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How to Write a Project Proposal

When you want to pitch a project, whether to gain financial support or get the go-ahead to proceed, you’ll need to craft a winning project proposal. This is the vehicle that sells your project and gets key people on board with the endeavor.

What Is a Project Proposal?

A project proposal is your opportunity to sell your idea and get people on board. The goal of a project proposal is to share the pertinent details to demonstrate the merits of the project. Having done your due diligence, you will use a project proposal to outline the project and counter any obvious objections, presenting your case in a genuine and persuasive tone.

Key Features of a Project Proposal

An effective project proposal has several key features that will help you attain your goals.

A Winning Tone

The tone of your project proposal is a crucial element of the document. You want your readers to be able to relate to your message and get on board, so engagement will be the key. Establishing common ground can help you be more persuasive. Pay attention to your target audience too. Who are they? What’s important to them? How do they view themselves? Above all, you want to establish yourself as an expert with the experience necessary to launch and see the project through to fruition. Be careful not to come across as condescending though. Your proposal should persuade to answer your target audience’s question of why they need to participate.

Use a Project Proposal Sample

If you’re struggling with crafting your project proposal, you might peruse a few samples and templates to get some ideas for format and tone. Once you get ideas for overall organization, you can begin to fill in the sections with your introduction, history, problem identification and scope of the project.

What to Avoid

There are definitely a few things to avoid when writing your proposal:

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Proposal Templates

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Restaurant Business Proposal

Sponsorship proposal, business event sponsorship proposal template, health care proposal, event sponsorship proposal, event proposal, special event proposal, event planning proposal, event management proposal, research proposal, education research proposal, research design proposal.

Free Proposal Templates

Write a winning proposal in minutes with Jotform’s Proposal PDF Templates. Whether you need a business proposal, bid proposal, or project proposal, these free proposal templates will help guide you in creating an attention-grabbing proposal that contains key information regarding objectives, strategy, and budget. Proposal submissions will automatically be converted into PDFs that are easy to print, pitch, and present.

Personalize your proposal for your company or potential clients using Jotform’s PDF Editor. If you need to start from scratch, you can always get started generating a custom proposal for free! In any case, you’ll be able to modify your proposal template however you’d like, from writing additional form fields to changing fonts and colors. Jotform simplifies the proposal process so you can spend less time drawing up your proposals and more time closing deals.

Free Business Proposal Template

Free Business Proposal Template

Prepare a business proposal to present to interested investors. Personalize to match your branding. Works on all devices. Collect e-signatures quickly.

Free Project Proposal

Free Project Proposal

Generate a free project proposal in seconds with Jotform Sign. Fill out and e-sign from any smartphone, tablet, or desktop. Easy to customize and sign.

Mobile App Development Proposal

Mobile App Development Proposal

Create a proposal to send to your mobile app development team. Works on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. Drag and drop to customize. No coding knowledge needed.

Cleaning Proposal

Cleaning Proposal

Save time by automating the way you create, fill out, and sign proposals. Easy-to-customize document template. E-sign instantly on any device.

Consulting Proposal

Consulting Proposal

Create a professional consulting proposal via Jotform Sign. Drag and drop to customize. Fill out and e-sign from any device. Easy to share. No coding.

Bid Proposal

Bid Proposal

Create a bid proposal for upcoming projects. Customize to match your project’s theme. Works on any device — desktop, tablet, or mobile. Collaborate smarter.

Sponsorship Proposal

Sponsorship Proposal

This sponsorship proposal template helps you attract and convince your leads to be part of your event as a sponsor. It contains a front page, cover letter for the leads, company overview, information about the event and terms.

Grant Proposal

Grant Proposal

Create a custom grand proposal in seconds. Easy to share and collect e-signatures. Works on any device. Drag and drop to customize. Streamline your workflow.

Construction Proposal

Construction Proposal

Create a construction proposal for all your needs. Drag and drop to customize. Works on smartphone, tablet, and desktop devices. E-sign in seconds.

Software Proposal

Software Proposal

Create a software proposal in seconds. Fill out and e-sign in seconds. Share with clients via email. Works great on any device. Converts to a PDF.

One Page Proposal

One Page Proposal

Generate one page proposals with ease. Free template. Easy to customize. Share in seconds. Fill out and sign on any device. Save time with e-signatures.

Video Production Proposal

Video Production Proposal

Create a professional video production proposal. Works on tablet, mobile, and desktop devices. Built to match your company needs. E-sign in seconds.

Proforma Invoice

Proforma Invoice

Speed up your sales process with this customizable Proforma Invoice PDF Template. Create professional pro forma invoices for buyers in minutes!

Budget Proposal

Budget Proposal

Generate a custom budget proposal in seconds with Jotform Sign. Fill out and sign on any device. Drag and drop to customize. Converts to a PDF document.

Non profit Business Proposal

Non profit Business Proposal

Generate a nonprofit business proposal and share via email. Fill out and sign from any smartphone, tablet, or desktop. Customize in seconds. No coding.

Proposal Letter

Proposal Letter

Create a proposal letter with this ready-made template. Easy to customize and share via email. Fill out and e-sign from any device. Converts to a PDF.

Marketing Proposal

Marketing Proposal

Generate a marketing proposal with this free template. Fill out and e-sign in seconds. Easy to customize and share. Converts to PDF document. No coding.

Interior Design Proposal

Interior Design Proposal

Create a custom interior design proposal with this free template. Easy to customize and share. E-sign in seconds. Works on all iOS and Android devices.

Event Proposal

Event Proposal

Create, track, and manage event proposals online. Gather e-signatures from any device. Drag and drop to customize the design. Turn into completed PDFs.

Photograpy Invoice

Photograpy Invoice

If you are a photographer, designing an invoice for a photography session may be a tedious task. Jotform's new PDF editor will help you to make this task easier! You can create invoices easily by using Jotform's PDF editor.

Job Proposal

Job Proposal

Create a job proposal with this free template. Fill out and e-sign from any device. Easy to customize and share. Works great on any Android and iOS device.

Contractor Proposal

Contractor Proposal

Create a professional proposal for your next contracting job. Works on mobile, tablet, and desktop devices. E-sign in just seconds. Converts to PDF.

Catering Proposal

Catering Proposal

Create a catering proposal for your client’s next event. Easy to edit and customize. Works on all mobile, tablet, and desktop devices. Receive copies upon approval.

Research Proposal

Research Proposal

Create a professional research proposal with Jotform Sign. Easy to customize and share. Fill out and e-sign anytime, anywhere. Converts to a PDF.

What is a proposal?

A proposal is a formal offer written in response to a specific request or opportunity with a prospective client. As the name suggests, it proposes a unique idea or a solution to a client’s problem. Proposals are evaluated on whether they meet a client’s expectations regarding goals, timelines, deliverables, and budget.

What are the different types of proposals?

From sales proposals to construction proposals to book proposals, proposals are written for all purposes and industries. Some of the most common types of proposals are grant proposals, research proposals, and business proposals. Business proposals are either solicited or unsolicited. A solicited proposal is one that has been requested by a client or written in response to an RFP (request for proposal). RFPs are sent out by companies and agencies and list specific requirements. Unsolicited proposals initiate the sales process without responding to a request and are generally considered to be more challenging to write.

What should I include in my proposal?

Our free proposal templates already include everything you'll need for your proposal. To learn more about proposals, read our article on items to include in a proposal!

How should I write an effective business proposal?

It takes a lot more than a good idea for a proposal to be successful. Check out our tips on how to write a winning proposal .

What makes a proposal different from an estimate, quote, bid, or business plan?

Unlike estimates, quotes, and bids, proposals include information beyond the specific cost of a project or service. Proposals provide an in-depth explanation of the work being done, with details about scope, deliverables, milestones, and qualifications as well as budget.

While a business plan and business proposal might sound like the same document, one focuses on a company’s internal operations while the other seeks to create a business relationship with another company. A business plan, usually written with the intent of securing funds from an investor, summarizes a company’s overall goals and objectives. On the other hand, a business proposal focuses on a specific project or service for a prospective client.

Can a proposal become a contract?

For a document to be considered a legally binding contract, it must consist of an offer, consideration, and acceptance. A proposal can serve as the foundation for a contract, but it will generally only require a client’s signature, whereas a contract needs signatures from all involved parties.

A signed proposal may become a contract only if it contains signatures from each party and contractual language such as terms and conditions. However, it’s best to keep your contract separate from your proposal in case your client disagrees with your offer and requires a new document outlining the negotiated terms. If you need inspiration for your contract, we recommend our free contract PDF templates.

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How to Write a Business Proposal [Examples + Template]

Meredith Hart

Published: December 12, 2022

It's finally happened. You've started a new business, and your customer base is starting to expand. But even though you're making progress, you still feel like you could be doing better.

Sales rep begins writing down business proposal

There's a whole world of untapped potential around you — prospects you know would benefit from your product or service. And the issues you're running into are less about your solution's soundness and more about how you can reach your potential base.

→ Download Now: Free Business Proposal Template

That's where business proposals come in. They can bridge the gap between you and potential clients. A solid proposal can outline your value proposition and persuade a company or organization to do business with you.

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

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

What is a business proposal?

Types of business proposals, how to write a business proposal, business proposal ideas, business proposal templates, business proposal example.

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

It's a common misconception that business proposals and business plans are the same. The proposal aims to sell your product or service rather than your business itself. Instead of assisting your search for investors to fund your business, a proposal helps you seek new customers.

Follow Along With HubSpot's Business Proposal Template

business-proposal

Download the Template for Free

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

In a solicited business proposal, the other organization asks for a request for proposal (RFP). When a company needs a problem solved, they invite other businesses to submit a proposal that details how they'd solve it.

Whether the proposal is solicited or unsolicited, the steps to create your proposal are similar. Ensure it includes three main points: a statement of the organization's problem, proposed solution, and pricing information.

Before writing your business proposal, it's crucial you understand the company. If they've sent you an RFP, make sure you read it carefully, so you know exactly what they want. It can also be helpful to have an initial call or meeting with the new client to ensure you fully understand the problem they're trying to solve and their objectives.

Once you've done your research, it's time to begin writing your business proposal. There's no one-size-fits-all approach to writing a business proposal, but let's take a look at some elements proposals often include. (I designed this example business proposal using Canva .)

Free Business Proposal Template

Fill out the form to get your template., 1. begin with a title page..

You have to convey some basic information here. Introduce yourself and your business. Be sure to include your name, your company's name, the date you submitted the proposal, and the name of the client or individual you're submitting the proposal to.

Your title page should reconcile engagement with professionalism. It's a tone-setter, so you need to make sure yours is sleek, aesthetically appealing, and not too "out there."

Here's an example of what a business proposal template looks like when done right:

How to Write a Business Proposal: Business Proposal Example Title Page

The executive summary details exactly why you're sending the proposal and why your solution is the best for the prospective client. Specificity is key here. Why are you the best option for them?

Similar to a value proposition, your executive summary outlines the benefits of your company's products or services and how they can solve your potential client's problem. After reading your executive summary, the prospect should have a clear idea of how you can help them, even if they don't read the entire proposal. Here's what one should look like:

How to Write a Business Proposal: Sample Executive Summary

4. State the problem or need.

This is where you provide a summary of the issue impacting the potential client. It provides you with the opportunity to show them you clearly understand their needs and the problem they need help solving.

Research, critical thinking, and extra thought are key here. You have to do your homework. Take a holistic look at the specific issues your client faces that you can help solve. Then, compellingly frame them in a way that sets you up for the next step.

How to Write a Business Proposal: Example Event Overview

7. Include pricing options.

Pricing is where things can get a bit tricky, as you don't want to under or over-price your product. If you'd like to provide the prospect with a few pricing options for their budget, include an optional fee table . Some proposal software offer responsive pricing tables which allow clients to check the products or services they're interested in, and the price will automatically adjust.

How to write a business proposal: Include Pricing Options

8. Summarize with a conclusion.

After providing the above information, it’s necessary to simplify it into one final section. Briefly summarize the proposal. Touch on your qualifications and why you’d serve as the best choice. To prompt further conversation, confirm your availability. At the end of the proposal, the goal is to have the client ready to work with you. Provide your contact information to allow them to follow up easily.

