business proposal assignments

3. State the problem or need.

This is where you share a summary of the issue impacting the potential client. This is your opportunity to show them you understand their needs and the problem they need help solving.

In the example above, I included several signals to showcase my expertise – that I've been in the photography biz for 10 years, that I've worked with over 500 clients, and that I've been featured a number of publications. 

As you approach this section, focus on presenting yourself as an authority. Consider leveraging tools like:

• Case studies
• Client testimonials
• Relevant awards
• Industry accreditations

6. Include pricing options.

Pricing is where things can get a bit tricky, as you don't want to under or over-price your product.

The pricing section of your proposal could include:

• A detailed pricing breakdown, including packages, tiers, and add-ons or optional services
• How product features and benefits align with pricing choices
• Pricing for different needs and budgets
• How your pricing compares with competitors
• An FAQ section to respond to anticipated objections and explain your pricing strategy

7. Summarize with a conclusion.

After sharing the above information, simplify it all into one final section.

• First, briefly summarize the proposal. Be sure to share your qualifications and why you’d serve as the best choice.
• Then, to prompt further conversation, confirm your availability to go over the next steps.
• At the end of the proposal, the goal is to have the client ready to work with you. So, be sure to offer your contact information for easy follow-up.

In need of some inspiration before you begin writing? Here are example business proposal templates from popular business proposal software companies you can use to help create your proposal.

1. HubSpot's Free Business Plan Templates

Download these Templates

We know how crucial a great business proposal is to your and your client’s success. That's why we've compiled 2 Free Business Proposal Templates for you to use and customize for any of your projects.

You'll gain access to a concise, one-page template (pictured above), as well as a longer template for you to refine your plan and proposal.

Download the templates now to get started on building your proposal.

What We Like

The one-page template is clear, straightforward, and easy to read — without skipping on the key elements of a business proposal. This format is especially useful for busy clients who appreciate brevity and clarity.

2. Web Design Proposal

With advertising on social networks projected to reach $82.23 billion dollars in 2025 , it's in your business's best interest to have a plan for growing your client's social media presence.

To help you in that effort, the information in this social media marketing proposal includes an executive summary to help introduce your high-level ideas, an assessment of the client’s company to show your diligence, and a breakdown of billing to show how your company charges for posting, content creation, and analytics.

This template includes all the bells and whistles of a social media proposal packaged in a fun yet professional design. It also includes helpful writing instructions under each section.

8. Content Marketing Proposal

Business proposal templates are helpful places to get started, but what should your business proposal look like when it's complete? This template should inspire you.

When pitching your content marketing services to clients, this template can help you organize your ideas. While it walks you through initial objectives and how to communicate your prospected results, one of the most helpful parts of this template is the pricing ideas it gives you when charging for your services.

In the business template example below, Social Portal Consulting (SPC) pitches a marketing proposal to Graphic Bean. At first sight, this proposal appeals to the creative. I recommend going a step forward and designing the layout in your or your client’s brand colors.

Besides the design, the social media icons quickly tell the prospect what platforms Social Portal is pitching. Because we see Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest icons, the client instantly knows that this proposal doesn’t include LinkedIn, YouTube, or other platforms.

While maintaining its design, this example outlines Social Portal Consulting’s plans efficiently. It begins by providing insight into Graphic Bean and its goals before elaborating on how SPC can leverage its expertise to help them achieve them.

This business proposal template includes an easy-to-follow timeframe for goals and objectives while keeping the client abreast of how payment will happen across the project.

Overall, this is an excellent example of how to combine the elements of social media marketing into a creative and concise business proposal. Finally, we'll leave you with some business proposal ideas to get you started on your own.

• Start with an outline.
• Keep it simple.
• Stay on brand.
• Quality control.
• Include data and visuals.
• Add social proof.
• Use a call-to-action.
• Create a sense of urgency.
• Make the decision for them.
• Incorporate video into your proposal.
• Include up-sell and add-on opportunities.
• Clarify your terms and conditions.
• Include a space for signatures to document agreement.
• Create a table of contents.

1. Start with an outline.

If you want to produce a thoughtful, effective business proposal, you need to have some idea of what you're hoping to achieve with it.

Before I dive into writing a proposal, I always outline the major sections of the proposal that I want to include. That way, I can stay focused and make sure my message stays intact as I write.

Use these free business proposal templates to make sure that your outline includes everything you need.

2. Keep it simple.

Ultimately, there's no definitive blueprint for how long a business proposal has to be. Yours should be however long it takes to convey the information you want to get across.

That said, I'm a firm believer in quality over quantity, especially when it comes to business proposals. Keep your sentences short and simple, and avoid including too much business jargon.

You want anyone who picks up your proposal to make sense of it. So, be straightforward and don't get too fancy. Aim for substance over flash.

3. Stay on brand.

Don't be afraid to let your company's personality shine through in your proposal. Stay true to your brand and show the client what sets you apart from your competitors.

4. Quality control.

I've made it a habit to add an editing/QA step in my writing process. During this step, I do a quick spelling and grammar check before hitting send.

So, as you draft your proposal, and after checking for the basics, keep scanning this document until it's just right.

Check to make sure your proposal:

• Meets client needs and expectations
• Highlights your value proposition
• Is well-structured and easy to read or skim
• Complies with legal, ethical, and regulatory requirements
• Looks professional and engaging

5. Include data and visuals.

You want your business proposal to capture your prospect's attention and help set you apart from any other ones they might have received. One of the best ways to do that is to include hard, quantitative data that helps stress the value of your business.

Use relevant, compelling figures that highlight what you have to offer. This can establish authority and make your proposal more convincing. It also helps to include visuals such as charts and graphs to enhance your proposal.

6. Add social proof.

From my experience, you can only be so convincing when you're personally talking up how great your business is — which is why adding social proof is key to establishing credibility.

At the end of the day, prospects are skeptical. They may not take you at your word. But they'll likely trust peers and fellow customers. That's why including elements like customer quotes and testimonials can go a long way.

7. Use a call-to-action.

I've learned that the best proposal in the world can only take you so far if you don't clearly define the next steps. That's why you have to make sure the reader knows what to do after reading your proposal.

A clear call-to-action is the best way to get there.

Define and highlight exactly what they should do to act on the interest your proposal has generated. Without that guidance, you might leave your reader in limbo.

HubSpot customers : Use this CTA builder to create powerful customized CTAs.

8. Create a sense of urgency.

No one wants to feel as if they missed out on a great opportunity. From my experience, prospect tend to drag their feet and put off making a decision if there isn't a sense of urgency.

So, as you create your business proposal, your goal should be to add a degree of urgency. When prospective clients read your business proposal they should feel that the best time to sign up for your service is now .

One way I accomplish this is by stating short and long-term goals for their business. They'll have to wait for the long-term goals, but I make the short-term goals so enticing that they'll be ready to begin a collaboration.

9. Make the decision for them.

Craft your copy in a way that seems like saying "no" to the proposal would be stepping over dollars to pick up pennies. Your offer should go above and beyond their expectations. Do everything in your power to remove friction and objections along the way.

10. Incorporate video into your proposal.

If you're creating an online proposal using document file formats like PDF, add multimedia elements. This will enhance the proposal experience, make your document richer, and keep them engaged.

Try adding a video at the beginning as an intro to your proposal. Or, put a video in the project breakdown to verbally discuss some of the more confusing parts.

Extras like this can make an impression. This tip works especially well with prospects who are visual or auditory communicators.

Pro tip : HubSpot Video makes it easy to record and embed video into a website or email for a big proposal boost.

11. Include up-sell and add-on opportunities.

They say you won't receive unless you ask. And readers won't explore the upper tiers of your solutions if you don't give them the opportunity.

So, share some upsells and add-ons about your business that they can act on. Call out a specific pain point and how this extra can add value.

With this step, balance is important. Show them everything your business has to offer without overwhelming your recipient.

12. Clarify your terms and conditions.

Your business proposal should include details on your project timeline and payment schedule. This summary is basically what you and the client agree to if they accept your proposal.

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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.

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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...

How to Write a Business Proposal (Examples & Templates)

A complete guide to writing business proposals that land deals. Easy-to-follow steps, actionable examples, and insider tips from sales pros.

John McTale

11 minute read

Not a fan of writing business proposals? Few people are. After all, it puts you in quite a vulnerable position. You need to convince prospects to pick you and make them understand why you’re the perfect fit for their needs.

This guide will show you a simple step-by-step process you can follow to ace every business proposal you create. Plus, for every section of your proposal, you’ll get sample content you can take as a point of reference and use to score more deals.

First, see a business proposal example created with Storydoc:

Interactive

Static, plain-text proposals are a relic of the past. With Storydoc, you’ll get engaging, interactive proposals looking better than anything you’ve ever created. Rise above your competitors and give your customers a proposal they will be proud to show their boss.

What is a business proposal ?

A business proposal is a formal document devised by a company and delivered to a prospect with the purpose of securing a contractual agreement between the two parties. A good business proposal shows to your potential clients why your offer is the most beneficial to them. Before we dig deeper, if you just need a quick checklist, here it is. To learn more about a specific section just click on a desired item in the interactive table of contents and we’ll take you right there.

Here's how to write a business proposal:

Now, let’s go through each step and see some examples.

1. Create a title page

Starting with the basics. The title page of your business proposal needs to feel professional and inviting. Most importantly, though, make it feel as personal as possible. Include:

• The name of your business
• The subject matter of your proposal
• Your prospect’s name and job title
• Your prospect’s company logo
• Submission date

Business proposal title page example:

Jane Atkins ABC Company Inbound Marketing Proposal for Acme Corp

Submitted to: John Random, VP Growth Submitted on: May 5, 2023

Using your client’s logo is virtually a must. But you kick your title page up a notch by applying other elements of their branding, too: think colors, master visuals, and overall vibe. They will notice and appreciate it. These unique business name ideas will make you stand out from the crowd - your business name matters.

2. Include an interactive table of contents

One of the keys to success in business communication is setting up expectations and then meeting them. A table of contents achieves just that: you tell your readers exactly what they’ll find in your proposal. If you’re sending your proposal electronically, make the ToC clickable, with jump-to links to appropriate chapters of your proposal. It will make navigating through the document so much easier (much like we did with this piece, you're welcome!).

Speaking of electronic versions… 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%!

Sample table of contents:

Executive Summary

Assessment and Project Overview

Methodology - SEO Audit - Internal Linking Optimization - Digital PR Assets - Digital PR Outreach

Qualifications and Testimonials

Terms and Conditions

Agreement and Rollout Process

3. Write a compelling executive summary

As the name implies, an executive summary is a section that, well, summarizes the whole document. In business proposals, your executive summary should contain the essence of your value proposition: explain why you’re submitting the proposal, what makes your product or services relevant to the client’s specific needs, and how you’re going to tackle their problems. The key thing to remember? Don’t mistake an executive summary for an introduction. The summary is basically a shortened version of your whole proposal. Its purpose is to provide a busy reader ( who could be your prospect ’s boss, the titular executive) with an overview of your offer, clear enough for them to not have to read the proposal in full. If you want to learn more about writing executive summaries, specifically, see our dedicated guide: Executive Summary—Examples and Definition

Sample executive summary for a business proposal:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This proposal outlines a detailed plan of action aimed at maximizing the profits of Acme Corp by boosting the inbound organic traffic to your e-commerce store. As your company displays a very high on-site conversion rate and the online traffic you generate is highly monetizable, the best strategy for maximizing your revenue is boosting your SEO performance. Acme Corp is lagging behind its key competitors in most of the search performance metrics: domain rating, backlink quality , and, as a result, organic traffic. Applying basic SEO maintenance will result in a dramatic increase of relevant monthly visitors to your site, contributing to a substantial increase in revenue. In the second phase of the project, our team will enhance your online presence and earn high-quality backlinks through a data-driven digital PR campaign, further improving your domain rating and the consequent search engine rankings for the highest-converting keywords and phrases.

