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Blog Business How to Write Business Proposal (Examples + Free Templates)

How to Write Business Proposal (Examples + Free Templates)

Written by: Aditya Sheth Jan 25, 2024

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 proposals, we show you how to close more deals, make more sales and crush your business goals — all by using easy-to-edit professional business proposal templates .

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

What is a business proposal, what are the components of a business proposal.

• How to write a business proposal step by step

More business proposal examples + writing and design tips

What should you include in a business proposal, what are the types of business proposals.

• FAQs about business proposals

Looking for a shortcut? Watch this quick video for an overview of everything to include in your business proposal:

A business proposal is a document designed to outline a business plan to convince potential client, investor or partner to engage in a business agreement with you or your company. It’s basically a sales pitch in writing to persuade potential clients to show them benefits of working with you or your company for their business success.

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 sample, 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.

Working on a new project? These project proposal examples might come in handy for you.

The components of a business proposal can change depending on the field, company size and client needs. While details may differ, strong proposals typically introduce your company, explain the problem, offer a solution and its benefits, highlight your team’s skills, and outline timeline, cost and next steps.

Sometimes, the complexity of crafting a business proposal, especially in projects requiring thorough market analysis or technical details, calls for professional insight. Seeking research proposal writing help can be invaluable in these instances, ensuring that your business proposals are not only well-structured but also highly persuasive and tailored to meet specific client needs.

How to write a business proposal step by step

Before you start creating your business proposal template, you need to understand the business proposal format. At a high level, your effective business proposal should include the following:

• Create a compelling business proposal title
• Build a table of contents
• Craft the executive summary
• Write a detailed problem statement
• Propose your solutions
• Showcase your team’s expertise
• Create a realistic timeline
• Present your payment structure
• Specify the terms and conditions
• Receiving the decision

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

1. Create a compelling 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: 

• Your name along with your company’s name
• The name of the prospect (or their business) 
• The date you’re submitting the proposal

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?”

2. Build a 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 like the CEO (Chief Executive Officer), COO (Chief Operating Officer), or fractional executives who work part-time. 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. Ensuring your business plan format follows a clear structure can greatly enhance readability and comprehension for potential investors or partners.

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 .

3. Craft the executive summary

The executive summary is a staple in all kinds of annual reports , leadership development plan, 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:

• Introduce your company to your buyer
• Provide an overview of your company goals
• Showcase your company’s milestones, overall vision and future plans
• Include any other relevant details

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 note of how precise this business proposal example is. You want 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.

Crafting an executive summary and keeping it concise and compelling can be challenging. but you can use an AI summarizer online to generate an executive summary. Such tools are trained on relevant AI models that can extract core points from a given text. You can get such a point either in bullet form or in abstract summary form.

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.

4. Write a detailed 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: 

• It shows the prospect you have done your homework instead of sending a generic pitch
• It creates an opportunity for you to point out a problem your prospect might not be aware they had in the first place. 

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… 

5. P ropose your solutions

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 regarding 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:

6. Showcase your team’s expertise

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.

7. Create a realistic 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.

8. Present your payment and terms

On this page, you can outline your fees, payment schedule, invoice payment terms, as well as legal aspects involved in this deal. You can even use the Excel Invoice Template to create professional-looking invoices (including brand logo and other elements) and add them to this page.

The adoption of invoice templates is beneficial for small businesses as it streamlines the invoicing process and maintains professionalism in financial dealings. Also, by utilizing small business invoice templates, you can efficiently manage invoicing tasks while upholding a polished and structured approach to financial transactions.

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 to the signature section of the proposal to keep things simple.

9. Specify the 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, incorporating these details into an online project management tool. 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.

10. Receiving the decision

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. A professional way of doing that would be to include an e-business card with your contact details, email i.d and any other social links you want to share.

Now that you know how to write a business proposal, let’s look at how you can optimize your proposal to deliver results!

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 logos, 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:

App 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 just like a professionally designed website: 

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

A business proposal usually aims to answer the following questions: 

• Who you are and what your company does
• The problem your buyer is facing
• The solution your company offers to alleviate the problem
• How your company will implement this solution effectively
• An estimate of resources (time, money, etc) required to implement the solution

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).

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:

FAQ about business proposals

What is the purpose of a business proposal.

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?

• Do a thorough spell-check. The goal of your business proposal is to convince your buyer why you’re the perfect person for the job. A proposal with typos or grammatical errors communicates the opposite. A thorough spell-check before you send your proposal is a must.
• Keep things clear and readable: Clarity is an important aspect that you have to ensure in your business proposal. If you want your proposal to hit home and make an impact on the buyer, you have to write it in an understandable way. To keep things clear and readable, there are a couple of things that you can do. You can, for one, take care to use easy wording and segmented sentences from the get-go. You can also try paraphrasing the hard parts of your proposal once you are done writing it.
• Let your brand shine. As discussed before, writing a business proposal is all about knowing your ideal buyer and focusing on their pain points. But that doesn’t mean your business proposal template has to be boring. Demonstrate how different you are compared to other companies. You can do this through your brand guidelines, by using more visuals, switching up your proposal design or showing off your personality in your writing . 
• Create a business proposal PDF. Downloading your business proposal in PDF format allows you to attach other collaterals with your business proposal. These can include a company explainer video or case studies showcasing the work done with past clients. Also, who doesn’t love saving paper?

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:

Need more inspiration? Check out this blog on the 5 marketing proposal examples that’ll help elevate your business.

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!

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How to Write a Business Proposal [Examples + Template]

Published: June 10, 2024

Here’s what every new business owner needs: an extra eight hours in the day, an endless supply of coffee, and, most importantly, a really strong business proposal.

A business proposal can bridge the gap between you and potential clients. Done correctly, it will outline your value proposition and persuade a company or organization to do business with you.

Here, we’ll take a look at the various kinds of business proposals and go over how to write one. We’ll also see some ideas and examples to help guide yours.

Know exactly what you need? Jump to one of the following sections:

What is a business proposal?

How to write a business proposal, business proposal templates, business proposal examples, tips for writing a business proposal, business proposal ideas.

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A business proposal is a formal document that’s created by a company and given to a prospect to secure a business agreement.

It’s a common misconception that business proposals and business plans are the same. However, a proposal helps you sell your product or service — not your business itself.

Think of it this way: Instead of assisting your search for investors to fund your business, a proposal helps you seek new customers.

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How To Write A Business Plan (2024 Guide)

Updated: Apr 17, 2024, 11:59am

Table of Contents

Brainstorm an executive summary, create a company description, brainstorm your business goals, describe your services or products, conduct market research, create financial plans, bottom line, frequently asked questions.

Every business starts with a vision, which is distilled and communicated through a business plan. In addition to your high-level hopes and dreams, a strong business plan outlines short-term and long-term goals, budget and whatever else you might need to get started. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to write a business plan that you can stick to and help guide your operations as you get started.

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Drafting the Summary

An executive summary is an extremely important first step in your business. You have to be able to put the basic facts of your business in an elevator pitch-style sentence to grab investors’ attention and keep their interest. This should communicate your business’s name, what the products or services you’re selling are and what marketplace you’re entering.

Ask for Help

When drafting the executive summary, you should have a few different options. Enlist a few thought partners to review your executive summary possibilities to determine which one is best.

After you have the executive summary in place, you can work on the company description, which contains more specific information. In the description, you’ll need to include your business’s registered name , your business address and any key employees involved in the business. 

The business description should also include the structure of your business, such as sole proprietorship , limited liability company (LLC) , partnership or corporation. This is the time to specify how much of an ownership stake everyone has in the company. Finally, include a section that outlines the history of the company and how it has evolved over time.

Wherever you are on the business journey, you return to your goals and assess where you are in meeting your in-progress targets and setting new goals to work toward.

Numbers-based Goals

Goals can cover a variety of sections of your business. Financial and profit goals are a given for when you’re establishing your business, but there are other goals to take into account as well with regard to brand awareness and growth. For example, you might want to hit a certain number of followers across social channels or raise your engagement rates.

Another goal could be to attract new investors or find grants if you’re a nonprofit business. If you’re looking to grow, you’ll want to set revenue targets to make that happen as well.

Intangible Goals

Goals unrelated to traceable numbers are important as well. These can include seeing your business’s advertisement reach the general public or receiving a terrific client review. These goals are important for the direction you take your business and the direction you want it to go in the future.

The business plan should have a section that explains the services or products that you’re offering. This is the part where you can also describe how they fit in the current market or are providing something necessary or entirely new. If you have any patents or trademarks, this is where you can include those too.

If you have any visual aids, they should be included here as well. This would also be a good place to include pricing strategy and explain your materials.

This is the part of the business plan where you can explain your expertise and different approach in greater depth. Show how what you’re offering is vital to the market and fills an important gap.

You can also situate your business in your industry and compare it to other ones and how you have a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Other than financial goals, you want to have a budget and set your planned weekly, monthly and annual spending. There are several different costs to consider, such as operational costs.

Business Operations Costs

Rent for your business is the first big cost to factor into your budget. If your business is remote, the cost that replaces rent will be the software that maintains your virtual operations.

Marketing and sales costs should be next on your list. Devoting money to making sure people know about your business is as important as making sure it functions.

Other Costs

Although you can’t anticipate disasters, there are likely to be unanticipated costs that come up at some point in your business’s existence. It’s important to factor these possible costs into your financial plans so you’re not caught totally unaware.

Business plans are important for businesses of all sizes so that you can define where your business is and where you want it to go. Growing your business requires a vision, and giving yourself a roadmap in the form of a business plan will set you up for success.

How do I write a simple business plan?

When you’re working on a business plan, make sure you have as much information as possible so that you can simplify it to the most relevant information. A simple business plan still needs all of the parts included in this article, but you can be very clear and direct.

What are some common mistakes in a business plan?

The most common mistakes in a business plan are common writing issues like grammar errors or misspellings. It’s important to be clear in your sentence structure and proofread your business plan before sending it to any investors or partners.

What basic items should be included in a business plan?

When writing out a business plan, you want to make sure that you cover everything related to your concept for the business,  an analysis of the industry―including potential customers and an overview of the market for your goods or services―how you plan to execute your vision for the business, how you plan to grow the business if it becomes successful and all financial data around the business, including current cash on hand, potential investors and budget plans for the next few years.

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Julia is a writer in New York and started covering tech and business during the pandemic. She also covers books and the publishing industry.

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How to write a business proposal (The modern way)

Yauhen Zaremba Director of Demand Generation at PandaDoc

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Jenny Pak Director of Program Management at PandaDoc

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Nothing speaks to a customer’s direct needs like a well-written business proposal.

It’s the key to unlocking new opportunities, securing lucrative deals, and watching your ideas flourish.

But how do you make sure that your proposal is engaging to every potential client and business owner?

As it turns out, our customers might have some ideas.

More than 7 million documents were sent via PandaDoc in 2023, and the vast majority of those documents were proposals .

This article (originally released in 2021) has been updated with insights from our analysis into those documents.

Here’s a closer look at how to write a business proposal that actually works.

Key takeaways

• A business proposal outlines a product, service, or project that a company offers potential clients or partners to convince them the business can meet their needs.
• A well-crafted business proposal is essential and should include information about your company, demonstrated knowledge of the problem, and pricing and methodology.
• Modern business proposals are sent electronically. Platforms like PandaDoc have tools to help you create a collaborative environment for negotiation, feedback, and electronic signature.
• 65% of business proposals containing a signature block close within 24 hours. Don’t forget to follow up and ask your potential client if they have any questions.

→DOWNLOAD NOW: FREE BUSINESS PROPOSAL TEMPLATE

Our data: the breakdown

Like we mentioned at the top, the insights in this article are compiled from our analysis of nearly 7 million documents that were sent through the PandaDoc platform in 2023.

Here’s a quick list of the most popular proposal and document types that were sent through our systems last year:

• NDA Template .
• Social media marketing proposal .
• Digital marketing proposal .
• Software development proposal .
• Business proposal (generic).
• Marketing proposal (generic) .
• Grant proposal .
• Sponsorship proposal .

Similar proposals of various types were also sent in smaller numbers, along with a wide array of other sales documents.

Because PandaDoc is more than a proposal platform, the lion’s share of documents flowing through our platform are invoices, quotes templates, contracts, and similar business collateral.

Proposals represent a small but essential segment of business documentation.

Other insights

While we were analyzing proposals and business documents, a few other statistics stood out to us.

• The average creation time for proposals dropped significantly when using automation tools like templates and the content library.
• The addition of an e-signature block made no significant difference in proposal creation time.

Business proposals are essential sales collateral in the business world. You’ll need one if you’re selling complete and/or complicated solutions.

Business proposals: the basics

This section covers basic information about business proposals, including an in-depth look at what they are and why you might need them.

While the technical specifications required for a proposal vary between industries, the basics regarding how a proposal is intended to function are largely the same.

We’ll cover the parts of a business proposal in the next section so, if you’re already familiar with the basics, feel free to skip ahead.

What are business proposals & why are they important?

A business proposal is a document that outlines a specific product, service, or project that a company offers to potential clients or partners, with the aim of persuading them that the business can meet their needs.

As proposals often present the benefits, features, and terms of a certain idea , these documents are important in many industries for sales, marketing, project management, and other business endeavors.

Typically, a business deal follows after a proposal has been accepted.

However, not all proposals are the same.

Depending on the needs of the client and the industry that you occupy, the content included in the business proposal format may fluctuate.

For example, while a digital marketing proposal and a proposal for building construction may have some broad similarities (introduction, pricing section, FAQs, etc.), both documents will vary wildly in terms of composition and overall goals.

It’s fair to say that the proposal required for building construction is probably longer, takes more time to create, and is likely to include a broader variety of business proposal topics than that of a sales representative trying to close a marketing deal.

The basic format of a business proposal

At a high level, most business proposals follow a similar structure and/or include similar information.

Based on our research into proposals created on the PandaDoc platform, most business proposals following this standard format are around nine pages in length .

However, keep in mind that lengths will vary depending on your industry and scope of work.

Particularly in industries like construction or home repair, where physical components and labor play a role, proposals become more complicated due to the parts and expertise involved.

As several of our own account executives and sales team members were quick to point out, longer doesn’t always mean better.

“ Short and sweet has a high conversion rate , fewer pages and less fluff is better. Ideally, a proposal should be fewer than 10 pages for transactional proposals below $10,000, and never more than 50 pages.” Josh Gillespie, Upmarket Sales

Artyom Voronetskiy, Account Executive with PandaDoc, agrees:

“ Keep it short, on-point, and eye-catching . Do not write more than six to ten pages unless your product is extremely complicated.”

While you’ll need to include all relevant information that prospective clients will need in order to make a decision, take care to avoid overcrowding them with irrelevant details.

To get a closer look at how to get started and bring your business proposal ideas to life using these steps, check out the next major section of this article.

Types of business proposals

Aside from the subject matter of your proposal — which is usually determined by the type of product/service your business provides — proposals fall into a handful of categories centered around how and why the proposal was initially created.

This information is particularly important, because proposals that originate from a request for proposal (RFP) document may be required to follow specific requirements and guidelines set forth by the requesting organization.

Here’s a breakdown of the types of proposals commonly used today.

Solicited business proposals

Solicited business proposals are proposals that a company has asked you to provide for their consideration.

The potential customer has reached out to your business and requested a proposal. These proposals fall into one of two categories:

Formally solicited proposals are typically competitive and follow a standardized (formal) process.

The prospective client sends out an RFP detailing the scope of work and requests that your business formally submit a bid to complete that work.

Informally solicited proposals are typically created based on conversations between a prospective client and a vendor that they want to work with.

There might not be any formal documentation, and there may be no competitive process.

This work can often lead to a sole-source, non-competitive contract.

Unsolicited business proposals

Unsolicited business proposals are proposals that your company sends to a prospective client who hasn’t asked for one.

They are not submitted in response to an RFP or an information request.

Such proposals are typically created based on a market opportunity — often one that the client is either unaware of or hasn’t yet acted upon.

How to write a business proposal

Writing a business proposal is like building a house.

While certain elements are always necessary — like the foundation — some components vary based on location and the architect or homeowner’s preferences.

In the same way, the components of a business proposal can vary based on industry, company size, and many other factors.

Just like writing anything else, a well-written proposal begins by gathering information and assessing the problems that your potential client is trying to solve.

When writing a business proposal, the following items are what readers are looking to understand. Think of these as the roof, walls, and foundation of your document:

• Information about your company. Your background, your qualifications, and why you’re a better fit than the rest of your competitors.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the problem. Proof that you’ve listened and done your research. You know what the client needs and you have a viable solution.
• Pricing and methodology. How you plan to solve the client’s problem, information about your proposed solution, and how much it’s going to cost.

In this section, we’ll take you through how to write a business proposal using a modified version of social media proposal template as an example.

Social Media Marketing Proposal Template

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If you’re not a social media company, don’t worry.

While the business proposal template we’re using is an example of a simple project proposal, the basic structure applies to nearly every business proposal — no matter how complex they might be.

You can download this business proposal example or other business proposal templates on our website.

Here are the main elements of a business proposal.

How to write an outline for a business proposal

A standard proposal outline typically includes most or all of the following elements:

• Title page.
• Cover letter.
• Table of contents.
• Executive summary.
• Proposal & solutions pages.
• Testimonials & social proof.
• Agreement & CTA.

However, this won’t always be the case. Shorter projects and abbreviated formats may not call for every single section.

When creating your business proposal, you should include everything you believe you need in order to sell your product or service to your prospective customer.

This usually includes the sections above, as well as any supplemental documentation to justify your costs and reinforce your proposed approach to solving the client’s problem.

If you’re sending your proposal electronically, you should also consider including an electronic signature block so that decision makers can quickly and easily seal the deal when they’re ready to proceed.

In addition to basic information about your product/service, you may want to include the following:

• Contact information.
• Value statements.
• Pricing tables.
• Client testimonials.
• Examples of past work (case studies).
• Images, graphics, and related multimedia.

To save time, gather this information before you start the proposal process.

Having this information on hand while building your proposal will make the process much easier.

Once you’ve got all the essential details and sales collateral you need, you’re ready to start creating your proposal document.

Many templates in the PandaDoc library feature fun, editable cover pages. We’re also integrated with Canva, if you want to take a hands-on approach to your layouts.

1. Create a cover page

This section of a business proposal includes basic information that your readers will need to understand the document and its content.

Consider including each of the following elements:

• Proposal title.
• Date of submission.
• Company information (company logo, company name, etc).
• Your name, title, and contact information.
• Client’s name, title, and contact information.

A cover page is the very first thing that your prospective client will see when they open your business proposal.

Give them all the details they need to identify the document at a glance, and take the time to make it look good.

Everyone knows how important that first impression can be.

Studies have shown that you have as little as 50 milliseconds to make a good first impression when designing visual content like websites.

The same holds true for the cover page of your business proposal.

This page is a place where you can freely place graphics and visual content to set the tone before the reader dives into the meat of your presentation.

Variables make it easy to modify proposal items that will change each time you send your content and allow you to reuse the same document by swapping the variable values.

