Business Proposal Template

How to Start a Business Proposal?

The Business Proposal document itself is only one part of the package. Alongside, it is important to submit a short accompanying letter that briefly summarizes the proposal and provides contact details for the client should the proposal raise any questions or interest.

Before writing the proposal document itself or even the Cover Letter, you need to start by doing some research about the client you want to contact or the client that has requested a proposal. Each document needs to be tailored to the specific business you are contacting. It would make no sense to get in touch with a business and have nothing of value to offer them, you first need to generate some Business Proposal ideas. Therefore, researching your client is crucial with the purpose of finding an issue that your business can help resolve. You must understand how you as a company plan on resolving the issue, how much it would cost the customer and be able to explain the benefits of eliminating the issue to your client. Once you have all of this information on hand, you can start to draft the proposal itself.

What Should Be Included in a Business Proposal?

Once you have pinpointed what you can offer to the customer, it is time to start writing a Business Proposal. Ensuring that you follow the Business Proposal format, you can produce a basic Business Proposal sample by including:

• The name of the project along with the name of the business and business representative who is sending the proposal. In this section, you should also include the name of the client and the date that the proposal was formed.
• Underneath this, you should write out a brief but concise summary that should showcase your expertise and professionalism as a company. The main aim of this section is to outline the main functions of your business, what products or services you offer. It should demonstrate why your company would be the perfect fit for working with this new client.
• Following the summary, it is time to show the client that you have done your research and know some specifics about them. Show that you understand their business, aims, and needs. The only way to do this successfully is by stating an issue that the business is experiencing. Of course, where there is an issue, there should always be a solution. Note down the advantages that resolving the problem would present for the customer.
• The next section should outline in detail step-by-step methods that your company will use to resolve the issue. Try to keep this section concise and not use complicated language as you want your client to be able to understand what they are reading.
• After you have told the client how you can help them, you need to persuade them that you are the best fit for the job. Showcase your portfolio of past work, particularly any work that is similar along with qualifications and general experience.
• Follow this by writing specific time frames for the completion of the project. Keep it realistic, there will be nothing more disappointing for a customer if the project takes longer than the promised time.
• Include the financial aspect of the project. The exact costs, schedules, and conditions of payment.
• Conclude what advantages the client would get out of choosing to work with you. Impress your client in the right way and they will look no further.

How to Write a Business Proposal Letter?

A simple Business Proposal Letter is generally structured as:

[name of your business representative]

[name of your company]

[contact details including the address of your company]

[Date that the proposal was sent]

[name of potential client]

[name of company]

[the address of the potential client address]

Dear [insert name],

[Write a brief summary about your business, what you offer and your area of expertise. Briefly explain the aim of your proposal]

[State what your proposal is about in more detail. Show that you have taken time to research the business and highlight areas that are an issue]

[Talk about how you will solve these issues in high detail]

[Explain why your business is unique and why the customer should work with you]

[Include the deadline date for project completion]

[Cover the financial aspect of completing the project with exact prices next to the exact specific tasks that you will carry out]

[In the final paragraph, explain why working with you would be ideal for the client and show gratitude and provide contact information should the client have any questions in the future]

[Formally sign off]

[Sign]

How to Present a Business Proposal?

Presenting your Business Proposal is often a lot easier than you might initially think. There are some key parts to a successful presentation, make sure you take them into account:

• Get straight to the point. You do not want to make anybody feel like they are wasting their time.
• Always leave a potential client the opportunity to ask questions.
• Add some nice visual aids that will make clients pay more attention to the proposal. Steer away from any boring images or graphs that may deter the interest of a client.
• Focus on the problem the client is facing, how you would solve it, why it is important to do so and why you are the ideal candidate for this.
• Remember to keep all your points concise and clear. If presented in the correct way with the relevant information, your client will have a very clear picture before them and this will enable them to make a decision about whether or not your business is a good fit for them.

Still looking for a particular template? Take a look at the related templates below:

• Bid Proposal Template;
• Job Proposal Template;
• Business Sale Agreement Template.