9. Clarify your terms and conditions.

This is where you go into detail about the project timeline, pricing, and payment schedules. It's essentially a summary of what you and the client agree to if they accept your proposal. Make sure you clear the terms and conditions with your own legal team before sending the proposal to the client.

How to write a business proposal: Example Terms and Conditions

Image Source

We know how crucial a great business proposal is to your and your clients' 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 embellish on your plan and proposal. Download the templates now to get started on building your proposal. 

2. Web Design Proposal

Business Proposal Templates: Web Design

Companies, big and small, dedicate resources to establishing a noticeable social media presence. With advertising on social networks projected to reach $56.85 billion dollars in 2022 , 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 demonstrate your diligence, and a breakdown of billing to show how your company charges for posting, content creation, and analytics.

8. Content Marketing Proposal

Business Proposal Templates: Content Marketing

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.

Business proposal templates are helpful places to get started, but what should your business proposal look like when it's complete? Below, we share an example of a business proposal template that will inspire you.

Business Proposal Example: Social Media

In the business template example above, Social Portal Consulting (SPC) pitches a marketing proposal to Graphic Bean. At first sight, this proposal appeals to the creative. A nice touch would include designing the layout in your or your client’s brand colors. In addition to the design, the use of social media icons quickly tells the prospect what platforms Social Portal is pitching. Because we see Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest icons, the client instantly knows that this proposal does not 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 it. 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.
  • Include data and visuals.
  • Add social proof.
  • Incorporate video into your proposal.
  • Use a call-to-action.
  • Include up-sell and add-on opportunities.
  • Create a sense of urgency.
  • Keep it simple.
  • Make the decision for them.
  • Stay on brand.
  • Quality control.

There's a lot to keep in mind when writing a business proposal. Here are a few tips to help you out:

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. So before you dive into writing, outline the major sections of your business proposal and the pertinent information you want to include. This will ensure you stay focused and your message stays intact as you write.

2. 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.

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

3. Add social proof.

Like the previous point, adding social proof lends your proposal another degree of credibility. You can only be so convincing when you're personally talking up how great your business is.

Prospects are skeptical. In many — if not most — cases, they probably won't take you at your word. They'll likely trust peers and fellow customers more than someone trying to win their business. That's why including elements like customer quotes and testimonials can go a long way.

4. Incorporate video into your proposal.

If you're creating an online proposal using document file formats like PDF, you can include multimedia elements to enhance the proposal experience. They can make your document richer and more engaging.

Whether you add video at the beginning as an intro to your proposal or in the project breakdown to verbally discuss some of the more confusing parts, extras like this can make an impression. This works especially on prospects who are visual or auditory communicators.

5. Use a call-to-action.

Prospects need direction. 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 next after reading your proposal.

A clear-cut 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.

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

They say you won't receive unless you ask. Readers won't explore the upper tiers of your solutions if you don't give them the opportunity. If you want to use your business proposal as a chance to get the most out of a reader's interest, you need to include some additional information about your business for them to act on. They need to know what else you have to offer.

7. Create a sense of urgency.

No one wants to feel as if they missed out on a great opportunity. A lack of urgency tends to cause people to drag their feet and take time when making a decision. As you create your business proposal, your goal should be to create a sense of urgency.

Prospective clients should read your business proposal and feel that now is the best time to sign up for your service. A way you can accomplish this is by stating your short and long-term goals for their business. While they will have to wait for the long-term goals, make the short-term goals so enticing that they are instantly ready to begin a collaboration.

8. Keep it simple.

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, you're best off focusing on quality over quantity. Keep your sentences short and simple, and avoid including too much business jargon. You want your proposal to be straightforward enough for anyone who picks it up to make sense of it. So don't get carried away with being too fancy.

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, and you should do everything in your power to eliminate friction and objections along the way.

10. 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.

11. Quality control.

Your proposal needs to be clean and airtight. You don't want to undermine your messaging by coming off as sloppy and unprofessional. Before you send the proposal out, make sure to read and reread it for any typos or grammatical errors.

Let your business proposal do the talking.

Depending on the type of business you're in, your business proposal elements will vary based on the prospect's needs. After reading through your plan, prospective clients should have very few questions about your company and what it can do for them. With the tips and examples in this article, you have all the tools to guide you through the process. With a professional, customized business proposal, you're sure to delight your client and potentially gain their business.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in February 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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29 Sample Proposal Templates and Design Tips

29 Sample Proposal Templates and Design Tips

Written by: Chloe West

proposal template - header

Writing a proposal gives you the perfect opportunity to showcase why you or your business is right for the job a potential client is interested in. But without the right proposal template, knowing what your proposal needs to say and including the right proposal visuals , you might end up losing that client.

This is why we’ve put together a post full of stunning, professionally designed proposal templates — to help you know exactly what to include in your proposal and where it should go to really reel in new clientele.

Here's a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit Proposal templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more below:

writing proposals template

Our proposal templates cover a wide range of industries and have pre-written content already included to help guide your own proposal. This way, you can easily get started creating your own stunning proposal design in minutes.

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writing proposals template

1  Web Development Proposal Template

web development proposal template

This proposal template is perfect for a more corporate look and feel in your proposal. 

With a professional design and an easy-to-follow table of contents at the beginning of your proposal, your potential clients will love this proposal setup.

Design Tip: Give each new section in your proposal a similar header, as seen in this template. This will create a cohesive design, while letting your reader immediately know that they’ve moved onto a new section within your proposal.

2  IT Consulting Proposal Template

IT consulting proposal template

If your brand colors focus on a single accent color, this is the perfect proposal template to customize. Here, we see a single accent purple used, while the rest of the information maintains a black and white look.

Even the data visualizations use a monochromatic scheme by incorporating other shades of purple.

Design Tip: Use a stock photo on your proposal cover with a transparent color overlay. This is a great way to create depth in your design, while still allowing your title and information to stand out.

3  QA Testing Proposal Template

qa testing proposal template

This template for business proposal has a modern design, using a geometric layout throughout the document. These square sections help to break up large paragraphs of content in a  visually appealing way.

You can also easily crop your images into various shapes to fit them into your geometric design.

Simply update the content in this business proposal sample, upload your own photos or use the options in the left-hand sidebar to add visuals to your proposal.

Design Tip: Try playing with geometric shapes in your design. Using squares to house various sections of content is a great way to separate your paragraphs and avoid crowding your design.

4 Website Design Proposal Template

website design proposal template

This proposal cover template allows you to easily add your company introduction, portfolio , testimonials and budget information for your potential clients and services.

Visme also allows you to overlay website examples on top of a computer screen cutout to provide an even better website portfolio presentation for your clients.

Design Tip: Get creative with your table of contents . It doesn’t have to be a basic list of pages. Instead, take a page out of this template’s book and use a grid or other creative setup.

5 Corporate Proposal Template

corporate proposal template

This corporate proposal template is another great version to use for higher end, enterprise clients and projects.

Its professional look and feel will help ensure anyone you hand it to will know they’re in good hands with their project. Get started with this editable sales proposal design and you’ll be amazed by the result.

Design Tip: Use icons to help visualize your content. Visme’s icon library has over 10,000 different options, so you should be able to easily find icons relevant to your industry and the content written in your proposal.

Build relationships with customers and drive sales growth

  • Reach out to prospects with impressive pitch decks and proposals that convert
  • Monitor clients' level of engagement to see what they are most interested in
  • Build a winning sales playbook to maximize your sales team's efficiency

writing proposals template

6 Digital Branding Proposal Template

digital branding proposal template

The bold, serif headings in this business proposal sample help you to create a contemporary design perfect for online businesses and modern branding companies.

Use this template for business proposal to provide the perfect project overview and timeline for your potential clients. Simply edit the template, input your information and download.

Design Tip: Using grayscale photos can help create a level of professionalism within your proposal that might not otherwise be there. With Visme’s editor, you can add filters to your photos to find the perfect tone.

7 Social Media Marketing Proposal Template

social media marketing proposal template

Putting together a proposal for social media marketing services? This proposal cover template offers the perfect layout for your information, pricing and service details.

With sans serif fonts through and a modern look and feel, this proposal template is perfect for digital age services, like social media marketing.

Design Tip: Use a bold sans serif font as your page or section headers to really grab attention and create a contemporary design feel throughout your proposal.

8 SEO Proposal Template

seo proposal template

This business proposal brings in a few pops of color very strategically. Using a two-color scheme – magenta and grey – this template allows the colors to really run the show.

There are several well-designed sections within this template that can be customized to fit a variety of needs, so you can make this proposal template work for any type of business or service.

Design Tip: Add shapes and adjust the opacity to create glimpses into your background photo without distracting from the proposal content.

9 eCommerce Proposal Template

ecommerce proposal template

Want to create a proposal that pops? This eCommerce proposal template is the perfect way. By incorporating a bright red hue alongside images with black and white translucent overlays really helps important parts of this proposal template stand out.

Design Tip: Use a bright color as an accent hue within your proposal to really grab attention. Using this bright color to highlight the most important sections, like pricing, service options and things like that can be beneficial to your reader.

10 Event Photography Proposal Template

event photography proposal template

Showcasing your work within your proposal is a fantastic idea to really sell your services. This proposal template for event photography makes it easy to include previous project information, but incorporating screenshots or testimonials can work just as well.

Try including portfolio information within your proposal, too, so your reader can get a full scope of your previous work and get a good idea of if your business will be the right fit.

Easily share your proposal with your team members to get feedback. Or push the final version to your clients right inside your Visme account.

Design Tip: Get creative with your project timelines within your proposals. Visme offers a wide selection of timeline and process diagrams that make putting together pieces of your proposal easy.

11 CRO Proposal Template

cro proposal template

The warm color scheme in this proposal template is perfect for business services. While the orange is a focal color, the use of yellow and red in the icons and data visualizations fit right in.

Make your headings and most important tidbits of information stand out from the rest of your proposal by using a bold headline or highlighting them in bright shapes.

Design Tip: Using shapes , like ribbons and arrows, can add even more depth to your proposal, helping to call out specific information that you want your audience to read or understand.

12 Social Media Business Proposal Template

social media proposal template

Depending on your audience, sometimes a more creative proposal template is the right look for the job. Other times, a more straightforward, minimalistic, professional design is the best choice.

Using popular fonts like Arial, Times New Roman and Verdana can also create a traditional look and feel for more corporate proposals.

Design Tip: Be sure to include a good bit of white space and margins in your proposal to ensure your content doesn't look too crowded and overwhelm your reader.

13 Web Design Proposal Template

web design proposal template

Want a more muted proposal template? This beige monochromatic color scheme creates a really beautiful look and feel.

The muted imagery also fits in perfectly with the rest of this proposal design. All you have to do is switch out the template content and send this off to your prospective client.

Design Tip: Use varying shades of a single color to create a uniform spectrum that you can use for timelines, process charts, subscription tables and more.

14 Engineering Project Proposal Template

engineering project proposal template

Here’s a project proposal template you can customize for different project types.

Many of Visme's proposal templates also include a placeholder area for you to drop your logo right into the template. This helps to immediately brand your proposal and help your customer trust that it's coming from you.

Design Tip: Using your brand colors and fonts is essential in a proposal. You can easily add these into your Visme Brand Kit to access for any design, not just your proposals.

15 Architecture Proposal Template

architecture proposal template

If you're looking for a unique and modern way to share your proposal information with your audience, this project proposal template is the perfect solution.

With a minimalistic look and feel and tons of white space, you can easily customize this to fit any information you might need to fit within your proposal.

Design Tip: Use abstract images to decorate your proposal pages. You can easily find the perfect photos in Visme's stock photo library.

16 Strategic Marketing Proposal Template

strategic marketing proposal template

This is another highly professional proposal template that your potential clients and customers will eat up. You can also use this template to create a partnership proposal .

The serif font in the headers presents a more traditional look and feel that is perfect for Enterprise businesses.