PandaDoc supports variables by default, but you can also create them manually and replace the text using the find/replace tool in your word processor.

However, you won’t need to go overboard with complicated graphics and logos.

Users love simple and familiar designs , especially at a first glance.

Spending time on this page is also a great way to give your proposal a unique look and feel.

Based on what we’ve seen, some businesses skip cover pages entirely.

However, we don’t recommend it.

Take advantage of this missed opportunity from your competitors and use it to make your proposal stand out.

A simple cover letter is a great introduction to your proposal document. Using template tools and variables, each letter can be customized in moments.

2. Introduce yourself with a cover letter

You wouldn’t walk up to your potential client and dive into project specifics without taking the time to introduce yourself, would you?

A cover letter is that introduction. Consider including each of the following:

• A short blurb about your company.
• A quick summary of your proposal.
• A reason that your approach is best.
• A signoff with your contact information.

This section is essential because it helps anyone reading the document understand your relationship to their organization and how the proposal came about.

With your business proposal introduction, keep the tone light and friendly and encourage your reader to reach out with any questions.

Sign off by including your contact details so that the client can get in touch directly if they need to follow up or would like to move forward.

Cover letters don’t need to run to the point of exhaustion. They can be simple, short, and sweet.

This page can take on many forms, and you can use that flexibility to make your cover letter easier to parse.

This example rephrases the text in the image above by using bullets to make the formatting more legible:

Dear [Client.FirstName]

Thank you for considering [Sender.Company] for your social media marketing needs.

Enclosed, you’ll find a proposal based on our understanding of your social media expectations. Briefly, we propose:

An expanded social media strategy across currently unused platforms and channels.

A comprehensive distribution strategy designed to generate original and unique content.

Improved post automation for increased audience engagement during peak times.

Our methods and procedures are based on extensive analysis, an intense study of social media trends, and the application of specifics unique to [Client.Company].

We are confident in delivering effective results within your social media channels.

Thanks again for considering us, and please don’t hesitate to get in touch with questions.

My contact information is below.

Lastly, in our initial example, you’ll also notice that we’ve used an image to keep things fresh and interesting.

This is critical throughout your proposal. In our research, we found that a business proposal with media like photos and videos included is 34% more likely to close.

Including graphics and multimedia create visually appealing content that prompts engagement.

That’s huge!

As you’re making your proposal, don’t be afraid to add graphics and images to keep readers engaged.

A winning business proposal is more than just black text on a white page.

In a digital proposal, a clickable table of contents can make navigation easy. If you think the proposal will be printed, include page numbers for faster manual navigation.

3. Table of contents

A table of contents is an important, but often overlooked, part of any longer document because it helps the reader know what they can expect to find in the proposal.

Unless your business proposal is very brief, include a table of contents that outlines the basic structure of your document.

This element isn’t always necessary, but it can make a business proposal much easier to parse as your document is passed around to all appropriate parties.

How you want to approach this may vary, depending on the nature of the proposal and the client business.

Electronic documents

Electronic documents can benefit from a clickable table of contents .

Word processors typically generate these using the headings in your document .

Readers can click on them to jump to relevant sections without the need to navigate through multiple pages.

Physical documents

Physical documents will benefit from having page numbers associated with the table of contents since a business proposal PDF (hard copy) isn’t clickable.

Most word processors have an option to include page numbers in your table of contents , but make sure that you update the element when your document is complete in case the page numbers have changed.

Keep in mind that proposal documents may not be read chronologically.

Different decision makers will care about different things and will check your business proposal to see how it addresses their unique pain points.

Don’t lose a deal just because stakeholders couldn’t find what they were looking for!

The executive summary provides a high-level overview of your proposed solution and can be broken down with headings into multiple components.

4. Set the stage with an executive summary

The goal of an executive summary is to provide a holistic, high-level overview of your proposal, how it addresses the client’s problem, and its expected outcomes.

If you provided a few of these points in your cover letter, this is your opportunity to go into greater detail and summarize your overall strategy.

However, because this section needs to give a full overview, it’s difficult to write if you haven’t created the rest of your proposal.

For this reason, experienced proposal writers often write this section last.

Don’t get lost describing deliverable logistics or strategic plans.

Focus on the client’s needs and the outcomes they specifically wanted to address in their RFP.

Let your executive summary present a high-level overview and leave the other pages of the document to explain the details.

This will prevent your summary from getting overcrowded or bogged down with specifics best handled elsewhere.

Using the example in our social media proposal template , let’s pretend that our potential clients are primarily realtors in the greater Chicago area looking to reach new clients through social media marketing.

With that in mind, we could modify the executive summary in the existing template to something like this:

This proposal outlines a coordinated plan crafted with the intent of building [Client.Company]’s social media presence, primarily including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and X (Twitter).

By engaging an audience through social media channels, our team will demonstrate the ability to generate awareness, widen your company’s potential reach within your target market, and contribute to driving more website traffic, which will ultimately result in top-line growth.

We help teams identify, target, and communicate with their ideal clients through each of the following:

1. Creating engaging social content.

2. Posting company-related updates.

3. Promotions and social campaigns.

4. Integrating social activity into marketing initiatives.

5. Sustained monitoring.

6. Analytics & reviews.

While our competitors work to serve multiple industries and target audiences, we specialize in the [Client.Industry] industry. Founder Mike Smith also has a background in both social media and [Client.Industry], giving him a unique perspective on the needs of the market.

Your own executive summary and the tone you use to address problems may shift depending on the duties you’re performing for your client, and what kind of industry they’re in.

For example, if you’re targeting a young travel startup run by new college graduates, you might use a more casual tone peppered with industry jargon and humor.

By contrast, a group of C-level executives might prefer a more formal summary styled with specific metrics and numbers.

Keep your audience in mind as you write this section and demonstrate that you understand what they’re trying to achieve.

Remember: The executive summary previews the rest of the document. If your summary fails to address reader concerns, your proposal may be discarded without a full review.

Make sure your approach is clear. Tables and other visual aids are useful when summarizing your solution.

5. Proposal and solutions pages

The proposal section is the heart of your entire document.

In this section, you’ll need to fully present the solution your company has devised for a potential client.

This section should do each of the following:

• Provide a comprehensive breakdown of the solution your company has devised to solve a client’s problem.
• Tell readers exactly what deliverables they can expect and when they should expect them.
• Answer obvious questions that reviewers may have about your approach and/or methodology.

While you can write this section out in full paragraphs, visual aids can be extremely helpful in conveying critical information in a digestible way.

A timetable that pairs deliverables with their expected date can make your document more visually appealing, and your information much easier to parse.

You might also break down your main objectives even further by describing how you plan to execute a given strategy.

In our executive summary example (above), we touched on six key goals. Let’s expand on those here.

1. Creating engaging social content

Beginning with quick and thorough planning/preparation, our team will plan out a dynamic, ongoing social content calendar to guide you to your goals.

We will grow an increasing social audience and follower base using each of the following techniques:

• Hashtag campaigns.
• Strong use of keywords.
• Sharing/retweeting relevant news.
• “Liking” posts.
• Staying updated within the industry.
• Contributing our own unique content to broaden reach.

2. Posting company-related updates

Our plan is to engage your social media audience by sharing company news, press releases, events, employee spotlights, and more.

We will also pay attention to industry trends and share them.

This will help to gain exposure to your target market.

3. Promotions and social campaigns

We will utilize social channels to connect with your follower base and engage them with promotions to get them excited about both current events and the brand itself.

These campaigns may be as short as a day or run up to six months.

We’ll analyze the results from each campaign, and then we will provide a report of its success.

Results of campaigns can be compared so the most effective promotions, offers, or contests can be replicated.

4. Integrating social media activity into other marketing plans

With clear communication and monthly brainstorm meetings, we’ll be able to consolidate the marketing initiatives to fit your goals and promotional material.

Campaigns via social media are more important than just sharing about giveaways, sales, contests, and/or promotions.

We will agree on a schedule for a series of posts to keep up the exciting momentum for all prospective customers.

5. Monitoring

For maximum growth, it’s important to regularly engage with users on social platforms.

We will continually monitor each social channel and will respond to any questions, comments, and posts within a two-hour time period (during business hours).

A small delay will allow us to confirm that the information we relay to customers is accurate.

6. Analytics

We will provide you with each of the following:

• Daily and weekly analytics. Follower growth, reach, demographics, comments, “likes”, shares, retweets, and additional metrics as provided by each platform and our own internal tracking data.
• Reporting. Summarizing various results and activities over each quarter.

We will also set up a monthly meeting to go over the results and then tweak our approach accordingly.

Your own content may look different than this depending on your business proposal writing skills and services, but you can still use the example as a framework. Add in more details as needed.

For example, a cybersecurity company would need to include information on penetration testing and how often it would be done to look for possible intrusions and hacks.

Breaking up this section

While writing business proposal content, keep in mind that this section is both the most important and the most flexible section of all.

Your entire proposal doesn’t need to be bundled into a single, long section. It can easily be broken down into smaller sections such as:

• Strategic Assessment.
• Implementation.
• Goals & Outlook.

There are other combinations you can try, depending on your business proposal and how your solution should be explained.

If you’re offering a complex solution to a client problem, breaking your proposal into bite-sized chunks is a great way to ensure that readers understand your solution.

The importance of good data

Leveraging good data is critical when creating an effective business proposal.

Use details surrounding impact and ROI around your products and services to prove your worth and add value to your proposal.

Consider these two phrases:

• “Our customers love us!”
• “To date, our products and methodologies have helped more than 700 companies increase their sales by 35%!”

Which sounds better? Which is more compelling?

Numbers and figures catch the eye and help readers build trust.

By demonstrating a proven record of success, with numbers and data, you’re adding tangible details that help to justify your costs.

This is especially useful when competing with other solicited proposals, especially if you can include these data points as visual representations (charts, graphs, etc.) of your success within your proposal document.

Providing totals as an itemized list or a package option are effective approaches to pricing.

The pricing section explains how much it will cost the client for you to solve their problem.

In this section, you’ll need to do each of the following:

• Break down your proposed solution by cost.
• Indicate any product quantities as line items.
• Give package options (if applicable).

Regardless of your pricing structure, clarity and specifics are critical in this section.

To eliminate confusion, consider creating a pricing table that clearly identifies each product or service, and pair it with the most accurate pricing information you can provide.

With a dedicated table, all you’ll need to do is set the price for the item and the quantity of distribution.

If you were sending an hourly contract, the quantity is the estimated number of hours invested at a predetermined rate.

For recurring payment schedules, you’ll need to structure the document in a way that accurately reflects your monthly workflow.

Transparency is critical in this section.

Potential customers need to know how you’re charging them, what they’re being charged for, and what to expect in return.

Be sure to include these details in a clear and accurate way.

A biographical section can speak to years of experience, awards and accolades, and more.

7. About us

While you already said hello with the cover letter, this section is where you get to explain what makes your company unique.

If you’re a small business or a new company, get personal and give your potential client a chance to get to know you and your team members.

Consider including the following items:

• A brief summary of your business and its operations.
• Bios and photos of the individuals they’ll be working with.
• Relevant qualifications, certifications, or experience.

If your company has a unique backstory, a mission, or a cause that your company stands for, share that with readers. For example:

Too often in social media, good things come at a price. At Jump, paying for followers or favorable reviews of products is tantamount to criminal activity.

Authenticity is important in today’s online world, and Jump Social Media Marketing makes this our No. 1 priority in your social media space.

The information on this page doesn’t have to be a stodgy company boilerplate or a cleverly designed sales pitch.

Don’t be afraid to let your team’s personality shine through.

Glowing reviews and positive feedback can help prospective clients better understand how your organization delivers on your initiatives.

8. Testimonials and social proof

No sales proposal is complete without information about your past successes, awards, and jobs well done.

In a business proposal, this comes in the form of a social proof section, which might include:

• Past client testimonials.
• Case studies.
• Reviews and/or ratings.
• Industry awards.

Regardless of what you choose to include, don’t skip this section. Social proof matters!

According to data, over half of customers are more likely to trust earned media, like recommendations from friends and family, above all other forms of advertising.

By including recommendations from satisfied customers and industry awards that prove your expertise, you can earn additional trust from prospective clients.

Here’s a good example of how Jump Social Media Marketing might leverage the accolades they’ve received:

Jump Social Media Marketing has received major public recognition for our work.

We’ve been named as Chicago’s Best Social Media Agency for Small Businesses by the Chicago Tribune for the past three years and have been recognized as a recommended partner by the National Association of Realtors.

We also grew the Chicago Real Estate Solutions Facebook page from 0 to 5,000 in six months , secured 250 new leads in that time frame, with 25% converting to sales .

You can also provide testimonials from past clients who can speak to your approach and how it worked for them.

However, keep your industry in mind when compiling testimonials and do your best to find user feedback that fits the mood.

If your industry has serious clients, a humorous approach may not be appropriate.

If you’re working with a manufacturing company focused on B2B industries, the messaging and tone they take with their own clients — and what they expect from the businesses they work with — may follow different expectations.

Be sure to plan accordingly.

With onboard e-signing in your document, the call to action is often the signoff itself. If you choose not to include an e-signature, provide your contact information and instructions on next steps.

9. Agreement and CTA

Depending on your business proposal, you may include an agreement, a call to action, and terms and conditions at the end of your document.

Your signature below indicates acceptance of this social media marketing proposal and entrance into a contractual agreement with Jump Social Media Marketing beginning on the signature date below.

Depending on your goals and your sales process, you need to be very careful in this section.

In many jurisdictions, proposals are considered legally binding agreements if they meet the criteria for a contract.

By adding legal language and/or an electronic signature request at the bottom of your document, you might be entering into a contract earlier than expected.

This may not be ideal if your proposal is only intended to provide a rough estimate of costs or bring the client into further negotiations.

If you don’t intend to create a legally binding contract from your proposal, be sure to note that in your document and prompt the reader to contact you when they’re ready to move forward.

On the other hand, well-built proposals can double as complete contracts with all the terms and conditions necessary to start work immediately.

If you’re confident in the scope of work and you’re ready to move forward, let the client know by prompting them for a signature and using a payment gateway to capture their first payment or deposit.

How should a business proposal look?

First things first: We’re well past the turn of the century.

Nobody likes getting thick envelopes in the mail.

Modern business proposals are sent electronically, and this is more convenient for both you and your potential customers.

While it’s possible to email a proposal created with a word processor like Microsoft Word, platforms like PandaDoc are a better fit.

Our tools help you create a collaborative environment for negotiation, feedback, and electronic signature .

Regardless of how you choose to send a business proposal, be sure to pay close attention to the look and feel of your document.

Especially because your proposal may be your first impression with several key stakeholders, it’s essential that you follow expected formats and make a good impression.

Having the right design and layout tools can transform your proposal from a black-on-white Word document to a standout document that readers want to engage with.

If you search for business proposal examples online or take a look at our template library , you’ll find that most proposals rely on the structure described above to emphasize their value propositions.

Taking care to create a visually appealing business proposal will help you communicate your ideas more easily.

It’s also something that your competitors are doing and something that many clients are beginning to expect.

In our research, we found that roughly 80% of proposals included an image and 20% included a video.

We also saw higher close rates when these multimedia tools were used compared to when they weren’t.

Exactly how a business proposal is designed still has some flexibility, depending on your brand and what you’re trying to achieve, but keep in mind that it can have a big impact on success.

Business proposals with pages of blocky text are much harder to navigate than proposals with charts, graphs, images, and bullet points.

Rather than writing a 1000-word About Us section, consider including team member headshots and a brief bio.

Rather than adding highly technical language about operational processes and leaving stakeholders to figure it out, provide visual aids that summarize the information in a clear and easy fashion.

Generating personalized content quickly improves relevance and helps your team clearly define a scope of work. Onboard formatting and AI tools inside the PandaDoc platform can help.

Clearly defining your milestones isn’t the only reason to pay careful attention to how your business proposal is written.

While there can be legal ramifications to poorly written proposal content, perhaps the most important consideration is the impression that your proposal leaves behind.

Your proposal introduces your client to the quality of work they can expect from your business.

If it’s full of typos, spelling, and grammatical errors, or just seems sloppy, you’re unlikely to close the deal.

Read and re-read. Be sure to proofread every passage for errors before you send it to prospective clients or save it as a template.

You can also offset some of this tedium, especially on smaller deals, by focusing on creating a concise offering rather than a long-winded document.

A word about costs

When you’re creating proposals, it’s easy for costs to add up.

Costs for customized professional business proposals can take hours of research, consultation, and preparation — all with no guarantee of success.

That’s why savvy companies do everything they can to lower the cost of proposal preparation.

Typically this is done by generating a template for business proposals — an outline or skeleton that someone can fill out quickly to save time and expedite internal company processes.

It’s an effective way to keep overhead low.

Based on our research, an average of 20 documents are generated from each template you create.

That’s a huge time saver for any business.

If these aren’t assets that you have on your staff, consider hiring that skillset onto your team or hiring a freelancer to assist with proofreading and correction.

While many clients will overlook a stray typo or a misplaced comma, too many errors will land your proposal in the discard pile.

After you hit ‘Send’ on your business proposal

Once you’ve sent your proposal, your next step will depend on the process.

Based on our information, about 65% of business proposals containing a signature block close within 24 hours.

Even for proposals that take a little longer to close, having an e-signature block and collaboration options inside an interactive document means that review, redlining, and signoff happen in one place.

However, your mileage may vary. RFPs tend to be competitive processes, so you may have to wait until the submission window closes before you hear a response.

Don’t forget to follow up and ask your potential client if they have any questions.

Based on the business proposals we looked at, you are 30% more likely to close a deal if you send a series of reminders to keep your proposal top of mind.

Roughly one out of every three proposals you send will close faster if you send reminders. It’s a big deal.

PandaDoc and other proposal software tools can help you monitor your proposal using document analytics so that you know exactly when to reach out.

These tools let you know when your potential client viewed your proposal, how many times they opened it, and which sections they spent the most time on.

With these insights, you can anticipate their questions or objections and have your responses ready to go.

A great proposal is a blend of text and modern design. Personalization is as much about how your document looks as about what it says.

5 ideas to make your business proposal stand out

Just because you may have a perfect business proposal all ready to go, it doesn’t mean it will stand out from the crowd.

Many startups fail due to larger competitors, so a unique proposal idea can make your readers sit up and take notice.

Pizazz isn’t what matters here, rather any idea that adds value to your proposal and communicates quality.

Here are a few ideas to put the spotlight on your business proposal.

Personalize your proposal for each client

Ensure that your business proposal meets the exact challenges and interests of each recipient, as this will show you understand their specific needs.

Send a digital proposal

While you may need to send a business proposal as a PDF, include a link to a digital copy of the proposal where potential clients can review content, ask questions, and collaborate with your team.

A tool like this will give your recipient access to additional resources and make your proposal interactive.

Add a video introduction

As part of the personalization process, create a memorable experience by recording a brief video introduction.

Small touches like this can help your proposal stand out by demonstrating that you’re willing to do a little more to grab their attention.

Provide effective visual aids

Charts, graphs, and other visual aids are game-changers when it comes to creating effective documents.