While executive summaries come at the beginning of business proposals, write this section last. Create the rest of your proposal beforehand, then “skim the cream:” compile the key bits into the summary.

4. Identify the problem and propose a solution

Here’s where the big guns come in. If you’ve managed to get them interested enough to reach this part, you’re halfway there. It doesn’t mean it gets easier at this point. Quite the contrary— This section, usually called “Assessment,” or “Project Overview,” is the meat and potatoes of your proposal. You need to make sure it tastes like Black Angus fillet mignon with gratin dauphinoise. Here are a few tips for making it powerful and convincing to your prospects:

• Focus on the grander scheme of things here. Paint a big picture, plant an idea: it’s not the time to get to the nitty-gritty yet.
• B2B buyers can smell generic from miles away. Do your best to customize this part to the exact needs of your customer, never use a copy-pastable template.
• Make it about them. Instead of “selling” your product or services, focus on the tangible business result they’ll get out of this. ROI is the most direct, hard-hitting metric after all.
• Don’t overuse jargon or highly technical terms. You’re communicating with a human, not an algorithm.
• It’s okay to use your sales deck as a point of reference. It’s what got them interested in the first place, so do rely on the same main message.

Sample project overview in a business proposal:

ASSESSMENT AND PROJECT OVERVIEW Acme Corp is currently looking for ways to bring more inbound traffic to the company website. As an e-commerce business with competitively priced, high-quality performance clothing, any traffic you generate is highly monetizable. Your current traffic sources mostly constitute direct (15%), AdWords (40%), and display ads (18%). Organic traffic acquisition has been heavily underperforming for your site. At the same time, both your key competitors, DoeSports and GreenWay, bring in twice as much organic traffic as you do through paid sources (via Ahrefs, and SimilarWeb analysis). This shows that SEO efforts can be highly profitable in your industry. Your e-commerce store suffers from a few easy-to-fix SEO issues that we will address immediately:

• Poor-quality backlinks from spam sites, low SEO health score, and irrelevant anchor text in internal links.
• Fixing these issues alone will boost your SERP positions by 5–10 places for highest-volume keywords, amounting to 5,000–8,000 more unique visitors per month.
• Considering your extremely high average conversion rate of 3% and an average conversion value of $75, those efforts will increase monthly revenue by at least $11,250.

Furthermore, in comparison to your competitors, AcmeCorp has a poor domain rating: 49, compared to 66 of DoeSports and 70 of GreenWay, indicating fewer relevant backlinks and weaker referring domains. Our team will acquire relevant, high-quality backlinks from key industry publications through digital PR and outreach campaigns based on unique data-driven studies. This will result in:

• A significant boost in your domain rating, directly contributing to all major search engines rankings.
• A projected boost in traffic to your website of further 12,000 visitors per month.
• Enhanced brand visibility.

Even at the stage of the deal where you send the proposal, don’t assume your customer understands what they’re buying and why they need it. You still need to get your sales message across: let your prospects understand the value attached to your price tag.

5. Explain your methodology

If the executive summary of a business proposal is the why , and the project overview, the what , here’s the part where you describe how . If you’ve nailed the previous sections, your prospect knows that your solutions are relevant to their problems and has a bird’s eye view of expected outcomes. It’s time to explain your methods for achieving what you promise to deliver. List all the deliverables they can expect from the project or service, together with a timetable and a list of dependencies detailing the deadlines or frequency of delivering specific items or milestones. How granular you are in this part largely depends on the duration of collaboration you’re discussing, and many other project-specific details.

Example #1:

If you’re writing an event video proposal, you’ll want to explain what the client can expect:

• Before the event (consulting your needs and ideal outcomes, auditing the venue, setting up lighting, and so on),
• During the event (how many videographers on site, exact timetable, total shooting time),
• After the event (post-production, sound and music, additional editing, total length of video material delivered).

Example #2:

If, on the other hand, your proposal refers to long-term marketing consulting contract, the description of your methodology will be more general:

• Month 1: identifying and fixing technical SEO issues (anchor text, internal linking, backlink quality).
• Month 2: auditing the site content and optimizing existing URLs for search engine performance using an SEO rank tracker tool .
• Month 3: automating the funnel, running A/B tests on form pages.

And so on… Let’s have a look at what it might look like in practice.

Business proposal sample—methodology:

METHODOLOGY

• Disavowing links from low-reputation websites
• Fixing critical issues on existing URLs
• Improving site speed
• Fixing errors in robots.txt
• Optimizing meta titles and meta descriptions
• Fixing errors in HTML tags

Internal Linking Optimization

• Identifying internal linking opportunities
• Creating SEO-friendly anchor text combinations
• Removing links to 404 URLs

Digital PR Assets

• Running unique surveys via OnePoll
• Creating data-driven content relevant to the audiences of industry online publications
• Creating shareable infographics depicting the findings of the study

Digital PR Outreach

• Identifying key leads in relevant industry websites
• Email outreach to our database of relevant contacts
• Passive link building via Google AdWords

6. Back up your proposal with proof of qualifications

Your business proposal might be visionary so far. Still, if it’s not credible, it will get you nowhere. The client might love your ideas. They might be beyond excited to see them come to life. But— They don’t know you. And remember the old saying: “Trust everybody, but always cut the cards.” (Yes, it’s a euphemism for “Trust no one, ever.”) How do you make them trust you? Show them you’ve done it before and you succeeded. Again, and again. List verifiable, measurable achievements you or your company can boast about and pepper those with social proof. See a few examples:

• Customer case studies,
• Testimonials,
• Certifications,
• Industry awards,
• Years of experience,
• Media mentions.

The ideal composition of those will depend on the type of project and the industry: If you’re a photographer, your client won’t care too much about the awards you might have gotten or what The New Yorker wrote about your solo show. They’ll want to review your portfolio to see if that’s the vibe they're into and hear from your past clients to check if you’re not a pain to work with. If, in turn, you’re writing a marketing business proposal, your best bet will be to emphasize examples of your past campaigns together with detailed key metrics you boosted for your clients. Writing a proposal in an informal tone? You can add a short “About Us” section. Introduce team members who would be working on the project and explain what makes them the best professionals available on the market for solving the particular problem in question.

7. Outline your pricing options

This is where things get rather technical. On the face of it, the pricing section seems fairly obvious. They might be in love with your solutions, but they don’t yet know if they can afford you. Pricing is a tricky part on your end, though. You don’t want to scare off your lead with a sky-high estimate; at the same time, you don’t want to undersell yourself. The best option is to go for an interactive pricing page where every type of service or activity has a separate price tag to it and your clients can easily select a package that suits their needs and meets their budget—ideally, the total price should get automatically calculated. Alternately, you can use an estimate generator , which is an effective tool for automatically calculating cost forecasts based on various criteria and input data. This tool is both affordable and consumes little computing resources, so you can get it along with the best laptop for the money in the $300-$500 range. If you don’t have such an option at hand, create a very specific pricing table that clearly identifies each item or service, as well as the billing period. Here’s a practical example.

Sample pricing for a business proposal:

Remember, your goal is to make them comfortable with the pricing. Make them understand that your offer is not a cost but an investment worth every penny. A great way to achieve this is adding a live ROI calculator. It’s a perfect reminder of why they’re reading the proposal in the first place: to find a solution that will help them increase the revenue.

Below, you can see a sample ROI calculator created with our presentation maker tool :

Interactive ROI calculator example

8. Finish with terms and conditions + contractual agreement

Here’s a bad dream— The client loved your proposal, you’re midway through the project, and, all of a sudden, they’re refusing to make a second payment on your account. “We agreed on 30% upfront, and a full payment upon completion.” You know that’s not what you agreed on. Or do you? A proper business proposal comes with a detailed set of terms and conditions, together with contractual agreement at the bottom, helping both parties involved avoid any misunderstandings. In the terms and conditions, describe the timeline of the project, payment terms and schedule, cancellation policy (if applicable), and possible pre-agreement amendments to the proposal itself.

Sample terms and conditions for a business proposal:

TERMS AND CONDITIONS Timeline Start date: June 1, 2023 End date: July 31, 2023 Total payment due: $11,150 40% of the total payment is due upon signing. 100% of the total payment is due upon project completion. After the final payment, any elements of text, graphics, photos, or other creative work created by ABC Company for Acme Corp are owned by Acme Corp. ABC Company retains the right to showcase their creative work done for Acme Corp as examples in their portfolio. Prior to signing the contractual agreement, elements of this proposal might be amended in cooperation with Jane Atkins, ABC Company.

At the bottom of your document, include a legal agreement clause and a space for signatures. Make it easy for them to make a decision without additional documents. Adding a date and signature space in a business proposal will help you close the deal faster. For maximum convenience, you’ll want electronic signatures enabled.

Sample agreement clause for a business proposal:

If you agree to the terms of this inbound marketing proposal, please sign in the field below. Your signature indicates that you enter into a contractual agreement with ABC Company that commences on the date signed below. [ date ] [ signature ] John Random, Acme Corp

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And that’s a wrap…

I hope this step-by-step overview of business proposal writing has straightened out any queries or doubts you might have had. For the final word, here are a few extra tips to keep in mind before you hit “send.”

Business proposal tips:

• Start with an outline.
• Never reuse old proposals.
• Use hard numbers whenever possible.
• Don’t shy away from your brand.
• Make next steps obvious.
• Re-read, proofread and edit.

Thanks for reading. Keeping my fingers crossed for your proposal!

Hi, I'm John, Editor-in-chief at Storydoc. As a content marketer and digital writer specializing in B2B SaaS, my main goal is to provide you with up-to-date tips for effective business storytelling and equip you with all the right tools to enable your sales efforts.

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How to Write a Professional Business Proposal + 7 Example Templates

Business and success go hand in hand. For a business to thrive, it's crucial to seize opportunities and make the most of them.

A business proposal is a formal document that outlines your business idea, products, or services to a potential client or partner. This tool can be a game-changer, helping you secure new contracts, attract investment, and grow your business.

In fact, research shows that businesses with plans grow 30% faster than those without them.

In this article, we'll cover everything you need to know about business proposals, how to write them, and provide examples & templates you can use to get started with your next one today.

What Is a Business Proposal?

A business proposal is a document that you send to a potential client or partner. It outlines what you can do for them and why they should choose your company over others. It's like a job application , but for your business. You're trying to show that you're the best fit for their needs.

A business proposal usually includes details about the project you're proposing, the timeline, and the budget. It's a way to put all your cards on the table. You're showing what you can offer and how you plan to deliver on your promises.

Think of it as your business's resume. It's a way to showcase your skills, experience, and what makes you unique in the marketplace. A well-crafted business proposal can be the difference between landing a new client and missing out on a great opportunity .

When to Send a Business Proposal

Sending a business proposal at the right time can be just as important as what's inside it. Knowing when to send one can help you catch a potential client's attention when they're most receptive.

Responding to a Request for Proposal (RFP)

When a company wants to solve a problem or needs a service, they often send out a Request for Proposal. This is your cue to send a business proposal that addresses their specific needs.

After a Discovery Meeting

After an initial meeting where you learn about a potential client's needs, a business proposal can serve as a formal follow-up. It shows you were listening and have a plan to meet their requirements.

Expanding Services with Current Clients

If you're already working with a client and see an opportunity for additional services, a business proposal can make the case for expanding your role.

Entering a New Market

When you're planning to enter a new market or offer a new service, a business proposal can introduce your company to potential clients or partners in that sector.

Seeking Investment or Loans

If you're looking for investment or a loan to expand your business, a detailed business proposal can show lenders or investors that you have a well-thought-out plan.

Need to improve your business systems? Check out our article How to Set Up Systems for Your Business in 4 Simple Steps to learn more!

Different Types of Business Proposals

There are mainly two types of business proposals: solicited and unsolicited . Solicited proposals are those that are requested by a potential client, usually through an RFP. Unsolicited proposals are sent without a specific request, often to potential clients who may not be aware they need your services.