Design Tip: Use colorful image overlays to ensure images remain branded to the rest of your proposal. You can easily choose a color and select its opacity in Visme's photo editor.

17 Fashion Proposal Template

fashion proposal template

Want something more bold and feminine? This proposal template utilizes a bright pink and purple color scheme that's perfect for a female audience.

The stock photos of female models throughout the proposal also help to resonate with their audience, and help potential customers to see themselves in the photos, creating a strong connection and making them want to work with you.

Design Tip: Create some kind of unifying factor on each page to keep your proposal design consistent. For example, in this proposal template, we see a solid line of pink on the left side. Find something that meshes well with your design and stick with it.

18 Accounting Proposal Template

accounting proposal template

Don't be afraid of color. Proposals don't always have to be a black and white, boring document. Instead, you can bring them to life by strategically incorporating an accent color throughout your proposal pages.

This contemporary design creates a nice mixture of photos, geometric shapes, icons and text so that no single element is too overwhelming, and the messaging is easy to digest and understand.

Keep the pages of your proposal and other projects on brand using Dynamic Fields in Visme. You can insert your personal and business information, personalize the fields and assign any value to them.

Design Tip: Try incorporating small squares to house your outline icons, like you see in this proposal template. Icons are great for adding a visual element while still being able to control the color scheme.

19 Sponsorship Proposal Template

sponsorship proposal template

And just because your proposal design doesn't have to be all black and white doesn't mean you can't make this style work for you.

This proposal template uses a minimal amount of a secondary color, instead focusing on creating a stunning greyscale design that still feels modern and visually appealing. Feel free to tweak this template for your next brand collaboration proposal .

Design Tip: Don't clutter too much information on a single page. The less text and information, the better. Dedicate a single page (or more if necessary) to each section, like you see one page housing sponsorship plans with no other info. Learn more about how to write a proposal .

20 Event Catering Proposal Template

event catering proposal template

While we tend to recommend using only serif and sans serif fonts to ensure a readable and professional proposal, there are still instances where a script font can work. This proposal template is one of them.

Because the branding is lighter and more feminine, a script font is the perfect accent font for callouts and headers throughout this proposal.

Design Tip: If you do choose to incorporate a script font, ensure it's only used for quick tidbits of text or large font sections like your header. Using a script font for paragraphs of body copy will be too hard to read and you'll likely lose out on sales.

21 Business Proposal Template

business proposal template

Need to create a flowchart to showcase business processes within your sales proposal design? It's never been easier to make a flowchart than with Visme's shape and line tools.

You can also include other types of data visualizations like charts , graphs , tables , maps and more in your business proposal .

Design Tip: When creating a flowchart with Visme, you can customize your line design, shape, color and more. Make sure to match your flowchart to the rest of your proposal so it doesn't look out of place.

22 Digital Marketing Proposal Template

digital marketing proposal template

This standard proposal template includes another example of using a bold, sans serif font as the header throughout each page and main section to really grab attention and create a modern design.

With a variety of different pages and text boxes, your brand will easily be able to customize this two-tone proposal template and make it your own.

Design Tip: Use colored sections as a backdrop to your text. Colors don't only have to be used in accent elements, they can be a feature of the proposal, highlighting text boxes and adding more depth to your pages.

23 Editing & Proofreading Proposal Template

editing proposal template

If you're looking to create a sleek proposal to impress your audience and sell your service, this is the perfect proposal template for you. The serif font creates a classic look within your proposal that your prospective clients will appreciate.

Design Tip: You can easily use the same font to create different effects, like how you see some headings in all caps and others in title case. You can also try bold versus light, italicized versus normal and more.

24 Technical Writing Proposal Template

technical writing proposal template

Check out one of the best proposal templates you’ll find anywhere. This proposal template makes it easy to input a map to showcase your business's various locations, your team, your workflow and more. Simply plug in your information, find relevant photos, change the fonts and colors, and complete your proposal design.

Design Tip: Play with columns or rows in your proposal. You don't have to use a full page. Instead, try working with a two-column look in your proposal.

25 Email Marketing Proposal Template

email marketing proposal template

Utilize stock photos strategically to provide accents and visual details within your proposal. This proposal template places navy blue color overlays on top of most stock photos, which you can easily customize with your own brand colors.

Design Tip: Use relevant icons to kick off each section. Visme's icon library is full of thousands of color-changeable vector icons and illustrations that will set your proposal apart from the rest.

26 Copywriting Proposal Template

copywriting proposal template

Showcasing testimonials is an important part of your proposal, so you want to take advantage of a proposal template that already has a page set out for these. Testimonials are a great way to show potential clients that you have previous client success stories.

Design Tip: Place a stock photo across your entire page and use translucent or opaque sections to place text and other informational elements on top.

27 Translation Services Proposal Template

translation proposal template

This standard proposal template is perfect for international companies who want to showcase the vast variety of services offered by their business. Include a map, flags, icons, text and more to give prospective clients the full scope of what you can offer them.

Design Tips: Using white and light grey to create two-tone pages can create a new depth for your proposal.

28 Transcription Services Proposal Template

transcription services proposal template

There's a plethora of information you might want to include within your proposal, but our proposal templates include pre-written copy to help guide your proposals.

You can easily customize our proposal designs to make them work for your business or industry and to perfectly sell or promote your product or service to your prospective client or customer. Use Visme’s analytics tool to see who has clicked on or viewed your proposal.

Design Tip: You don't have to take up a full page with your content. Take a page out of this proposal template's book and create a ton of white space and minimal content by using a full page for a small piece of content.

29 SEO Proposal Template

seo proposal template

Showcase a lot of color on your proposal designs with a template like this one. With this stunning bright blue utilized throughout the pages, your content will really stand out to your audience.

You can take advantage of this beautiful blue, or update the accent color to your brand color. Use this color in a variety of page designs to grab your reader's attention.

Design Tip: Use cutouts of your digital products within your proposal template. You can create mockups or use cutouts provided in Visme's stock photo library to create this effect.

Customize a Proposal Template Today

Utilize one of these proposal templates to start customizing your own proposal and generate sales and conversions today. Sign up for your Visme account and start creating your proposal , wowing your audience and showcasing your product or services.

Create your own stunning proposal design in minutes with Visme.

writing proposals template

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About the Author

Chloe West is the content marketing manager at Visme. Her experience in digital marketing includes everything from social media, blogging, email marketing to graphic design, strategy creation and implementation, and more. During her spare time, she enjoys exploring her home city of Charleston with her son.

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167 Free Business Proposal Templates

Close your deals faster and win over potential clients with a stunning project proposal template. Get started with any of 167+ business proposal samples from PandaDoc.

  • Freelance proposals
  • Marketing proposals
  • Service proposals
  • HR proposals
  • Ecommerce proposals
  • Sponsorship proposals
  • Design proposals
  • Development proposals
  • Sales proposals

Exhibition Proposal Template

Exhibition Proposal Template

An Exhibition Proposal is a proposal to induce the Client to exhibit or finance painting. So you can change this exhibition recommendation template to create one in no time.

Bathroom Remodel Proposal Template

Bathroom Remodel Proposal Template

A Bathroom Remodel Proposal Template is a document used to provide clients with a quotation on a bathroom remodeling job.

Home Staging Proposal Template

Home Staging Proposal Template

An agreement between a customer and a staging expert to prepare a house for the best showings while selling it is known as a free home staging proposal. Depending on where you are in the process, you can modify this Home Staging Proposal Template to add particular elements.

Brand Collaboration Proposal Template

Brand Collaboration Proposal Template

Program Proposal Template

Program Proposal Template

The purpose of this Program Proposal Template is to persuade potential customers or stakeholders to fund a new program or effort that enhances outcomes for a certain group or community.

Restaurant Business Proposal Template

Restaurant Business Proposal Template

This Restaurant Business Proposal Template illustrates your restaurant concept and explains why customers would benefit from having your restaurant. Use it as a personal reference, a pitch to investors or business partners, or both to stay focused on your objectives.

Pressure Washing Proposal Template

Pressure Washing Proposal Template

Use a Pressure Washing Proposal Template like this one to properly introduce your business and services to potential customers and provide them with a cost estimate.

30 Minutes to President's Club Sales Proposal Template

30 Minutes to President’s Club Sales Proposal Template

Customize this sales proposal to suit the goals of your prospects with editable pricing tables, testimonials, and standard commercial agreement terms.

Letter of Recommendation Template

Letter of Recommendation Template

Candidates who require a recommendation letter for their next job can consider using this Letter of Recommendation Template. Download the document, and don’t forget to sign it with your name, title, and contact information.

One-Page Sales Proposal Template

One-Page Sales Proposal Template

A lengthy business proposal isn’t always necessary, especially when you’re trying to work with multiple decision-makers. This one-page proposal will help you close contracts faster.

Digital Marketing Proposal Template

Digital Marketing Proposal Template

The purpose of this digital marketing proposal is to give you a bit of information about your company and the various digital marketing services your offer, along with information and pricing for a custom digital marketing solution

Website Development Proposal Template

Website Development Proposal Template

This website development proposal does dual-duty as an executable contract. Use it when you’re proposing a complete website development project for your client. It includes spaces for previous project examples, project costs, and delivery schedules.

Sales Proposal Template

Sales Proposal Template

This Sales Proposal Template is designed to help you deliver a high quality proposal to organizational buyers. In it, you’ll find areas focused on communicating your identity, your value proposition, your pricing, and your terms.

Lawn Maintenance Proposal Template

Lawn Maintenance Proposal Template

This concise and customizable lawn maintenance proposal template is ideal for landscaping companies that want to create persuasive proposals for potential clients. Use it to provide a brief overview of your company, outline a detailed lawn maintenance proposal, and specify payment terms. You can also add your own branding and photographs.

Web Design Proposal Template

Web Design Proposal Template

This web design proposal template is perfect for the agency that wants to wow prospects who are considering building a new website. It includes detailed service descriptions, pricing, legal terms, and electronic signature.

Social Media Marketing Proposal Template

Social Media Marketing Proposal Template

Social media is a constantly evolving marketplace. Use this social media marketing proposal template as a legal jumping off point, then customize with your own experience and personality.

Office Cleaning Proposal Template

Office Cleaning Proposal Template

They say cleanliness is next to godliness. Use this Office Cleaning Proposal to inform your clients of your experienced cleaning services.

Marketing Consulting Proposal Template

Marketing Consulting Proposal Template

Are you ready to streamline your proposal workflow? Win more business with the PandaDoc marketing consulting template. Download your free copy today!

Sales Training Proposal Template

Sales Training Proposal Template

This sales training proposal template is designed to help sales trainers book new clients. Download your free copy today!

Electrical Business Proposal Template

Electrical Business Proposal Template

Supercharge your proposal process with an electrical business proposal template. Designed for commercial and residential electrical businesses.

Upwork Proposal Template

Upwork Proposal Template

Hiring freelancers from Upwork can be a challenge, but PandaDoc can help! Streamline your onboarding process with our Upwork proposal template.

AI Proposal Template

AI Proposal Template

Build a complete and customized proposal for your artificial intelligence services in minutes with this proposal template from PandaDoc.

Video Production Proposal Template

Video Production Proposal Template

This video production proposal template is designed to help video producers close more deals and accelerate their document signing process. Download your free copy today.

Mortgage Proposal Template

Mortgage Proposal Template

This mortgage proposal template is designed to close more deals and accelerate the document signing process for real estate professionals. Download your free copy today.

Advertising Sales Proposal Template

Advertising Sales Proposal Template

Stand out to potential clients with this free proposal template. You can customize the advertising proposal template to appeal to your prospects and close the sales process faster.

Sales Proposal Template UK

Sales Proposal Template UK

This free sales proposal template helps UK companies write better proposals and speed up the sales process. You can customize the business proposal template to meet your business’ needs.

IT Sales Proposal Template

IT Sales Proposal Template

A good IT proposal should identify the prospect’s needs, outline the scope of work, and explain what the next steps are. This sales proposal template does just

Hotel Sales Proposal Template

Hotel Sales Proposal Template

This Business Proposal Template can be used by any sales professionals and event planners who regularly plan and host events. You can send this sample proposal to your potential client.