Whether you need to present a specific data set or pricing breakdown, take the time to use visuals when the opportunity presents itself.

Readers will thank you for it.

Hide a few Easter eggs

A hidden message, cute animation, or a secret section are all little surprises that add a touch of fun and intrigue to your business proposal.

Easter eggs can encourage exploration and will encourage your readers to spend more time on your proposal.

It won’t be one they’ll forget in a hurry!

Jumpstart your proposal creation process with one of 1000+ documents in the PandaDoc template library.

Start with a free business proposal template

Need to know how to write a business proposal but don’t know where to begin? PandaDoc can help with some great templates.

In the data we reviewed, proposals created using our business proposal templates regularly generated high-performing results for customers with minimal editing time.

Take a look at some of the metrics around the top professional business proposal templates currently in our template library .

With PandaDoc, it’s possible to modify our existing templates and then save them as new, private templates in your content library for faster reuse.

In doing so, you can slim the entire business proposal design process down from hours to minutes or spend more time refining your proposal for maximum appeal.

To see the true power of the PandaDoc editor, be sure to check out our community gallery for expertly designed templates from real PandaDoc customers.

If you’re a PandaDoc user, you can even grab these business proposals and load them directly into your PandaDoc editor with a single click.

It’s just that easy.

PandaDoc can dramatically increase your proposal output, allowing you to send custom proposals to more customers in less time.

Use specialized tools to streamline your workflow

Ultimately, your proposal should be focused on your client’s problems and how your business plans to fix them.

But that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.

Personalizing documents and tailoring them to a client’s needs is a time-consuming process.

For most businesses, striking a balance between personalization and efficiency is essential.

PandaDoc can help.

Our document creation process streamlines your end-to-end document workflow so that you can generate beautiful, customized documents in less time.

Send better proposals. Close deals faster.

It’s possible with PandaDoc.

Sign up for a demo to see it for yourself, or jump into the driver’s seat with a free 14-day trial and change the way you handle proposals forever.

PandDoc is not a law firm, or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. This page is not intended to and does not provide legal advice. Should you have legal questions on the validity of e-signatures or digital signatures and the enforceability thereof, please consult with an attorney or law firm. Use of PandaDocs services are governed by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Originally was published in October 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness in April 2024

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20 Best Business Proposal Examples & Templates to Use

Written by: Raja Mandal

The perfect business proposal requires concise content, compelling benefits and a unique business appeal.

But if you're new to writing them, you're probably boggled with questions like:

• How do you design it?
• What should you include?
• And how do you make your proposal compelling enough to seal the deal?

The process can feel like a confusing maze with no clear direction.

To help you navigate it successfully, we have compiled a list of 20 business proposal examples and templates to inspire you and act as a starting point to write your business proposal.

Table of Contents

20 business proposal examples.

• What Is a Business Proposal?
• What Are the Types of Business Proposals?
• How Do I Write a Business Proposal?
• What Is the Best Business Proposal?
• What Not to Do in a Business Proposal?
• How Long Should a Business Proposal Be?
• Creating an effective business proposal requires time, effort, and necessary design and documentation skills. However, with Visme's 20 business proposal examples and templates, anyone can create one in minutes.
• Visme provides business proposal templates for various industries, including web development, construction, copywriting, and graphic design.
• Choose a template and customize it using Visme's suite of design tools, including brand wizard, collaboration tools, AI writer, AI image editing tools and more.
• Sign up for Visme to create a winning business proposal for your next project or client within just a few clicks.

Here are 20 examples of business proposals that can guide you in creating a successful proposal for your own business. These examples cover various industries and business sizes, from graphic design to supply chain management.

Each template is fully customizable, so you can choose any template that suits your business type and size and modify it to meet your needs.

1. Website Design Business Proposal Example

This website design business proposal example template becomes an instant visual delight with a distinctively refreshing blue color palette, plenty of whitespace and high-quality images. The inclusions of maps and radial gauges facilitate effective data visualization.

Utilize a comprehensive company overview, work samples, trustworthy testimonials, an understandable project overview and a transparent budget breakdown. Perfect for web designers and businesses that value comprehensive understanding in a visually pleasing format.

Enhance your efficiency with Visme's AI document generator . This advanced tool can help you generate documents in no time. All you have to do is create a first draft using a prompt, choose a style from the options and customize it further to match your needs.

Save your time and effort using Visme’s document generator and spend more time growing your business.

2. Modern Business Proposal Example

Check out this sample business proposal template, featuring a sleek design that's both modern and user-friendly. The cover and pricing pages highlight important information with a dark green overlay on a background image.

The template includes data widgets and a detailed list format to present your business services best. The pricing page features a three-tier pricing structure with corresponding services, making it easy to compare options.

3. Mobile Video Game Development Business Proposal Example

Are you looking to showcase your expertise in the industry while making a solid visual impact?

Explore this vibrant business proposal example template, featuring a unique purple and orange color combination that gives your proposal an extra edge. Enhance your presentation with engaging 3D illustrations and vector icons to keep your audience hooked.

Also, the template includes a "Why Choose Us?" page, a detailed 'Plan of Action' page that helps outline your mission and strategies, while the 'Investments' page offers a clear view of how you plan to allocate funds.

Customize the 3D illustrations and vector icons using Visme’s drag-and-drop editor. Choose from thousands of vector graphics , high-quality stock images , 3D animated illustrations and more to match your proposal’s content.

Simplify content creation and brand management for your team

• Collaborate on designs , mockups and wireframes with your non-design colleagues
• Lock down your branding to maintain brand consistency throughout your designs
• Why start from scratch? Save time with 1000s of professional branded templates

Sign up. It’s free.

4. Creative Business Proposal Example

Elevate your brand’s image with the visually stimulating creative business proposal example template. This template employs a harmonious blend of blue shades and orange accents, creating a fresh and professional aesthetic.

The design is enhanced using shapes, circles and arrows, contributing to its creative appeal. Placeholder images and data widgets are included, ensuring your information is clearly displayed and easily digestible.

Use this template to add creativity and clarity to your proposal and create a great first impression for your clients.

5. Construction Business Proposal Example

Use this construction business proposal example template to make your proposals aesthetically pleasing and strong, just like your architecture.

This sample business proposal stands out due to the strategic use of images as a prominent design element – be it on the front page, as a background on various pages or interspersed among the text.

The effective combination of yellow and blue colors makes the proposal visually appealing and easy to navigate. The thoughtfully organized sections include "Successful Projects," "Project Overview," "Budget and Pricing," and "Project Delivery."

If you're working with your team on a proposal, you can simplify the process using Visme Workflows . This tool allows you to manage roles, track progress, set deadlines and handle corrections all in one place.

Doing so can ensure a smooth workflow between team members and save time from the briefing stage to the final design.

6. Copywriting Business Proposal Example

Craft compelling narratives with this copywriting business proposal template tailored for copywriters and marketing businesses. It attracts the target audience by featuring engaging copy that effectively showcases your writing capabilities.

The template incorporates customer testimonials, a strong tool for establishing trust and enhancing credibility. A roadmap illustrates the project's phases and corresponding dates, providing a clear timeline for when different website pages will be written.

Also, the terms and conditions ensure a mutual agreement and understanding of the project's scope.

Do you often struggle with writer's block and wish to save more time? Visme's AI Writer can be your ultimate solution. This powerful tool can help you proofread, edit and even generate copy for any document you create in Visme.

Whether you're looking for business proposal ideas or working on an existing proposal, this tool can help polish your content or cut your writing time by half. All you need to do is provide the tool with simple prompts and see the magic happen.

7. Digital Marketing Business Proposal Example

Engage your audience with the digital marketing business proposal template. Its bright blue and yellow combination exudes energy and creativity, making a strong impression on your clients.

The business proposal format leverages data widgets, including progress bars and population arrays, for clear and concise data presentation. The included project overview utilizes visually appealing icons to explain the services offered.

Furthermore, a flowchart-style roadmap briefly outlines the project's process and timeline.

The template is perfectly suited for digital marketing agencies or freelancers looking to showcase their services and scale their business in a vibrant and organized manner.

8. Freelance Writer Business Proposal Example

This freelance writer business proposal example template is creatively designed and structured to persuade the reader immediately.

Each page in this proposal stands out with a different color, adding a dynamic and engaging element to your presentation.

With a minimalist design, this proposal utilizes large, bold fonts for clear, impactful communication with less text. It effectively uses icons to present information in a clear, visually appealing manner.

Overall, the professional design not only aids in selling your services but also portrays your expertise and creativity.

9. SEO Business Proposal Example

This SEO business proposal template is next-level. It's got a cool design with overlay background and transparent shapes that make the information really pop.

The template features a comprehensive step-by-step process to demonstrate how you will optimize clients' web pages. It also includes a clear line graph to provide an overview of past projects, presenting the success rate and growth over time.

Additionally, the proposal has a dedicated "The Team" page to introduce your team members and emphasize their skills and expertise.

Add more transparency in presenting your team using Visme's organizational chart maker .

Choose a suitable organizational chart template from Visme's library and customize it to fit your needs. You can add or remove positions, change the colors and fonts and even add images to make your chart more appealing.

Watch the video below to learn more about creating an organizational chart in Visme.

10. Photography Business Proposal Example

Relying on the saying that a picture says a thousand words, the proposal uses professional images of different models as the primary focus, showcasing the photographer's expertise and technical skills.

The minimalist design favors a light brown color and plenty of white space to let the images shine. This approach lifts the portfolio's visual elements and draws attention to the work's quality and style.

Seamlessly enhance your pictures with Visme's AI image editing tools . Edit, touch up, unblur and upscale your images in a few clicks. Select the image in your document, choose an action, give a prompt and Visme will do the rest.

Visme's AI-powered tools, customizable templates and top-notch customer support are helping businesses worldwide achieve their design objectives. However, don't just take our word for it. Check out what one of Visme's satisfied users has to say about the platform.

Business Owner

11. Accounting Business Proposal Example

Express your accounting firm's professionalism through a well-structured, comprehensive proposal using this business proposal template. The template uses a mature blend of blue and brown color combinations, making it appealing to potential business partners while maintaining a professional look.

It uses a flowchart to perfectly display the audit procedure and the various phases of engagement, making complex processes easily digestible for prospective clients.

The template contains vital pages, such as the company profile, where you detail your business's history and credentials. The 'Audit Procedures' page outlines your working process, while the 'Fee Investment' page explains your pricing structure. These ensure that the client gets a thorough understanding of your offering.

Effortlessly manage information across multiple documents with Visme's Dynamic Fields . Save fields once and watch as every document updates when changes are made. This is perfect for keeping your business proposals up-to-date.

Watch the video below to learn more about how this feature works.

12. Contractor Business Proposal Example

This proposal example features a minimalist, clear design with a peaceful sky-blue theme. Black and white images are tastefully utilized, supporting the professionalism and seriousness of the proposal.

The document is structured into essential sections, including project scope, timeline, pricing, and terms. These critical sections allow you to concisely express the specifics of your offering to clients, ensuring they understand the full breadth of your services.

This template is ideally suited for individual contractors seeking work from clients on a global scale.

13. Graphic Design Business Proposal Example

This business proposal template is visually alluring and dynamic, as one might expect from a graphic design proposal.

It utilizes an engaging color scheme, combining inviting purple and sky blue shades. The design elements are unique and eye-catching, incorporating a variety of shapes like ellipses, circles and abstracts to add visual interest.

The “Our Services” page optimizes icons for a cleaner and delightful presentation, outlining services offered in a visually compelling and understandable manner.

It's more than adequate to say the overall design of this proposal template itself screams "Graphic Design.”

Design your business proposal collaboratively using Visme collaborative design features . Invite your team members via email or share a link to the document and start working together to achieve your goals.

Visme's collaborative design features, like live editing, commenting, and annotating will ensure that everyone is on the same page and that your business proposal is as effective as possible.

Read our comprehensive guide about how to do collaborative design right with Visme, or watch the video below to learn more.

14. Video Production Business Proposal Example

With its primary objective of winning over prospective clients, this template creatively showcases your video production ideas.

The proposal features high-quality screenshots from video clips previously produced and offers a glimpse of expertise and work quality. It includes a proposed plan section with time and price, allowing potential clients to weigh the value of your services.

Furthermore, the template has three unique sections to propose three video ideas tailored to the client you're submitting the proposal to, strengthening your rapport with them.

Take control of your proposal's performance with Visme's Analytics feature . It tracks unique visits, visitor IP, average time spent and many more, granting valuable insights into client engagement.

Channel this knowledge to refine your designs, optimizing success for future proposals. Empower your process, and let data guide your strategy.

15. Supply Chain Management Business Proposal Example

Create a persuasive, detail-oriented proposal using this template to win over your supply chain management clientele.

Strengthen your credibility and appeal to potential clients by highlighting your achievements and value propositions with statistics in the "Why Choose Us" section.

The "What's Next" section outlines a step-by-step process for taking action after the proposal phase. This roadmap guides potential clients through the partnership journey, helping to foster a commitment to you.

Moreover, this template includes a dedicated customer testimonials page, a powerful tool to leverage satisfied past clients' voices to assure potential clients of your service's quality and reliability.

16. Finance Consultancy One Pager Business Proposal Example

This one-page business proposal example synthesizes all the crucial information about your consultancy into a concise yet impactful format.

With a bold and striking yellow and black color palette, this one-pager stands out, instilling a sense of professionalism and assurance in your potential clients.

Importantly, this template leverages data visualizations, including pie charts and radial gauges, to effectively communicate critical data to potential clients. These visual aids are excellent for quickly conveying complex financial data in an easily digestible manner.

Transform your data into compelling visuals with Visme's wide selection of data visualization tools . From progress bars to radial gauges and population arrays, Visme offers 30+ data widgets .

If you need to showcase more extensive data sets, try Visme's 20+ types of charts and graphs , including pie charts , bar graphs , line graphs , scatter plot and more.

17. SaaS Startup One Pager Business Proposal Example

Designed for SaaS startups, this one-pager is a powerful tool to achieve a strong impression and understanding of your business proposal in a single glance.

It utilizes a vigorous blue and red color combination to capture attention and highlight the vibrancy of the proposed SaaS solution.

In the layout, a picture visually represents your startup's mission or product, immediately drawing in the viewer's curiosity. Furthermore, the market analysis section's graphical illustrations effectively communicate the startup's potential within the market landscape.

To ensure a consistent and professional appearance of your business documents, Visme offers a brand wizard tool that allows you to save and apply your branding assets with just a single click.

All you have to do is copy and paste your website URL, and the tool will automatically extract your brand colors, fonts, and company logos. This feature saves you time and ensures your business documents have a uniform look and feel.

Explore our comprehensive guide about creating a branding kit in Visme, or watch the video below to learn more.

18. Marketing and Media One Pager Business Proposal Example

Are you a marketing and media business looking for new businesses? This business proposal example offers an impactful and concise way to showcase the essential elements of your business.

The lively blue, pink, and orange color scheme adds a refreshing visual appeal to this comprehensive one-pager.

The template utilizes tables to present key features and financials in an easy-to-read format. This organized data promptly provides potential stakeholders with relevant information to evaluate your venture.

Additionally, it includes sections on the target audience, market analysis, and revenue model to provide a well-rounded view of your business.

19. Email Marketing Business Proposal Example

Built for email marketers, this proposal combines visually striking design with data-driven substance to create a persuasive narrative for potential clients.

Its refreshing blue color scheme and dynamic design capture and maintain your prospective client's attention from start to finish. The proposal harnesses the power of compelling data visualizations, such as population arrays and progress bars, succinctly presenting your statistics.

20. Fashion Business Proposal Example

Let's conclude this visual journey with this fashion business proposal example template. Its attractive color scheme of Persian indigo and red rose infuses a sense of style and sophistication, ideally suited to a fashion business. The template also features high-quality images of models, adding a professional and visually appealing element.

It provides specific sections where you can detail top locations, packages and venues, ensuring your prospective partners, investors and sponsors fully understand the breadth and scope of your fashion business.

After you have personalized your business proposal template, Visme gives you several options to share and publish it. Here are the ways you can do it:

• Download your project in PNG, JPG, and PDF formats to share it offline.
• Share your business proposal with your clients using the shareable link provided by Visme.
• Generate a code snippet in Visme to embed your business proposal on any web page.

Business Proposal FAQs

Q. what is a business proposal.

A business proposal is a document you send to potential clients or partners. It outlines your company's products or services that can help solve the client's problem. Essentially, it's your way of selling your solution to win a specific project.

Q. What Are the Types of Business Proposals?

There are three major types of business proposals used across industries:

• Formally Solicited Proposals: These proposals are created in response to an official request for proposal (RFP). For instance, a municipal body might issue an RFP for a waste management system, and companies would send in their proposals tailored to meet the stated requirements.
• Informally Solicited Proposals: This type of proposal caters to a less structured request. For example, during a meeting, a client might express a need for a solution, and a business could respond with an informal proposal targeting the client's needs.
• Unsolicited Proposals: These are proposals that businesses submit without any prior request, often as marketing tools. For example, a software company might send an unsolicited proposal to a potential client presenting a new customer management system to improve the client's operations.

Q. How Do I Write a Business Proposal?

Writing a business proposal involves multiple steps:

• Understand Client's Needs: Learning about your client's needs and expectations is crucial. This knowledge will guide the whole proposal.
• Outline your Proposal: Start with a brief summary of the proposal, and then write about how your service or product meets or exceeds the client's needs.
• Detail your Services or Products: Clearly describe what you're proposing, how it works and how it solves the client's problem.
• Provide the Cost Breakdown: Detail the pricing of your product or service so the client understands their investment.
• Summarize the Proposal: In conclusion, recap how your proposal meets the client's needs.

To get more comprehensive guidelines, refer to our article on how to write a business proposal .

Q. What Is the Best Business Proposal?

The best business proposal is one that is tailored to meet the specific needs and expectations of your client. It should clearly explain how your product or service can solve a problem or enhance the client's situation.

To make the proposal more effective, make it well-structured, concise, written in clear, simple language and error-free.

Lastly, end the proposal with a strong call to action that motivates the client to take the next step, whether scheduling a meeting, a call or signing a contract.

Q. What Not to Do in a Business Proposal?

In a business proposal, there are several things to avoid:

• Not Personalizing Your Proposal: Every proposal should be tailored to the client's needs and expectations.
• Over-Cluttering the Design: Maintain a clean, organized document design, allowing content to breathe with white spaces.
• A Complex Layout: Ensure your layout is simple and intuitive so that essential sections of the proposal are easily accessible.
• Using Incorrect or Too Many Fonts: Be cautious with font variations. Use a maximum of two types of fonts and ensure they are professional and readable.
• Poor Quality Images : Images and graphics included should be high-resolution and relevant to the content.
• Leaving out Branding Elements : Failing to incorporate your logo, brand colors, etc., can lead to missed chances of reinforcing business identity.

Q. How Long Should a Business Proposal Be?

The ideal length of a business proposal depends on the specific client or use case. It should not be too brief to leave out valuable information or too long to cause the client to skim or skip sections.