Solicited business proposals are sent in response to an explicit request from a potential client, often through a Request for Proposal (RFP). In contrast, unsolicited proposals are sent without a specific request , usually to potential clients who may not even be aware they need the services or solutions you're offering.

The content in these proposals can differ based on the type. Solicited proposals often have strict guidelines, requiring specific information and a certain format. Unsolicited proposals offer more creative freedom but must be particularly persuasive to catch the reader's attention.

How to Write a Business Proposal

If you're wondering, "how do I write a business proposal?" then keep the following tips in mind as you craft your next proposal:

Outline of a Business Proposal (Necessary Sections)

Following an outline ensures that you include all the essential information, making your proposal comprehensive and persuasive. It also helps you organize your thoughts clearly, making it easier for the reader to follow your argument and understand your offer.

Here's a basic outline you should consider following when writing a business proposal:

By adhering to this outline, you're more likely to create a business proposal that is both thorough and compelling, increasing your chances of winning the client's business.

Proposal Outlining Tips

Need help outlining your business proposal? Here are some tips to keep in mind:

Start with a strong introduction

Use bullet points for easy reading

Include visuals like charts or graphs

Keep language simple and clear

Use headings and subheadings to organize content

Note: Following an outline is important, but keep in mind that personalization is okay! Read on to learn how to upgrade your business proposals.

How to Upgrade Your Business Proposals

Personalizing your business proposals helps show that you truly care about the proposal and that you put more effort in than just copying and pasting a previous proposal.

Here are some tips to help you upgrade your business proposals:

Personalize the proposal by using the client's name and tailor the content to their specific needs.

Include testimonials that show reviews or quotes from past clients.

Add a FAQ section that addresses common questions upfront.

Use high-quality images that make your proposal visually appealing.

Offer multiple options by giving the client choices in services or pricing.

Consider using online tools to personalize your business proposals.

Ultimately, you should find a way to make the business proposal unique to you, your company, and your brand. If your company incorporates humor into its brand, feel free to add humor to your business proposal. Find a way to make your proposal stand out and unique.

7 Business Proposal Templates and Examples

Templates can make the process of writing a business proposal easier and faster. Here are some types you might find useful:

Copy templates to use them anywhere:

Sample Business Proposal Template

Use this sample business proposal template when you need a quick and straightforward proposal. It's ideal for small projects or when you're in the early stages of discussion with a client. This template covers the basics and is easy to fill out.

Introduction

• Company: {formtext: name=company;default=Text Blaze; cols=10}
• Problem: {formtext: name=problem;default=improving site traffic; cols=20}

Proposed Solution

• Plan: {formtext: name=plan;default=utilizing SEO; cols=12}
• Timeline: {formmenu: 3; 2; default=1} months
• Budget: ${formtext: name=budget;default=10,000; cols=10}

Qualifications

• 5 years in {formtext: name=field;default=digital marketing; cols=15}
• {formtext: name=number of clients;default=10+; cols=5} satisfied clients

Conclusion and Call to Action

• Contact us to get started on {=problem}.

Detailed Proposal Outlining Template

This detailed proposal outlining template is best for complex projects that require a lot of detail, such as large-scale operations or technical projects. It allows you to go in-depth with your proposed solutions, methodologies, and qualifications.

Executive Summary

• Comprehensive {formtext: name=field;default=digital marketing; cols=15} strategy for {formtext: name=company;default=Text Blaze; cols=10}.
• Company: {=company}
• Problem: {formtext: name=problem;default=improving sales; cols=15}

Needs Assessment {formparagraph: name=services; default=improve landing pages, redesign funnel; cols=30}

• {formtext: name=plan;default=utilizing funnels; cols=15}
• Timeline: {formmenu: 4; 3; default=2} months
• Budget: ${formtext: name=budget;default=30,000; cols=10}

Methodology

• Monthly reporting and strategy adjustments
• {formtext: name=years;default=10; cols=5} years in {=field}
• Certified experts
• Let's schedule a meeting to discuss this proposal further.

Professional Proposal For Business Template

Choose this professional proposal for business template when you're dealing with high-stakes or large-scale proposals that require a polished and comprehensive presentation. It's designed to impress, including sections for an executive summary and detailed pricing terms.

• Proposal for {formtext: name=company;default=Text Blaze; cols=10}
• Date: {time: MM/DD/YYYY}
• {formtext: name=problem1;default=customer support; cols=15} overhaul
• Problem: {formtext: name=problem2;default=poor customer support; cols=20}
• Comprehensive {=problem1} strategy
• Budget: ${formtext: name=budget;default=20,000; cols=10}

Team and Qualifications

• Team of {formtext: name=team;default=5; cols=5} experts
• Combined {formtext: name=years;default=10; cols=5} years of experience

Pricing and Terms

• Monthly payments
• 1-year contract
• Contact us to finalize the contract.

Business Offer Template

This business offer template is perfect for making a straightforward business offer, especially for retail or e-commerce. It's less about solving a problem and more about presenting an opportunity or deal to the client.

• Special offer on our new {formtext: name=product;default=product line; cols=12}
• {formtext: name=offer;default=BOGO; cols=8}
• ${formtext: name=price;default=50; cols=5} per item

Terms and Conditions

• Valid until {time: MMMM, YYYY; shift=+3M}
• Visit our website to take advantage of this offer.

Proposal For Client Template

Use this proposal for client template when you want to focus on client-specific needs and solutions. It's tailored to address the client's unique situation, making it highly personalized and client-centric.

Client-Centric Introduction

• Understanding {formtext: name=company;default=Text Blaze; cols=10}'s need for {formtext: name=problem;default=better accounting software; cols=25}

Understanding Your Needs

• Outdated {formtext: name=problem2;default=accounting software; cols=18} causing inefficiencies

Tailored Solution

• Custom {=problem2} development
• Timeline: {formmenu: 6; 5; default=4} months
• Budget: ${formtext: name=budget;default=50,000; cols=10}

Why Choose Us

• {formtext: name=years;default=10; cols=5} years in {=problem2} development
• Let's schedule a call to discuss your custom software needs.

Small Business Proposal Template

This small business proposal template is designed for small businesses and startups. It's simplified and easy to use, allowing you to quickly put together a proposal without getting bogged down in complexities.

Small Business Introduction

• {formtext: name=company;default=OfficeClean; cols=10}, a wallet-friendly {formtext: name=business;default=cleaning service; cols=15}

The Problem

• {formtext: name=problem;default=Office cleanliness; cols=15}

Our Solution

• Highly recommended {formtext: name=solution;default=cleaning; cols=12} services
• Budget: ${formtext: name=budget;default=250; cols=10}/week
• Contact us to make your office a cleaner place.

Project Proposal Template

Opt for this project proposal template when you're proposing a specific project with defined objectives, methodologies, and timelines. It's ideal for project-based work and allows you to go into detail about how you plan to achieve the project's goals.

Project Overview

• {formtext: name=problem;default=Site redesign; cols=15}
• Improve {formtext: name=solution;default=improve user experience; cols=22}
• Agile development with {formmenu: bi-weekly; weekly; default=monthly} sprints
• {formmenu: 6; 5; default=4} months
• ${formtext: name=budget;default=60,000; cols=10}
• Let's kick off this project by the end of the month.

How to Automate Common Work Emails

If you find yourself typing the same emails over and over (such as business proposals), consider giving Text Blaze a try. Text Blaze helps you create smart text templates that you can insert anywhere online using keyboard shortcuts.

With Text Blaze, you can create templates to automate basic phrases, email signatures, and even common work emails . Using Text Blaze, you can quickly insert and customize common emails in a fraction of the time!

Benefits of Using Text Blaze:

It's free forever and works absolutely anywhere .

Text Blaze helps you personalize emails with fill-in-the-blank placeholders to upgrade your emails and business proposals.

Formulas, dynamic logic, and more help you create dynamic email templates for any situation.

Send Professional Business Proposals With Ease!

A well-crafted business proposal can be a powerful tool for success, helping you secure new contracts and grow your business. Remember to send it at the right time, tailor it to the client's needs, and make it as clear and compelling as possible. Templates can also be a helpful starting point, saving you time and effort.

Use Text Blaze to automate common emails, boost productivity, and personalize your emails with ease!

Hi there! You made it all the way down to the bottom of this article. Take a few seconds to share it.

Want to turbo charge your work with templates and snippets? Text Blaze is the fastest way to do that.

60+ Positive Review Response Templates: 4 Star, No Name Review Samples Inside

How to deal with difficult customers, the ultimate guide on how to write a request for proposal (rfp), how to foster employee accountability in the workplace, 16 best chrome extensions for entrepreneurs, 12 time-saving tips for business owners in 2023.

Create a Business Proposal: Tips, Templates, and Examples

You're ready to launch. You've got a killer product and you know what you're doing, but do you know how to sell it?

Think of a business proposal like a recipe. Just like a recipe tells what ingredients are needed and how to put them together to make a delicious meal, a business proposal tells what needs to happen and how to make it happen. It's a roadmap for getting from point A to point B, but it's also a way of communicating your vision and strategy with others who may be involved in making your business dreams come true.

A winning business proposal ensures your company gets the recognition it deserves. It's about making sure you are well-positioned for success. And it's about giving yourself the best chance to succeed by having clear goals and paths to achieving them.

Business proposals are critical when you're trying to land a new customer. Imagine owning a landscaping business and wanting to work for a new homeowner in your area. 

You could email them, "I'm a landscaper, and I can mow your lawn for $20." But that's not very convincing. A better option would be to create a business proposal that explains your experience, the services you offer, and how much they will cost. This way, the homeowner can see that you're serious about your business and know what to expect.

In this article, we'll go over the following:

What a business proposal is, 

The different types of proposals you can create, and 

What to include in your proposal. 

We'll also give examples and templates to help you get started. By the end, you should know precisely how to write a proposal to help your business stand out and win more customers.

What Is a Business Proposal?

A business proposal is a formal, written document that outlines the services you're offering, how much they cost, and what benefits your customers will get from working with you. It's also an opportunity to show off your expertise and why you're qualified for the job.

A good business proposal should be easy to read and understand and detailed enough to show that you've put thought and effort into it. A proposal can help secure funding, win a contract, or get a new client. So it's essential to put your best effort into creating one that will impress by doing your research, being specific about what you're offering and why it's critical, and letting the customer know that you understand their needs.

You've probably seen those TV shows where people pitch their business ideas to investors. A business proposal is a lot like that. Still, instead of pitching your idea for funding (or investment), you're using it to get potential customers excited about what you can do—and how you can help solve their problems.

But what makes a business proposal different from a business plan?

A business plan is a document that outlines your entire business. It includes your mission statement, target market, financial projections, and marketing strategy. On the other hand, a business proposal focuses on a specific project or opportunity.

The purpose of a business proposal is to convince someone that your company can provide the services they desire. It should highlight your skills and experience—and explain how those qualities align with the client's needs. A business proposal is often part of the sales process and can aid in securing new customers or winning new projects from existing clients.

2 Types of Business Proposals

There are two main types of business proposals: unsolicited proposals and solicited proposals.

An unsolicited proposal: This is the proposal a business offers without a potential client's request. This means you're reaching out to someone with an idea or solution without them explicitly asking for it. For example, if you own a landscaping business and see a neighborhood with many overgrown lawns, you could create an unsolicited proposal to offer lawn mowing services to the owners.

A solicited proposal: This is the proposal a business offers after a potential client request through a request for proposal (RFP) or request for quote (RFQ). For example, if you own a marketing agency and receive an RFP from a local company looking for help with their social media marketing, you would create a solicited proposal in response to their request.

Knowing the difference between these two types of proposals is essential because they require different approaches. An unsolicited proposal is a way to introduce yourself and your business to a potential client, while a solicited proposal is a response to a specific request. 

Understanding these differences will help you create a proposal tailored to your audience and one that meets their needs.