Business Proposal Template for UK Companies

Business Proposal Template for UK Companies

Writing proposals for potential clients can be challenging, which is why we offer this pre-filled business proposal template that allows you to close sales faster and onboard new clients.

HVAC Proposal Template

HVAC Proposal Template

This HVAC sales proposal contains all details and relevant information regarding the scope of work, cover letter, pricing, and other terms requested by a client.

Catering Proposal Template

Catering Proposal Template

Use this free catering proposal template to show off your catering and event planning capabilities to sign your next event.

SEO Proposal Template

SEO Proposal Template

This SEO Proposal template will help you convince clients that your knowledge of SEO best practices and ability to effectively plan SEO strategies makes you the best choice for their needs.

Sponsorship Proposal Template

Sponsorship Proposal Template

Promoting an upcoming event and looking for sponsors? Use this free Event Sponsorship Proposal Template — that will be sure to garner attention — to pitch to those prospective sponsors.

Mobile app Development Proposal Template

Mobile app Development Proposal Template

In a world in which apps for mobile devices are like grains of sand, you can stand out from the competition with this straightforward and elegant proposal template. It’s easily adaptable to fit any industry, and more suited for Android operating systems, giving potential clients clear visuals of their future tech.

Software Development Proposal Template

Software Development Proposal Template

Our software development proposal template lets you create and customize a persuasive online proposal that’s sure to be signed.

Network Installation Proposal

Network Installation Proposal

This network installation proposal template is intended for use by vendors installing computer networks in commercial properties. It includes sections for system descriptions, pricing, and installation timelines.

SaaS Sales Proposal Template

SaaS Sales Proposal Template

Use this SaaS sales proposal template to provide your team with a standardized and professional sales proposal.

Landscaping Proposal Template

Landscaping Proposal Template

Appearance makes an impression and an unkempt office or home landscape area can give the wrong one. Use this Landscaping Proposal to let your prospects know how you can make their landscaped area aesthically pleasing as well as what you will do to maintain the area.

Recruitment Proposal Template

Recruitment Proposal Template

This Recruitment Proposal Template is ideal for boutique staffing firms looking to grow their business and the business of their clients. Customize the services you offer at your staffing agency and let your clients know how you stand up to the competition of the bigger recruiting firms.

Accounting Proposal Template

Accounting Proposal Template

This free customizable accounting proposal is great for small accounting firms and certified public accountants (CPAs) looking to help businesses become more efficient and financially stable by leaving the numbers to the pros.

Wedding Planning Proposal Template

Wedding Planning Proposal Template

Your potential clients’ wedding will be one of the most important days of their lives. Such an event requires a detailed, enticing, and persuasive proposal. Use this wedding planning proposal template to introduce your company, outline the various packages you offer, and offer additional services like flower arrangements and photography. Easily customize it with your own branding and images.

Interior Design Proposal Template

Interior Design Proposal Template

This customizable interior design proposal template makes it easy to put your professionalism and skills on display. Add details about your business and images, and start gaining new clients.

Event Management Proposal Template

Event Management Proposal Template

Use this Event Management Proposal to let your prospective clients know how your company can help plan the best, most memorable event possible.

Photography Proposal Template

Photography Proposal Template

Add proof of your work and client testimonials to our photography proposal template to convince and close repeat clients and events.

IT Services Proposal Template

IT Services Proposal Template

Use this IT services proposal template to offer a detailed quote to potential clients for managed IT solutions.

Cleaning Proposal Template

Cleaning Proposal Template

Save time growing your business by automating and sending more cleaning proposals. This cleaning proposal template is legally binding and meets your industry standards.

PR (Public Relations) Proposal Template

PR (Public Relations) Proposal Template

In the PR world, everything you send to your clients, including your business proposal, reflects who you are. Customize this proposal to show your clients your professionalism and how you can help them with their public relations.

NGO Project Proposal Template

NGO Project Proposal Template

Trying to round up financial backers for your NGO’s upcoming project? This template will help you present your organization, your goals, and your project’s financial needs to any potential financiers.

Travel Agency Proposal Template

Travel Agency Proposal Template

This travel agency proposal template is perfect for agencies offering travel packages to individuals, groups, and companies. Use it to impress your clients with agency and agent backgrounds, customer testimonials, itinerary information, and optional add-on items for their trip.

Construction Equipment Lease Proposal Template

Construction Equipment Lease Proposal Template

This proposal is a combination Construction Equipment Lease Proposal and Lease Agreement. Let your customers know the quality of your equipment to be leased and the services you can provide so they don’t have to worry about equipment and can focus on the task at the construction site.

Freelance Graphic Design Proposal Template

Freelance Graphic Design Proposal Template

Need a more impressive proposal? This freelance graphic design proposal template will help you impress potential clients and win more business.

Pest Control Proposal Template

Pest Control Proposal Template

Do you run a pest control business? Use this free pest control proposal template to create detailed, engaging proposals that showcase the best of you have to offer. Modify pre-written sections to tell clients about your company, past projects and experience, available pest control plans, and more. You can also propose specific plans and obtain a client’s signatures.

PPC Proposal Template

PPC Proposal Template

Are you building pay-per-click campaigns? Whether you’re a freelancer or company, it’s always good to have a solid proposal template in your back pocket. You can use this for all your clients, with only minor changes from account to account.

House Cleaning Proposal Template

House Cleaning Proposal Template

Use this house cleaning proposal template to show potential customers just how professional your company is, and make it easy for them to select a service package and sign up for your services.

Music Artist Sponsorship Proposal Template

Music Artist Sponsorship Proposal Template

Bands can use this music artist sponsorship proposal template to offer companies an opportunity to partner with you as sponsors.

Mobile Marketing Proposal Template

Mobile Marketing Proposal Template

Want to close more deals? This mobile marketing proposal template allows you to impress clients with images and video while giving them three packaged options for your services.

One Page Proposal Template

One Page Proposal Template

Sales proposals don’t need to be long, complex documents. Use this free one-page proposal template to create clear and concise sales proposals for your clients. Quickly add an overview of the proposal, product descriptions, pricing conditions, and a signature area for the client to approve the sale.

Fitness Services Proposal Template

Fitness Services Proposal Template

Stand out against other fitness experts with this fitness services proposal template. Include your own headshot, images and testimonials from past clients, and a detailed breakdown of your fitness program to convince potential clients you’re worth their money.

Residential Construction Proposal Template

Residential Construction Proposal Template

This residential construction agreement template can be used by a contractor offering custom home builds, renovations, or remodels to residential property owners.

SAP Proposal Template

SAP Proposal Template

Download SAP proposal template for free. No design experience necessary.

Shopify Proposal Template

Shopify Proposal Template

This free Shopify proposal sample is for any agency that wants to pitch their services. This template is an excellent way to create professional proposals.

Product Sales Proposal Template

Product Sales Proposal Template

Get started with this product sales proposal template now. This template is customizable and could be used with many different products.

Game Development Proposal Template

Game Development Proposal Template

This game development proposal template can be used by a development agency offering HTML5 game development services. It includes areas for a game description, project timelines, and estimated project costs.

Software Sales Proposal Template

Software Sales Proposal Template

Customize a pre-made software sales proposal template. Create your own custom version in minutes with PandaDoc.

CRO Proposal Template

CRO Proposal Template

Close more deals with a professional Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) proposal template. Use it to pitch CRO audits or other services to a potential client.

Venture Capital Proposal Template

Venture Capital Proposal Template

Win funding from venture capitalists with this free venture capital proposal template. Create persuasive, visually stunning, and detailed proposals that tell potential investors about what you do, how you intend to cater to your market and outmaneuver competitors, and what kind of return they can expect from their investments.

HubSpot Proposal Template

HubSpot Proposal Template

Impress your clients with persuasive services proposals. Use this free HubSpot services proposal template to tell potential clients about your company, showcase your previous work, and outlined a detailed sales plan based on the HubSpot CRM. It’s fully customizable and can be modified with your organization’s branding.

Salesforce Proposal Template

Salesforce Proposal Template

This Salesforce proposal template should be used by companies that work with Salesforce CRM. It can help you to deliver personalised proposals for a potential buyer using Salesforce data.

Training Course Proposal Template

Training Course Proposal Template

This training course proposal template should be used by companies or consultants offering outsourced professional training services to companies or other organizations.

Roofing Proposal Template

Roofing Proposal Template

This one-page roofing proposal template can be filled out quickly to provide clients with a detailed price estimate for roofing replacement.

Security Proposal Template

Security Proposal Template

When you are ready to offer your security services to a business or individual, why not use this professional security proposal template to close the deal faster?

Mobile App Design Proposal Template

Mobile App Design Proposal Template

Use this mobile app design proposal template to offer a custom proposal to potential clients for your app design services.

Construction Proposal Template

Construction Proposal Template

Your construction business needs to be on the move and on site. Use this construction proposal template to create, send, track and get it signed from anywhere.

Grant Proposal Template

Grant Proposal Template

This free grant proposal template not only helps you put your most professional foot forward, it offers you loads of tips to make your project shine.

Budget Proposal Template

Budget Proposal Template

This free budget proposal template is perfect for both a small business or a nonprofit to outline funds used for investors and donors.

Video Proposal Template

Video Proposal Template

Use this free video proposal template to show off your videography services skills or your ability to create and produce a movie or film.

Financial Funding Proposal Template

Financial Funding Proposal Template

Use this free financial funding proposal template to present your organization as responsible and worthy of funding.

Request for Proposal Template

Request for Proposal Template

You have such an important project that you put out an RFP. We will help you explain your requirements and needs to customize this clear and concise request for proposal template.

Book Proposal Template

Book Proposal Template

You’ve poured your heart and soul into the pages of your book. Customize this book proposal template to persuade a publisher to print and vend your bestseller!

Technical Proposal Template

Technical Proposal Template

You need a technical proposal template to prove your technical prowess that went into designing an invention that will solve a problem.

Bid Proposal Template

Bid Proposal Template

Use this bid proposal template as a jumping off point to clearly outline the project you are looking to outsource.

Project Proposal Template

Project Proposal Template

When a company is looking to outsource, you want your business to stand out of the pack. Customize this free project proposal template to paint your company as a solution.

IT Project Proposal Template

IT Project Proposal Template

You want every step of our sales process to represent your IT company as cutting edge. Use this IT Project Proposal template to create a brilliant, convincing proposal.

Graphic Design Proposal Template

Graphic Design Proposal Template

Show off your graphic design company by adding photos and examples of your work to this customizable graphic design proposal template.

Public Relations Proposal Template

Public Relations Proposal Template

In the PR world, everything you send to your clients, including your business proposal, reflects who you are, which is why you should customize this free public relations proposal template to reflect your awesomeness.

Advertising Proposal Template

Advertising Proposal Template

You want to sell advertising space for your media. You need to customize this persuasive advertising proposal template to make it more appealing to your clients, who will know that your media source shares their audience.

Training Proposal Template

Training Proposal Template

Edit this Training Proposal Template to reflect your experience, talking about how you can use it to train your subjects properly.

Market Research Proposal Template

Market Research Proposal Template

Market research is a simply essential part of both marketing and of starting your own business. Use this Market Research Proposal Template to sell your vital services.

Website Design Proposal Template

Website Design Proposal Template

Any freelance web designer or design firm can use this website design proposal template to jumpstart their standard proposals, covering Concept Development, Design, Technical, and Testing. You should customize this agreement to your client’s specific needs and to highlight your experience.

Thesis Proposal Template

Thesis Proposal Template

Presenting your thesis proposal is probably the most important moment of your academic career. Use this thesis proposal template as a guide for organization.

Architectural Proposal Template

Architectural Proposal Template

Architects and firms can use this architectural proposal template to set out the scope and costs of proposed works, including sketches, plans or drawings, and then track the parts your prospects are looking at.

Lease Proposal Template

Lease Proposal Template

Realtors and private property owners can use this lease proposal template to contract new tenants.