Find a perfect balance of providing comprehensive detail without overloading. Therefore, a business proposal could be as short as one page or as long as 50 pages, depending on the client's needs.

Create Professional Designed Proposals & More With Visme

With our collection of 20 best business proposal examples and templates, you're now equipped to create persuasive, compelling proposals that captivate your clients and win more deals.

Take your business proposal to the next level with Visme.

Visme is a versatile tool, perfect for crafting professional business proposals and more. It allows you to design stunning documents with interactive and engaging elements, without the need for a designer or coding. It hosts a suite of powerful features and AI-powered tools all under one platform.

Whether you're creating presentations, infographics or proposals, Visme has a wealth of templates and tools to help bring your ideas to life in the most visually appealing way.

Ready to make a lasting impression with your business documents? Sign up for Visme today !

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About the Author

Raja Antony Mandal is a Content Writer at Visme. He can quickly adapt to different writing styles, possess strong research skills, and know SEO fundamentals. Raja wants to share valuable information with his audience by telling captivating stories in his articles. He wants to travel and party a lot on the weekends, but his guitar, drum set, and volleyball court don’t let him.

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How to Write a Business Proposal [Steps, Tips, & Templates]

You need to send a business proposal, and you want it to close. But how can you improve your chances?

Every year, we analyze the proposals sent with our software to discover what makes closing more likely. We used this research to craft this very guide .

To help you write better business proposals, we’ve curated the essential proposal format, a step-by-step process, plenty of templates to help you get started, and strategies for following up.

From images to esignatures, keep reading for data-backed insights into the most successful proposals.

What’s in this guide:

• What is a business proposal?
• Basic proposal format
• What to prepare before writing a business proposal
• How to write a business proposal in 7 steps
• 8 business proposal templates
• 5 ideas to take your business proposal to the next level
• What to do after you send a business proposal
• Using analytics for business proposal insights

A business proposal is sent by a salesperson or account manager to a prospective client in order to pitch a product or service. A great proposal should include an executive summary or cover letter, details on the project timelines and deliverables, what makes the company the right choice for the job, and pricing and payment details.

Business proposals are typically sent from one business to another for all sorts of different services, such as enterprise software subscriptions, interior design, accounting, marketing, event catering, etc.

The purpose of a business proposal is to:

Sell your product or service with details, client results, testimonials, etc.

Clarify what is and isn’t included in the proposal to accurately manage expectations

Layout terms and conditions to protect both parties

Lock in the deal right away with esignatures built into the proposal

Large corporations and government agencies will typically send out a request for proposal to competing companies and then choose the best (or cheapest) one.

A business proposal is very different from a business plan, because it is typically written to clarify a paid engagement between two companies. This might be a short project or a long contract. A business plan, on the other hand, is typically an internal document crafted to chart a businesses path forward towards goals, such as market expansion, revenue growth, new product lines, etc.

Types of business proposals

There are many different types of business proposals. They are typically broken down by industry.

Here are some common types of business proposals, by industry :

Real estate and construction

Professional services

Proposals can also be categorized based on the type of offering :

One-off projects

Recurring subscription

Ongoing service

Package options

Later on in this guide, we include a variety of proposal templates. Depending on what you selling, you might find it easier to begin with a template designed for your industry or for the type of offer you’re selling (such as a one-off project). So be sure to peruse through the previews of each proposal so that you can see which template will save you the most time.

Business proposal example

An excellent business proposal addresses the client’s pain points and showcases the proposed solution.

Here’s an example business proposal to inspire you. The accounting proposal kicks things off with an attractive cover page.

All in all, it includes the cover page, an executive summary letter, an about us section, team photos and bios, a project summary, a breakdown of the proposed services, a pricing section, onboarding steps, and a contract with esignatures.

The services breakdown offers a great example of how to categorize your services and provide hourly estimates.

After researching over 1 million proposals, we found that winning proposals are most likely to include all of the following.

Here’s the idea proposal structure :

1. Cover page

The cover page, also called a title page, should be kept simple. It prominently features a photograph or graphic design that is on-brand, you can use graphic design templates as a starting point. It also usually includes the project name, or the client name, as well as your company name. Some companies might include contact information on the cover page, while others will save that for a separate page.

Check out this cover page , which is bright, bold, and on-brand.

2. Executive summary

The executive summary is essentially your pitch.

It’s your shot at capturing the client’s attention and showing them that you have an approach that will exceed their expectations.

It’s typically written in paragraph form (1 to 3 paragraphs) but can also include a bulleted list for a more skimmable style.

Make sure that your executive summary includes:

A quick description of the client’s problem or starting point

How your company will serve the client and why you’re suggesting this unique approach

Why your company is the best choice (average results, unique selling propositions, differentiators, awards, etc.)

This content marketing proposal offers an excellent example of an executive summary. Though in this proposal, the section is instead titled “Focus and Objectives.” What makes it great is that it’s on brand, goal-oriented, personable, and skimmable.

3. Approach or solution

In this section, you write about your process and why you approach things the way you do. For example, a Facebook marketing agency might say that they believe that creative work is essential to advertising success, and that’s why they devote 90% of their time to developing videos, images, and copy.

Some companies will craft a custom approach section for each client, while others will re-use the section again and again. It all comes down to the number of services you offer and how much or how little you customize your work.

In corporate training, it’s essential to clarify your approach so the client knows why your system will be effective. In this training template example , their process shows the essential steps in their proprietary approach.

4. About the company

This is your chance to brag. In your company bio, be sure to mention all of the important things that set your company apart. That might include your management style, the talent you have on your team, your average client retention rate or contract length, and any accolades.

With their location, awards, and team structure, this About Us page is an excellent example of how to sell yourself with authority.

5. Deliverables

Use the deliverables section to summarize exactly what the client will receive from the engagement.

A TikTok ads management firm might include 15 ad creatives per month in their deliverables, for example. While an accounting firm might list the reports that will be sent weekly or monthly, along with the bookkeeping service.

In a construction project, on the other hand, the company might showcase the different milestones that the project will hit, and when these milestones are expected to be completed.

In this proposal , the Deliverables section is titled “Scope of Services,” and it includes a list of all of the services that the prospective client will receive. Deliverables are mentioned within the scope, including a logo, brand colors, business cards, and brand guidelines.

6. Social proof or work samples

No matter what you sell, prospective clients will want to know that you have the right experience for the job.

Social proof can come in the form of written testimonials and case studies, video testimonials and case studies, portfolio photographs, G2 and Capterra badges, and rating averages from Google, Trustpilot, or other review sites.

For an architecture firm, construction company, or website designer, work examples can prove more powerful than testimonials. Prospects want to see what you can do. This architecture proposal showcases the company’s work on a rehabilitation project.

The pricing section is of course the one that your clients will read again and again and deliberate over. That’s why it’s so important to make it clear, simple, and well-formatted.

Tables are a great way to showcase what’s included in the total project cost or to provide package options.

Similar to interior design and construction services, event planning typically includes both hourly costs and hard costs (for products and venues). Here’s an example of an event management proposal that includes a breakdown of the hourly work and the hard costs.

8. Terms and conditions

When you use modern proposal software , you can build a contract right into your proposal, eliminating the need for separate contract software.

Your proposal should include legal jargon that can protect both you and your client. You might have a statement of work and a master service agreement or terms and conditions.

In this website design proposal , there are 6 pages in total for the contract section. The potential client can easily click around to view all of these pages and share the proposal with their legal team if needed.

For proposals that are longer than 8 pages, it’s wise to include a table of contents. If you use Proposify as your proposal software, then every proposal will automatically have the table of contents on the left-hand side, making it easier for the potential client to click around and review important sections multiple times.

A lot goes into writing a proposal. Before you can get to the writing part, you need to prepare.

This means talking with the client to figure out their needs, using your experience to pitch the best project, and talking with colleagues who will be involved in the project to see if they agree on the services you plan to propose.

You might also need to talk with your legal department and ask them for a contract template that you can include at the end of the proposal so that when the client signs off, it's legally binding.

Everything you need to prepare to write a business proposal:

An understanding of the client's needs

Your determination of the best approach

Details that will get the client to say yes

Agreement with internal colleagues

The pricing options you want to offer

Knowledge of who needs to sign off

Legal contract language or templates

To be a good writer , you must be concise, specific, and detailed. It really is that simple. The more examples and details you provide, the better.

That said, it does help to follow a process so that you can be sure you’re providing everything that the decision-makers expect and more.

Here are the 7 essential steps for writing a business proposal:

Step 1. Determine the client’s needs

The first step is to figure out what your client needs.

As mentioned in our section on preparation above, you’ll need to speak with your client. If this is a new client, it might take two to five sales calls to collect all of the information you need. For an existing client, you can probably figure out what to include in their renewal proposal with just one call.

But of course, asking your client what they need isn’t enough. You need to use your expertise to choose the best solution for them, even if it’s not what they want or expect.

Step 2. Kick off your proposal with a template

Once you’ve done your due diligence, the next step is to choose a proposal template so you’ll save time on both writing and designing.

You can use a template that matches your specific business or click around to find one with all the sections and a design style you like. Even if it’s not created for your specific industry, it’ll be easy to update the content to match your service or product.

Check out our full library of proposal templates.

Step 3. Write the evergreen messaging about your company

It’s always smart to tackle writing section by section. This way, you don’t get overwhelmed.

We recommend starting with the sections that are relevant to your business and that can be reused again and again. Your value propositions should guide the content.

Tackle these sections:

The cover page

The approach section

The about us page and team bios

The social proof or portfolio pieces

By starting off with what makes your company special, you’ll break the ice during your writing process and also create your own custom template that you can use for further proposal writing.

Step 4. Craft the meat of the proposal (executive summary, approach, deliverables, etc.)

By now, you should have chosen a template and written your core company messaging.

Now it’s time to write the meat of the proposal.

In this step, you’ll be catering your proposal to the new client. A startup will require a different proposal than a small business, and the same goes for an enterprise.

Here are some of the things you might need to write:

The unique methodology or approach you’ll offer this client (if it changes per client)

The problem statement or executive summary

The client’s goals

The scope of work

The project process and timelines

The deliverables

You can fill in your template’s sections and take a peek at other templates to get inspiration and see if there are any additional sections or details you should add.

Step 5. Add in the project total or pricing options

Next, you should calculate your fees.

Depending on your business, you might add up flat rates, product costs, or hourly estimates to come up with a fixed project total. Or, you might present a price range that the project will likely fall between (making it clear that additional hourly costs could arise. Or perhaps, you’ll offer a pricing table with different options to choose from.

Step 6. Add legal terms and conditions and esignatures

When you use proposal software (instead of just a PDF or Google slides), you can add a contract directly to your proposal.

If you already have approved contract language from your legal department, you can simply add it to the contract section of your proposal in Proposify. If not, you’ll need to chat with your legal team or business lawyer to ensure you’re adding all the right stipulations.

Proposals with esignatures close 35% faster and are 426% more likely to be accepted. So be sure to assign an esignature both to yourself and your client.

Step 7. Finalize the design and review all of the content before sending

Now it’s time to review and finalize your proposal. Check for errors, places in the template you forgot to fill out, and wording that can be improved.

Make sure the graphic design is on point too. Switch out the template with your own brand colors and fonts. You can have a designer on your team handle this, or handle style customization yourself (with no design experience necessary).

The best way to write a business proposal? With a template of course.

We’ve rounded up 10 of the best templates for different types of businesses. And for each, we show you the proposal sections included to help you pick the right one for you.

Keep in mind that with any of these proposals, you can add and remove sections and also customize any page with text, headlines, images, videos, fee tables, and more.

1. Business consulting proposal template

This consulting proposal template can be used by any type of consulting firm.

Proposal sections :

Project Summary

Project Activities

Your Investment

2. Advertising Proposal Template

With this advertising proposal template, you can showcase your digital or traditional advertising services. The template includes TV, web, radio, and magazine, but you can update it to reflect your pitch.

Cover Letter

Who Are We?

Testimonials

Your Advertising Media Mix

3. Branding Proposal Template

Perfect for branding consultants, logo designers, and messaging strategists, this branding proposal template includes the project scope and timeline to help you clarify your process to potential clients.

Overview & Goals

Scope of Services

Sample Case Study

4. Commercial Lease Proposal Template

This commercial lease proposal template can be used for leasing office buildings, manufacturing facilities, warehouses, and event spaces.

Our Process

Meet Our Team

Terms and Conditions

5. Construction Bid Template

Use this construction bid template for new construction projects or renovations. It includes a detailed cost estimate table and a required deposit.

Cost Estimate

6. Catering Proposal Template

This catering proposal template is perfect for corporate projects but can work for weddings or personal events as well. You can use it for conferences, luncheons, retreats, or any other type of event.

Introduction

Event Details

7. Corporate Photography Proposal Template

With a beautifully designed portfolio section and a very detailed pricing table and print options, this is the perfect template for corporate photography . It also includes tips for success, so clients know how to make the most of their photoshoot time.

What We Offer

Photography Packages

Tips for Success

8. Financial Services Proposal Template

You can use this financial services proposal template to pitch financial services like risk management, budgeting, and investment management.

Services and Fees

Looking to kick up your proposals a notch?

Try one of these smart ideas:

1. Make your pricing dynamic

Dynamic pricing means that clients can choose what they want and that will automatically change the project total that they sign off on.

Proposals with options and add-ons have a 35.8% higher closing rate . Try giving package options and including add-ons such as ancillary services or maintenance work.

2. Create graphic designs for timelines and processes

Winning business proposals often include informative visuals to help clients understand your process at a glance.

You could create a graphic for project phases, milestones, or big deliverables.

3. Get creative with your social proof

Client testimonials are an easy starting point when it comes to social proof.

But can you do better? Can you get more creative and stand out from other consulting firms?

Here are some ways to improve your social proof game:

Include visuals for your average ratings (for example 4 and a half stars filled in).

Add any badges or graphics available from review sites like G2 and Trustpilot.

Film professional case study videos and embed them in your proposal.

Create a screenshare video where you talk through your digital portfolio samples.

Include an informal video testimonial from your client.

Add a video showing your team at work (ie, on the job site, running a workshop, speaking, etc.)

Write mini case studies with before and after transformations, result data, etc.

4. Have an “excludes” section

Is there something that is definitely not included in your proposal? Do clients often assume it’s included or do they get confused?

If so, try adding a section that describes everything that isn’t included in the proposal. You could mention that you don’t offer these services, or state that they’re available at an additional fee (if you want to upsell them).

5. Include videos for introductions or complex concepts

When you add a video to your proposal, you increase its chances of closing by 41% .

Here are some video ideas to try:

Informal intros filmed with Loom

Professional videos of your team at work

Case study videos

Quick descriptions of complex deliverables, methodologies, etc.

You sent the proposal. Now what?

Here’s what to do next.

Sign it yourself

Make sure you sign the proposal right away (before your client opens it). This offers a more professional presentation and makes it more likely that your new client will add their signature too.

Be prepared to follow up

Project proposals don’t always close all by themselves. As any good salesperson knows, follow-up is essential.

With Proposify, you can set up automated reminders. When we analyzed over 1 million proposals sent with our software, we found that proposals with pre-scheduled reminders have a 35% higher closing rate than those without.

Make adjustments to the proposal to close the deal

It’s okay to make changes. In fact, proposals that get revised are actually more likely to close than ones that don’t. When a client asks for revisions, it means they’re interested.

You might need to adjust your proposal document for its scope, deliverables, timeframe, or payment schedules.

Save different proposal templates

After you’ve created one proposal, you should save it as a template and give it a name. You might also want to duplicate it and adjust it to create a new proposal template. For example, if you offer SEO services , you might want to have one proposal for an SEO audit and another one for your monthly SEO retainer.

Create email templates

You can also create and store email templates that will save you time in the long run.

Try creating different templates for sending, reminders, and thank yous. If you offer different types of services, you can craft a unique sending template for each one.

Get feedback from clients on both won and lost proposals

One of the best ways to improve is to take feedback. Whether you win or lose the proposal, find out why.

Here are some tips on how to do this:

Won - When you win a proposal, you might ask the client why they decided to move forward with you on their first strategy call. Or, have their account manager ask the same question and pass the info to you.

Lost - If a client doesn’t sign the proposal after 3 weeks, you can send a quick email with something like, “Just looking for some feedback. Can you let me know why you decided not to move forward? Thanks.”

In today’s digital world, a business proposal should be more than a formal document.

When you use the right tool to create and send your proposal, you should be able to gather important insights and trends.

Viewing metrics for a specific client

With Proposify, you can see the activity for every proposal. Know when clients are opening and viewing proposals so you can follow up in a way that matches their activity.

Average viewing metrics

Proposify also offers average viewing metrics that help you benchmark your views:

Total viewed

Average time to view

Average length of viewing

Average views per proposal

This is great for gauging how a new client compares with past activity.

Average closing metrics

You can also check your average closing rate and track it over time.

Check these closing metrics:

Closing rate

Try setting goals for improving your closing rate and then check your progress each month.

Insights by proposal type

Segment viewing and closing metrics by workspace, client name, or stream. A stream is a custom category that you can use for different service types, client industries, etc.

Growth trends

And lastly, you can check your growth trends to find out how much you’re earning in new contracts and existing contracts. This is great for seeing your past revenue growth and for forecasting.

Trends include:

New won proposals (chart)

Active income (chart)

Start with a solid understanding of your client’s goals and needs. Use a template to save time creating messaging and tables that will seal the deal. Then, try advanced techniques like dynamic pricing and videos to improve your closing rates even further.

Sign up for Proposify free for 14 days or get started with one of our templates .

Dayana Mayfield is a B2B SaaS copywriter who believes in the power of content marketing and a good smoothie. She lives in Northern California. Connect with her on LinkedIn here: linkedin.com/in/dayanamayfield/

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550+ Business Plan Examples to Launch Your Business

Need help writing your business plan? Explore over 550 industry-specific business plan examples for inspiration.

Find your business plan example

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View all sample business plans

Example business plan format

Before you start exploring our library of business plan examples, it's worth taking the time to understand the traditional business plan format . You'll find that the business plan samples in this library and most investor-approved business plans will include the following sections:

Executive summary

The executive summary is an overview of your business and your plans. It comes first in your business plan and is ideally only one to two pages. You should also plan to write this section last after you've written your full business plan.

Your executive summary should include a summary of the problem you are solving, a description of your product or service, an overview of your target market, a brief description of your team, a summary of your financials, and your funding requirements (if you are raising money).

Products & services

The products & services chapter of your business plan is where the real meat of your plan lives. It includes information about the problem that you're solving, your solution, and any traction that proves that it truly meets the need you identified.

This is your chance to explain why you're in business and that people care about what you offer. It needs to go beyond a simple product or service description and get to the heart of why your business works and benefits your customers.

Market analysis

Conducting a market analysis ensures that you fully understand the market that you're entering and who you'll be selling to. This section is where you will showcase all of the information about your potential customers. You'll cover your target market as well as information about the growth of your market and your industry. Focus on outlining why the market you're entering is viable and creating a realistic persona for your ideal customer base.