What You Should Include in the Business Proposal

When creating a business proposal, it's crucial to include all the necessary information to convince a potential customer to choose your business. Here are some key elements you should include in your proposal:

An Overview of Your Business

This should be a brief introduction to your business, including what you do, whom you serve, and what sets you apart from other companies in your industry. If you're creating a business proposal for a new client, this is an excellent opportunity to highlight how your services can help them meet their goals.

A good business overview will also include a brief history of your business, including how you started. This section should be no more than two paragraphs long and should not contain any information irrelevant to the proposal.

A Description of the Problem or Need

Please explain the problem or need that the potential customer is facing and how your proposal addresses it. Be specific and use simple language that your audience can easily understand. You can also include relevant statistics or research data supporting your claims.

For example, when writing an email marketing proposal to a potential client who runs a web-based business, you might include statistics that show how many people visit their site each month and the average number of pages they view. This will help demonstrate how your proposal can help them increase sales.

A Proposed Solution

Outline the solution you're proposing, including the products or services you're offering and how they will solve the customer's problem. Remember to tailor the answer to the customer's needs, and include any research and data supporting your claims.

You want to show that you know what they need and ensure they understand how your solutions will help them achieve their goals.

Present the solution in a way that's easy for your audience to understand, so it's essential to use simple language and avoid jargon. It may be helpful to include visuals or other forms of media (such as infographics) if your audience will better understand what you're offering.

The Benefits of Your Solution

Explain the benefits of your solution, including how it will solve the customer's problem and any additional benefits it offers.

For example, when offering meeting recording and transcribing software, explain its benefits, such as saving time and money by allowing customers to review recordings of meetings and provide feedback on previous discussions. You can also explain how the solution streamlines collaboration, improves productivity, and increases employee satisfaction.

If a customer needs more information about your product or service before purchasing, consider offering additional resources such as a free demo or trial. Consider offering a free consultation with one of your sales representatives who can answer any customer's questions about purchasing your product or service.

Pricing and Payment Terms

Include details about the cost of your products or services and any discounts or promotions you're offering. You should also include information about payment terms, such as when payment is due and how it will be collected.

A business proposal can be a great way to explain your payment terms. If you're working with an established company, they may have their payment terms in place, so checking before including any specific details about how you receive payments is essential. 

Timelines and Deliverables

Outline the timeline for completing the project, including any milestones or deadlines. Include details about what you deliver to the customer, such as a finished product or a report.

If you need access to certain information or resources before starting work, include that in the proposal. This can help avoid delays and ensure that both parties are on the same page.

You may also include some basic details about how you'll work with the customer, such as communication methods and whether you're willing to travel for meetings.

Qualifications and Experience 

Show off your skills and experience by including information about your qualifications and relevant experience. This could consist of education, certifications, or past projects you've completed.

It's also a good idea to include information on any previous relevant projects and your role in completing them. This shows that you have the skills necessary to complete the job.

When starting your career, include some of your goals in the proposal. This shows that you have a passion for what you do and a desire to learn more about the field.

Customer Testimonials or Case Studies

Including customer testimonials or case studies can be a powerful way to demonstrate the effectiveness of your solution. Testimonials can be in the form of written statements or video clips from satisfied customers. This shows how your company's product or service has helped solve a problem for them.

If there are several testimonials, include statistics about how many customers have used your product/service and their results.

Terms and Conditions

Include any terms and conditions that apply to your proposals, such as warranties, guarantees, or cancellation policies. You should also include any special instructions or information you want the client to know.

For example, if your business has a policy that prohibits certain types of work while on vacation, be sure to include this in your proposal, so they know what they are getting into. You can also include a section for the client to sign if they accept your proposal. This way, you have documentation of their acceptance and can move forward with the project.

Including these elements in a proposal can communicate the value of your products or services and convince a potential customer to choose your business.

How to Write a Business Proposal

Writing a business proposal can seem intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. By following these 15 easy steps, you'll be able to create a professional and compelling proposal that will help you win more customers.

Step 1: Begin with a title page. The title page should include the name of your company, the date, and the name of the person or company you are submitting the proposal to.

Step 2: Create a table of contents. This will help the reader easily navigate your proposal and find the information they want.

Step 3: State the problem or need. Explain the problem or need that your business is trying to solve. Be specific and provide examples to illustrate the problem.

Step 4: Build out the customer journey. Describe the steps a customer will go through when interacting with your company. This will help the reader understand how your product or service will solve their problem.

Step 5: Qualifications. Discuss your company's qualifications and why you are the best choice to solve the problem. Include information about your experience, skills, and any relevant certifications or awards.

Step 6: Outline your solution. Describe in detail how your product or service will solve the problem. Include any unique features or benefits that set your solution apart from others.

Step 7: Pricing and terms. Include a cost breakdown of the solution and any terms or conditions that apply to your product or service. Also, include relevant information about your company's refund policy, warranty, and other essential details.

Step 8: Supporting documents. Include any additional documents that support your proposal, such as case studies, testimonials, or technical specifications.

Step 9: Conclusion. Summarize your proposal's key points and reiterate why your company is the best choice to solve the problem and deliver a solution. This is the last opportunity to show the customer why they should work with you, not your competitors.

Step 10 : Call to action. Please include a clear call to action that tells the reader what you want them to do next, such as setting up a meeting to discuss the proposal further.

Step 11: Contact information. Provide your contact information, including your name, title, phone number, and email address, so the reader knows how to contact you.

Step 12: Close. Thank the reader for reviewing your proposal and asking for their feedback.

Step 13: Review, edit and send. Take the time to review and edit your proposal to ensure it is clear, concise, and error-free. Print out copies of your proposal and deliver them to the appropriate parties. If you are submitting your proposal electronically, be sure to save it in a PDF format.

Step 14: Follow up. Follow up with the reader to see if they have any questions or need additional information.

Step 15: Negotiate and close the deal. If the reader is interested in your proposal, work with them to finalize the details and close the deal.

A well-written proposal is a critical component of any business deal. It is your best chance to impress the reader and get them excited about your product or service.

10 Business Proposal Templates

A professional business proposal template saves you time and helps you create a more effective proposal. Here are ten business proposal templates to help you get started:

Content marketing proposal

A content marketing proposal outlines a plan for creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience.

A business can use this template to develop a proposal for a client or employer. It includes information about the target audience, proposed content topics and formats, distribution channels (including social media), and estimated costs.

The content marketing proposal should also include the results expected from the campaign, including a detailed list of performance metrics and KPIs. A client may request this proposal instead of or in addition to a traditional project brief or RFP (request for proposal) to better understand how a business will create content that supports its marketing objectives.

Social media marketing proposal

This proposal introduces your agency or business and explains how you can help the client achieve its social media marketing goals. The proposal should include a timeline for implementing the strategy and deliverables, such as content calendars and social listening reports.

It should also provide details about the types of content created and who will make it (including writers, designers, and strategists). The proposal should also include a budget for the work based on an hourly rate multiplied by the number of hours required to complete it.

The proposal will help you start your social media marketing plan and set the stage for executing it with your client.

Business consulting proposal

This proposal introduces your business consulting services to potential clients and persuades them to contract you to help them with their business challenges. 

You should include information about the services you provide, how long they take to complete and what results they produce (including client benefits). Your proposal should also have an estimated budget for the work.

Customize a business consulting proposal to a client's specific needs. Remember to include an analysis of the client's current situation, challenges, and opportunities. This will help you develop a tailored plan to meet those needs.

Event planning proposal

This proposal outlines the event planner's services, including venue selection, catering, entertainment, and décor. Include a budget, timeline, and the costs associated with each item. The proposal should also have a detailed scope of work and event schedule.

This will ensure both parties are on the same page regarding what to expect from each other. It should also include a separate budget for additional services, such as equipment rentals. Remember to tailor the proposal to each client's needs and goals.

Website design proposal

This document outlines a web design company's service, including site planning, design, development, and testing. It also includes a description of the proposed website, including its purpose and target audience.

The proposal should include a timeline for completing each phase of the project and a budget for these services.

The web design proposal is an opportunity to spread your business ideas and convince clients to work with you to create a professional and effective website.

Marketing campaign proposal

This campaign proposal outlines a plan for promoting a product or service through various marketing channels. It should include a detailed description of the campaign goals, including the specific metrics to measure success.

The proposal also outlines how you will reach your target audience and the resources necessary for each project phase.

There should be an itemized budget for all services your company provides and estimated costs for any outside vendors needed to complete the project.

The marketing campaign proposal should convey all the information necessary for your client to decide whether or not to move forward with the project.

Product launch proposal

A product launch proposal outlines a plan for introducing a new product to the market, including target audience, messaging, and promotion. You can use it to secure project funding and provide a road map for the company's marketing and sales teams.

The proposal should include an overview of the product, including its features, benefits, and target audience. It should also outline the company's marketing strategy for launching the product, including messaging, pricing strategy, and distribution channels.

Public relations proposal

A public relations proposal outlines a plan for building relationships with the media and other stakeholders to enhance a brand's or organization's reputation. It should include a list of target media outlets and influencers and an outline of the company's messaging strategy.

It should also include a timeline for when the PR campaign begins and ends and any benchmarks to meet before launch. The company should also provide an outline of how it will measure the success of its PR campaigns, such as increased brand awareness and reputation.

Pricing strategy proposal

A pricing strategy proposal outlines the pricing structure for your product or service and explains why you chose it. It should include a list of competitors' prices and estimated manufacturing, distribution, and overhead expenses costs.

It should also include a detailed description of how your pricing strategy will help the company meet its goals, such as increasing sales and market share. If you're proposing a new product or service, consider creating an MVP (minimum viable product) first.

This is a version of your product or service with the minimum viable features. It should be easy to build and test with users. Once you've created an MVP, test it in the real world by getting feedback from potential customers and asking them if they would buy it at different price points. You can then use this information to develop a pricing strategy for your product or service.

Training program proposal 

A training program proposal outlines a plan for providing education and skill development to employees or clients. It should include an overview of the program, who it's intended for, what you hope to achieve through it, and how long the program will run. It should also outline the costs involved in delivering the program and how you intend to structure it.

A training program proposal is a great way to present new ideas. It helps you identify potential problems with the program and anticipate questions from stakeholders. It also enables you to get buy-in from stakeholders to help you secure funding or implement your proposal.

Video production proposal 

A video production proposal is a document that outlines the services a video production company will provide, including scriptwriting, filming, editing, and post-production.

A professionally designed business proposal template can help you create a professional, high-quality document that will help you secure funding, win new clients, and retain existing ones.

These templates are customizable, easy to edit, and can work for any business, from small start-ups to large corporations. You can customize them to reflect your brand and make it stand out from competitors.

Having a format business proposal template can save you time and help you create a more effective proposal.

5 Business Proposal Examples

Here are five business proposal examples to give you an idea of how a proposal might look and the type of information it might include:

Example 1: Marketing Services Proposal

This format business proposal is for a marketing agency offering its services to a potential client. The proposal includes a cover letter, a table of contents, and several sections detailing the agency's qualifications, marketing strategy, and pricing. There is also a section on the agency's past clients and case studies to showcase their experience and success.

Example 2: Event Planning Proposal

This proposal is for an event planning company that is offering its services for a company's annual conference. The proposal includes a cover letter, a table of contents, and several sections detailing the event planning process, budget, and timeline. There are also sections on the company's experience, testimonials from past clients, and photos of events they planned.

Example 3: Software Development Proposal

This format business proposal is for a software development company offering its services to a potential client. The proposal includes a cover letter, a table of contents, and several sections detailing the company's process for developing custom software, qualifications, and pricing. There are also sections on the company's past projects and technical capabilities.

Example 4: Consulting Services Proposal

This proposal is for a consulting company offering its services to a potential client. It includes a cover letter, a table of contents, and the company's qualifications, consulting process, and pricing. It also has sections on the company's past clients and case studies to showcase their experience and success.