Marketing Proposal Template

Marketing Proposal Template

Your Marketing Proposal represents your ability to market yourself and thus your clients. Customize this Marketing Proposal Template with images and examples of how you can service your clients.

Marketing Research Proposal Template

Marketing Research Proposal Template

It’s impossible for your clients to market businesses without knowing their audiences. This Marketing Research Proposal Template gives you the credibility to provide this service.

Branding Proposal Template

Branding Proposal Template

Your branding proposal represents your brand and marketing capabilities. Customize this branding proposal template with photo examples of your work & how you can represent your clients.

Job Proposal Template

Job Proposal Template

This job proposal template is perfect for an HR department or recruitment agency to look to fill a new position.

Event Proposal Template

Event Proposal Template

Use this free event proposal template to offer event management and planning for any business, sporting event or otherwise.

Flooring Installation and Repair Proposal Template

Flooring Installation and Repair Proposal Template

Put your business’ flooring expertise on display and gain new clients by adding photos of your work, customer testimonials, and project details to this customizable flooring installation and repair proposal template.

Commercial Insurance Proposal Template

Commercial Insurance Proposal Template

This template is perfect for the insurance agency offering a variety of commercial insurance products to business clients. Offer your clients property, general liability, auto, workers’ comp, and commercial umbrella insurance in a single, easy to read insurance services proposal.

Human Resources Proposal Template

Human Resources Proposal Template

Show your potential clients why your team is qualified to support their human resources needs with this detailed HR services proposal template!

Speaking Engagement Proposal Template

Speaking Engagement Proposal Template

An engaging speaker that provides valuable information can really make an event. Use this Speaking Engagement Proposal to showcase to your clients how your speakers will make their event a memorable one for their audience.

Property Management Proposal Template

Property Management Proposal Template

This Property Management Proposal is a great proposal and contract combination that sets out the guidelines for managing a client’s property.

Marketing Recap Proposal Template

Marketing Recap Proposal Template

A recap of how successful a client’s event was under your company’s facilitation will be sure to help you gain repeat business. Use this Marketing Recap Proposal template to regain that business.

Online Tutoring Services Proposal Template

Online Tutoring Services Proposal Template

Education is of the utmost importance. Inform your clients on the superior quality of education that your tutors provide by using this Online Tutoring Services Proposal.

Copywriting Proposal Template

Copywriting Proposal Template

A strong copywriting services proposal helps you stand out from the pretenders you’re up against. Show off your understanding of content writing, strategy, and design with this detailed proposal template.

Solar Panel Installation Proposal Template

Solar Panel Installation Proposal Template

Impress your residential clients with this solar panel installation proposal. Use the tables to detail system costs, tax credits, and lifetime financial benefits of your solar systems.

Agriculture Project Proposal Template

Agriculture Project Proposal Template

This agriculture project proposal template helps farm owners request government funding for approved agricultural projects.

Research Proposal Template

Research Proposal Template

Research projects are very in-depth. This comprehensive Research Proposal will show your prospective clients how serious you are about your research.

Laundry Services Proposal Template

Laundry Services Proposal Template

Use this laundry services proposal template to help build your client base for your laundry services.

Architecture Firm Proposal Template

Architecture Firm Proposal Template

Architecture Firms can use this free architectural proposal template to not only describe their specialties, skills, and processes, but also to set out the scope and costs of proposed works, sketches, plans, and drawings.

Event Catering Proposal Template

Event Catering Proposal Template

People always remember the quality of the food and the professionalism of the staff of a catering company. Use this Event Catering Proposal to show your clients how you put on a great event.

Product Marketing Proposal Template

Product Marketing Proposal Template

Your marketing proposal represents your ability to market yourself as well as your client’s products. Use this Product Marketing Proposal template to show how you can assist your clients with their product marketing projects and goals.

Event Photography Proposal Template

Event Photography Proposal Template

Use this Event Photography Proposal to showcase your company’s photography skills and portfolio. Confidently secure your next event booking.

Freelance Writing Proposal Template

Freelance Writing Proposal Template

Are you a busy writer juggling multiple gigs at the same time? Maybe you’d rather do less pitch writing and more actual writing. Online proposals make it quick and hassle-free for you and your clients, providing all the information you need to express your ideas.

UX Design Proposal Template

UX Design Proposal Template

This UX design proposal covers each phase of the UX design process, including initial research, prototype development, and user testing. Use it to outline your UX design process to potential clients along with project delivery timelines and costs.

Youtube Marketing Proposal Template

Youtube Marketing Proposal Template

Want to wow your prospects? This Youtube marketing proposal template will help you show off your video chops and marketing expertise. Use the video embed feature to show off your work right inside the proposal!

WordPress Web Design Proposal Template

WordPress Web Design Proposal Template

Every business needs web presence. Use this WordPress Web Design Proposal template to show your prospects your experience in designing websites as well as how you will work with them to create a beautiful and engaging website they will be satisified with.

Inbound Marketing Proposal Template

Inbound Marketing Proposal Template

This Inbound Marketing Proposal Template was designed for marketing companies looking to showcase their marketing services, experience, and expertise to prospective clients. This free downloadable template is completely customizable to fit your company’s needs.

CRM Implementation Proposal Template

CRM Implementation Proposal Template

Even for the experts, definitions differ when it comes to customer relationship management, or CRM. Our template simplifies this process of two-way interaction between business and consumer, making it ideal for landing clients and keeping them happy.

Staff Hiring Service Proposal Template

Staff Hiring Service Proposal Template

We designed this template to help you stand out against other staff hiring services. This staff hiring services proposal template can be used as-is in most cases, but we’ve also included a lot of flexibility so that you can adjust it to your specific services or add further details if you focus on a specific industry.

Car Wash Proposal Template

Car Wash Proposal Template

Does your company offer car wash services to company fleets? This car wash services proposal template will help you stand out against your competitors when seeking new commercial clients for your car wash business.

General Contractor Services Proposal

General Contractor Services Proposal

General contractors don’t have time to spend hours making proposals for every potential job. To help, we designed a general contractor proposal template that you can easily customize for every job. This template is sure to set you apart from the other GCs competing with your company.

Website Analytics Proposal Template

Website Analytics Proposal Template

When it comes to website analytics, it’s just as important for your customers to understand “why” as it is “how” and “how much”. That’s why we built a website analytics proposal template that makes it clear to your prospects why they need your services if they want to succeed.

HTML 5 App & Website Proposal

HTML 5 App & Website Proposal

The competition among web and app developers is fierce, and you need to stand out if you want to grow your business. This HTML5 & web app proposal will help you communicate why you’re the right developer for your prospects.

Facebook Marketing Proposal Template

Facebook Marketing Proposal Template

Are you ready to admit how much you love Facebook? That’s OK, since all you really need to know is how important marketing can be on the social media platform. Facebook marketing is intense and potentially lucrative, and this template sets up the process in a likeable format.

E-Commerce (Magento) Web Design Proposal Template

E-Commerce (Magento) Web Design Proposal Template

Every business needs an optimized web presence. Use this E-Commerce Web Design Proposal template to show prospects your experience in website design, development, and optimization.

Social Media Optimization Proposal Template

Social Media Optimization Proposal Template

You don’t need a tweet or a Vine to explain the importance of a well-crafted social media presence. With this template, your clients will also see the value in honing or boosting their market standing by optimizing their social media channels and better connecting with customers.

Wedding Photography Proposal Template

Wedding Photography Proposal Template

This wedding photography proposal template is perfect for freelance photographers and photography agencies alike. It makes it easy for you to highlight your unique qualifications, your past work samples, and the photography services that you offer.

iOS App Development Proposal Template

iOS App Development Proposal Template

No two apps are built the same, and that’s especially true when it comes to iOS devices. Apple has exacting standards, you have exacting standards, and your clients will want something incredible that takes their company to the next level.

Printing Services Proposal Template

Printing Services Proposal Template

Commercial printers should use this printing services proposal template to offer a detailed breakdown of their services and pricing to potential business clients.

Fashion Show Sponsorship Proposal Template

Fashion Show Sponsorship Proposal Template

Looking for sponsors for your upcoming fashion show? Use this proposal to demonstrate the value of your various sponsorship packages to potential business sponsors.

Equipment Purchase Proposal Template

Equipment Purchase Proposal Template

This equipment purchase proposal template can be modified to suit any equipment sale in seconds. Simply fill in key customer details, model information, features, warranty information, and pricing, and click send!

HR Outsourcing Proposal Template

HR Outsourcing Proposal Template

Does your company provide outsourced HR services? This proposal will help you outline the various human resources that you can offer a client, and put forward a price for a monthly HR services retainer.

Affiliate Marketing Proposal Template

Affiliate Marketing Proposal Template

Win clients with this affiliate marketing proposal template. Personalize the pre-written sections to demonstrate your ability to effectively launch and manage results-driven affiliate programs for your prospective clients. Quickly add your own branding, client testimonials, pricing, sales projections, and more.

Window Cleaning Proposal Template

Window Cleaning Proposal Template

This window cleaning proposal template is perfect for companies that offer window cleaning services to commercial and residential properties. Use the template to show off images of your work, detailed pricing, and key reasons why a property owner should hire you.

Film Proposal Template

Film Proposal Template

Use this film proposal template to present your fantastic film idea to producers to gain support and funding.

Website Redesign Proposal Template

Website Redesign Proposal Template

Your client is ready to update their website. Use this Website Redesign Proposal Template to explain how you can transform their website into one that converts into more page views and signups.

WordPress Development Proposal Template

WordPress Development Proposal Template

Every business needs a web presence. Use this WordPress Development Proposal template to show your prospects your experience in developing websites as well as how you will work with them to create a beautiful and engaging website they will be satisfied with.

Android App Development Proposal Template

Android App Development Proposal Template

Competition is fierce amongst providers of Android app development. Stand out with this proposal template that includes details regarding native, web, and hybrid mobile apps, and makes it possible for your clients to choose the approach that’s right for them.

Website Strategy Audit Proposal Template

Website Strategy Audit Proposal Template

Do you perform audits or your clients’ websites? If so, then this proposal will help you outline how a complete website strategy audit can benefit your clients, and detail the timeline and costs associated with having you audit their website and deliver a comprehensive report.

Event Marketing Proposal Template

Event Marketing Proposal Template

Event marketing is a competitive industry. Stand out from your competition with this PandaDoc event marketing template!

Responsive Design Proposal Template

Responsive Design Proposal Template

Show off your responsive design chops with this proposal template that includes plenty of space for portfolio images of your previous responsive website builds.

Logistics Services Proposal Template

Logistics Services Proposal Template

Impress potential clients with detailed, persuasive logistics services proposals. Use this free logistics services proposal template to display air, rail, road, and sea service packages, outline pricing, and showcase client testimonials. Quickly customize it with your own branding and images.

Marketing Agency Proposal Template

Marketing Agency Proposal Template

Use this marketing agency proposal template to create beautiful, persuasive proposals for your prospective clients. It’s fully customizable and includes sections for describing your services, showcasing past projects, and displaying pricing packages. Adding your own branding, which will fit seamlessly with the rest of the template, is easy.

Project Management Proposal Template

Project Management Proposal Template

Use this Project Management Proposal template to demonstrate your knowledge of the project at hand and why your team is the most qualified to carry it out.

Sports Event Sponsorship Proposal Template

Sports Event Sponsorship Proposal Template

Looking for sponsors for your next sports event? This proposal includes three sponsorship tiers, a custom pricing table, and plenty of space for you to show off client testimonials.

Janitorial Services Proposal Template

Janitorial Services Proposal Template

Clean up the competition, as well as the work spaces, with this Janitorial Servies Proposal template which you can customize for your business according to the services you provide.

Event Sponsorship Proposal Template

Event Sponsorship Proposal Template

Use this sponsorship proposal template to persuade various businesses to sponsor your event or product, making sure to focus on the audience and the obvious benefits your sponsors will get out of it.

Transportation Proposal Template

Transportation Proposal Template

This transportation proposal template should be used when preparing a proposal for shuttle or VIP transport services for an event.