Competition

Part of defining your opportunity is determining what your competitive advantage may be. To do this effectively you need to get to know your competitors just as well as your target customers. Every business will have competition, if you don't then you're either in a very young industry or there's a good reason no one is pursuing this specific venture.

To succeed, you want to be sure you know who your competitors are, how they operate, necessary financial benchmarks, and how your business will be positioned. Start by identifying who your competitors are or will be during your market research. Then leverage competitive analysis tools like the competitive matrix and positioning map to solidify where your business stands in relation to the competition.

Marketing & sales

The marketing and sales plan section of your business plan details how you plan to reach your target market segments. You'll address how you plan on selling to those target markets, what your pricing plan is, and what types of activities and partnerships you need to make your business a success.

The operations section in our business plan examples covers the day-to-day workflows for your business to deliver your product or service. What's included here fully depends on the type of business. Typically you can expect to add details on your business location, sourcing and fulfillment, use of technology, and any partnerships or agreements that are in place.

Milestones & metrics

The milestones section is where you lay out strategic milestones to reach your business goals.

A good milestone clearly lays out the parameters of the task at hand and sets expectations for its execution. You'll want to include a description of the task, a proposed due date, who is responsible, and eventually a budget that's attached. You don't need extensive project planning in this section, just key milestones that you want to hit and when you plan to hit them.

You should also discuss key metrics, which are the numbers you will track to determine your success. Some common data points worth tracking include conversion rates, customer acquisition costs, profit, etc.

Company & team

Use this section of your business plan to describe your current team and who you need to hire. If you intend to pursue funding, you'll need to highlight the relevant experience of your team members. Basically, this is where you prove that this is the right team to successfully start and grow the business. You will also need to provide a quick overview of your legal structure and history if you're already up and running.

Financial projections

Your financial plan should include a sales and revenue forecast, profit and loss statement, cash flow statement, and a balance sheet. You may not have established financials of any kind at this stage. Not to worry, rather than getting all of the details ironed out, focus on making projections and strategic forecasts for your business. You can always update your financial statements as you begin operations and start bringing in actual accounting data.

Now, if you intend to pitch to investors or submit a loan application, you'll also need a "use of funds" report in this business plan section. This outlines how you intend to leverage any funding for your business and how much you're looking to acquire. Like the rest of your financials, this can always be updated later on.

The appendix isn't a required element of your business plan. However, it is a useful place to add any charts, tables, definitions, legal notes, or other critical information that supports your business plan. These are often lengthier or out-of-place information that simply didn't work naturally into the structure of your plan. You'll notice that in these business plan examples, the appendix mainly includes extended financial statements.

Types of business plans explained

While all business plans cover similar categories, the style and function fully depend on how you intend to use your plan. To get the most out of your business plan, it's best to find a format that suits your needs. Here are a few common business plan types worth considering.

Traditional business plan

The tried-and-true traditional business plan is a formal document meant to be used for external purposes. Typically this is the type of plan you'll need when applying for funding or pitching to investors. It can also be used when training or hiring employees, working with vendors, or in any other situation where the full details of your business must be understood by another individual.

Business model canvas

The business model canvas is a one-page template designed to demystify the business planning process. It removes the need for a traditional, copy-heavy business plan, in favor of a single-page outline that can help you and outside parties better explore your business idea.

The structure ditches a linear format in favor of a cell-based template. It encourages you to build connections between every element of your business. It's faster to write out and update, and much easier for you, your team, and anyone else to visualize your business operations.

One-page business plan

The true middle ground between the business model canvas and a traditional business plan is the one-page business plan . This format is a simplified version of the traditional plan that focuses on the core aspects of your business.

By starting with a one-page plan , you give yourself a minimal document to build from. You'll typically stick with bullet points and single sentences making it much easier to elaborate or expand sections into a longer-form business plan.

Growth planning

Growth planning is more than a specific type of business plan. It's a methodology. It takes the simplicity and styling of the one-page business plan and turns it into a process for you to continuously plan, forecast, review, and refine based on your performance.

It holds all of the benefits of the single-page plan, including the potential to complete it in as little as 27 minutes . However, it's even easier to convert into a more detailed business plan thanks to how heavily it's tied to your financials. The overall goal of growth planning isn't to just produce documents that you use once and shelve. Instead, the growth planning process helps you build a healthier company that thrives in times of growth and remains stable through times of crisis.

It's faster, keeps your plan concise, and ensures that your business plan is always up-to-date.

Download a free sample business plan template

Ready to start writing your own business plan but aren't sure where to start? Download our free business plan template that's been updated for 2024.

This simple, modern, investor-approved business plan sample is designed to make planning easy. It's a proven format that has helped over 1 million businesses write business plans for bank loans, funding pitches, business expansion, and even business sales. It includes additional instructions for how to write each section and is formatted to be SBA-lender approved. All you need to do is fill in the blanks.

How to use an example business plan to help you write your own

How do you know what elements need to be included in your business plan, especially if you've never written one before? Looking at business plan examples can help you visualize what a full, traditional plan looks like, so you know what you're aiming for before you get started. Here's how to get the most out of a business plan sample.

Choose a business plan example from a similar type of company

You don't need to find an example of a business plan that's an exact fit for your business. Your business location, target market, and even your particular product or service may not match up exactly with the business plans in our gallery. But, you don't need an exact match for it to be helpful. Instead, look for a business plan sample that's related to the type of business you're starting.

For example, if you want to start a vegetarian restaurant, a plan for a steakhouse can be a great match. While the specifics of your actual startup will differ, the elements you'd want to include in your restaurant's business plan are likely to be very similar.

Use a business plan example as a guide

Every startup and small business is unique, so you'll want to avoid copying an example of a business plan word for word. It just won't be as helpful, since each business is unique. You want your business plan to be a useful tool for starting a business —and getting funding if you need it.

One of the key benefits of writing a business plan is simply going through the process. When you sit down to write, you'll naturally think through important pieces, like your startup costs, your target market , and any market analysis or research you'll need to do to be successful.

You'll also look at where you stand among your competition (and everyone has competition), and lay out your goals and the milestones you'll need to meet. Looking at an example of a business plan's financials section can be helpful because you can see what should be included, but take them with a grain of salt. Don't assume that financial projections for a sample company will fit your own small business.

If you're looking for more resources to help you get started, our business planning guide is a good place to start. You can also download our free business plan template .

Think of business planning as a process, instead of a document

Think about business planning as something you do often , rather than a document you create once and never look at again. If you take the time to write a plan that really fits your own company, it will be a better, more useful tool to grow your business. It should also make it easier to share your vision and strategy so everyone on your team is on the same page.

Adjust your business plan regularly to use it as a business management tool

Keep in mind that businesses that use their business plan as a management tool to help run their business grow 30 percent faster than those businesses that don't. For that to be true for your company, you'll think of a part of your business planning process as tracking your actual results against your financial forecast on a regular basis.

If things are going well, your business plan will help you think about how you can re-invest in your business. If you find that you're not meeting goals, you might need to adjust your budgets or your sales forecast. Either way, tracking your progress compared to your plan can help you adjust quickly when you identify challenges and opportunities—it's one of the most powerful things you can do to grow your business.

Prepare to pitch your business

If you're planning to pitch your business to investors or seek out any funding, you'll need a pitch deck to accompany your business plan. A pitch deck is designed to inform people about your business. You want your pitch deck to be short and easy to follow, so it's best to keep your presentation under 20 slides.

Your pitch deck and pitch presentation are likely some of the first things that an investor will see to learn more about your company. So, you need to be informative and pique their interest. Luckily we have a round-up of real-world pitch deck examples used by successful startups that you can review and reference as you build your pitch.

For more resources, check out our full Business Pitch Guide .

Ready to get started?

Now that you know how to use an example of a business plan to help you write a plan for your business, it's time to find the right one.

Use the search bar below to get started and find the right business plan example for your business idea.

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How To Write a Business Proposal: Simple Proposal Template

Want to write a formal business proposal? Get a step-by-step guide, with free business proposal examples and templates.

A business proposal is key to closing more lucrative deals and winning clients. But few people know how to write a business proposal when they start a business . Business proposals can also be time-consuming to write, because it requires a level of customization.

Ahead, you’ll get a step-by-step tutorial on how to write a business proposal for your brand, with tips and examples along the way. Use the following guide, and template to create an effective business proposal.

What is a business proposal?

A business proposal is a document sent to prospective partners, clients, or investors in the hopes of working with them on a specific project⁠, in partnership or through investment.

At the most basic level, a business proposal should address the needs of prospective partners and show them why your company is the best to fill those needs. For companies focused on business-to-business (B2B) services, and those seeking investment, knowing how to write an effective business proposal is crucial for growth.

Types of business proposals

There are different types of business proposals, depending on the service and the nature of the project, but they typically fall into three distinct categories:

Formally solicited proposals

Formally solicited business proposals are used when a client you’re hoping to work with asks for a proposal, usually through a publicly posted request for proposal. In response to this request, your business writes a proposed solution based on the specific needs and requirements of the potential client.

Informally solicited business proposals

Informally solicited business proposals are typically written following conversations between a prospective client and a vendor. Usually in this case, the customer is not asking for competing proposals, and there tends to be few formal requirements.

Unsolicited business proposals

These proposals usually are more generic in nature and serve more as marketing materials. Unsolicited proposals are common at trade shows or other public venues where a business is shopping around for prospective clients, partners, or investors. While they can generate business in the proper context, unsolicited business proposals can sometimes be seen as spammy or, worse, unprofessional.

Business proposal example

It’s hard to know what a business proposal should look like if you haven’t made one before. Take a look at this example from hypothetical landscaping company Bee’s Knees, created using Shopify’s free business proposal template:

This title page is simple and to the point, emphasizing the client’s name and the project. The cover letter briefly introduces the proposal. It is written by an individual and provides a call to action without being overly salesy or overwhelming the reader with the details of the proposal.

If your proposed solution is detailed, it’s a good idea to add an executive summary. The Bee’s Knees executive summary provides a brief overview of the client’s problem and the solution. The following pages contain more detail, including a proposed project timeline. Bullet points and tables are a nice way to break up this text-heavy section.

Bee’s Knees offers three different packages and provides a brief description of each. This is helpful in the early stages of a proposal because it gives your clients flexibility. Should Bee’s Knees’ client decide to move forward, they would likely be presented with a more detailed (and legally binding) description of the costs for each service but this is an effective overview.

The About Us page explains Bee’s Knees qualifications for this project (20 years combined experience) and includes the business’s mission, values, and origin story. Consider adding founder quotes in this section, as Bee’s Knees does.

This is an example of an earlier-stage business proposal that is not legally binding. A legally binding proposal would include more detailed terms and space for the client to sign. If your proposal is not legally binding, let your client know that prices are subject to change.

Easy-to-use business proposal template

Our free business proposal template is easy to customize and provides writing prompts for each section. It’s a great option if you want a template that looks professional and provides guidance throughout the proposal-writing process.

How to write a business proposal

• Create your title page
• Write a cover letter
• Write an executive summary
• Outline your customer’s problem and your company’s solution
• Create a pricing table
• Share your brand story
• Summarize your qualifications
• Lay out the terms of the agreement

Business proposals can vary in how they’re formatted, but there are a few elements they all should contain. You can always use a free business proposal template to stay on track.

1. Create your title page

The title page acts as your proposal’s “cover,” so its aesthetics are especially important. Your title page should convey basic information about your business and the proposal. This includes the title of the proposal, your business’s name and contact information, and the date you’re submitting the proposal.

Your title page should be professional, grab the reader’s attention, and draw them in. It sets the tone of your proposal, so, like any advertisement, it should convey your brand’s style and character. It’s usually a good idea to include your company logo, too.

Avoid complicated graphics that may distract from the central message of the proposal. The cover of your business proposal is the first thing your client will see, so it’s important to convey your brand in a way that’s succinct.

2. Write a cover letter

Your cover letter serves as an introduction to you and your business. Your cover letter should be no more than one page. In a few paragraphs, briefly describe your company’s background, mission statement , and unique selling proposition .

Your cover letter should be friendly and polite⁠. Include your contact information and encourage your readers to reach out to you with any questions.

Unlike a résumé cover letter, visual graphics are encouraged, especially if they illustrate an important aspect of your brand’s accomplishments or mission.

3. Write an executive summary

The executive summary may be the most important part of your proposal. It provides details about why you’re sending the proposal and why you’re the client’s best option for solving their problem or filling their needs.

Your executive summary acts similarly to a value proposition that shows the ways your company is unique and how your prospective client, partner, or investor will benefit from working with you.

Executive summaries summarize, but they still should be specific. Identify the client’s exact issues, explain what your company does, and outline your proposed solutions to the client’s problems. There’s no need to cover logistics or strategies here—that will be covered later in the proposal.

Your executive summary should be finely tuned to the client’s needs. Even if you’re passing the proposal document on to many potential clients, it should read as though it was written for one client specifically. If different potential customers have different problems, you’ll want to make adjustments to your summary for each of them.

Your summary should give the reader a clear idea of how your company can help them, and invite them to continue reading for more details. The summary should be specific enough to act as a standalone document but brief enough that it will inspire additional questions.

Your executive summary should be two to four pages. Remember that the details will come later.

4. Outline your customer’s problem and your company’s solution

Many writers of business proposals think of their proposal pages in terms of problems and solutions. With each proposal, start by outlining the potential issues the client might face. In doing this, you show your potential clients that you have a deep understanding of their needs.

Problem and solution pages require a lot of research. You want to show potential clients you’ve done your homework: You understand their needs and know exactly what they want to do.

How you choose to break down the client’s problems and solutions is up to you. Some proposal document writers will list a number of problem statements alongside detailed deliverables. Other proposals might focus on one or two larger problems and provide a list of solutions to them.

Timetables are also important here. Potential clients will want to know how quickly you’ll be able to enact your solution and when they can expect to see results. Timetables answer these questions and are a handy visual tool to break up text.

It’s a good idea to break up your proposal content into sections that identify each problem and propose a solution. Here are some key points to address for each section:

• The problem. Use data to back up your claims, and be specific about where your client may be falling short of their goals.
• Implementation. Explain in detail what changes you plan on making, how long it will take to make these changes, and the purpose of making these changes.
• Goals. Explain how you will evaluate the success of your solution and when your client can expect to see results from the changes you’ve implemented.
• Benefits. Draw upon the assessment of the problem and explain the nature of the impact these changes will make.

Your proposal pages should cover all of the details of the plans you will implement. It’s best to break down the text into bite-sized chunks so it’s easier to read. Decorative graphics should be avoided here, but visual tools like charts and graphs are great for illustrating your points.

5. Create a pricing table

A pricing table should follow your problem and solution pages. It includes all of your products and services, paired with their pricing information.

How you structure your pricing strategy is largely dependent on the type of service or product you’re offering. But it’s usually a good idea to provide prospective clients with options. A single flat fee makes your proposal a yes-or-no question, which is easy to reject.

Adding pricing options provides clients with a more negotiable starting point, opening up the conversation about their particular needs, rather than acting as an end point.

Transparency is crucial in this section. Make sure it’s easy for your clients to understand what they’re paying for and what options they have for customizing your service. Nobody likes hidden fees or fine-print stipulations. Include all the details of your pricing options in a way that’s clear and concise.

Depending on your field, you may not want to include granular pricing details upfront before serious discussions have been had, but it’s important to get into the habit of effectively communicating your pricing regardless.

6. Share your brand story

Potential clients don’t just want to know your strategy—they want to know who you are. Craft a compelling narrative that will help readers form a connection to your business. Some elements from brand storytelling you may want to include are:

• Setting. Set the scene: Introduce the story’s protagonist(s), yourself, and your cofounders, and describe how you came together to form your business.
• Conflict. What problem inspired you to start your business? Describe the issue your business identified and set out to solve.
• Plot. How did you and your team set out to find the solution to your problem? What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
• Resolution. What was your solution? How has it changed your industry? What milestones have you hit and how did your business set out to solve the problem?
• Characters. Introduce your team. Offer brief bios of your team members and introduce your potential partners to the people they’ll be working with on your project.
• Denouement. What comes next? Describe what you see in your company’s future. Talk about how you intend to continue pursuing your goals. Make sure to set yourself up for a good sequel.

7. Summarize your qualifications

In your cover letter, you touched on what makes your company uniquely qualified to solve your customers’ problems. In the qualifications summary, you’ll go into detail about why your business is best qualified to help potential customers achieve their goals.

The best qualifications summaries rely on social proof to make their case. Include case studies of previous clients, customer testimonials , praise on social media, endorsements from trusted experts in your field, and anything else that might showcase the value you provide your clients.

8. Lay out the terms of the agreement.

At the end of your marketing proposal, outline the terms and conditions of your proposal for the client. Some proposals can be legally binding, so work with a legal expert to craft this section.

Not all business proposals include a contract, so if your proposal is meant to draw your client into further negotiations, you might just include a simple call to action that provides instructions on following up with you for further discussion.

If you do include a legally binding contract, make sure to provide clients with a space for signing the agreement, or indicating their preferred method of moving forward.

How to follow up on your business proposal

Give the prospective client time, grab their attention with a good subject line, avoid high-pressure, salesy language, be friendly, approachable, and authentic, know when to quit.

Waiting to hear back from clients during the sales process can be a little nerve-wracking, but it’s important to remain patient. Give potential decision-makers some time⁠—remember that they still need to tend to the day-to-day functions of their business.

If you haven’t heard back and want to give them a little nudge, here are some tips for following up on your proposal:

Wait at least a week before sending a follow-up. If the client has confirmed receipt of your proposal, give them a week from the date of confirmation. Keep in mind that they may want to discuss your proposal with their team before reaching back out to you.

As with other types of email marketing , a compelling subject line will increase the likelihood that prospective clients will open your email.

No need to go into finer details here⁠—let your proposal do the talking. Use your follow-up to emphasize that you’re available for any questions, and make it easy for them to reach back out to you.

Your goal here is securing a partner, not a customer. Hacky advertising cliches like “Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity!” may come off as alienating to potential clients.

Your follow-up is an opportunity to preview what it will be like working with you. Be polite, but friendly—as though you’re reaching out to your favorite work colleague.

It’s easy to overlook one or two emails, but much harder to overlook three or four. If your client hasn’t responded to three follow-ups, it’s time to move on.

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How to write a business proposal FAQ

How long should a business proposal be.

A business proposal, ideally, should be fewer than 10 pages, but its length is dependent largely on the type of proposal you’re writing and how far your services stretch. Things like your cover letter, summary, and pricing page should be kept short⁠—no more than two pages for each. The majority of your proposal should be your proposal pages, which go into detail about each aspect of your proposal.

What are the different parts of a business proposal?

A basic business proposal consists of a title page, tables of contents, cover letter, executive summary, proposal pages, pricing page, additional info about your business, and the agreement you’re proposing.

What is the basic format for a proposal?

A basic business proposal includes all of the elements listed above. Different industries may include unique features (for example, an app developer may include interactive elements to illustrate how their product works), but these aspects are considered standard features to business proposals.

How do you write a business proposal?

