A business proposal has the power to make or break your chances of landing a new or top client. If you write a great proposal and contract, you are likely to get them signed up.
Creating a well-crafted proposal will get you more leads. The vital question is how can you ensure you include the essential information?
However, if you write a poor business proposal, you’ll definitely lose out to someone who put in the work – even if the service you offer is the best out there.
With this in mind, what is a business proposal? How do you write a great business proposal? What information do you need to include, and what is the appropriate business proposal template?
The fact is that this depends on your industry and if you offer a service or product. Luckily, writing a business proposal is relatively straightforward, so you shouldn’t lose sleep over it. This article will answer the above questions, show you several business proposal samples, and more.
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What Is a Business Proposal?
Here’s an easy-to-remember definition of a business proposal. It is a written document sent by a supplier to a prospective client to win a project. Basically, it’s a sales document that comes with the regular information found in documents like quotes, estimates, and bids.
A proposal is commonly unsolicited or solicited. This means that the purchasing company is either reacting to an offer or is actively looking for proposals that meet a particular need – in most cases, from a salesperson to appraise a proposal.
How to Write a Business Proposal?
Now, let’s see a step-by-step guide on how to write your business proposal. An ideal business proposal should contain a:
Title page: This should include your name, the company’s name, the person’s name you are submitting the proposal to, and the date submitted.
Table of contents: this depends on the length of the business proposal. It should come after your title page before you go into details.
Executive summary: See example here. Start your proposal with a well-written executive summary. It has to sell your business, the services or products you offer, and the reason you are the ideal candidate for the job.
Statement of problem: here, you discuss the job or issue at hand. Show your prospective client that you understand what they need, and you grasp the problem they’re trying to solve.
Approach and methodology: this section shows how you intend to tackle your prospective client’s problem. List the steps you’ll take to actualize your plan.
Qualifications: You’re allowed to brag a little here. In this section, try to convince your prospective client that you’re the most qualified company for the job. Mention relevant education, industry-specific certifications or training(s) you have, similar successful projects done in the past, years of experience, etc.
Schedule and benchmarks: Let your potential client know how long the proposed project will take.
Cost, payment, and other legal matters: The structure of this section depends on the particular service or project you are offering. Disclose how much it’ll cost, and if necessary, a payment schedule. If there are legal issues like licensing or permits, ensure you include it too.
Benefits: Let your prospective client know everything they have to gain if they choose you to handle the project. Let them know the reasons that make you the best choice and the ways their business will benefit if they choose you as their solution.
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1. Free Business Proposal Template
A business proposal is an ideal way to go If you want to get funds for your business venture. However, drafting a complex business proposal can be a tad difficult. You can fully customize this template, add your company’s logo, change colors and fonts, and upload images, so your proposal stands out.
2. Free Project Proposal Template
Preparing a research project entails a comprehensive project proposal that describes the tasks and objectives that will be accomplished to attain a specific goal. It is just like a product you’re selling to your customers but through an in-depth written proposal.
The Free Project Proposal template contains every information clients often look out for in a proposal. Details like the project’s overview, goals, description, anticipated outcomes, and more. You can change layouts, edit the information, and add more details if need be.
3. Consulting Proposal Template
Professionalism is vital with consulting proposals — after all, you are presenting yourself as a specialist in your industry. Use this Consulting Proposal Template to set yourself apart by quickly drafting up sophisticated PDF proposals.
If you have multiple clients you want to send the proposal to, this template will work perfectly for it. You don’t have to design the proposals from scratch, all you have to do is fill in some important form fields like the project description, scope of work, objectives, company background, and payment terms with the user-friendly PDF Editor. You can also sign off the proposal with an e-signature, and you’re good to go.
4. Bid Proposal Template
A bid proposal describes what your business can offer the client by describing both the financial means and the action plans to achieve the proposal. Convince a prospective client that you are the perfect fit by including information like project details, estimated cost, and scope of work. Don’t forget to sign off the document with your e-signature.
5. Sponsorship Proposal Template
If you are wondering how to get funding for your big event, this is the perfect proposal template for you. All you need to do is fill in the form with the event and sponsorship details, and the template creates elegant PDF proposals instantly. You can choose to print, download, or email the proposal to prospective sponsors.
Keep in mind that your sponsor may also be getting several proposals weekly, so you have to stand out. Talk about your organization’s story, core values, and purpose and describe how your sponsor’s support will benefit you and them as well. The template comes with a drag-and-drop PDF Editor that allows you to add your logo, update colors, and add e-signatures to get a unique look. A sponsor’s support can make or break your fundraising event, so you need to stand out from the crowd.
6. One Page Proposal Template
This type of document is commonly given to prospective clients for fast and relatively small projects. For it to be approved, you have to show all the essential information on one page. This business proposal should show the problem and also give the solution.
This One Page Proposal Template shows the project details, client information, project duration, estimated budget, objectives, labor, parts, and the approver’s signature. Also, it uses the e-signature widget to show the approver’s digital signature.
7. Grant Proposal
This formal document is used to request funding, a financial budget, or investment from investors. This document must be straightforward and accurate because it will go a long way in convincing the investors to grant the request. This Grant Proposal looks professional, and you can find the company’s information, the project, goals and objectives, timeline, budget, and approver’s signature. Also, this grant proposal template has a cover letter and a cover page together with the company’s mission and vision.
With the Configurable List widget, you can display the project timeline, which shows the activity, start, and end date of the project, and you can dynamically add fields as needed.
8. Marketing Proposal Template
This document is often provided by marketers to prospective clients as they use a letter to communicate their strategy and ideas to help achieve the business goals of the potential client. The marketing proposal document gives information about the latest market trends, their challenges, and the proposal’s purpose is to encourage the client to be part of the project.
It starts with introducing the marketing firm and their methods in planning their marketing approach. The template is customizable, and you can modify it with the PDF builder of JotForm.
9. Proposal Letter Template
This is a formal letter, and its aim is to bid and close an agreement with another business. A proposal can be either be for a short-term or long-term engagement. It can also be to offer your services for an event or for a continuous business agreement. Whatever the case may be, the letter intends to encourage the recipient to enter into an engagement with the letter’s sender.
10. Non-profit Business Proposal Template
A non-profit business proposal proposes a business plan to an investor that wishes to fund the non-profit organization for a business engagement. It describes the non-profit organization, short or long-term plans, how to attain these goals or a project plan that the organization plans to address.
This proposal offers info on problems the non-profit organization sees and how to address them as a project or business.
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