Travel Proposal Template

Travel Proposal Template

Is there an upcoming event or convention in your industry that you would like to attend? Customize this free Travel Proposal Template to let your manager know how the company can benefit from your attendance and how much it will cost them.

Business Partnership Proposal Template

Business Partnership Proposal Template

If you are looking to partner up with another business, then you’ll want to use this free Business Partnership Proposal Template. This template sample also allows you to further customize it to your needs.

Investment Proposal Template

Investment Proposal Template

This free investment proposal template is designed for organizations and individuals that are seeking funding from investors. Use it to provide a detailed, concise, and persuasive overview of the current state of your business and to highlight exciting opportunities for growth. It includes customizable sections for describing your products and services, market openings, information about competitors, and funding requirements.

Music Event Sponsorship Proposal Template

Music Event Sponsorship Proposal Template

Use this template to present three sponsorship packages to businesses who are considering sponsoring your next concert or music festival.

Website Maintenance Proposal Template

Website Maintenance Proposal Template

Provide your clients with a stunning proposal for your website maintenance services with this easy-to-use proposal template.

Investor Proposal Template

Investor Proposal Template

Impress prospective investors with this investor proposal template. Tell investors about your company or startup, marketing plan, financial forecasts, and specify how much money you are asking for. Use it to create a comprehensive, persuasive, and detailed document that gives you the best possible chance of gaining the funding your business needs.

Case Study Proposal Template

Case Study Proposal Template

This free Case Study Proposal Template was created for B2B and B2C businesses in mind. Case studies are essential in any business, especially a growing one. Use this template to help build trust with prospective clients and let them know how others just like them have been successful using your product/service.

Plumbing Proposal Template

Plumbing Proposal Template

This plumbing proposal template makes it easy to create professional estimates for your company’s potential clients.

Engineering Proposal Template

Engineering Proposal Template

We’ve crafted this template to be used across all engineering fields. Whether you’re in academia, consulting, software, or something else, your pitches will be smoother and better targeted.

Logo Design Proposal Template

Logo Design Proposal Template

Our logo design proposal template will help you craft a thoughtful, detailed proposal for clients interested in having you create their company’s logo.

Email Marketing Proposal Template

Email Marketing Proposal Template

Use this email marketing proposal template to create detailed, impressive marketing proposals that showcase the best of what you or your company has to offer. It’s fully customizable, with sections for describing past projects, deliverables, and pricing. You can also add your own branding to the document with just a few clicks.

E-Commerce Proposal Template

E-Commerce Proposal Template

Are you in the web design/e-commerce business? This e-commerce proposal is geared for website design companies focusing on developing professional e-commerce websites for their clients.

Bank Loan Proposal Template

Bank Loan Proposal Template

How well you present yourself could be the difference between landing that crucial loan or watching your business dreams fade away.

Commercial Proposal Template

Commercial Proposal Template

If you need a commercial proposal download our free sample here! This commercial proposal template focuses more on the business-case side but can also be tailored to be used for the purchase of products or services or even for a business venture.

Real Estate Proposal Template

Real Estate Proposal Template

Captivate prospective buyers with this free real estate proposal template. Quickly specify property details, secondary costs, additional terms, and any other sections you deem necessary. You can also add your own branding and graphic materials with just a few clicks.

Construction Proposal and Agreement Template

Construction Proposal and Agreement Template

Your construction company is always on the move and on site. Use this Construction Proposal and Agreement to set up your company’s next project.

Accounting Services Proposal Template

Accounting Services Proposal Template

Impress your business clients with this detailed accounting services proposal! The template includes pre-written accounting services description, a large pricing table, and electronic signature fields.

Audit Proposal Template

Audit Proposal Template

If you are in the business of helping other businesses with audit reviews, use this free audit proposal template to inform your prospective clients on how you can help them through the audit process as well as pass the final review. Feel free to edit where appropriate.

Freelance Web Design Proposal Template

Freelance Web Design Proposal Template

This freelance web design proposal is sure to impress your clients, with plenty of space for visual examples of your work, client testimonials, and project execution details. With 5 minutes of your time you can create a web design proposal that sets you apart from other freelancers.

Proposal to Buy a Business Template

Proposal to Buy a Business Template

Interested in purchasing a business from another company or individual? This proposal to buy a business template makes it easy to communicate your intent and make an initial offer to the business owner.

Ecommerce Website Design Proposal Template

Ecommerce Website Design Proposal Template

Competition amongst website designers is fierce, particularly for the business of the new ecommerce brands that emerge on a daily basis. This ecommerce website design proposal template will help you stand out against your competition for sure.

Painting Proposal Template

Painting Proposal Template

Use this free painting proposal template to create a persuasive and detailed project outline for potential clients. It includes sections for outlining the scope of work, payment terms, your past experience, timeline, and warranty and follow-up work. It is suitable for individuals, independent companies, and larger organizations and can be fully customized with your branding and images.

Real Estate Development Proposal Template

Real Estate Development Proposal Template

Use this real estate development proposal template to construct a thorough document detailing your project’s design, feasibility, risk, timeline, and financial considerations for potential investors.

Service Proposal Template

Service Proposal Template

This service proposal template can be used by any B2B services provider. It includes sections for company background, testimonials, discussion of the prospect’s problems and challenges, your proposed solution, pricing, and an implementation schedule.

Medical Services Proposal Template

Medical Services Proposal Template

This medical services proposal template can be used by any company providing medical services to another company. Relevant use cases include on-site emergency services, outsourced medical care, and long-term medical services support.

What are business proposals used for?

A great marketing proposal can be just as important as an outstanding business plan when it comes to winning new business.

Business online proposals give a potential client all the information they need to make an informed decision about your company, the products or services you sell, and why they should work with you.

Well-organized sales proposals help your business stand out from the crowd during the early stages of the sales process. This is critical because your prospective clients are considering competitors, soliciting bids, and comparing proposed solutions to their problem.

What goes into a business proposal?

While there isn’t a set business proposal format, there are a few basic things that your proposal should have. These include:

Sales and marketing proposals are highly flexible and their contents depend on the complexity of the project.

A web design or graphic design proposal might not be as complex a construction proposal for a new building, which might need to include an extensive roadmap and production timeframe in order to meet the minimum requirements of the bid.

No matter your deliverable, your business proposal should help you cross the threshold between marketing and sales. You could include testimonials and a small portfolio of your previous work in order to build trust. A problem statement and basic pricing information are also good candidates for inclusion.

At the end of the day, your business proposal should contain a combination of both custom and boilerplate information.

Include the marketing content that would apply to any customer, but be sure to leave a little room to personalize your proposal so that business owners know you took the time to understand their problem and offer a genuine solution.

Business proposal templates and examples from PandaDoc

While business proposals can help your organization stand out from the crowd, you can’t devote hours to building the perfect proposal every time.

When responding to RFPs or submitting unsolicited proposals, your sales team needs to be able to generate and send content quickly.

That’s why PandaDoc offers free proposal templates to help you create outstanding, customized proposals. While you can download any proposal in our template library as a PDF, signing up for a PandaDoc account will allow you to import our template into the document editor for quick and easy editing.

Browse our business proposal samples and use them to take your sales outreach to the next level.

Frequently asked questions

How many pages should a business proposal be.

It really depends on your business and the complexity of the customer project.

A winning business proposal doesn’t confuse customers. It provides customers with a roadmap to success.

For a simple and straightforward job with a clear deliverable, that may only take a few pages. Proposals for complex jobs could run long enough that they require a full table of contents and a small marketing plan.

Why is a business proposal important?

The business world is competitive. If an organization solicits RFPs, there are dozens of other freelancers, small businesses, and corporate entities bidding to win that contract.

A strong business proposal helps you get noticed and gives new clients all the information they need to contact you.

Think of a business proposal as a self-contained document that tells a client why they should hire you — no Google search required.

How do I write a proposal outline?

Your proposal outline depends on the information you receive from your potential client. If you can use the customer’s RFP as a guide, you can build a marketing proposal to suit those needs.

If you can get your potential client on the phone for a discovery call, you’ll be able to get more information about the project.

Take careful notes and use them to write an effective problem statement based on the call. From there, build your proposal around that information. ?

What type of business proposal do I need?

There are six kinds of business proposals:

The first three have everything to do with how you find your potential client and whether or not they’re looking for proposals when you contact them. You’ll need to adjust the context of your proposal to match their timeline.

The other three types of business proposals take place based on an existing relationship. If you need to continue work beyond the scope of the original proposal, renew a contract, or do additional work outside the nature of your current agreement, you may need to write a new business proposal to formalize that process.

How can I create my own business proposal template?

It’s easy to create the perfect project proposal template with PandaDoc .

To do this, select any of the free templates from the PandaDoc template library and import it to the PandaDoc document editor. From there, you’ll be able to customize your template to match your brand.

When you’re done, save the document as a template and add variables to easily reuse.

Get started with PandaDoc today

No credit card required

Fingers Stairs

How to Write a Proposal and Get What You Want (Free Templates)

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✅ Bonus material: Simple Proposal Format Template + Checklist to help you get started ASAP!

A proposal has a lot of different purposes, but there’s only one good way to write one: the way that pulls together all of the information in a concise and persuasive way and helps you get what you want … whether that’s a whole new software system, or just a tweak to your marketing strategy.

This Process Street article isn’t about a business proposal — also known as a quote — but instead about the document required when formally pitching an idea for action and execution by managers or department heads .

To explain how to write a proposal document and get what you want, we’ll go through the following:

Free proposal writing template

When are proposals necessary, why are proposals important, examples of proposals, how to write a proposal: step-by-step, last steps before submitting the proposal, more free proposal writing checklists, even more free proposal writing checklists, customize your proposal checklists with process street.

Let’s get started.

process street banner green final

If you fancy taking a quick look at a free interactive template, that will help you write your proposals right away, feel free to dive straight into this!

Writing a Proposal: Step-by-Step Guide

There are more templates, like this one, further down in this post, so stick around.

Any project you don’t have the clearance or authority to start without a higher-up’s approval, you need to submit a proposal for.

According to SSWM , a proposal is “a detailed description of a series of activities aimed at solving a certain problem”.

That problem  could be anything, from:

If it’s an idea you need to ask permission to execute, or to get action on, it needs a proposal.

A proposal is a way to pitch an idea and state your requirements, so it’s important for supervisors because they can get information in writing (not casually in the elevator), and be able to act knowing the full implications of their decision.

They’re also a chance for you to make a structured, logical argument and lay down everything in favor of your idea. A well-written proposal shows your manager you care about the cause, and it’s not just a mid-meeting whim you blurted out.

To write a top proposal you need to scrutinize it before you present it.

It’s a broad topic, but it’s best explained with examples.

Below is a simple proposal example with some basic sections.

writing proposals template

Now let’s take a look at how to write a proposal — whether it’s as simple as the one above, or more complex.

Here’s the general structure of a proposal:

writing proposals template

As you can see, a proposal generally consists of:

1. Identify and define your reader

Just like with any kind of persuasion, it helps if you understand how to appeal to your audience. Who will be reading your proposal and deciding if it’s accepted or rejected? What do they care about? What kind of language and benefits would resonate with them? This is the first step because it’s an important thing to keep in mind as you go along and as information that informs the way you write from here on.

2. Define the problem your proposal will solve

Who : Who will the proposal affect?

What : What’s the reason for you to write the proposal in the first place? Explain the current situation and the problems that come with it.

3. Define the solution

How : How are you going to solve the problem? Explain step-by-step in detail.

Who : Identify the personnel you need, along with their prior experience to add persuasion to the proposal

4. Conclusion: costs, benefits and wrap-up

Reiterate : The purpose and main argument

Costs : Break down the projected costs involved for different elements of the project

Benefits : Break down the benefits to the organization, monetary and non-monetary, to persuade the reader there’ll be a return on investment

Thanks : Thank the reader for their time.

Contact information : Where can the reader get in touch with you? Make sure to be crystal clear to make the details easily discoverable.