Start by choosing from among the many free business proposal templates, and consider what makes your business different from the competition. Why are you in the best position to assist potential clients with their needs? Be specific about what you can help your potential clients with, and make it easy for them to find out how to get in contact with you if they have questions.

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How to Write a Business Plan (Plus Examples & Templates)

Have you ever wondered how to write a business plan step by step? Mike Andes, told us: 

This guide will help you write a business plan to impress investors.

Throughout this process, we’ll get information from Mike Andes, who started Augusta Lawn Care Services when he was 12 and turned it into a franchise with over 90 locations. He has gone on to help others learn how to write business plans and start businesses.  He knows a thing or two about writing  business plans!

We’ll start by discussing the definition of a business plan. Then we’ll discuss how to come up with the idea, how to do the market research, and then the important elements in the business plan format. Keep reading to start your journey!

What Is a Business Plan?

A business plan is simply a road map of what you are trying to achieve with your business and how you will go about achieving it. It should cover all elements of your business including: 

• Finding customers
• Plans for developing a team
•  Competition
• Legal structures
• Key milestones you are pursuing

If you aren’t quite ready to create a business plan, consider starting by reading our business startup guide .

Get a Business Idea

Before you can write a business plan, you have to have a business idea. You may see a problem that needs to be solved and have an idea how to solve it, or you might start by evaluating your interests and skills. 

Mike told us, “The three things I suggest asking yourself when thinking about starting a business are:

• What am I good at?
• What would I enjoy doing?
• What can I get paid for?”

If all three of these questions don’t lead to at least one common answer, it will probably be a much harder road to success. Either there is not much market for it, you won’t be good at it, or you won’t enjoy doing it. 

As Mike told us, “There’s enough stress starting and running a business that if you don’t like it or aren’t good at it, it’s hard to succeed.”

If you’d like to hear more about Mike’s approach to starting a business, check out our YouTube video

Conduct Market Analysis

Market analysis is focused on establishing if there is a target market for your products and services, how large the target market is, and identifying the demographics of people or businesses that would be interested in the product or service. The goal here is to establish how much money your business concept can make.

Product and Service Demand

A search engine is your best friend when trying to figure out if there is demand for your products and services. Personally, I love using presearch.org because it lets you directly search on a ton of different platforms including Google, Youtube, Twitter, and more. Check out the screenshot for the full list of search options.

With quick web searches, you can find out how many competitors you have, look through their reviews, and see if there are common complaints about the competitors. Bad reviews are a great place to find opportunities to offer better products or services. 

If there are no similar products or services, you may have stumbled upon something new, or there may just be no demand for it. To find out, go talk to your most honest friend about the idea and see what they think. If they tell you it’s dumb or stare at you vacantly, there’s probably no market for it.

You can also conduct a survey through social media to get public opinion on your idea. Using Facebook Business Manager , you could get a feel for who would be interested in your product or service.

 I ran a quick test of how many people between 18-65  you could reach in the U.S. during a week. It returned an estimated 700-2,000 for the total number of leads, which is enough to do a fairly accurate statistical analysis.

Identify Demographics of Target Market

Depending on what type of business you want to run, your target market will be different. The narrower the demographic, the fewer potential customers you’ll have. If you did a survey, you’ll be able to use that data to help define your target audience. Some considerations you’ll want to consider are:

• Other Interests
• Marital Status
• Do they have kids?

Once you have this information, it can help you narrow down your options for location and help define your marketing further. One resource that Mike recommended using is the Census Bureau’s Quick Facts Map . He told us,  

“It helps you quickly evaluate what the best areas are for your business to be located.”

How to Write a Business Plan

Now that you’ve developed your idea a little and established there is a market for it, you can begin writing a business plan. Getting started is easier with the business plan template we created for you to download. I strongly recommend using it as it is updated to make it easier to create an action plan. 

Each of the following should be a section of your business plan:

• Business Plan Cover Page
• Table of Contents
• Executive Summary
• Company Description
• Description of Products and Services

SWOT Analysis

• Competitor Data
• Competitive Analysis
• Marketing Expenses Strategy 

Pricing Strategy

• Distribution Channel Assessment
• Operational Plan
• Management and Organizational Strategy
• Financial Statements and/or Financial Projections

We’ll look into each of these. Don’t forget to download our free business plan template (mentioned just above) so you can follow along as we go. 

How to Write a Business Plan Step 1. Create a Cover Page

The first thing investors will see is the cover page for your business plan. Make sure it looks professional. A great cover page shows that you think about first impressions.

A good business plan should have the following elements on a cover page:

• Professionally designed logo
• Company name
• Mission or Vision Statement
• Contact Info

Basically, think of a cover page for your business plan like a giant business card. It is meant to capture people’s attention but be quickly processed.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 2. Create a Table of Contents

Most people are busy enough that they don’t have a lot of time. Providing a table of contents makes it easy for them to find the pages of your plan that are meaningful to them.

A table of contents will be immediately after the cover page, but you can include it after the executive summary. Including the table of contents immediately after the executive summary will help investors know what section of your business plan they want to review more thoroughly.

Check out Canva’s article about creating a  table of contents . It has a ton of great information about creating easy access to each section of your business plan. Just remember that you’ll want to use different strategies for digital and hard copy business plans.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 3. Write an Executive Summary

An executive summary is where your business plan should catch the readers interest.  It doesn’t need to be long, but should be quick and easy to read.

Mike told us,

How long should an executive summary bein an informal business plan?

For casual use, an executive summary should be similar to an elevator pitch, no more than 150-160 words, just enough to get them interested and wanting more. Indeed has a great article on elevator pitches .  This can also be used for the content of emails to get readers’ attention.

It consists of three basic parts:

• An introduction to you and your business.
• What your business is about.
• A call to action

Example of an informal executive summary 

One of the best elevator pitches I’ve used is:

So far that pitch has achieved a 100% success rate in getting partnerships for the business.

What should I include in an executive summary for investors?

Investors are going to need a more detailed executive summary if you want to secure financing or sell equity. The executive summary should be a brief overview of your entire business plan and include:

• Introduction of yourself and company.
• An origin story (Recognition of a problem and how you came to solution)
• An introduction to your products or services.
• Your unique value proposition. Make sure to include intellectual property.
• Where you are in the business life cycle
• Request and why you need it.

Successful business plan examples

The owner of Urbanity told us he spent 2 months writing a 75-page business plan and received a $250,000 loan from the bank when he was 23. Make your business plan as detailed as possible when looking for financing. We’ve provided a template to help you prepare the portions of a business plan that banks expect.

Here’s the interview with the owner of Urbanity:

When to write an executive summary?

Even though the summary is near the beginning of a business plan, you should write it after you complete the rest of a business plan. You can’t talk about revenue, profits, and expected expenditures if you haven’t done the market research and created a financial plan.

What mistakes do people make when writing an executive summary?

Business owners commonly go into too much detail about the following items in an executive summary:

• Marketing and sales processes
• Financial statements
• Organizational structure
• Market analysis

These are things that people will want to know later, but they don’t hook the reader. They won’t spark interest in your small business, but they’ll close the deal.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 4. Company Description

Every business plan should include a company description. A great business plan will include the following elements while describing the company:

• Mission statement
• Philosophy and vision
• Company goals

Target market

• Legal structure

Let’s take a look at what each section includes in a good business plan.

Mission Statement

A mission statement is a brief explanation of why you started the company and what the company’s main focus is. It should be no more than one or two sentences. Check out HubSpot’s article 27 Inspiring Mission Statement for a great read on informative and inspiring mission and vision statements. 

Company Philosophy and Vision

The company philosophy is what drives your company. You’ll normally hear them called core values.  These are the building blocks that make your company different. You want to communicate your values to customers, business owners, and investors as often as possible to build a company culture, but make sure to back them up.

What makes your company different?

Each company is different. Your new business should rise above the standard company lines of honesty, integrity, fun, innovation, and community when communicating your business values. The standard answers are corporate jargon and lack authenticity. 

Examples of core values

One of my clients decided to add a core values page to their website. As a tech company they emphasized the values:

•  Prioritize communication.
•  Never stop learning.
•  Be transparent.
•  Start small and grow incrementally.

These values communicate how the owner and the rest of the company operate. They also show a value proposition and competitive advantage because they specifically focus on delivering business value from the start. These values also genuinely show what the company is about and customers recognize the sincerity. Indeed has a great blog about how to identify your core values .

What is a vision statement?

A vision statement communicate the long lasting change a business pursues. The vision helps investors and customers understand what your company is trying to accomplish. The vision statement goes beyond a mission statement to provide something meaningful to the community, customer’s lives, or even the world.

Example vision statements

The Alzheimer’s Association is a great example of a vision statement:

A world without Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementia.

It clearly tells how they want to change the world. A world without Alzheimers might be unachievable, but that means they always have room for improvement.

Business Goals

You have to measure success against goals for a business plan to be meaningful. A business plan helps guide a company similar to how your GPS provides a road map to your favorite travel destination. A goal to make as much money as possible is not inspirational and sounds greedy.

Sure, business owners want to increase their profits and improve customer service, but they need to present an overview of what they consider success. The goals should help everyone prioritize their work.

How far in advance should a business plan?

Business planning should be done at least one year in advance, but many banks and investors prefer three to five year business plans. Longer plans show investors that the management team  understands the market and knows the business is operating in a constantly shifting market. In addition, a plan helps businesses to adjust to changes because they have already considered how to handle them.

Example of great business goals

My all time-favorite long-term company goals are included in Tesla’s Master Plan, Part Deux . These goals were written in 2016 and drive the company’s decisions through 2026. They are the reason that investors are so forgiving when Elon Musk continually fails to meet his quarterly and annual goals.

If the progress aligns with the business plan investors are likely to continue to believe in the company. Just make sure the goals are reasonable or you’ll be discredited (unless you’re Elon Musk).

You did target market research before creating a business plan. Now it’s time to add it to the plan so others understand what your ideal customer looks like. As a new business owner, you may not be considered an expert in your field yet, so document everything. Make sure the references you use are from respectable sources. 

Use information from the specific lender when you are applying for lending. Most lenders provide industry research reports and using their data can strengthen the position of your business plan.

A small business plan should include a section on the external environment. Understanding the industry is crucial because we don’t plan a business in a vacuum. Make sure to research the industry trends, competitors, and forecasts. I personally prefer IBIS World for my business research. Make sure to answer questions like:

• What is the industry outlook long-term and short-term?
• How will your business take advantage of projected industry changes and trends?
• What might happen to your competitors and how will your business successfully compete?

Industry resources

Some helpful resources to help you establish more about your industry are:

• Trade Associations
• Federal Reserve
• Bureau of Labor Statistics

Legal Structure

There are five basic types of legal structures that most people will utilize:

• Sole proprietorships
• Limited Liability Companies (LLC)

Partnerships

Corporations.

• Franchises.

Each business structure has their pros and cons. An LLC is the most common legal structure due to its protection of personal assets and ease of setting up. Make sure to specify how ownership is divided and what roles each owner plays when you have more than one business owner.

You’ll have to decide which structure is best for you, but we’ve gathered information on each to make it easier.

Sole Proprietorship

A sole proprietorship is the easiest legal structure to set up but doesn’t protect the owner’s personal assets from legal issues. That means if something goes wrong, you could lose both your company and your home.

To start a sole proprietorship, fill out a special tax form called a  Schedule C . Sole proprietors can also join the American Independent Business Alliance .

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

An LLC is the most common business structure used in the United States because an LLC protects the owner’s personal assets. It’s similar to partnerships and corporations, but can be a single-member LLC in most states. An LLC requires a document called an operating agreement.

Each state has different requirements. Here’s a link to find your state’s requirements . Delaware and Nevada are common states to file an LLC because they are really business-friendly. Here’s a blog on the top 10 states to get an LLC.

Partnerships are typically for legal firms. If you choose to use a partnership choose a Limited Liability Partnership. Alternatively, you can just use an LLC.

Corporations are typically for massive organizations. Corporations have taxes on both corporate and income tax so unless you plan on selling stock, you are better off considering an LLC with S-Corp status . Investopedia has good information corporations here .

There are several opportunities to purchase successful franchises. TopFranchise.com has a list of companies in a variety of industries that offer franchise opportunities. This makes it where an entrepreneur can benefit from the reputation of an established business that has already worked out many of the kinks of starting from scratch.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 5. Products and Services

This section of the business plan should focus on what you sell, how you source it, and how you sell it. You should include:

• Unique features that differentiate your business products from competitors
• Intellectual property
• Your supply chain
• Cost and pricing structure 

Questions to answer about your products and services

Mike gave us a list  of the most important questions to answer about your product and services:

• How will you be selling the product? (in person, ecommerce, wholesale, direct to consumer)?
• How do you let them know they need a product?
• How do you communicate the message?
• How will you do transactions?
• How much will you be selling it for?
• How many do you think you’ll sell and why?

Make sure to use the worksheet on our business plan template .

How to Write a Business Plan Step 6. Sales and Marketing Plan

The marketing and sales plan is focused on the strategy to bring awareness to your company and guides how you will get the product to the consumer.  It should contain the following sections:

SWOT Analysis stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Not only do you want to identify them, but you also want to document how the business plans to deal with them.

Business owners need to do a thorough job documenting how their service or product stacks up against the competition.

If proper research isn’t done, investors will be able to tell that the owner hasn’t researched the competition and is less likely to believe that the team can protect its service from threats by the more well-established competition. This is one of the most common parts of a presentation that trips up business owners presenting on Shark Tank .

SWOT Examples

Examples of strengths and weaknesses could be things like the lack of cash flow, intellectual property ownership, high costs of suppliers, and customers’ expectations on shipping times.

Opportunities could be ways to capitalize on your strengths or improve your weaknesses, but may also be gaps in the industry. This includes:

• Adding offerings that fit with your current small business
• Increase sales to current customers
• Reducing costs through bulk ordering
• Finding ways to reduce inventory
•  And other areas you can improve

Threats will normally come from outside of the company but could also be things like losing a key member of the team. Threats normally come from competition, regulations, taxes, and unforeseen events.

The management team should use the SWOT analysis to guide other areas of business planning, but it absolutely has to be done before a business owner starts marketing. 

Include Competitor Data in Your Business Plan

When you plan a business, taking into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of the competition is key to navigating the field. Providing an overview of your competition and where they are headed shows that you are invested in understanding the industry.

For smaller businesses, you’ll want to search both the company and the owners names to see what they are working on. For publicly held corporations, you can find their quarterly and annual reports on the SEC website .

What another business plans to do can impact your business. Make sure to include things that might make it attractive for bigger companies to outsource to a small business.

Marketing Strategy

The marketing and sales part of business plans should be focused on how you are going to make potential customers aware of your business and then sell to them.

If you haven’t already included it, Mike recommends:

“They’ll want to know about Demographics, ages, and wealth of your target market.”

Make sure to include the Total addressable market .  The term refers to the value if you captured 100% of the market.

Advertising Strategy

You’ll explain what formats of advertising you’ll be using. Some possibilities are:

• Online: Facebook and Google are the big names to work with here.
• Print : Print can be used to reach broad groups or targeted markets. Check out this for tips .
• Radio : iHeartMedia is one of the best ways to advertise on the radio
• Cable television : High priced, hard to measure ROI, but here’s an explanation of the process
• Billboards: Attracting customers with billboards can be beneficial in high traffic areas.

You’ll want to define how you’ll be using each including frequency, duration, and cost. If you have the materials already created, including pictures or links to the marketing to show creative assets.

Mike told us “Most businesses are marketing digitally now due to Covid, but that’s not always the right answer.”

Make sure the marketing strategy will help team members or external marketing agencies stay within the brand guidelines .

This section of a business plan should be focused on pricing. There are a ton of pricing strategies that may work for different business plans. Which one will work for you depends on what kind of a business you run.

Some common pricing strategies are:

• Value-based pricing – Commonly used with home buying and selling or other products that are status symbols.
• Skimming pricing – Commonly seen in video game consoles, price starts off high to recoup expenses quickly, then reduces over time.
• Competition-based pricing – Pricing based on competitors’ pricing is commonly seen at gas stations.
• Freemium services –  Commonly used for software, where there is a free plan, then purchase options for more functionality.

HubSpot has a great calculator and blog on pricing strategies.

Beyond explaining what strategy your business plans to use, you should include references for how you came to this pricing strategy and how it will impact your cash flow.

Distribution Plan

This part of a business plan is focused on how the product or service is going to go through the supply chain. These may include multiple divisions or multiple companies. Make sure to include any parts of the workflow that are automated so investors can see where cost savings are expected and when.

Supply Chain Examples

For instance, lawn care companies  would need to cover aspects such as:

• Suppliers for lawn care equipment and tools
• Any chemicals or treatments needed
• Repair parts for sprinkler systems
• Vehicles to transport equipment and employees
• Insurance to protect the company vehicles and people.

Examples of Supply Chains

These are fairly flat supply chains compared to something like a clothing designer where the clothes would go through multiple vendors. A clothing company might have the following supply chain:

• Raw materials
• Shipping of raw materials
• Converting of raw materials to thread
• Shipping thread to produce garments
• Garment producer
• Shipping to company
• Company storage
• Shipping to retail stores

There have been advances such as print on demand that eliminate many of these steps. If you are designing completely custom clothing, all of this would need to be planned to keep from having business disruptions.

The main thing to include in the business plan is the list of suppliers, the path the supply chain follows, the time from order to the customer’s home, and the costs associated with each step of the process.

According to BizPlanReview , a business plan without this information is likely to get rejected because they have failed to research the key elements necessary to make sales to the customer.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 7. Company Organization and Operational Plan

This part of the business plan is focused on how the business model will function while serving customers.  The business plan should provide an overview of  how the team will manage the following aspects:

Quality Control

• Legal environment

Let’s look at each for some insight.

Production has already been discussed in previous sections so I won’t go into it much. When writing a business plan for investors, try to avoid repetition as it creates a more simple business plan.

If the organizational plan will be used by the team as an overview of how to perform the best services for the customer, then redundancy makes more sense as it communicates what is important to the business.

Quality control policies help to keep the team focused on how to verify that the company adheres to the business plan and meets or exceeds customer expectations.

Quality control can be anything from a standard that says “all labels on shirts can be no more than 1/16″ off center” to a defined checklist of steps that should be performed and filled out for every customer.

There are a variety of organizations that help define quality control including:

• International Organization for Standardization – Quality standards for energy, technology, food, production environments, and cybersecurity
• AICPA – Standard defined for accounting.
• The Joint Commission – Healthcare
• ASHRAE – HVAC best practices

You can find lists of the organizations that contribute most to the government regulation of industries on Open Secrets . Research what the leaders in your field are doing. Follow their example and implement it in your quality control plan.

For location, you should use information from the market research to establish where the location will be. Make sure to include the following in the location documentation.

• The size of your location
• The type of building (retail, industrial, commercial, etc.)
• Zoning restrictions – Urban Wire has a good map on how zoning works in each state
• Accessibility – Does it meet ADA requirements?
• Costs including rent, maintenance, utilities, insurance and any buildout or remodeling costs
• Utilities – b.e.f. has a good energy calculator .

