Free proposal templates

So, let’s start with a definition. A business proposal is a document you’d send to a prospective client, outlining the product/service you’re offering, and explaining why you’re the best candidate for the job. In other words, it’s a kind of sales pitch to complete a specific job or project, to supply a service, or, in some instances, to be the vendor of a certain product.

A business proposal can be solicited or unsolicited. When your prospective client puts out an RFP (request for proposal), your proposal is called a solicited proposal. Whereas, with an unsolicited proposal, you are approaching a client in hopes of attracting their business, even though they did not explicitly request a proposal.

There are also other types of sales proposals that are extensions of an already existing relationship with a customer: continuation, renewal and supplemental proposals.

Here are ten steps to follow to write a simple business proposal to close more deals.

1. Title page
Start your proposal with a title page, which includes basic information, like your company’s name and contact information, your company logo, your client’s name, and contact information, the date, and a title. This is to make things look more organized and professional.

2. Table of contents
Include a table of contents, which helps the reader know what they can expect to find in your proposal, and with clickable links, your potential client can easily revisit sections without having to navigate through multiple pages.

3. Executive summary
This is where you should present the case for why you are the right company for the job, and give the reader the takeaway message of the proposal. You should not try to summarize every aspect of the proposal, but rather focus on the conclusions you want the reader to reach after reading it.

4. Problem statement
This is the place where you can show your new client that you understand their needs, and fully grasp the issue they are trying to solve. Take this opportunity to restate the issue they are facing in your own words so that they know you understand what they are looking for.

5. Solution statement
Show how you will solve your potential client’s problem, and the exact steps you’ll take to carry out your plan. While earlier sections might have been a bit surface-level, this section of the business proposal is where you’ll go into detail about what steps you’ll take to solve their problem.

6. Qualifications
Convince your potential client why you are the most qualified person to take on the job. You can mention any relevant education, industry-specific training, or certifications you have, your past successful projects of a similar nature, years of experience, client testimonials, short case studies and so on.

7. Schedule
Specify how long your proposed project will take. Never be tempted to underestimate how long it will take you to complete the project. Promise what you can deliver! Don’t set your client up with unrealistic expectations. And if you’re offering a product, this section might not be applicable to you, so feel free to omit it.

8. Cost, payments & legal
State the cost, and payment schedule if necessary. How you structure this section will largely depend on the particular project or service you are offering. If there are any legal issues to attend to, such as permits or licensing, include this information here. Keep in mind that you can always add a section entirely devoted to handling the legal side of the project.

9. Benefits
This is your final sale—don’t be afraid to detail for your prospective client all they have to gain by choosing you to complete the project. Impress upon your clients why you are the best choice, and all the ways in which their business will benefit from choosing you and your business as their solution.

10. Signature field
In the end, you want to close the deal. Put in a signature field so your prospect can seal the deal. With GetAccept, you can have your proposal signed electronically, securely and safely. You can also set a signing sequence order if there are multiple signees.

The length of your business proposal depends on your industry, the scope of the project, and the client’s specifications. But as a rule of thumb, you want your proposal to be as short as possible without missing any key information. That’s for two reasons:

First, you don’t want your client to pass it on to your competitor! And second, you don’t want to prolong the sales process. If your recipient can’t read and digest your proposal in a single sitting (that’s about 5-10 minutes), chances are it will go back on their to-do pile or get forwarded to someone else. 

So how can you make your proposal shorter? You can move all extra information to the appendix, like testimonials, graphs, and charts. As to reduce the text itself, you can keep an eye out for repetition.