Clear writing is your best friend when you’re trying to write persuasively. For that reason, there are a few checks to run before you submit your proposal.

Remember, what’s clear to you might not always be clear to other people.

1 .Check for jargon (then destroy it)

Although jargon is popular in the business world, not everyone shares the equal love for it. It’s terms like right-size, blue sky (verb), turn-key, and synergize. They might mean something to you, or make you feel intelligent, but there are simpler alternatives that will help people understand what you mean !

2. Change the passive voice to the active voice

The passive voice is defined as :

“The noun or noun phrase that would be the object of an active sentence (such as Our troops defeated the enemy) appears as the subject of a sentence with passive voice (e.g. The enemy was defeated by our troops).”.

It’s a long-winded way of expressing something that could be expressed in simple terms:

passivevoice

The passive voice sounds distant and even deceptive, and, since the reader might even just be skimming your proposal, you don’t want to add extra words to cloud your point.

3. Proofread the proposal

Install a tool like Grammarly and check the proposal in an online text editor. Grammarly will manage to pick up on anything that is grammatically incorrect and sometimes even flags up stylistically poor phrases. Poor spelling and grammar will only discredit the value of what you’re saying and could be a problem that leads to your proposal being rejected.

As promised, check out the below five templates that have each been designed by the team at Process Street — makers of the finest remote work software for processes around — to help you write winning proposals.

Proposal Template Checklist Process

This proposal template is a checklist that should be used alongside the proposal document you are planning to submit. Use it to make sure that all the elements have been considered, that the proposal contains everything it needs to and that it meets all set requirements.

Click here to access the Proposal Template Checklist Process!

Business Proposal Template Checklist

Whether your business proposal is solicited or unsolicited, use this business proposal template checklist to ensure you include all the required information in your proposal and cover key areas such as these the problem the organization is facing, the proposed solution, the budget, and a key CTA.

Click here to access the Business Proposal Template Checklist!

How to Write a Grant Proposal Checklist

Use this template to make sure your grant proposal includes all the relevant information, that it contains everything it needs to, and that it meets all stated RFP requirements.

Click here to access the How to Write a Grant Proposal Checklist!

Research Proposal Example Checklist

Use this template to convince others that you have a worthwhile research project and that you have the competence and the work-plan to complete it.

Click here to access the Research Proposal Example Checklist!

Project Proposal Template Checklist

Use this template, alongside the proposal document you are planning to submit, to set the project vision, define the project requirements, describe the deliverables, and specify the deadlines.

Click here to access the Project Proposal Template Checklist!

If you’re looking for more inspiration, give these alternative proposal writing templates a go too.

If the above templates don’t quite fit your company, industry, or the proposal document you are writing, don’t worry!

Process Street to the rescue!

Process Street is super-powered checklists . We are a super-charged, state of the art BPM SaaS platform which allows you to create templates and run individual checklists from these. You can check tasks off as you work through them, set deadlines, request approvals, assign various tasks , and work through your proposal workflows with ease.

Watch this to get an idea about who we are and what we do:

To help you customize your proposal writing template, and make your proposal wriitng easier, you can use all these different types of Process Street features:

You can also connect your templates to thousands of apps through Zapier , webhooks, or API access to automate your proposal processes and workflows.

If you’re unfamiliar with process automation, what it means, and the benefits it can bring to your business, watch this Process Street webinar on automation:

Remember, if you want to get access to any of our proposal writing checklists, just click the links above and they will be added to your Process Street account where you can use them over and over again. Or, if you haven’t yet signed up for a Process Street account, click here and start your free trial.

Has this guide helped you out? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Get our posts & product updates earlier by simply subscribing

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Benjamin Brandall

Benjamin Brandall is a content marketer at Process Street , and runs Secret Cave on the side. Find him on Twitter here .

88 Comments

I am strongly looking forward to learning how to write a proposal, thanks

Thanks Honar, it’s an honor to have you here 😉

I am looking forward to learning how to write a great proposal. Thanks for posting this site.

Practice makes perfect, just keep it up and you will get there!

Looking forward for you to checklist and using it to edit my proposal…. thx a lot

Awesome, and remember you can sign up for a free account for life, no credit card required to run up to 5 checklists for proposals or anything else!. Check out more about Process Street here: http://process.st/product/

I really loved your paper on how to write a proposal. I looked up others and found total satisfaction when I came across yours! Thanks again Tanya Palacios

We are very pleased to hear that.

thanks a lot for helping me understand proposal writing more clearly. Am very grateful.

Of course, proposal writing can be tricky, but if you follow the templates we provide you will quickly see it’s not that difficult. Proposals follow the same structure most of the time, once you learn that structure it’s easy to create proposals quickly.

Very nice and excellent advice and coaching on proposals writing. I will always keep in touch for more information.

Excellent writing Benjamin. Definitely agree with the destroying jargons part. There’s no need for these kinds of words for project proposals. Anyway, here’s an informative step-by-step guide that I’d like to share regarding writing project proposals: https://www.freenvoices.com/how-to-write-project-proposal . I believe that this will complement your well-written article and your readers too. 🙂

Great post Evatt, thanks for sharing!

I am in the process of drafting a proposal for a multi-million deal. Looking forward to getting pointers to make my proposal a seller!

After reading your post,it now became crystal clear that proposals are not easy…But thanks alot. You’re a good teacher

Hey Vitalis, yes they take some practice but you will get there. Just keep it up!

i want to write proposal for study PhD but i dont know how to write it can you send to me example thank you very much best regards

Hi Mays, There’s some good advice here in regards to writing a PhD proposal: https://www.findaphd.com/advice/finding/writing-phd-research-proposal.aspx

My personal advice would be to really demonstrate strength when outlining your methodology. This section is a great opportunity to display deep knowledge of methodological approaches and their academic grounding. Make sure to cite the foundational texts for the approach you want to take and to reference current academic discussions pertinent to your particular application of that approach. If you can find a recently published PhD thesis which takes a similar methodological approach to you own then you can read through their methodology section to give yourself both inspiration and a great starting point for building a methodology reading list for yourself.

Best of luck!

Además, asimismo desarrolla otros proyectos de formación en línea sobre marketing digital y nuevas tecnologías con la finalidad de instruir a emprendedores de qué forma crear un proyecto digital para vender sus conocimientos.

Your blog is very informative. Nice you tried to provide a crystal clear information on this topic!

Nice one, at least have got an idea now about proposal writing

Appreciate the guidelines on how to write an explicit formal proposal.

You are most welcome Ogoh, we’d love any feedback you may have in the future!

Appreciate for providing knowledge on proposal writing

I’m really happy to learn from this paper.I’ve increased my knowledge in proposal writing.Thanks

Wow! You’re really doing a nice work, really haven’t got it detailed and simplified before.

Nice job. I am a professional proposal writer in lagos Nigeria and I must confess that you have done a good job on this article. I learnt a few new things. Keep up the god work

Thanks Mr Sam, always good to have the support of an expert.

the explanation is very complete I am happy to be able to find articles on various types of letters and I can learn here thanks for all the articles

We tried our best Zaki, thanks for the kind words

nice suggestions. thanks

Thanx for the great work U have done towards my exprienc on Proposal writing.May God bless U.

You did a great job in outlining all the nitty-gritty of writing a great proposal in this article. Kudos!

Thank for sharing this knowledge

It was a pleasure!

Write a comment…great work but I need a proposal on how to start car wash business inside school

Thank you for the little experience I have achieved on proposal writing. Can you give me a broad idea on a proposal I wan to write, I want to do a Clean City proposal…

Hey Darious, check out these posts we wrote on sustainability: https://www.process.st/corporate-sustainability/ https://www.process.st/sustainable-business/

so grateful for the information.

Very happy to learn how to write a proposal from you.

Very happy to help you 🙂

Very informative, really appreciated your expertise. I learned quite a bit. Thank you, I’m all set, also number two (2.) Change the passive voice to the active voice is something for me to remember when I’m writing.

Yes that’s a great tip!

It is really great, I would like to know more about writing a great proposal about enhancing bank customer service

Sounds like an important project, you might also enjoy this post: https://www.process.st/enterprise-risk-management/

I sincerely appreciate you for this brilliant presentation. I still need to know more about the solicited proposals. Thanks!

I would like to know how to write a good proposal .

I’m looking forward to be the best in writing proposal, in the organization

Good luck with your endeavors Paul!

I want to learn how to write project proposals

I have an idea of how to write the proposal but would am unsure and would rather see what the experts have to say about it. Thanks!

I want to write a proposal to get a generator for my hospital as a back up

This piece has given me a clearer understanding on how to and what to look out for in writing a proposal. But I will be more grateful if u can give me a template and points on how to write a proposal to a state government to train their young people on drug abuse and how to minimize the current menace it is causing to our society. Thanks, it was a nice experience.

Glad to hear you liked it. We don’t have any templates specific to that use case, but we will look to create some more soon. Cheers, Adam

Glad you enjoyed the experience 🙂

Thanks very much for the well explained presentation.

Hello. This is very good and helpful, I need help to write a proposal for freelancing and content writing. Thanks

I’m not sure if this is what you’re looking for, but we have an article here about pitching to TechCrunch: https://www.process.st/write-for-techcrunch/

I hope it helps!

Cheers, Adam

You are most welcome!

I never knew on how to write a proposal but now I have got something from you thank you. But I would like an example of a professional proposal …… as for me am writing a proposal on the need to make clubs for youth of East Africa based science, technology and arts plz I need it very soon even today

We don’t currently have any examples for you, but we are working on a set of processes to follow to help people write proposals like these. It should be published in a few weeks.

For the time being, perhaps look at what different organizations say they want. Here are a few examples from the UK:

– Warwickshire Community And Voluntary Action (CAVA) have this document where they ask people to send them proposals to start youth programmes. They explain what they are looking for and how they will judge the proposal.

– Here is another example but this time from an organization in Manchester, UK. This has instructions and requirements, and you can use its specifications as inspiration for how to create your proposal.

I hope some of this makes the proposal writing process clearer.

Best of luck, Adam

This may also help: https://www.process.st/proposal-template/

Good luck with your proposal Naomi! Sounds like it’s for a great cause..

Thats great. I have learned alot thanks.

I need to know how to write a proposal writing. Can u give an example plzz…..

Hi Sapioamoa, you can find a collection of examples here: https://www.process.st/proposal-template/

I hope this helps! Adam

i thank you for that and now i am requesting for help, i am a student first year and my ambition is to help the orphans i would like you to help me how to write a proposal of that kind. thank you.

Hey Deo. It sounds like you’re doing great work. Check out these proposal templates . They should help you!

thank you so much sir

Living in a rural setting in Uganda- am writing a proposal to ask for financial donations to buy agricultural inputs, medical assistance etc for my community- this website has helped to put ideas together and to hopefully come out with a winner! Thank you!.

That’s great to hear we’ve been able to help! Best of luck Catherine!

am very greatful to receive such an skillful knowledge from you,but may i pls receive a sample of how to write a proposal for starting a small scale printing firm just in kenya.

thank you in advance

Thanks for the kind comment, Elijah. You might be able to find some more useful information in our most recent article about proposals (with lots more templates) here: https://www.process.st/proposal-template/

Nice one. Thanks for this.

Glad to hear it helped, Deji!

Glad you enjoyed this, Lillian! ⭐️

This is what i was looking for so long. Thanks for summing up all these informations about how to write a proposal. I’m really glad that you add these free template 🙂

Awesome, glad you enjoyed the templates. Was there a particular one that you found most helpful?

Are you still free to give feedback? Happy New Year btw.

Sure we are here to give feedback! Just leave your question about proposal writing in the comments and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

I feel this is among the most vital information for me.

And i’m glad reading your article. But want to statement on few normal things, The web site style is perfect, the articles is truly excellent : D. Excellent activity, cheers

Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

Hi,have learned a lot from you,could you please help me to write a proposal how to spend on projects in a christian organization Thanks

Not sure how that would be any different, but if you have a specific question about writing proposals I’d be happy to answer it 🙂

Thanks sir for your post. I’am very greatful to receive such an skillful knowledge from you

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked.