Legal Environment

The legal requirement section is focused on defining how to meet the legal requirements for your industry. A good business plan should include all of the following:

• Any licenses and/or permits that are needed and whether you’ve obtained them
• Any trademarks, copyrights, or patents that you have or are in the process of applying for
• The insurance coverage your business requires and how much it costs
• Any environmental, health, or workplace regulations affecting your business
• Any special regulations affecting your industry
• Bonding requirements, if applicable

Your local SBA office can help you establish requirements in your area. I strongly recommend using them. They are a great resource.

Your business plan should include a plan for company organization and hiring. While you may be the only person with the company right now, down the road you’ll need more people. Make sure to consider and document the answers to the following questions:

• What is the current leadership structure and what will it look like in the future?
• What types of employees will you have? Are there any licensing or educational requirements?
• How many employees will you need?
• Will you ever hire freelancers or independent contractors?
• What is each position’s job description?
• What is the pay structure (hourly, salaried, base plus commission, etc.)?
• How do you plan to find qualified employees and contractors?

One of the most crucial parts of a business plan is the organizational chart. This simply shows the positions the company will need, who is in charge of them and the relationship of each of them. It will look similar to this:

Our small business plan template has a much more in-depth organizational chart you can edit to include when you include the organizational chart in your business plan.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 8. Financial Statements 

No business plan is complete without financial statements or financial projections. The business plan format will be different based on whether you are writing a business plan to expand a business or a startup business plan. Let’s dig deeper into each.

Provide All Financial Income from an Existing Business

An existing business should use their past financial documents including the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement to find trends to estimate the next 3-5 years.

You can create easy trendlines in excel to predict future revenue, profit and loss, cash flow, and other changes in year-over-year performance. This will show your expected performance assuming business continues as normal.

If you are seeking an investment, then the business is probably not going to continue as normal. Depending on the financial plan and the purpose of getting financing, adjustments may be needed to the following:

• Higher Revenue if expanding business
• Lower Cost of Goods Sold if purchasing inventory with bulk discounts
• Adding interest if utilizing financing (not equity deal)
• Changes in expenses
• Addition of financing information to the cash flow statement
• Changes in Earnings per Share on the balance sheet

Financial modeling is a challenging subject, but there are plenty of low-cost courses on the subject. If you need help planning your business financial documentation take some time to watch some of them.

Make it a point to document how you calculated all the changes to the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement in your business plan so that key team members or investors can verify your research.

Financial Projections For A Startup Business Plan

Unlike an existing business, a startup doesn’t have previous success to model its future performance. In this scenario, you need to focus on how to make a business plan realistic through the use of industry research and averages.

Mike gave the following advice in his interview:

Financial Forecasting Mistakes

One of the things a lot of inexperienced people use is the argument, “If I get one percent of the market, it is worth $100 million.” If you use this, investors are likely to file the document under bad business plan examples.

Let’s use custom t-shirts as an example.

Credence Research estimated in 2018 there were 11,334,800,000 custom t-shirts sold for a total of $206.12 Billion, with a 6% compound annual growth rate.

With that data,  you can calculate that the industry will grow to $270 Billion in 2023 and that the average shirt sold creates $18.18 in revenue.

Combine that with an IBIS World estimate of 11,094 custom screen printers and that means even if you become an average seller, you’ll get .009% of the market.

Here’s a table for easier viewing of that information.

The point here is to make sure your business proposal examples make sense.

You’ll need to know industry averages such as cost of customer acquisition, revenue per customer, the average cost of goods sold, and admin costs to be able to create accurate estimates.

Our simple business plan templates walk you through most of these processes. If you follow them you’ll have a good idea of how to write a business proposal.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 9. Business Plan Example of Funding Requests

What is a business plan without a plan on how to obtain funding?

The Small Business Administration has an example for a pizza restaurant that theoretically needed nearly $20k to make it through their first month.

In our video, How to Start a $500K/Year T-Shirt Business (Pt. 1 ), Sanford Booth told us he needed about $200,000 to start his franchise and broke even after 4 months.

Freshbooks estimates it takes on average 2-3 years for a business to be profitable, which means the fictitious pizza company from the SBA could need up to $330k to make it through that time and still pay their bills for their home and pizza shop.

Not every business needs that much to start, but realistically it’s a good idea to assume that you need a fairly large cushion.

Ways to get funding for a small business

There are a variety of ways to cover this. the most common are:

• Bootstrapping – Using your savings without external funding.
• Taking out debt – loans, credit cards
• Equity, Seed Funding – Ownership of a percentage of the company in exchange for current funds
• Crowdsourcing – Promising a good for funding to create the product

Keep reading for more tips on how to write a business plan.

How funding will be used

When asking for business financing make sure to include:

• How much to get started?
• What is the minimum viable product and how soon can you make money?
• How will the money be spent?

Mike emphasized two aspects that should be included in every plan, 

How to Write a Business Plan Resources

Here are some links to a business plan sample and business plan outline. 

• Sample plan

It’s also helpful to follow some of the leading influencers in the business plan writing community. Here’s a list:

• Wise Plans –  Shares a lot of information on starting businesses and is a business plan writing company.
• Optimus Business Plans –  Another business plan writing company.
• Venture Capital – A venture capital thread that can help give you ideas.

How to Write a Business Plan: What’s Next?

We hope this guide about how to write a simple business plan step by step has been helpful. We’ve covered:

• The definition of a business plan
• Coming up with a business idea
• Performing market research
• The critical components of a business plan
• An example business plan

In addition, we provided you with a simple business plan template to assist you in the process of writing your startup business plan. The startup business plan template also includes a business model template that will be the key to your success.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of our business hub .

Have you written a business plan before? How did it impact your ability to achieve your goals?

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Writing a Business Proposal That Wins Deals (+Templates)

Learn how to write a business proposal that stands out, impresses buyers & seals more deals. Learn how to prepare and what to include in your proposal.

5 minute read

helped business professionals at:

Short answer

What to include in a business proposal

• Personal message / Cover letter
• Table of contents
• Executive summary
• Overview of your company and product or service
• Deliverables
• Outcomes, benefits, and ROI (if applicable)
• Social proof
• Case studies
• Terms and conditions
• Agreement (e-signature)

Read on to get practical details for each slide ⤵

What is a business proposal?

A business proposal is a presentation or PDF that details a product, service, or project to a prospective client. It is used near the end of the sales process and covers the prospect’s needs and objectives, and the provider’s solution, pricing, and expected outcomes.

A successful business proposal ends with the prospective client accepting and signing the document.

PDF is traditionally the go-to format for business proposals.

But in recent years, and increasingly with the rise of AI, leading sales teams and professionals are transitioning from static PDFs to interactive proposals that give prospects more freedom for customization , and increase the likelihood they’ll accept and sign the document.

Types of business proposals

Business proposals broadly fall under 3 types:

1) Service provider business proposal

Service proposals cover services given over time such as cleaning, security, gardening, IT, staffing, and management.

Service proposals normally include start and termination dates for the service, rather than timelines and milestones, and focus on deliverables rather than KPIs.

2) Product business proposal

Product business proposals cover a product or solution. It’s commonly used by B2B SaaS companies in high-tech or manufacturers that supply parts or raw materials to other companies.

This type of business proposal can focus on KPIs and ROI in the case of SaaS, or on delivered quantities and qualities in the case of manufacturers.

This is not to be confused with a product proposal given to stakeholders and decision-makers before product development or a product launch.

3) Project business proposal

A business proposal for a project covers a service, a deliverable provided once, and limited in time. This type of proposal is used by providers such as consulting agencies, construction companies, engineering firms, legal firms, and website development companies.

Project business proposals focus on timetables, milestones, and the project’s impact as measured in KPIs and ROI.

These are not to be confused with project proposals made outside the sales context . Such project proposals are used internally (or externally as part of a broader service) to get the buy-in and backing of stakeholders and decision-makers.

This type of project proposal is closer to a project plan than a business proposal.

Solicited vs. unsolicited business proposal

Unsolicited.

These business proposals are used as part of early prospecting to generate leads and MQLs. These are essentially the same as sales prospecting decks .

Solicited informally as part of the sales process

These proposals, sometimes called sales proposals , are used after one or more sales meetings have occurred and only after the prospect has shown interest in buying. This is what most people refer to when saying “business proposal”.

Solicited formally as a response to an RFP (Request for Proposal)

An RFP response is sent only when an RFP is issued for a service or solution you provide. Often the RFP will have particular requirements and a specific structure and format for application.

What does a business proposal look like?

The standard format for a business proposal is PDF. Proposals are often designed to be asthetically pleasing and more inviting than a text-only document.

But in recent years leading sales teams are moving away from PDFs to interactive digital proposals. These new digital formats help them differentiate from the competition, and provide valuable engagement analytics, support engagement, and increase close rates.

Here’s an interactive proposal example by Storydoc:

How to write a business proposal slide by slide

To compose a highly effective business proposal you’ll need to differentiate your value proposition, address key selling points, manage expectations, and involve all critical stakeholders.

By the end of this guide, you’ll know how to make world-leading business proposals, surpass your competitors in every way, and get more deals over the finish line.

This guide is a broad guide. However, different industries require different proposals with different focuses and different slides. And so, below you’ll find links to our specialized proposal writing guides for whichever your niche or use case may be.

Proposal writing guides for specific use cases:

TIP: Write your proposal quickly. Writing effective business proposals quickly is essential for closing deals. Proposals don’t have to be perfect, but they need to be timely to keep the prospect engaged and avoid ghosting.

The title slide is like a shop window. It’s your prospect’s expectations for what’s inside. It should be visually appealing, but that’s not enough.

To get a headstart over your competitors with your proposal title slide it needs to capture the essence of your value proposition, establish relevancy, and create intrigue.

Easier said than done. But definitely doable.

How to make a business proposal title slide that sets you apart?

To nail your cover slide, and stand out from other proposals competing for their business do the following:

• Include a short version of your unique sales proposition in the title and tagline.
• Include the prospective client’s company name and other information specific to them in the title or tagline.
• Include their company logo beside yours.
• Include the sender’s and the recipient's names.
• Include relevant imagery
• Include the expected reading time (to set their effort expectations)
• Include some form of motion, like animation or video to grab attention (but don’t make it too distracting).

2) Personal note or Cover letter

A personal note or cover letter is an introduction that eases the reader into the proposal. It establishes the basic context needed to start reading.

Your cover letter should be kept conversational and short. Don’t make it too cold and formal, and don’t make it a form of an executive summary, just make the connection to past meetings, voiced expectations, and people involved.

TIP: It’s good practice to put a face to the note, to make it warmer and personal (like in the example below).

3) Table of contents

It’s important to add a table of contents to your proposal for 3 reasons:

• It manages the prospect’s expectations and lets them quickly see if everything they expect is in the doc.
• It helps the prospect assess the effort it would take to review the proposal.
• It allows prospects and decision-makers to access deep content easily and quickly, in their first or subsequent reviews.

TIP: Adding jump-links will provide you with click data on which slides prospects found most important. With this info, you could follow up with them knowing exactly what issues to address.

4) Executive summary

An executive summary in a business proposal should be kept very short and easy to scan using bullet points, ordered lists, short texts, and preferably a video (if you’re using interactive proposal formats).

It is NOT a long and text-heavy intro like you find in reports or research papers.

What to include in a business proposal executive summary?

• Your company and expertise
• Key selling points (the client’s imminent needs)
• The impact of your product or service
• What you intend to do and provide (game plan outline)

TIP: Using a slide template like in the example below you could embed a video about your business, product, service, and expertise, and reduce the text needed to deliver your message.

5) Challenges

The challenges slide, sometimes called the problem slide , is a short yet ultra-specific description of the problem or challenges that plague your prospect and that your solution aims to solve.

Since your prospect knows their own pains, there is no need to explain them in length. Simply describe their pain points in titles using their own words from past meetings and correspondence.

In the example below we used a simple “card” format to list the main challenge.

6) Objectives

The objectives slide lists the desired outcomes gained from procuring your service or product. This is essentially the mirror image of the client’s challenges.

Use the prospect’s own words to articulate their objectives, same as I advised for describing their challenges. This would make them more relatable and compelling.

7) Product or service overview

Your service or product overview slide should explain what your solution doe s, a bit about how it does it, and what makes it uniquely valuable.

Make an effort to focus your overview on how your solution addresses the client’s main problem , important features or deliverables, and especially the impact it brings.

This slide is best done with a mix of video and text, where the video gives a broad overview and the text is tailored to the specific prospect and their concerns.

How to create an effective business proposal solution slide?

Ensure your value proposition clearly solves the client's business challenge.

• Highlight unique aspects of your solution that address the client's specific needs.
• Address any potential gaps in your products and services proactively.
• List potential risks and discuss them with the client before they become issues.
• Develop contingency plans for each identified risk and demonstrate your preparedness.
• Incorporate visual aids to enhance understanding and retention. Support your text with interactive graphs and charts , videos, infographics, annotations, and images.
• Cater to different learning styles by using multimedia content, like video, scrollytelling , and data visualization .
• There is no one way to make this slide. Depending on the level of complexity and the number of challenges you want to address you can use tabs, cards, a list of items, or a narrator slide .

8) Deliverables

The deliverables slide includes services beyond and around the main solution, like onboarding, training, integration, design, customer support, dashboards, documentation, audits, hardware supplied, etc.

How to make and present a business proposal solution slide?

When creating this slide:

• Provide a brief list of the specific services you will provide.
• Explain how these services will be delivered (step-by-step).

This will remove uncertainty and unwanted surprises. It will give the client the confidence to move forward and help you justify pricing.

When presenting this slide:

• Discuss the timeline with the client during the proposal presentation to ensure alignment.
• Explain how communication will be handled.

This will help to align the client’s expectations for response times and meeting schedules with what you are willing to do.

Importantly, be cautious about offering too much access using direct messaging to avoid constant interruptions.

9) Outcomes, benefits, and ROI

This slide includes the outcomes the client is expected to get by procuring your product or service. The most compelling outcomes are measurable impacts on the client’s KPIs or support them directly.

Measurable outcomes demonstrate your accountability, which builds the client’s trust in your ability to deliver.

How to make a business proposal outcomes slide?

• Clearly define how success will be measured using specific KPIs.
• Agree on these KPIs during the initial conversation with the prospect.
• Ensure KPIs are easy to understand and directly tied to the proposal objectives.

10) The team

The team slide puts faces to the service you provide. This slide introduces the specific team within the company that will take care of the client and work with them closely to achieve their objectives.

People trust and appreciate the individuals they collaborate with more than a faceless organization. This gives the prospect a sense of connection which could reduce their focus on price.

How to create a business proposal team slide?

• Include a quality image of 2-4 key team members with a friendly expression.
• Assign each team member a short professional description with their job title, responsibilities, and past success.
• Connect each team member to their LinkedIn profile to allow the prospect to learn more.

11) Social Proof

Social proof is a standard for almost any type of persuasive document. A social proof slide can include video testimonials, client review quotes, client logos, trust badges, and awards.

Limit yourself to the minimum needed to show trustworthiness, authority, and capability.

Make sure your social proof closely resembles your prospect’s challenges, niche, and circumstances. The more your prospects recognize themselves in your quotes and testimonials the more persuasive it will be.

12) Case study

Case studies, sometimes called customer success stories , serve as proof of your competence and capability to deliver on what you promise.

Most prospects will want to want to see proof of past success with a client like them, with the same needs and challenges.

The example slide template below has a snapshot of the case study in text and a testimonial video (placeholder). You can cater to prospects who prefer to read as well as those who prefer to listen.

How to make a case study slide?

• Include 1 -3 links to your most relevant case studies.
• Assign a short teaser text for each case study to help the reader quickly understand what each case study is about.

Use your best-known logos, but not at the expense of relevancy.

Use tabs to minimize the space needed to present the case studies

13) Pricing

The pricing slide can either show your pricing plan options , in case of a SaaS product business proposal or show the breakdown of the services and deliverables provided , in case of a service proposal.

Both options allow the client visibility into the investments and their corresponding impact. But it also gives them control over the deal at a more granular level.

This minimizes frustration over unexpected costs or missing deliverables they expected to get which were not included in the deal.

How to build an effective business proposal pricing slide?

• Present the prices along with their potential ROI and non-monetary benefits.
• Emphasize the value and outcomes to shift the client’s focus from cost to investment.
• Allow the prospect to actively select the plan they want or check each individual service they require to give them a sense of control and ownership over their decision.

14) Terms and conditions

This section is a binding legal document that lists the terms of the agreement and the compensation each side should receive.

This is for your legal team to determine.

Things to ensure in your terms and conditions:

• Include a summary of the engagement duration and termination terms.
• Clearly state the compensation details and payment schedule.
• Break down payments into phases and ensure you get paid before starting work, even if it’s a partial deposit.

15) Agreement and e-signature

This is the part all your efforts have been leading up to. All you need is the beautiful signature in the box that seals the deal.

Don’t use a static PDF as your business proposal format if you can avoid it, since it makes this part more difficult and may trip you at the finish line.

Use modern digital proposal software that allows you to embed an e-signature box right in your proposal. And better yet, software that syncs with your CRM and automatically updates the lead status.

16) Next steps

The next steps slide is where you tell your client what will be the next immediate mutual action items after accepting the deal.

The plan for moving forward should be clear, concrete, and involve specific people.

How to create an effective next steps slide?

• Schedule follow-up meetings or calls to discuss the proposal further.
• Help the client visualize the process to reduce friction in their decision-making.
• Embed your live calendar app in the proposal to make it super easy for the prospect to book the next meeting with you.

17) Contact

Provide your contact information so your contact or any decision maker within the client’s organization can communicate with you to ask questions, get more information, or update you on progress.

Business proposal templates that get the deal

To help you speed up your proposal writing I brought you some of our best business proposal templates .

These interactive templates are easily customizable and completely reusable.

They were built and optimized based on what we’ve constantly seen work best for Storydoc clients.

Stroydoc can be integrated with your CRM so these templates can be automatically personalized and sent to the prospect from your sales platform with a click.

Before writing your proposal: how to prepare

1) Collect the critical information to customize your proposal to the client’s specific needs and circumstances. But don’t stop there - seek their feedback to refine the proposal (don’t assume you got it right in the first draft).

2) Make sure you understand the prospect’s decision-making process and criteria. Ask the prospect and try to identify all key stakeholders, decision-makers, and other obstacles involved in the process.

3) Get the client's expectations for the next steps and timelines . Discuss expected timelines with prospects and clarify the steps that will occur after accepting the proposal.

4) Get verbal agreement from the prospect before writing your proposal.

This bit is critical! Only write your proposal after discussing the main points of a possible deal with the prospect and getting their agreement. This will avoid nasty surprises and misunderstandings.

After writing your proposal: presenting to the client

Writing your business proposal is the hard part. But you have to present it effectively to finish the job.

DO NOT SEND YOUR PROPOSAL BY MAIL.

When you send your proposal over email you lose control over the conversation. So always schedule a call to walk the client through the proposal instead of emailing it.

Doing a live walkthrough with the client lets you handle objections, clarify details, and address concerns in real-time.