Example 5: Website Design Proposal

This proposal is for a website design and development company offering its services to a potential client. The proposal includes the following:

A cover letter

A table of contents

The company's process for designing and developing websites

Its qualifications

There are also sections on the company's past projects and design portfolio to showcase its experience and skills.

These business proposal examples give you an idea of the types of information to include in your proposal. Remember, every proposal will differ depending on the product or service offered and the potential client's needs.

Tips for Business Proposal

Start with an outline : Before you start writing your proposal, it's a good idea to create an overview of the key points you want to include. This will help you organize your thoughts and ensure that your proposal is structured and easy to follow.

Use data and visuals: Including data and visuals in your proposal can help make your case more effective. Use charts, graphs, and other visuals to illustrate your points and make your proposal more engaging.

Integrate video: Adding a video to your proposal can make it more dynamic and engaging. You can use video to introduce yourself or your company or to demonstrate your products or services.

Customize your proposal: Don't send the same proposal to every potential customer. Take the time to customize your proposal to fit each customer's specific needs and goals.

Keep it concise: A long, rambling proposal can be overwhelming and challenging to read. Keep your proposal brief and to the point to make it more effective.

Use a professional design: A well-designed proposal looks professional and shows that you take your business seriously. Invest in a good design for your proposal to make a good impression on your potential customers.

Use bullet points: Bullet points can help you organize your thoughts and make your proposal easier to read. Use bullet points to break up large blocks of text and highlight key points.

Use strong headlines: Headlines are essential for grabbing the reader's attention and helping them understand the main points of your proposal. Use solid and descriptive headlines to make your proposal more effective.

Include customer testimonials: Including customer testimonials in your proposal can help you build credibility and demonstrate the effectiveness of your products or services.

Use case studies : Case studies are a powerful way to demonstrate the value of your products or services. Include case studies in your proposal to show how you have helped similar customers and what the results were.

Offer options: Offering different options or packages in your proposal can give your potential customer more flexibility and make it easier for them to choose a solution that works for them.

Be transparent: Be upfront and honest about your proposal's costs, timelines, and expectations. Transparency will help build trust and make it easier for your potential customer to decide.

Proofread: Don't let typos or grammatical errors ruin your proposal. Take the time to proofread and double-check your proposal to ensure it's error-free.

Follow up: After sending your proposal, follow up with your potential customer to see if they have any questions or need additional information. This shows that you're interested in working with them and can help increase the chances of getting a positive response.

Stay organized: Keep track of your proposals and the responses you receive. Use a spreadsheet or project management software to manage your proposals to stay organized and on top of your sales efforts.

By following these tips, you can create a professional and effective business proposal that will help you win more customers.

Conclusion 

A business proposal is crucial for bridging the gap between businesses and potential clients. By outlining the problem, proposed solution, and benefits of your products or services, you can showcase your professionalism and experience and convince potential clients to choose your business.

While there are no set rules or guidelines on how to write a proposal, you can create a professional and compelling proposition by following the steps outlined in this article and using templates as a guide.

Remember to tailor your proposal to your client's specific needs and goals, and use the tips to create a proposal that will impress.

Ranee has worked in the SaaS industry for nearly ten years. She loves working with, learning from, and helping develop effective leaders and is willing to share her thoughts through words. Outside of work, you can find her dancing, hiking in the mountains, or reading in a cafe.

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 .

How to Create a Business Proposal That Closes Deals

June 28, 2022

Winning Proposal Structure Tips (What The Research Says)

June 21, 2022

How to Write a Business Plan: Step-by-Step Guide + Examples

Noah Parsons

24 min. read

Updated March 18, 2024

Writing a business plan doesn’t have to be complicated. 

In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to write a business plan that’s detailed enough to impress bankers and potential investors, while giving you the tools to start, run, and grow a successful business.

• The basics of business planning

If you’re reading this guide, then you already know why you need a business plan . 

You understand that planning helps you: 

• Raise money
• Grow strategically
• Keep your business on the right track 

As you start to write your plan, it’s useful to zoom out and remember what a business plan is .

At its core, a business plan is an overview of the products and services you sell, and the customers that you sell to. It explains your business strategy: how you’re going to build and grow your business, what your marketing strategy is, and who your competitors are.

Most business plans also include financial forecasts for the future. These set sales goals, budget for expenses, and predict profits and cash flow. 

A good business plan is much more than just a document that you write once and forget about. It’s also a guide that helps you outline and achieve your goals. 

After completing your plan, you can use it as a management tool to track your progress toward your goals. Updating and adjusting your forecasts and budgets as you go is one of the most important steps you can take to run a healthier, smarter business. 

We’ll dive into how to use your plan later in this article.

There are many different types of plans , but we’ll go over the most common type here, which includes everything you need for an investor-ready plan. However, if you’re just starting out and are looking for something simpler—I recommend starting with a one-page business plan . It’s faster and easier to create. 

It’s also the perfect place to start if you’re just figuring out your idea, or need a simple strategic plan to use inside your business.

Dig deeper : How to write a one-page business plan

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• What to include in your business plan

Executive summary

The executive summary is an overview of your business and your plans. It comes first in your plan and is ideally just one to two pages. Most people write it last because it’s a summary of the complete business plan.

Ideally, the executive summary can act as a stand-alone document that covers the highlights of your detailed plan. 

In fact, it’s common for investors to ask only for the executive summary when evaluating your business. If they like what they see in the executive summary, they’ll often follow up with a request for a complete plan, a pitch presentation , or more in-depth financial forecasts .

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
• Your funding requirements (if you are raising money)

Dig Deeper: How to write an effective executive summary

Products and services description

This is where you describe exactly what you’re selling, and how it solves a problem for your target market. The best way to organize this part of your plan is to start by describing the problem that exists for your customers. After that, you can describe how you plan to solve that problem with your product or service. 

This is usually called a problem and solution statement .

To truly showcase the value of your products and services, you need to craft a compelling narrative around your offerings. How will your product or service transform your customers’ lives or jobs? A strong narrative will draw in your readers.

This is also the part of the business plan to discuss any competitive advantages you may have, like specific intellectual property or patents that protect your product. If you have any initial sales, contracts, or other evidence that your product or service is likely to sell, include that information as well. It will show that your idea has traction , which can help convince readers that your plan has a high chance of success.

Market analysis

Your target market is a description of the type of people that you plan to sell to. You might even have multiple target markets, depending on your business. 

A market analysis is the part of your plan where you bring together all of the information you know about your target market. Basically, it’s a thorough description of who your customers are and why they need what you’re selling. You’ll also include information about the growth of your market and your industry .

Try to be as specific as possible when you describe your market. 

Include information such as age, income level, and location—these are what’s called “demographics.” If you can, also describe your market’s interests and habits as they relate to your business—these are “psychographics.” 

Related: Target market examples

Essentially, you want to include any knowledge you have about your customers that is relevant to how your product or service is right for them. With a solid target market, it will be easier to create a sales and marketing plan that will reach your customers. That’s because you know who they are, what they like to do, and the best ways to reach them.

Next, provide any additional information you have about your market. 

What is the size of your market ? Is the market growing or shrinking? Ideally, you’ll want to demonstrate that your market is growing over time, and also explain how your business is positioned to take advantage of any expected changes in your industry.

Dig Deeper: Learn how to write a market analysis

Competitive analysis

Part of defining your business opportunity is determining what your competitive advantage is. To do this effectively, you need to know as much about your competitors as your target customers. 

Every business has some form of competition. If you don’t think you have competitors, then explore what alternatives there are in the market for your product or service. 

For example: In the early years of cars, their main competition was horses. For social media, the early competition was reading books, watching TV, and talking on the phone.

A good competitive analysis fully lays out the competitive landscape and then explains how your business is different. Maybe your products are better made, or cheaper, or your customer service is superior. Maybe your competitive advantage is your location – a wide variety of factors can ultimately give you an advantage.

Dig Deeper: How to write a competitive analysis for your business plan

Marketing and sales plan

The marketing and sales plan covers how you will position your product or service in the market, the marketing channels and messaging you will use, and your sales tactics. 

The best place to start with a marketing plan is with a positioning statement . 

This explains how your business fits into the overall market, and how you will explain the advantages of your product or service to customers. You’ll use the information from your competitive analysis to help you with your positioning. 

For example: You might position your company as the premium, most expensive but the highest quality option in the market. Or your positioning might focus on being locally owned and that shoppers support the local economy by buying your products.

Once you understand your positioning, you’ll bring this together with the information about your target market to create your marketing strategy . 

This is how you plan to communicate your message to potential customers. Depending on who your customers are and how they purchase products like yours, you might use many different strategies, from social media advertising to creating a podcast. Your marketing plan is all about how your customers discover who you are and why they should consider your products and services. 

While your marketing plan is about reaching your customers—your sales plan will describe the actual sales process once a customer has decided that they’re interested in what you have to offer. 

If your business requires salespeople and a long sales process, describe that in this section. If your customers can “self-serve” and just make purchases quickly on your website, describe that process. 

A good sales plan picks up where your marketing plan leaves off. The marketing plan brings customers in the door and the sales plan is how you close the deal.

Together, these specific plans paint a picture of how you will connect with your target audience, and how you will turn them into paying customers.

Dig deeper: What to include in your sales and marketing plan

Business operations

The operations section describes the necessary requirements for your business to run smoothly. It’s where you talk about how your business works and what day-to-day operations look like. 

Depending on how your business is structured, your operations plan may include elements of the business like:

• Supply chain management
• Manufacturing processes
• Equipment and technology
• Distribution

Some businesses distribute their products and reach their customers through large retailers like Amazon.com, Walmart, Target, and grocery store chains. 

These businesses should review how this part of their business works. The plan should discuss the logistics and costs of getting products onto store shelves and any potential hurdles the business may have to overcome.

If your business is much simpler than this, that’s OK. This section of your business plan can be either extremely short or more detailed, depending on the type of business you are building.

For businesses selling services, such as physical therapy or online software, you can use this section to describe the technology you’ll leverage, what goes into your service, and who you will partner with to deliver your services.

Dig Deeper: Learn how to write the operations chapter of your plan

Key milestones and metrics

Although it’s not required to complete your business plan, mapping out key business milestones and the metrics can be incredibly useful for measuring your success.

Good milestones clearly lay out the parameters of the task and set expectations for their execution. You’ll want to include:

• A description of each task
• The proposed due date
• Who is responsible for each task

If you have a budget, you can include projected costs to hit each milestone. You don’t need extensive project planning in this section—just list key milestones you want to hit and when you plan to hit them. This is your overall business roadmap. 

Possible milestones might be:

• Website launch date
• Store or office opening date
• First significant sales
• Break even date
• Business licenses and approvals

You should also discuss the key numbers you will track to determine your success. Some common metrics worth tracking include:

• Conversion rates
• Customer acquisition costs
• Profit per customer
• Repeat purchases

It’s perfectly fine to start with just a few metrics and grow the number you are tracking over time. You also may find that some metrics simply aren’t relevant to your business and can narrow down what you’re tracking.

Dig Deeper: How to use milestones in your business plan

Organization and management team

Investors don’t just look for great ideas—they want to find great teams. Use this chapter to describe your current team and who you need to hire . You should also provide a quick overview of your location and history if you’re already up and running.

Briefly highlight the relevant experiences of each key team member in the company. It’s important to make the case for why yours is the right team to turn an idea into a reality. 

Do they have the right industry experience and background? Have members of the team had entrepreneurial successes before? 

If you still need to hire key team members, that’s OK. Just note those gaps in this section.

Your company overview should also include a summary of your company’s current business structure . The most common business structures include:

• Sole proprietor
• Partnership

Be sure to provide an overview of how the business is owned as well. Does each business partner own an equal portion of the business? How is ownership divided? 

Potential lenders and investors will want to know the structure of the business before they will consider a loan or investment.

Dig Deeper: How to write about your company structure and team

Financial plan

Last, but certainly not least, is your financial plan chapter. 

Entrepreneurs often find this section the most daunting. But, business financials for most startups are less complicated than you think, and a business degree is certainly not required to build a solid financial forecast. 

