Business proposal what is

What is the proper format? What do you need to include? You can download a free business proposal template here to start writing up your own proposal as you work through this article. A business proposal can be either solicited or unsolicited. With a solicited proposal, the prospective client will put out a request for proposals; with an unsolicited business proposal, you are approaching a client in hopes of attracting their business, even though they did not explicitly request a proposal.

A business proposal is not the same as a business plan. This is the most common misconception, but while there are areas of overlap like your executive summary the two are different. In short, a business plan represents the cohesive strategy of how your business operates and makes money. A business proposal is an official pitch to clients selling your products or services. A business proposal outlines a particular product or service offered by an established business to a prospective client.

Depending on how long your business proposal is, a table of contents is a nice touch. Include it after your title page, and before you launch into any details. Following your executive summary, go on to discuss the problem that the client is currently facing. If the proposal is for developing a brand new website, make sure you understand what they want to get out of the site—better sales, more content management flexibility.

This is the place to show your new client that you understand their needs , and fully grasp the issue they are trying to solve. Take this opportunity to restate the issue they are facing in your own words so that they know you understand what they are looking for. Business proposals have different formats specific to different industries, according to Inc. Most service-based businesses can follow a general proposal format, though there are exceptions.

Trades will want to find old proposals in their field and copy the format. In landscaping and architecture, a model may be required as well as a visual presentation. Advertising proposals will probably need a presentation as well. In all the industries listed above, a meeting is usually crucial to make the sale. It also gives the business a chance to deliver their visual presentation.

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Get more great content in your Inbox. Optional cookies and other technologies. Download our Free Business Proposal Template to get new clients. A business proposal is a document used by a B2B or business-facing company this may not always be the case where a seller aims to persuade a prospective buyer into buying their goods or services.

A business proposal template, like this content marketing plan, outlines what your business does and what you can do for your client. Then provide your buyer with the right solution to alleviate those frustrations.

A formally solicited business proposal is made when you respond to an official request for a business proposal. In this scenario, you know all the requirements and have more if not all information about a prospective buyer.

You simply need to write the proposal for your buyer to evaluate. A prospective buyer is interested in your services and asks for a proposal so they can evaluate it. An informally solicited proposal requires a lot more research from your end. These types of proposals are usually created out of informal conversations. They are not based on official requests which often contain more detail. Think of this as a marketing brochure or a cold email.

Unsolicited business proposals will often take a generic, one-size-fits-all approach to business proposals.

They lack any understanding of the buyer or their requirements. This can be a very persuasive approach, such as in this business proposal example:. Before you start creating your business proposal template, you need to know what it comprises. At a high level your business proposal should include the following:. What makes a good title page? Here are the essential elements to include:. Use this template.

The gray business consulting proposal template above contains all the details a prospect would want to know. The title also offers a strong tangible benefit to the prospective buyer. The table of contents is a fundamental part of every business proposal template. It makes your proposal scannable and easy to read. The people you will be pitching to are usually C-level executives. Adding a table of contents to your document makes it easy for them to go through it at their own pace.

They can also skim through parts of the proposal that they deem more important. You can see how this abstract business proposal template uses the table of contents:. You can also make your business proposal template easier to navigate by adding hyperlinks to the document, particularly in the table of contents. This way your clients can jump to specific sections without having to scroll through the entire document.

From there, select the page you want to link to! Then download your completed design as an Interactive PDF. The executive summary is a staple in all kinds of annual reports , project plans and even marketing plans.

It is a concise summary of the entire contents of your document. In other words, a business proposal outline that is easy to glance over. Keep your executive summary concise and clear from the get-go. This sets the right tone for the rest of your proposal. It also gives your buyer a reason to continue reading your proposal. Your goal is to outline the problem statement as clearly as possible. This develops a sense of urgency in your prospect.

They will want to find a solution to the problem. And you have that solution. This bold business proposal template above clearly outlines the problem at hand and also offers a ray of hope i. This brings me to….

The good stuff. This can fit onto the problem statement section but if you have a comprehensive solution or prefer to elaborate on the details, a separate section is a good idea.

Spare no details with respect to the solution you will provide. Explain how you plan to deliver this solution. Include an estimated timeline of when they can expect your solution and any relevant details. For inspiration, look at how this business proposal template quickly and succinctly outlines the project plan, deliverables and metrics :. But they may not trust you to deliver on your promises.

Why is this? Your job is to convince them that you can fix their problem. This section is important because it acts as social proof. You can highlight what your company does best and how qualified your team is. You can also include other forms of social proof to establish yourself as a credible business. This makes it that much more likely that they will say yes! Our case study examples post can show you how to do just that.

Provide a timeline of how and when you will complete all your deliverables. You can do this by designing a flow chart. Or add a roadmap with deadlines. Pitching a long-term project? A timeline infographic would be a better fit. If you look at this abstract business proposal template below, even something as simple as a table can do the trick.

The goal is to clarify any questions your client might have about how you will deliver for the underlying B2B sales process. On this page, you can outline your fees, payment schedule, payment terms, as well as legal aspects involved in this deal. The key to good pricing is to provide your buyer with options. A pricing comparison table can help with this.

You want to give your client some room to work with. Look at how this simple business proposal template does this:. The legal aspects can slot right into the terms and conditions section. Alternatively, you can add them in the signature section of the proposal to keep things simple. Summarize everything you have promised to deliver so far.