This is critical for avoiding confusion, doubts, or clients focusing solely on the price.

After presenting your proposal you can send it by email for further review by other decision makers.

NOTE: Do your best to prevent your prospects from printing out your proposal. A 2020 study found that once someone prints your proposal, your chances of landing the deal shrink by 84%!

Another benefit of using digital proposals is that you get engagement analytics that gives you visibility into who inside the client’s organization read the proposal, how long, which slides they focused on, and who they shared it with.

After presenting your proposal

• Plan your negotiation strategy - determine your best and worst-case scenarios for negotiations. Decide on your objectives and what you're willing to compromise on.
• Maintain your influence with follow-up interactions - Schedule a follow-up meeting immediately after presenting the proposal to discuss the proposal and next steps. Also regularly share knowledge and insights to keep the client engaged post-proposal.
• Prepare to handle client queries and requests - Clear proposals lead to more specific questions from prospects. Be ready to provide additional information if requested by the client.

As the Head of Marketing, I lead Storydoc’s amazing content-ops team in our fight to eradicate Death-by-PowerPoint wherever it resides. My mission is to enable decision-making by removing the affliction of bad content from the inboxes of businesses and individuals worldwide.

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How to Write a Business Proposal in 7 Steps

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Whether you’re a B2B or a B2C company, you’re in the business of convincing customers to choose to spend their money with your business. For a B2B company that process usually involves a business proposal. In the B2B industry, once you've attracted new customers, which are most likely other businesses, you have to actually make a deal. Unlike B2C companies, who use marketing strategies and then hope their customers respond and purchase their product and service, there's a little more involved in this exchange. That's where your business proposal will come into the picture.

Luckily, even though your process and the exact format for your business proposal can be unique to your company, there is also a general formula you can follow to make things easier, especially the first few times you write a proposal.

In this guide, we'll walk you through the general steps of how to write a business proposal—including how to decide what kind of proposal you're writing, how you should organize it, and what information you should include.

How to write a b usiness proposal: 7 essential steps to follow

With these starting points in mind, let's get down to the process. Whether you’re just learning how to write a business proposal, or want to change up the one you’ve already been using, you’ll want to break down writing into a step-by-step approach. The organization is key when you’re writing a business proposal—structure will not only help you answer the core questions mentioned above, but it’ll also help you create consistent, successful proposals every time you’re pitching new business.

This being said, when writing a business proposal, you can break down the document into these sections:

Introduction

Table of contents

Executive summary

Project details

Deliverables and milestones

Bonus: Appendix (if necessary)

Step 1: Introduction

The introduction to your business proposal should provide your client with a succinct overview of what your company does (similar to the company overview in your business plan). It should also include what sets your company apart from its peers, and why it’s particularly well-suited to be the selected vendor to undertake a job—whether the assignment is a singular arrangement or an ongoing relationship.

The most effective business proposal introductions accomplish more with less: It’s important to be comprehensive without being overly wordy. You'll want to resist the temptation to share every detail about your company’s history and lines of business, and don’t feel the need to outline every detail of your proposal. You'll want to keep the introduction section to one page or shorter.

Step 2: Table of contents

Once you've introduced your business and why you're the right fit for the client you're submitting the proposal to (a quasi-cover letter), you'll want to next create a table of contents. Like any typical table of contents, this section will simply outline what the client can expect to find in the remainder of the proposal. You'll include all of the sections that we'll cover below, simply laid out as we just did above.

If you're sending an electronic proposal, you may want to make the table of contents clickable so the client can easily jump from section to section by clicking the links within the actual table of contents.

Step 3: Executive summary

Next, your business proposal should always include an executive summary that frames out answers to the who, what, where, when, why, and how questions that you’re proposing to the client lead. Here, the client will understand that you understand them.

It's important to note that despite the word "summary," this section shouldn't be a summary of your whole business proposal. Instead, this section should serve as your elevator pitch or value proposition. You'll use the executive summary to make an explicit case for why your company is the best fit for your prospect’s needs. Talk about your strengths, areas of expertise, similar problems you’ve solved, and the advantages you provide over your competitors—all from the lens of how these components could help your would-be client’s business thrive.

Step 4: Project details

When it comes to how to write a business proposal, steps four through six will encompass the main body of your proposal—where your potential client will understand how you’ll address their project and the scope of the work.

Within this body, you'll start by explaining your recommendation, solution, or approach to servicing the client. As you get deeper within your explanation, your main goal will be to convey to the client that you’re bringing something truly custom to the table. Show that you've created this proposal entirely for them based on their needs and any problems they need to solve. At this point, you'll detail your proposed solution, the tactics you’ll undertake to deliver on it, and any other details that relate to your company’s recommended approach.

Step 5: Deliverables and milestones

This section will nest inside the project details section, but it’s an essential step on its own.

Your proposal recipient doesn’t get merely an idea of your plan, of course—they get proposed deliverables. You'll outline your proposed deliverables here with in-depth descriptions of each (that might include quantities or the scope of services, depending on the kind of business you run). You never want to assume a client is on the same page as you with expectations, because if you’re not aligned, they might think you over-promised and under-delivered. Therefore, this is the section where you'll want to go into the most detail.

Along these lines, you can also use this section of the prospective client's proposal to restrict the terms and scope of your services. This can come in handy if you’re concerned that the work you’re outlining could lead to additional projects or responsibilities that you’re not planning to include within your budget.

Moreover, you might also want to consider adding milestones to this section, either alongside deliverables or entirely separately. Milestones can be small, such as delivery dates for a specific package of project components, or when you send over your first draft of a design. Or, you can choose to break out the project into phases. For longer projects, milestones can be a great way to convey your company’s organization and responsibility.

Step 6: Budget

There’s no way around the fact that pricing projects isn’t easy or fun—after all, you need to balance earning what you’re worth and proving value, while also not scaring away a potential client, or getting beaten out by a competitor with a cheaper price. Nevertheless, a budget or pricing section is an integral part of a business proposal, so you'll want to prepare your pricing strategy ahead of time before getting into the weeds of any proposal writing.

This being said, if you fear the fee might seem too high to your potential client, you might decide to break out the individual components of the budget—for example: social media services, $700; web copywriting $1,500—or create a few different tiers of pricing with different services contained in each. The second approach might not work for all types of businesses or proposal requests, but it may be worth considering if you’re worried about your overall fee appearing steep.

With these points in mind, once you've determined how to outline your pricing, you'll list it out (you might even include optional fees or services) and the overall cost for the scope of work you've described.

Step 7: Conclusion

Finally, your conclusion should wrap up your understanding of the project, your proposed solutions, and what kind of work (and costs) are involved. This is your last opportunity to make a compelling case within your business proposal—reiterate what you intend to do, and why it beats your competitors’ ideas.

If you're writing an RFP, again, meaning a potential client has requested this document from you, you might also include a terms and conditions section at this point. This end-on piece would detail the terms of your pricing, schedule, and scope of work that the client would be agreeing to by accepting this proposal.

Bonus step: Appendix (optional)

After the conclusion, you might also decide to include an appendix—where you add any supplemental information that that either doesn’t fit within the main proposal without being disruptive for the reader, or is less than essential to understanding the main components of your proposal. You’ll likely only need an appendix if you have stats, figures, illustrations, or examples of work that you want to share with your potential client. This being said, you might also include contact information, details about your team, and other relevant information in this section.

If you don't have any additional information to include, don't worry—you can end your business proposal with the conclusion section.

How much do you need?

with Fundera by NerdWallet

We’ll start with a brief questionnaire to better understand the unique needs of your business.

Once we uncover your personalized matches, our team will consult you on the process moving forward.

Business proposal considerations

Before you dive into determining how to write a business proposal that will give you a competitive edge, there are a few important things to keep in mind.

First, you'll want to make sure that you’re accomplishing the right objectives with your proposal. When writing a business proposal, you’re trying to walk a line between both promoting your company and addressing the needs of your would-be client, which can be difficult for any company to do.

This being said, you'll want to remember that a business proposal is different than a business plan, which you likely already wrote for your company when you were starting your business. Your business plan spells out your company's overall growth goals and objectives, but a business proposal speaks directly to a specific could-be client with the purpose of winning their business for your company.

With this in mind, in order to write a business proposal for any potential client, you'll need to establish your internal objectives and how these will contribute to the work you're proposing. To explain, you'll need to consider the following:

What tasks will need to be done for this work?

Who will do each task, and oversee the job at large?

What you’ll charge for the job?

Where will the work be delivered?

When will it be done?

Why are you the best fit for the job the client needs to be accomplished?

How will you achieve results?

Not only are these questions at the heart of clear and concise writing, but you also won't be able to write your business proposal without answers to them. So as you're going through the different pieces of your business proposal, keep in mind the objectives of your business, while also remaining persuasive regarding why the potential client should work with you instead of someone else.

The next important thing you'll need to keep in mind before you start writing a business proposal is what kind of proposal are you writing. Essentially, there are two types of business proposals—solicited proposals where someone requested the proposal from your company—and unsolicited proposals, where you're sending the document to another business unprompted.

In the case of solicited proposals, often called RFPs (short for a request for proposal), it’s likely that this potential client already knows at least a little about your business. With these kinds of business proposals, you'll want to spend less time convincing the client that you're the best small business consultant for the job and more on making your proposal feel custom to their specific brief, project, or problem. On the whole, the less generic your business proposal is, the more likely you are to win the work.

Unsolicited proposals, on the other hand, are much harder to sell.

As you’re writing a business proposal to a company that doesn’t know they may need your services, you’ll want to focus on getting them to understand why your company is specifically unique. You want to show them that you can add significant value to their business that they don’t already have. If there is currently someone performing the function you would like to, the sell will even be more difficult.

Business proposal examples

So, now that we've gone through all of the steps to show you how to write a business proposal, let's discuss some examples. As you go through the writing process, you might find it's helpful to consult external resources to review business proposal samples or templates and see how other businesses have structured these types of documents. Specifically, it might be even more helpful to review business proposal examples that relate to your particular industry—such as marketing, advertising, or finance.

General business proposal sample

If you're looking for a general business proposal example, you might consult BPlan, which offers advice, examples, and templates for the documents that are required to plan and operate a small business. In the BPlan sample, BPlan breaks their example into three overarching parts—a problem statement, a proposed solution, and a pricing estimate. This may be a good place to start if you're writing a business proposal for the first time and need a simple, general example to follow.

For a solicited proposal or RFP, you may want to reference a business proposal example that specifically operates under the assumption that you've been asked for this proposal. In this case, you may check out one of the downloadable RFP templates from Template Lab.

Template Lab offers both Word and PDF versions of their templates—and these business proposal samples will include sections more appropriate for RFPs including terms and conditions, scheduling, and points of contact.

Business proposal template services or software

For the most advanced and plug-and-play type business proposal samples, you may decide to utilize a service like Proposify or PandaDoc. These software services allow you to choose from their library of professionally designed and outlined business proposal examples (which are also usually industry-specific) and customize the template for your business's needs.

It's important to note, however, that although you may be able to sign up for a free trial for these services, most of them will eventually require a paid subscription.

5 best practices for writing a business proposal

Writing a business proposal can seem overwhelming at first, as it requires you to provide information about your company and its services as they relate specifically to what your prospect needs. As you go through the process again and again, however, it will become easier and easier to write a succinct and effective business proposal.

This being said, there are a few best practices you can keep in mind to help you as you get started:

1. Be direct.

Although you might feel the urge to show off your language skills while trying to impress a client, when you’re writing a business proposal, tour best bet to win business is to be clear, concise, and direct. You won't want to use overly flowery language or anything that could possibly be misconstrued.

2. Don’t leave room for ambiguity.

You'll want to make sure your proposal is straightforward and easy to understand, with no room for misinterpretation around what you say you’ll do or deliver.

Therefore, you'll want to avoid overly complicated industry jargon to be sure your client can understand exactly what you're talking about and what it means within the scope of your (and their) business.

3. Write for the right audience.

If you were writing a proposal for a specialty food business, it shouldn't look or sound exactly the same as if you were writing a proposal for an asset management company. You'll always want to keep your audience in mind as your craft and develop your proposal.

Ultimately, your best bet is to be straightforward, clear, and stick to the details, but you also shouldn't be afraid to tailor your writing to your audience so that your client feels that the proposal has truly been created with their business in mind.

This being said, your proposal should show that you not only understand your potential client but that you also respect them professionally.

4. Consider a title page.

Although this may not be necessary for a shorter business proposal, a title page can help with the general organization, flow, and professional feel of your document.

Like a title page for any other type of report, this one-page cover sheet would precede the remainder of your proposal and would likely include your business's name, contact information, and logo, as well as who you're submitting the proposal to.

Depending on your business or the potential client you're submitting the proposal to, you might decide that a title page is unnecessary, however, it's worth keeping in mind that it may be something to visually draw in your reader from the start.

5. Err on the side of brevity.

Finally, within the world of business proposals, shorter is usually better. This isn't to say, of course, that you should leave out details or omit important sections—it simply means that you should try to find the most succinct way to say what you need to say and get your point across to the potential client.

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The bottom line

There's no doubt about it—learning how to write a business proposal is a lot of work. Luckily, however, you can follow our steps so you know what to include in your proposal and how to include it.

Ultimately, selling your services to potential clients is part of running and managing your business and as you do it again and again, it will only become easier.

This being said, as you go through the lifecycle of your business, you'll begin to accumulate a library of business proposals that you can continuously reference and use to develop your pitching strategy and writing process based on proposals that have and have not worked. And, hopefully, by taking the time to invest in this business proposal process, you'll be winning the work you need to grow your business.

This article originally appeared on JustBusiness, a subsidiary of NerdWallet.

On a similar note...

Business proposal templates

Deliver a powerful business proposal with these business proposal templates. each of these free business proposal templates is fully customizable..

Free business proposal templates

If you’re working on growing your business , use these business proposal templates to speed up the process. Each of these professionally designed business templates will help you sell your products or services and make a good impression. There are a wide variety of business proposal templates to choose from. You can use these templates to generate investor proposals, sales proposals, RFP proposals, project proposals, and more. Each of these business proposal templates is fully customizable, so you can change the text and colors. You can also add your business logo for a branded proposal. Customizing your business proposal is easy­—you don’t need to be a graphic designer to do it. Each of these free business proposal templates can be downloaded, so you can share them online or print them out and distribute them in person. Explore more templates that can help you grow your business, such as marketing asset templates , planners and trackers , and more.

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• Vice President Harris releases partial economic plan that includes tax proposals

Elements of economic plan include several new tax incentives and preferences

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Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris today released details of elements of her economic plan. Among other items, Harris proposed several new tax incentives and preferences, including the following:

• A tax incentive for builders of homes sold to first time homebuyers
• An expansion of existing tax incentives for builders of affordable rental housing
• A tax credit for first time homebuyers
• A restoration of the American Rescue Plan Act version of the child tax credit (CTC) providing up to $3,600 per child
• A new expansion of the CTC providing a $6,000 tax credit for children in the first year of life
• A $1,500 expansion of the earned income tax credit available to lower income individuals
• A tax cut for Affordable Care Act premiums

The plan does not include specifics on whether the revenue cost of these items would be offset, though it does state that Harris will ask “the wealthiest Americans and largest corporations to pay their fair share” and that the plan will reduce the deficit.

Harris also calls for Congress to pass the Stop Predatory Investing Act , which would eliminate certain tax benefits for investors who own large numbers of single-family homes.

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Notably, with regard to President Biden’s oft-stated pledge not to increase taxes on those making less than $400,000, “Vice President Harris is committed to ensuring no one earning less than $400,000 a year will pay more in new taxes.”

This pledge suggests that, for the $4 trillion of “tax cliff” items scheduled to expire at the end of 2025, Harris appears committed to extending those tax cuts for individuals making $400,000 or less. Though it is worth noting that use of the word “new” raises some uncertainty as to how the pledge will be applied.

Harris does not in today’s release endorse, or otherwise mention, the official tax plan of the Biden-Harris Administration, the so-called Green Book .  Her vow to raise taxes on large corporations and the wealthy, however, is consistent with many of the proposals included in the Administration’s plan. Among other things, that plan calls for a 7% increase in the corporate tax rate, a number of new taxes on multinational businesses, and new taxes on high-earning individuals. For more information on the FY2025 Green Book, read  KPMG report: Tax proposals in FY 2025 budget .

Absent from today’s release is a proposal to exempt tip income from taxation. Harris has previously indicated that she (along with Republican nominee Donald Trump) supports this idea.

Finally, it should be noted that the sum total cost of all these proposals is several trillion dollars. Pursuing all of these ideas is likely to put significant pressure on finding new tax increases to offset the cost of these items.

The KPMG name and logo are trademarks used under license by the independent member firms of the KPMG global organization. KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee and does not provide services to clients. No member firm has any authority to obligate or bind KPMG International or any other member firm vis-à-vis third parties, nor does KPMG International have any such authority to obligate or bind any member firm. The information contained herein is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavor to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No one should act on such information without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of the particular situation. For more information, contact KPMG's Federal Tax Legislative and Regulatory Services Group at: + 1 202 533 3712, 1801 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006.

Harris to propose an economic plan that includes giving some first-time homebuyers up to $25k in down-payment support

• The Harris-Walz campaign is scheduled to announce a proposal for major assistance for first-time homebuyers.
• The campaign is proposing that some first-time homebuyers could get up to $25,000 in down-payment assistance.
• Harris is set to announce her housing proposals when she unveils her economic agenda.

Vice President Kamala Harris ' economic agenda is set to include a provision for first-time and first-generation home-buyers.

Harris is scheduled to announce her policy plans at a Friday rally in North Carolina, which include a proposal to give some first-time homebuyers up to $25,000 in down payment support, according to a campaign official.

The Harris-Walz proposal would provide assistance to working families who have paid their rent on time for at least two years and are looking to buy their first house. First-generation homeowners who fit the bill would be eligible for even more support.

"Many Americans work hard at their jobs, save, and pay their rent on time month after month. But they can't save enough after paying their rent and other bills to save for a down payment — denying them a shot at owning a home and building wealth," the campaign said in a preview statement obtained by Business Insider.

The campaign estimates that the proposal would allow more than one million first-time homebuyers, including first-generation buyers, to purchase a home each year.

Former President Donald Trump addressed parts of his housing plan during recent campaign events, promising to open up swaths of federal land for housing construction.

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Harris is also expected to announce a proposal to end the housing crisis by building three million new units, offering tax incentives to homebuilders who prioritize "starter homes" intended for first-time homebuyers, and creating a $40 billion innovation fund to encourage local governments to build housing, according to the campaign.

The Harris economic agenda also includes assistance for renters, including expanded rental assistance for struggling Americans and the removal of tax benefits for Wall Street investors and corporate landlords, according to the campaign.

Several of the Harris housing policies expand on similar plans President Joe Biden's administration sought to achieve in recent years, including rent caps and assistance for first-time homebuyers .

The Friday rally comes at a key moment in the race as Harris picks up steam in the polls , particularly regarding the economy — an area in which Democrats have historically struggled.

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