How To Draft A Proposal For Business – The great Mark Cuban once said, “Marketing cures 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.
In this in-depth guide to creating business proposals, we show you how to close more deals, make more sales and crush your business goals – all by using professional business proposal templates that are easy to edit.
How To Draft A Proposal For Business
Looking for a shortcut? Watch this quick video to get an overview of everything you can include in your business proposal:
Chapter 13: Business Proposals
An effective business proposal is a document used by a B2B or business-facing company (this may not be the case) where the seller intends to persuade a potential buyer to purchase their goods or services.
A business proposal describes what your business does and what you can do for your client. It can be as simple as this example of a business proposal:
Or it can be more specific, like this business proposal template focused on proposing the Newton Center Rail project:
To design a business proposal that captures the client’s attention, find out their pain points. Then offer your buyer the right solution to alleviate that frustration.
Download A Free Business Proposal Template
What should you include in a business proposal? A business proposal usually aims to answer the following questions:
Notice how this proposal template handles the same project as one of the previous templates, but uses a completely different design style (more retro, while the previous business proposal template is more modern and minimal).
You can remove or add multiple categories depending on the goal of your business proposal. Importantly, your business proposal can follow this format:
We get into the details of how to write a business proposal (and different business proposal templates that you can use for tips) in the next section. But you can also click on the format of the items above to learn how to write them properly!
Proposal Letter For Business Template
If you intend to create a complete business proposal, feel free to edit from the two templates right above. You can also add your brand colors and logo to your design, using the My Brand Kit:
A solicited business proposal is made when you respond to a formal request to write a business proposal.
In this case, you know all the requirements and have more (if not all) information about the potential buyer. You just need to write a business proposal for your buyer to review to start the sales process.
Formally solicited business proposals are written when there is no formal request for proposal. A potential buyer is interested in your services and asks for a proposal so they can evaluate it.
Find Your Industry Proposal Template
An informally solicited proposal requires more research from your end. These types of proposals are often developed through informal discussions. They are not based on official applications that often contain additional information.
Think of this as a marketing brochure or cold email. Unsolicited business proposals will generally take a standard, one-size-fits-all approach to business proposals. Unsolicited proposals have no understanding of the buyer or their needs.
But with more market research, personalization and identifying customer pain points, you can propose a customized solution based on your buyer’s needs. This is a very persuasive canbea method, as in this example of a business proposal:
Before you start creating your business proposal template, you need to know what it includes. At a high level your effective business proposal should include the following:
Sharing A Sample Proposal To Help You Succeed In Fundraising
A compelling headline can mean the difference between someone reading your proposal or ignoring it in favor of a competitor’s.
The gray business proposal template above contains all the details a thinker could want to know. The title also provides a strong tangible benefit to the potential buyer. Honestly, “Who doesn’t want to grow their business?”
The table of contents is an essential part of every successful 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 at once.
How To Write A Successful Business Proposal
Adding a table of contents to your document makes it easier for them to go through it at their own pace. They can also investigate the parts of the proposal that they consider most important. You can see how this abstract business proposal template uses a table of contents:
You can also make your business proposal template easier to navigate by adding hyperlinks to the document, especially in the table of contents. This way your clients can jump to specific sections without scrolling through the entire text.
It’s easy to insert hyperlinks in the 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 finished design as an Interactive PDF.
The executive summary is the basis for all types of annual reports, project plans and even marketing plans. It is a condensed summary of all the contents of your document. In other words, write a business proposal outline that is easy to read and highlights your value proposition.
Small Business Proposal Templates
This gray business proposal example has a detailed but concise executive summary including some community testimonials in the form of clients they have worked with:
Note how accurate this business proposal example is. You want to keep your executive summary short and clear from the get-go. This sets the right tone for your entire proposal. It also gives your buyer a reason to continue reading your offer.
Pro tip: Try to write an executive summary so that, even if your potential client doesn’t read the entire proposal (with a good executive summary, he probably will), he should have a clear idea of what your company does and how. you can help them.
The point of writing a business proposal is to solve a customer’s problem. Your goal is to express 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.
Best Event Proposal Templates & Free Examples ᐅ Templatelab
This bold business proposal template above clearly describes the problem at hand and offers a ray of hope that is how you can solve your prospect’s problem. This brings me to…
Good stuff. In the proposed solution section, you show how you can reduce the pain points for your potential buyer. This would fit in the problem statement section but if you have a broader solution or prefer to go into more detail, a separate section is a good idea.
Don’t hold back details about the solution you will offer. When writing a business proposal, explain how you plan to deliver the solution. Include an approximate timeline of when they can expect your solution and other relevant information.
At this point, the hope is that you post your solution so that they like what they read. But they may not trust you to deliver on your promises. Why is this?
How To Write A Business Proposal (with Pictures)
It’s because they don’t know. Your job is to convince them that you can fix their problem. This section is important because it serves as a public 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 features company recognition, customer testimonials, relevant studies, and industry awards. You can also include other types of social proof to establish yourself as a trustworthy business. This makes it more likely that they will say yes!
Pro Tip: Attaching an in-depth case study of your work is a great way to build trust with a potential client by showing how you’ve solved similar problems for other clients in the past. Our posted examples can show you how to do that.
To also show how prepared you are, it is important to mention the next steps you will take if your buyer decides to work with you.
Free Pr Proposal Template For Pdf
Provide a timeline of how and when you will complete all deliverables. You can do this by designing a flow chart. Oradd aroadmawith deadline. Stopping 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.
A timeline is not always set in stone, rather it is an approximation. The goal is to clarify any questions your customer may have about how you will deliver on the basic B2B sales process.
On this page, you can explain your payments, payment plan, invoice payment terms, and legal aspects involved in this agreement.
Business Proposal Cover Letter
The key to good pricing is to provide your buyer with options. A price comparison table can help with this. You want to give your client some space to work with. Make sure you don’t scare your client off with a high price, and don’t underestimate yourself.
Categorizing your prices is another great way to make sure your customer knows what they’re paying for. Check out how this simple business proposal template does just that:
Legal aspects can fall directly into the terms and conditions category. Alternatively, you can add them to the signature section of the proposal to keep things simple.
Summarize everything you promised to deliver