfiction, listening to rap or exploring memes on the internet. Find him on Twitter!