A typical financial forecast in a business plan includes the following:

• Sales forecast : An estimate of the sales expected over a given period. You’ll break down your forecast into the key revenue streams that you expect to have.
• Expense budget : Your planned spending such as personnel costs , marketing expenses, and taxes.
• Profit & Loss : Brings together your sales and expenses and helps you calculate planned profits.
• Cash Flow : Shows how cash moves into and out of your business. It can predict how much cash you’ll have on hand at any given point in the future.
• Balance Sheet : A list of the assets, liabilities, and equity in your company. In short, it provides an overview of the financial health of your business. 

A strong business plan will include a description of assumptions about the future, and potential risks that could impact the financial plan. Including those will be especially important if you’re writing a business plan to pursue a loan or other investment.

Dig Deeper: How to create financial forecasts and budgets

This is the place for additional data, charts, or other information that supports your plan.

Including an appendix can significantly enhance the credibility of your plan by showing readers that you’ve thoroughly considered the details of your business idea, and are backing your ideas up with solid data.

Just remember that the information in the appendix is meant to be supplementary. Your business plan should stand on its own, even if the reader skips this section.

Dig Deeper : What to include in your business plan appendix

Optional: Business plan cover page

Adding a business plan cover page can make your plan, and by extension your business, seem more professional in the eyes of potential investors, lenders, and partners. It serves as the introduction to your document and provides necessary contact information for stakeholders to reference.

Your cover page should be simple and include:

• Company logo
• Business name
• Value proposition (optional)
• Business plan title
• Completion and/or update date
• Address and contact information
• Confidentiality statement

Just remember, the cover page is optional. If you decide to include it, keep it very simple and only spend a short amount of time putting it together.

Dig Deeper: How to create a business plan cover page

How to use AI to help write your business plan

Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT can speed up the business plan writing process and help you think through concepts like market segmentation and competition. These tools are especially useful for taking ideas that you provide and converting them into polished text for your business plan.

The best way to use AI for your business plan is to leverage it as a collaborator , not a replacement for human creative thinking and ingenuity. 

AI can come up with lots of ideas and act as a brainstorming partner. It’s up to you to filter through those ideas and figure out which ones are realistic enough to resonate with your customers. 

There are pros and cons of using AI to help with your business plan . So, spend some time understanding how it can be most helpful before just outsourcing the job to AI.

Learn more: 10 AI prompts you need to write a business plan

• Writing tips and strategies

To help streamline the business plan writing process, here are a few tips and key questions to answer to make sure you get the most out of your plan and avoid common mistakes .  

Determine why you are writing a business plan

Knowing why you are writing a business plan will determine your approach to your planning project. 

For example: If you are writing a business plan for yourself, or just to use inside your own business , you can probably skip the section about your team and organizational structure. 

If you’re raising money, you’ll want to spend more time explaining why you’re looking to raise the funds and exactly how you will use them.

Regardless of how you intend to use your business plan , think about why you are writing and what you’re trying to get out of the process before you begin.

Keep things concise

Probably the most important tip is to keep your business plan short and simple. There are no prizes for long business plans . The longer your plan is, the less likely people are to read it. 

So focus on trimming things down to the essentials your readers need to know. Skip the extended, wordy descriptions and instead focus on creating a plan that is easy to read —using bullets and short sentences whenever possible.

Have someone review your business plan

Writing a business plan in a vacuum is never a good idea. Sometimes it’s helpful to zoom out and check if your plan makes sense to someone else. You also want to make sure that it’s easy to read and understand.

Don’t wait until your plan is “done” to get a second look. Start sharing your plan early, and find out from readers what questions your plan leaves unanswered. This early review cycle will help you spot shortcomings in your plan and address them quickly, rather than finding out about them right before you present your plan to a lender or investor.

If you need a more detailed review, you may want to explore hiring a professional plan writer to thoroughly examine it.

Use a free business plan template and business plan examples to get started

Knowing what information you need to cover in a business plan sometimes isn’t quite enough. If you’re struggling to get started or need additional guidance, it may be worth using a business plan template. 

If you’re looking for a free downloadable business plan template to get you started, download the template used by more than 1 million businesses. 

Or, if you just want to see what a completed business plan looks like, check out our library of over 550 free business plan examples . 

We even have a growing list of industry business planning guides with tips for what to focus on depending on your business type.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

It’s easy to make mistakes when you’re writing your business plan. Some entrepreneurs get sucked into the writing and research process, and don’t focus enough on actually getting their business started. 

Here are a few common mistakes and how to avoid them:

Not talking to your customers : This is one of the most common mistakes. It’s easy to assume that your product or service is something that people want. Before you invest too much in your business and too much in the planning process, make sure you talk to your prospective customers and have a good understanding of their needs.

• Overly optimistic sales and profit forecasts: By nature, entrepreneurs are optimistic about the future. But it’s good to temper that optimism a little when you’re planning, and make sure your forecasts are grounded in reality. 
• Spending too much time planning: Yes, planning is crucial. But you also need to get out and talk to customers, build prototypes of your product and figure out if there’s a market for your idea. Make sure to balance planning with building.
• Not revising the plan: Planning is useful, but nothing ever goes exactly as planned. As you learn more about what’s working and what’s not—revise your plan, your budgets, and your revenue forecast. Doing so will provide a more realistic picture of where your business is going, and what your financial needs will be moving forward.
• Not using the plan to manage your business: A good business plan is a management tool. Don’t just write it and put it on the shelf to collect dust – use it to track your progress and help you reach your goals.
• Presenting your business plan

The planning process forces you to think through every aspect of your business and answer questions that you may not have thought of. That’s the real benefit of writing a business plan – the knowledge you gain about your business that you may not have been able to discover otherwise.

With all of this knowledge, you’re well prepared to convert your business plan into a pitch presentation to present your ideas. 

A pitch presentation is a summary of your plan, just hitting the highlights and key points. It’s the best way to present your business plan to investors and team members.

Dig Deeper: Learn what key slides should be included in your pitch deck

Use your business plan to manage your business

One of the biggest benefits of planning is that it gives you a tool to manage your business better. With a revenue forecast, expense budget, and projected cash flow, you know your targets and where you are headed.

And yet, nothing ever goes exactly as planned – it’s the nature of business.

That’s where using your plan as a management tool comes in. The key to leveraging it for your business is to review it periodically and compare your forecasts and projections to your actual results.

Start by setting up a regular time to review the plan – a monthly review is a good starting point. During this review, answer questions like:

• Did you meet your sales goals?
• Is spending following your budget?
• Has anything gone differently than what you expected?

Now that you see whether you’re meeting your goals or are off track, you can make adjustments and set new targets. 

Maybe you’re exceeding your sales goals and should set new, more aggressive goals. In that case, maybe you should also explore more spending or hiring more employees. 

Or maybe expenses are rising faster than you projected. If that’s the case, you would need to look at where you can cut costs.

A plan, and a method for comparing your plan to your actual results , is the tool you need to steer your business toward success.

Learn More: How to run a regular plan review

Free business plan templates and examples

Kickstart your business plan writing with one of our free business plan templates or recommended tools.

Free business plan template

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One-page plan template

Download a free one-page plan template to write a useful business plan in as little as 30-minutes.

Sample business plan library

Explore over 500 real-world business plan examples from a wide variety of industries.

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How to write a business plan FAQ

What is a business plan?

A document that describes your business , the products and services you sell, and the customers that you sell to. It explains your business strategy, how you’re going to build and grow your business, what your marketing strategy is, and who your competitors are.

What are the benefits of a business plan?

A business plan helps you understand where you want to go with your business and what it will take to get there. It reduces your overall risk, helps you uncover your business’s potential, attracts investors, and identifies areas for growth.

Having a business plan ultimately makes you more confident as a business owner and more likely to succeed for a longer period of time.

What are the 7 steps of a business plan?

The seven steps to writing a business plan include:

• Write a brief executive summary
• Describe your products and services.
• Conduct market research and compile data into a cohesive market analysis.
• Describe your marketing and sales strategy.
• Outline your organizational structure and management team.
• Develop financial projections for sales, revenue, and cash flow.
• Add any additional documents to your appendix.

What are the 5 most common business plan mistakes?

There are plenty of mistakes that can be made when writing a business plan. However, these are the 5 most common that you should do your best to avoid:

• 1. Not taking the planning process seriously.
• Having unrealistic financial projections or incomplete financial information.
• Inconsistent information or simple mistakes.
• Failing to establish a sound business model.
• Not having a defined purpose for your business plan.

What questions should be answered in a business plan?

Writing a business plan is all about asking yourself questions about your business and being able to answer them through the planning process. You’ll likely be asking dozens and dozens of questions for each section of your plan.

However, these are the key questions you should ask and answer with your business plan:

• How will your business make money?
• Is there a need for your product or service?
• Who are your customers?
• How are you different from the competition?
• How will you reach your customers?
• How will you measure success?

How long should a business plan be?

The length of your business plan fully depends on what you intend to do with it. From the SBA and traditional lender point of view, a business plan needs to be whatever length necessary to fully explain your business. This means that you prove the viability of your business, show that you understand the market, and have a detailed strategy in place.

If you intend to use your business plan for internal management purposes, you don’t necessarily need a full 25-50 page business plan. Instead, you can start with a one-page plan to get all of the necessary information in place.

What are the different types of business plans?

While all business plans cover similar categories, the style and function fully depend on how you intend to use your plan. 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 when applying for funding or pitching to investors. This type of business plan follows the outline above and can be anywhere from 10-50 pages depending on the amount of detail included, the complexity of your business, and what you include in your appendix.

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.

One-page business plan: This format is a simplified version of the traditional plan that focuses on the core aspects of your business. You’ll typically stick with bullet points and single sentences. It’s most useful for those exploring ideas, needing to validate their business model, or who need an internal plan to help them run and manage their business.

Lean Plan: The Lean Plan is less of a specific document type and more of 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, test, review, refine, and take action based on performance. It’s faster, keeps your plan concise, and ensures that your plan is always up-to-date.

What’s the difference between a business plan and a strategic plan?

A business plan covers the “who” and “what” of your business. It explains what your business is doing right now and how it functions. The strategic plan explores long-term goals and explains “how” the business will get there. It encourages you to look more intently toward the future and how you will achieve your vision.

However, when approached correctly, your business plan can actually function as a strategic plan as well. If kept lean, you can define your business, outline strategic steps, and track ongoing operations all with a single plan.

See why 1.2 million entrepreneurs have written their business plans with LivePlan

Noah is the COO at Palo Alto Software, makers of the online business plan app LivePlan. He started his career at Yahoo! and then helped start the user review site Epinions.com. From there he started a software distribution business in the UK before coming to Palo Alto Software to run the marketing and product teams.

Table of Contents

• Use AI to help write your plan
• Common planning mistakes
• Manage with your business plan
• Templates and examples

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How to write a business proposal

Learn how to write a business proposal that’ll stand out from the crowd and increase your chances of success.

What is a business proposal?

A business proposal is a formal document you send to a prospective client in the hopes of winning a project or making a sale. In your proposal, you outline the service you’ll offer and explain why they should choose you.

Types of business proposals

There are two types of business proposals:

• Solicited business proposal: This type of business proposal is usually requested by a potential customer. Some companies and government agencies issue an RFP (request for proposal) when looking for bids to complete projects. You’ll know the criteria and have most of the information about the potential customer for these types of project proposals.
• Unsolicited business proposal: This is similar to a cold pitch. You send a proposal to new clients without an RFP or an established business relationship to attract new business.

The difference between a business plan and a business proposal

A business plan is the roadmap for a business and shows the overall strategy, goals and vision for success. It shows how a business operates and how it will make money. You can create a business plan using our free template .

A business proposal is a pitch to sell a product or service to a prospective customer. The proposal aims to make the sale and shows the potential of the product or service to solve a problem.

An effective business proposal should solve the three Ps:

• Problem statement: What is the biggest pain point of the customer?
• Proposed solution: How your business will solve the problem better than anyone else
• Pricing: How much the solution costs compared to other solutions

A business proposal has a clear format and should ideally include each of the following sections.

1. Title page

This sets the tone and must look professional. You should include your name, your business’s name, the name of the person you’ll submit your proposal to, the date submitted and the title of your proposal.

2. Table of contents

The table of contents allows your potential client to see what’s in your proposal and also lets them skim to find the information they consider important.

3. Executive summary

This is similar to the executive summary in your business plan. Explain why your business meets the client’s needs and why you are better than your competitors. It should:

• introduce your business and any important team members
• give an overview of your business goals and why you are a successful business
• outline the benefits of your products and services
• showcase milestones and previous clients

4. The problem statement

Outline the main problem your potential client is wanting to solve. This shows them that you understand their pain points. Use data to back up your argument and be specific.

5. Proposed solution

Here’s where you explain in detail your proposed solution and how it’ll solve the client’s problem. Your solution should be specific and personalized. You should include details of what you plan to provide and the benefits of your proposed solution. If you’re pitching for a specific project, share the proposed timeline, and explain how you’ll measure the success of the proposed solution. Visual charts and graphs can help illustrate your points.

6. Qualifications

Use this section to build trust. Explain why your business is the best one for the job and why they should choose you. You can include case studies of previous clients, client testimonials, social media endorsements or praise, relevant industry-specific qualifications, and certifications and years of experience.

7. The timeline

If you’re pitching for a specific project, outline a clear and realistic timeframe of how and when you’ll complete each part of it. Present this in a flowchart or a road map with deadlines and step-by-step actions. If your proposal isn’t for a specific project, give an idea of general timeframes your business works to, for example manufacturing or shipping times, or turn-around times for services.

8. Pricing, billing and legal

This is one of the most important sections. How you structure it will depend on the size of your project and the type of proposal.

For smaller projects and unsolicited proposals, a summary of the fees, or potential fees is sufficient. For a larger project, provide a breakdown of costs to show your potential clients what they’ll be paying for. You can also provide options to allow clients room to move. Check back on the client’s RFP terms if it's a solicited proposal to make sure you meet their requirements.

If there are any permits or licenses required for the project these should be added to this section.

9. Terms and conditions

Clarify the terms and conditions and summarize details for the project, including timeline, pricing and payment schedules. This is where you include items such as cancellation policies, deposits, warranties and shipping. Get your terms and conditions checked by a lawyer before you send them to prospective clients.

10. The acceptance

The final step is to leave a space for signatures. Include a signature box for your client to sign when they accept your proposal. Make sure you include contact information if your client needs to follow up with any unanswered questions.

Business proposal tips

There’s a lot to keep in mind when you’re writing your winning business proposal. The following features can help make your proposal stand out from your competitors.

Start with an outline

Before you begin writing your proposal, plan out everything in an outline. Ensure you have all of the key information you need and research any you don’t have.

Include real data

To impress your client and set you apart from competitors, use hard data that demonstrates the value of your proposal. Highlight your data in flowcharts, graphs or a table to enhance their presentation.

Use visuals

Include visual images to break up and enhance the text of longer proposals. Examples of visuals that are great for business proposals include infographics, flowcharts, timelines, photographs, organizational charts and comparison tables. Make sure they’re relevant and not just decorative. Include captions or explanatory notes with them if it’s not obvious what they’re about.

Incorporate video

If your proposal is online or a PDF, a short video can help to strengthen your proposal and increase engagement with the prospective client. Types of videos that work include:

• an introduction to your proposal
• testimonials
• a demo or brief explainer of your product or service

Add social proof

Use social proof to add credibility and trust to your proposal. It may help convince your client to accept your proposal if they can see positive reviews or case studies from previous clients. Types of social proof include case studies, testimonials, reviews and rankings, customer stories and previous clients you have worked with. Make sure you have approval to share this information though – you don’t want to breach the privacy of customers or previous clients.

Use a call to action

Include a call to action so that your audience knows what action they should take after reading your proposal. Ensure you include contact details so they can ask questions or clarify any issues they have.

Provide pricing options, upsell and add on opportunities

Consider your client’s budget, if you know it, and provide several pricing options (high, mid, low) with extra provided for the higher price. Use a pricing table to present your options.

Include other services or related products your business provides. It’s an opportunity to add on extras to the basic proposal, and gives the client additional information about your business.

Stay on brand

Allow your brand’s personality to stand out. Demonstrate how you are better and different from your competitors.

Keep it simple

Avoid using business jargon and keep your sentences short and simple. There’s no ideal length for a business proposal, but it is important to be succinct and clear. Your proposal should provide enough in-depth information to persuade the decision-maker without overwhelming them.

Be thorough and proofread your proposal. Check your spelling and grammar are accurate and there are no typos. Pay attention to the details and make sure your numbers and all information in your proposal are accurate.

Write a cover letter

Once completed, write a one-page cover letter to send with your proposal and convince the decision maker to read the entire proposal. Your cover letter should include:

• contact information
• a brief introduction to your business and the products or service you provide
• concise details about the client’s problem and the solution that you offer
• a strong conclusion mentioning the main benefit you will deliver
• the next steps you want the prospective customer to take

Xero does not provide accounting, tax, business or legal advice. This guide has been provided for information purposes only. You should consult your own professional advisors for advice directly relating to your business or before taking action in relation to any of the content provided.

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

• 3 years ago

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?

Brandon Boushy

Brandon Boushy lives to improve people’s lives by helping them become successful entrepreneurs. His journey started nearly 30 years ago. He consistently excelled at everything he did, but preferred to make the rules rather than follow him. His exploration of self and knowledge has helped him to get an engineering degree, MBA, and countless certifications. When freelancing and rideshare came onto the scene, he recognized the opportunity to play by his own rules. Since 2017, he has helped businesses across all industries achieve more with his research, writing, and marketing strategies. Since 2021, he has been the Lead Writer for UpFlip where he has published over 170 articles on small business success.

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Home › Writing › What is Proposal Writing? › 17 Business Proposal Examples to Inspire You 

17 Business Proposal Examples to Inspire You 

Become a Certified Proposal Writer

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Sales generation and winning more businesses are a core part of business success. To get more leads and sales, every company must know how to draft an effective business proposal to persuade the clients to buy from you. 

With a good proposal, you can sell more. The way you write the business proposal can determine your company’s fate- either you win a new business or lose a potential client. The business proposal targets a specific audience for your business and offers them an effective solution to their problem. The purpose of a proposal is to convince your client that you stand ahead of your competitors with unique deliverables. Give them a reason to buy from you.

The structure and format of a business proposal contain a compelling introduction with a project overview. After that, you can state the client’s problems and your unique solutions. Your proposal writing must also include all the standard information such as pricing estimates, work timelines, and testimonials. It is essential that you offer transparency and trust to your target audience alongside the solutions to retain long-term clients. 

If you are struggling with writing a persuasive yet informative business proposal, you can leverage the business proposal examples in this article. 

Best Business Proposal Examples to Inspire You

We have written down the 17 best business proposal examples that will help you create client-winning proposals. Change the structure, headings, and content according to your services and client’s needs.

1. Business Proposal Example

In this proposal document, it is vital to incorporate the standard information for a great sales pitch and win potential clients. This document complies with the needs and demands of the target client and suggests actionable solutions- beneficial for both the client and the company. 

You can be a freelance writing company or a digital marketing firm, the basic framework for a proposal remains constant, with the same purpose of increasing sales conversions and maximizing ROI (return on investment).

A good business proposal includes a thorough project overview, addresses the client’s problems, offers solutions, gives pricing estimates, and a working timeline. Adding client testimonials and the success story (brief) of the past projects is also a plus. 

2. Digital Marketing Proposal Example

This business proposal effectively engages clients with your goods or services and convinces them to consider buying from you. In addition, this proposal document addresses the client’s problems and provides them with solutions.

You can use the first paragraph or the introduction to talk about “what you have to offer” or “why the client needs you.” Then, you can include the key information about increasing organic traffic, generating more leads, better sales conversions, and user engagement.

In this proposal example, it is important to include the payment terms and timeline for the project plan. In addition, you need to include all your services, such as social media marketing, SEO or search engine optimization, PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns, digital content, email marketing, and more.

The marketing proposal will spread your business ideas amongst the clients like a wildfire in the forest- you have to kindle it.

3. Web Design Proposal Example

The web design business proposal addresses the client’s problem by understanding their needs. Whether you are designing the website for a new business, a private company, or a non-profit organization, your proposal must include explicit details.

This proposal template contains the development process of executing the proposed services for the client. Thereby includes a problem overview, solution statement, project timeline, pricing packages (hourly, weekly, yearly), call-to-action, and an “About Us” section.

After the introductory paragraph, you can write the “About Us” and “About the team” sections.

4. Engineering Services Proposal Example

In this business proposal example, you can leverage the client specifications to create a user-friendly proposal. The proposal writing highlights the work process and project plan. This proposal document ensures the client that your proposed solutions are competent to solve their problems directly.

The proposal contains the problem with their solutions, the cost breakdown, timeline, and schedule in the project description.

The “About Us” and “Team” sections come after the proposal’s explicit details, especially the solution. You can further include certifications about your legal team, client testimonials, social proof, and call-to-action to build trust and authenticity.

5. Research Proposal Example

This type of proposal is a coherent yet concise summary of your research study. It specifies the intent of research- the central questions and issues. In this document, you must include the general idea of study and the current state of recent debate or knowledge as per the area of research. 

You must state the pricing estimate for the relevant research project. Include the information that demonstrates your ability to cater to challenging ideas in a clear, critical, and concise way,

You can write the research proposal as a supplier to the client, or as a student to your supervisor. In any case, you must talk about the title, abstract, research context, research questions and methods, the significance of your research, and the bibliography. 

6. Grant Proposal Example

The grant or asking-for-funds proposal t is written in distinct sections. The sections consist of different titles that target the specific guidelines of the granting organization. The main elements of any grant proposal remain the same. It must include a short overview of the executive summary, the statement of your company’s need or problem, a project overview, and your budget to specify the reason why you need the funds. 

To strengthen your proposal, you can also include a cover letter, organizational qualifications, client testimonials, and supporting documents. Ensure that you do not miss any of the funding agency’s guidelines or else the grant will slip out of your hands.

7. Budget Proposal Example

The project completion or grant approval depends on the budget proposal. If this proposal states a high budget, the grant or funding agency will reject your “grant proposal”. As the grant proposal states the budget is to inform the company that you do not have enough funds to complete the project. 

This proposal must include all the basic information about the project and the costs of everything that you can or cannot cover in a given time limit.  

8. IT Consulting Proposal Example

The proposal provides the prospective client with a clear picture of your work intent. Starting from the research to the final sign-off. The proposal must offer answers to the anticipated problems or questions. Ensure the writing format and content are excellent and that the reader says “Yes” to your services before they even finish reading.

Even though the proposal is about IT, you need to avoid the technology-related jargon- keep the content simple and easy to understand. For example, include all the following components such as project overview, estimated pricing, work timeline, scope, business goals, and a case study.

After the solution, you can add the “About Us” sections, CTA (call-to-action), and legal terms. Adding client testimonials and their feedback on your recent work can gain the client’s trust and turn them into a buyer from a reader.

9. Freelance Writing Proposal Example

It is a web-based, well-crafted proposal sample with tempting offers and value clarifications. Even though this type of business proposal must be short and to the point, it is vital to study the client and understand what they want from you.

Write the introduction and executive summary in a composed yet persuasive tone to convince the client that you are the best choice for them.

“About Me (or Us)” sections need to come after discussing the solution.

10. Construction Bid Proposal Example

This business proposal must be accurate, precise, personalized, showcase your company’s potential, and include details.

The proposal must include the scope of work, solution statement, payment schedule, project timeline, approach to unforeseeable conditions like weather and other hidden defects, and your warranty.

While the project proposal must also explain the work schedule and the extra charges applicable for additional work, the introduction needs to target the client’s needs.

11. CRM Implementation Proposal Example

It is essential to use bullet points and a convincing writing tone to deliver a value proposition to write this proposal.

This document must contain details about the focused user adoption plan, incremental delivery, domain knowledge, industrial references, client testimonials, history of past projects, and more.

12. Insurance Services Proposal Example

This proposal is concise and contains various offerings to the client. After an attention-grabbing introduction and executive summary, you can pitch your solutions to the clients.

The proposal must discuss the business plan, scope of work, timelines, and payment schedules. Keep the proposal brief, but do not miss out on the main points.

13. Graphic Design Proposal Example

An illustrative business proposal, written to put forward your skills and offerings to the potential client. The proposal, specifically the introductory and executive summary section, must focus highly on the customer needs and problems.

After highlighting the solutions and deliverables, close your proposal by incorporating credentials, client testimonials, and CTA.

14. Project Proposal Example

This project proposal highlights the company’s understanding and knowledge of the client’s requirements. Although it is challenging to cover all the aspects, the content must be specific yet persuasive and define the value proposition.

You can add details from your past successful project and the criteria for management that led to customer satisfaction. This enables the reader to sense your expertise and experience.

15. Interior Design Proposal Example

A proposal writing that incorporates visually attractive content to persuade the client. It can contain graphics, videos, and an online demo (if the proposal is online) to showcase the business’s strengths and achievements to the client.

16. Sales Proposal Example

This proposal is essential to outline the features of the products and services your company is selling. It is a detailed proposal with all the information about the project overview, solutions, deliverables, price, benefits, work schedule, and more.

To sell and generate revenues for your business, you must create awareness about your offerings. To convert your proposal writing into sales and deal closures, give them a reason to trust you, convince them you are better than your competitors and can resolve their issues.

A poorly written sales proposal means no selling.

17. Social Media Marketing Proposal

A brief discussion about the design layout, color coding, and use of social media icons can turn this business proposal into a great sales pitch.

The proposal must include an easy-to-follow and understand the timeframe for project goals and objectives while ensuring the prospect is abreast of the mode of payment and other relevant details.

Critique/ Analysis : These business proposals follow a particular format structured in a certain way. However, most of them follow the same suit by covering the essential information. The important point to note is that it is advisable to add the “About Us,” “Team,” “Certifications,” and “Testimonial” sections after you have given the project overview with potential solutions.

Write Better Proposals to Win More Business

With empowering proposal writing, let your business proposals do the talking.

The business proposals vary depending on the type and size of the company, and you have to search your target audience to offer them potential solutions. If you are an IT company, you cannot send out business proposals written for freelance writing.

Any proposal aims to target the client’s needs and demands. Above all, to convince them to buy your products and services. Once you analyze and understand what your client wants from you, you can build a solid business proposal that nobody will turn down. If you get stuck, you can talk to your client and understand what they want in a more specific way. You can ask your questions and then narrow down the solutions.

Filling up the proposal with fluff and redundant content decreases its value and risks losing the client- that can be a massive blow to your business.

Leverage any business proposal template that fits your requirements and makes your business successful.

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Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository

Using a Business Proposal to Develop Students’ Problem-Solving Skills and Entrepreneurship

Tags: Assessment , Business Proposal , Creativity , Entrepreneurship , instructional strategy , Peer-Reviewed Entry

Description

The current technology-infused and globalized job market is putting pressure on students to apply knowledge and use it to solve complex problems (Pham & Sampson, 2022). As a result, instructors in higher education often encounter difficulty in designing and guiding learning experiences that are relevant and like what students could face in their jobs (Talbert & Bergmann, 2017). To address that gap, many instructors apply experiential learning activities to not only provide relevant and authentic learning experiences but also to promote the development of high-order skills (e.g., problem-solving, entrepreneurship).

A business proposal/plan is a written document that details how a potential business wants to achieve its goal (Joseph et al., 2021). Business plan projects are widely used in business education (Malach, & Malach, 2014) as they are seen as useful to facilitate knowledge transfer and help prepare students to pitch their brand to potential investors. Business proposals have also been used in online courses that include technology as a core dimension of knowledge and can improve students’ collaboration, communication, creativity, and planning skills (Yoke & Ngang, 2017).

Link to example artifact(s)

We illustrate how to leverage a business proposal assignment to enhance students’ problem solving and entrepreneurship based on our experience with the online course HMG6449 (Smart Travel and Tourism) taught at University of Central Florida. We explain the purpose and steps of the assignment. We also provide artifacts and share the outcomes of the assignment after its implementation in Fall 2022.

Description of the Assignment

Explain to students why the business proposal is relevant for their future careers. Highlight that the business proposal will allow them to articulate their long-term goals by creating an original and potentially feasible business opportunity based on their skills and interests. Include a list of knowledge, skills, and abilities relevant to the specific industry sector. Ideally, you would want to encourage group work since it is probed to lead to more creative and innovative products. However, some students might prefer to work individually to have more flexibility and control over the project (especially in online/mixed-mode courses). Briefly summarize the different steps of the assignment and present its goal (see Figure 1).

Fig. 1. Business Proposal Assignment

Location of the Assignment

In the HMG6449 course, the business proposal project was presented in a separate module on top of the module pages (See Figure 1) which allowed students to quickly see the deadlines for each step of the project and quickly navigate to the directions and rubrics. In addition, the instructor provided reminders within the content modules of which deliverables were due for the week. It is important to note that the reminders were included in the modules as webpages, which turn, directed students to the specific assignments available in the business project module. This strategy was taken based on students’ feedback provided in prior course sections highlighting that a specific module for the project would facilitate access to the project’s resources, directions, rubrics, and submission pages.

Team Formation and Brainstorming

Discuss with students their initial ideas since some propounded solutions might not be feasible, could be unrealistic, or could simply lack common sense. To maximize the impact of the proposed businesses, you can ask your students to come up with a team/company name and submit a one-page abstract summarizing your initial business idea. You can clarify that their initial business idea can evolve, so it does not happen to be perfect at first. The abstract is intended to show how each team/student is making progress. The crucial aspect of this stage is providing personalized feedback.

Revision/feedback on Initial Business Idea

Here is an example of how written feedback was provided to an initial idea developed by students to create a gamified app for travelers:

Thank you for sharing your initial idea. Research suggests that travelers’ sustainability awareness is generally increasing among the younger generation of consumers. Uses cases show that T&H businesses are increasingly using gamification strategies (apps with points, rewards, leaderboards) to promote customers’ engagement and brand awareness. Combining both ideas to promote sustainability behaviors and consumer engagement sounds promising. Please keep developing your idea and be more specific about the product/service that you will offer. At this point, it is not clear to me if you are thinking about developing a technological service (e.g., H&T businesses under a B2B model) or a social tool under a B2C model for consumers. You can start conducting some Internet searches to get some inspiration by seeing similar solutions (e.g., scavify) and identifying the gaps. Great work on your initial business idea!

Ask students to conduct consumer discovery through rounds of user interviews

User interviews are intended to explore users’ current journeys in a service, identify unknown needs, and provide insights to inform the design of students’ technological products or services. Recommendations for implementing include:

• Require students to complete one or two rounds of interviews. Each team member can interview 2 potential users of the propounded product/service to understand the user’s needs and to surface unknown needs and insights, not to get reactions from the work or ideas.
• Provide your students with an interview template to exemplify how the interview report should be organized.
• Provide a few complementary resources (e.g., videos) related to creating a journey map , and how to ask a question: get better answers as supplementary materials for students to dive deeper into the interview process.

Ask students to prepare a pitch deck

After potential users’ interviews, ask each team to record a mid-term project pitch talk. Each team is asked to create an up to 5-minute 8-slide presentation video of a mock business proposal accompanied by audio explanations and upload it to the online course. Invite external audiences (e.g., venture capitalists from local investment firms, and industry experts) to provide feedback on the team presentations. Provide examples of successful startups pitch decks. Provide a rubric to guide students’ performance.

Solicit students to submit a business proposal draft

The last stage consists in submitting the final business proposal. Students can be provided with an outline to summarize their business planning decisions. Students can also be encouraged to title each section of their written plan as indicated in the outline and write using their own words answers to the questions listed. A rubric is fundamental to guide the writing of the business proposal.

We found useful reminding students that they do not have to win a Pulitzer Prize but focus on selling their ideas in a compelling way. You can also provide a few examples and nonexamples of prior students’ submissions to help them visualize the required performance in the assignment.

Outcomes of the Learning Experience

Our experience implementing the business proposal assignment was positive. Students developed their ideas, creativity, and research skills to create amazing ideas on new products, services, and technologies with potential to be founded and marketed in the tourism and hospitality industry. Designed products and services included:

• Gaming app based on AR technology that can be downloaded into mobile or another digital gadget to explore destinations.
• Mobile app that makes the travel planning experiences fun and accessible.
• Autonomous and AI-enabled trams/carts that can be rolled out to airports.
• Robotic assistant that provides guests with easy access to both room supplies and room service throughout their stay.
• Full-service virtual check-in kiosk applications.
• AI-based systems to streamline the process of handling food allergies and dietary restrictions.
• Smart luggage tags that utilize biometric sciences to track and locate the items.

Students’ perceptions

Students’ reflective essays indicated they the business proposal assignment was effective for the development of soft skills: teamwork, interviewing skills, entrepreneurship, creativity, communication, leadership, and collaboration, and team commitment. Students also mentioned that the business proposal assignment was relevant for their future professional life, facilitate transfer of class knowledge to real-life practice and social impact, and provided meaningful student-student and student-instructor interactions. Some students identified a few challenges, including difficulty in matching group members’ schedules and differential contributions of group members.

Online instructors could leverage business proposal assignments to develop students’ soft skills, facilitate transfer classroom knowledge to industry, and to enhance students’ entrepreneurship/creativity. By including formative feedback and well-designed rubrics to guide students’ efforts, business proposal assignments can help learners to exercise creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, and potentially find investments in the future to growth their companies and follow their professional dreams.

Link to scholarly references

Joseph, C., Hossen, R., Rahmat, M., Noyem, J. A., & Ho, V. B. (2021). Exploring the readiness for business proposal pitching video activity using the competition-based Learning Model among Accounting Students.  International Business Education Journal ,  14 (2), 13-24.

Malach, S. E., & Malach, R. L. (2014). Start Your own business assignment in the context of experiential entrepreneurship education.  Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement ,  18 (1), 169-186.

Pham, S. T., & Sampson, P. M. (2022). The development of artificial intelligence in education: A review in context.  Journal of Computer Assisted Learning ,  38 (5), 1408-1421.

Talbert, R., & Bergmann, J. (2017).  Flipped learning: A guide for higher education faculty . Routledge.

Yoke, T. C., & Ngang, T. K. (2017). A study on soft skill development among final year diploma in business studies students.  MOJEM: Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Management ,  3 (2), 32-50.

Post Revisions:

• October 24, 2023 @ 15:34:46 [Current Revision]
• October 24, 2023 @ 15:34:16
• October 24, 2023 @ 15:31:55

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GEB 6895: Integrated Business Applications

• Assignment: Business Plan - Textbook and Examples
• Getting Started
• Business Plan: Company Research
• Business Plan: Industry Research
• Business Plan: Market Research
• Business Plan: Economic & Demographic Data

Course Textbook

Business plans resources.

• Citing Business Resources
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These resources will assist you as you complete your assignment of creating a business plan. Not all business plans are created equal, so be sure to look at various examples as well as pay attention to the direction that Professor Artis offers to make sure it meets your assignment parameters. 

• B-plans Free business plan examples.
• Business Insurance Small business insurance planning resource.
• Small Business Administration Business plans from the Small Business Administration government resource.

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• Last Updated: Feb 8, 2024 9:15 AM
• URL: https://guides.lib.usf.edu/geb6895