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Blog Business

How to Write a Business Proposal (Examples & Templates)

By Aditya Sheth , Nov 21, 2022

how to write a business proposal

The great Mark Cuban once said, “Sales cure all.” If a business doesn’t sell, it doesn’t make money and by extension the business fails. That’s why you need to write business proposals.

A well-written business proposal can often mean the difference between winning or losing a prospective client.

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

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

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

More business proposal examples + writing and design tips

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

An effective 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 outlines what your business does and what you can do for your client. It can be general like this business proposal example:

general business proposal template

Or it can be more specific, like this business proposal template which focuses on proposing a project for the Newton Center Rail:

simple business proposal project proposal template

Or this business proposal sample, which presents a plan for a social media strategy and campaign:

social media marketing business proposal template

To design a business proposal that holds the client’s attention, identify their pain points . Then provide your buyer with the right solution to alleviate those frustrations.

Return to Table of Contents

A business proposal usually aims to answer the following questions: 

You can see how this sample business proposal template covers the above points.

business project proposal template

Notice how this proposal template addresses the same project like in one of the previous templates, but uses a completely different design style (more retro, while the previous business proposal template is more modern and minimalistic).

You can remove or add more sections depending on the goal of your business proposal. Essential, your business proposal can follow this format:

Table of contents

Executive summary, the problem statement, the proposed solution, qualifications, the timeline, pricing, billing and legal, terms and conditions, the acceptance.

We go into detail on how you can write a business proposal (plus different business proposal templates you can apply the tips to) in the next section . But you can also click on the format items above to learn how you can best write them!

If you aim to create a holistic business proposal, feel free to just edit from the two templates right above. You can also add your brand colors and logo to your design, using My Brand Kit :

Here’s another example of a business proposal template that you can edit:

simple b2c business growth proposal template

Generally, there are three types of business proposals:

1. Formally solicited 

A formally solicited business proposal is made when you respond to an official request to write a business proposal.

In this scenario, you know all the requirements and have more (if not all) information about a prospective buyer. You simply need to write the business proposal for your buyer to evaluate so you can begin the sales process.

2. Informally solicited 

Informally solicited business proposals are written when there isn’t an official request for a proposal. A prospective buyer is interested in your services and asks for a proposal so they can evaluate it.

An informally solicited proposal requires a lot more research from your end. These types of proposals are usually created out of informal conversations. They are not based on official requests which often contain more detail.

3. Unsolicited 

Think of this as a marketing brochure or a cold email . Unsolicited business proposals will often take a generic, one-size-fits-all approach to business proposals. Unsolicited proposals lack any understanding of the buyer or their requirements.

But with additional  market research , personalization and identifying customer pain points , you can propose a customized solution based on your buyer’s needs. This can be a very persuasive approach, such as in this business proposal example:

corporate business proposal example

How do you write a business proposal? Business proposal templates

Before you start creating your business proposal template, you need to know what it comprises. At a high level your effective business proposal should include the following:

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

Business proposal title

A compelling title could mean the difference between someone reading your proposal or ignoring it in favor of a competitor’s. 

What makes a good title page? Here are the essential elements to include: 

Gray Business Consulting Proposal Template Cover Page_Venngage

The gray business consulting proposal template above contains all the details a prospect would want to know. The title also offers a strong tangible benefit to the prospective buyer. Honestly, “Who doesn’t want to grow their business?”

Return to business proposal content sections

The table of contents is a fundamental part of every winning business proposal template. It makes your proposal scannable and easy to read.

The people you will be pitching to are usually C-level executives. These are busy people who don’t have time to read your entire proposal in one go.

That’s why most of the business proposal examples in this list include a table of contents.

Adding a table of contents to your document makes it easy for them to go through it at their own pace. They can also skim through parts of the proposal that they deem more important. You can see how this abstract business proposal template uses the table of contents:

Creative Social Media Business Proposal Template 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. 

It’s easy to add hyperlinks in the Venngage editor. Select the text you’d like to turn into a link, then click the link icon in the top bar. From there, select the page you want to link to! Then download your completed design as an Interactive PDF .

Proposal-ToC-Example

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, write a business proposal outline that is easy to glance over and that highlights your value proposition.

The goals of your executive summary are:

This gray business proposal example has a detailed yet short executive summary including some social proof in the form of clients they’ve worked with:

Gray Business Consulting Proposal Template About Us

Take note of how precise this business proposal example is. You want to keep your executive summary concise and clear from the get-go. This sets the right tone for the rest of your proposal. It also gives your buyer a reason to continue reading your proposal.

Pro Tip: Try to write an executive summary such that, even if your prospective client doesn’t read the entire proposal (with a good executive summary, they most likely will), they should have a clear idea about what your company does and how you can help them.

The point of writing a business proposal is to solve a buyer’s problem. Your goal is to outline the problem statement as clearly as possible. This develops a sense of urgency in your prospect. They will want to find a solution to the problem. And you have that solution.

 A well-defined problem statement does two things: 

Texture Business Proposal Template

This bold business proposal template above clearly outlines the problem at hand and also offers a ray of hope i.e. how you can solve your prospect’s problem. This brings me to… 

The good stuff. In the proposed solution section, you show how you can alleviate your prospective buyer’s pain points. This can fit onto the problem statement section but if you have a comprehensive solution or prefer to elaborate on the details, a separate section is a good idea.

Spare no details regarding the solution you will provide. When you write a business proposal, explain how you plan to deliver the solution. Include an estimated timeline of when they can expect your solution and other relevant details.

For inspiration, look at how this business proposal template quickly and succinctly outlines the project plan, deliverables and metrics :

Sales Plan Proposal Table Template_Venngage

At this point, the prospect you’re pitching your solution to likes what they’re reading. But they may not trust you to deliver on your promises. Why is this?

It’s because they don’t know you. Your job is to convince them that you can fix their problem. This section is important because it acts as social proof. You can highlight what your company does best and how qualified your team is when you write a business proposal for a potential client.

business proposal qualifications section

This free business proposal template showcases the company’s accolades, client testimonials, relevant case studies, and industry awards. You can also include other forms of social proof to establish yourself as a credible business. This makes it that much more likely that they will say yes!

Pro Tip: Attaching in-depth case studies of your work is a great way to build trust with a potential client by showcasing how you’ve solved similar problems for other clients in the past. Our case study examples post can show you how to do just that.

To further demonstrate just how prepared you are, it’s important to outline the next steps you will take should your buyer decide to work with you.

Provide a timeline of how and when you will complete all your deliverables. You can do this by designing a  flow chart . Or add a  roadmap  with deadlines. Pitching a long-term project? A timeline infographic would be a better fit.

If you look at this abstract business proposal template below, even something as simple as a table can do the trick.

Abstract Business Consulting Proposal Template Timeline_Venngage

The timeline is not always set in stone, rather it’s an estimation. The goal is to clarify any questions your potential client might have about how you will deliver for the underlying B2B sales process.

On this page, you can outline your fees, payment schedule, invoice 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. Make sure you’re not scaring off your client with a high price, nor undervaluing yourself. 

Breaking up your pricing in stages is another great way to make sure your potential client knows what he’s paying for. Look at how this simple business proposal template does this:

Bold Business Proposal Template Pricing Page_Venngage

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. Include what you expect from your prospective buyer in return.  Add the overall project timeline from start to end, as well as payment methods and payment schedule. This way, both of you will be clear on what is being agreed on.

This step is very important as it outlines all the legal aspects of the deal. That is why the terms and conditions section of your proposal needs to be as clear as possible.

Modern Business Proposal

I recommend consulting a lawyer or your legal team when working on this section of the business proposal. If you’re a business veteran and understand the legalities of your business, you can use the same terms and conditions across all your proposals.

The final step of this whole process. Your client has read your business proposal and they want to buy what you have to offer.

Add a small section at the end of your proposal to get the necessary signatures. This way, you and your client can sign the proposal and the partnership becomes official.

Be sure to also include your contact information in your business proposal template. It acts as a gentle prompt to your client to contact you in case they have any questions.

Orange-Simple-Project-Proposal-Template

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

Below you’ll find some winning business proposal templates and examples to get you started. I’ve also included some design tips to keep in mind when you’re creating your next business proposal: 

1. Know your audience 

If you have some clarity on who your ideal buyer is — their pain points, their budget, deadlines, among other things — you’ve already won half the battle.

If you are a business that helps clients with everything from running giveaways or helping grow their blog , identify which customers to pitch. This is a sure-shot way to close the deal.

Mapping user personas  for your ideal buyer can help bring some clarity. It will also help you position your business proposal correctly. This improves the chance of your buyer moving your business proposal to the “Yes!” pile.

2. Put your brand front and center

If your company follows certain brand guidelines, incorporate them in your business proposal templates. Consider how business proposal examples like the one below highlight brand identity:

content marketing plan business proposal example

From the color palettes to the company logos , everything follows their brand guidelines. The result: a business proposal that’s consistent across the board.

Pro Tip: Switching this template to match your brand assets is actually pretty easy. Venngage’s My Brand Kit feature allows you to import your color palettes, logos as well as font choices. Any Venngage template can now be your template.

You can also consider this sample business proposal template:

Example of a Business Proposal

Design companies sure do know their design. They did a phenomenal job keeping their brand colors consistent while opting for a black design. This unique color scheme also makes their white logo prominent throughout the proposal.

3. Try less text, more visuals

Have you ever read a proposal and thought to yourself, “Wow, this is all text and has no images, I love it!”? Yeah, me neither.

The free business proposal template below is a perfect example of the “less is more” principle. It does a phenomenal job of communicating what it needs to. By substituting some of the text with icons and visuals, you get a clean business proposal that’s much more scannable.

Social Media Plan Proposal Template

Want to keep things strictly professional? Instead of icons, you can always add your team’s headshots. This shows your buyer exactly who they’ll be working with.  

Check out this formal business proposal format for some inspiration:

Red Human Resources Consulting Proposal Template Team

4. Switch up your business proposal designs

It doesn’t hurt to go above and beyond once in a while. Jazz up your business proposal template with some extra colors. This helps make your business proposal more engaging. It also helps your buyers retain information faster.

Simple Business Proposal Example

The business proposal example alternates between black, white and grey backgrounds. It still manages to maintain consistency in its branding . Just switching up your backgrounds once in a while can also bring in some variety to an otherwise standard business proposal.

This SEO business proposal sample proves that it’s possible to switch up the colors in every other page. But it still maintains the same color scheme across the entire proposal just like a professionally designed website : 

SEO Marketing Proposal

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

FAQ about business proposals

What is the purpose of a business proposal.

Essentially, a business proposal aims to streamline the B2B sales process (which is often complex) between you as a seller and a buyer.

It does this by serving the dual purpose of acting as a source of information. The proposal also acts as a sales pitch aimed at convincing your buyer why they should buy what you have to offer.

What are the best practices for business proposal design?

How long should your business proposal be? 

The length depends on the scope of the work as well as the complexity of the project. Here is a one-page business proposal template:

one page business proposal template

Can your business proposal template really be one page? Yes, as long as you understand who your buyer is and their pain points. You should also have the ability to communicate everything your ideal buyer needs to know about your business in a succinct manner.

Or if you’re feeling adventurous how about just two pages? Often, clients prefer if you go straight to the point and avoid all the fluff.

For example, this green modern marketing proposal template wastes no time in getting down to brass tacks:

Project Business Proposal

There is no one size fits all approach when it comes to deciding how many pages you should include in your business proposal template. And at the end of the day, “the only rules are the ones you set for yourself”.

At the end of the day, writing winning business proposals that sell is all about you understanding your buyer, their potential pain points and positioning yourself as someone who can alleviate those pain points. 

Now that you know how to write compelling business proposals, what are you waiting for?

Take action and start creating your own business proposals to close more deals and grow your business today!

More business communications templates + writing tips you might be interested in…

31 Consulting Proposal Templates to Close Deals

How to Write a Project Proposal [10+ Templates]

20+ Professional Business Letterhead Templates + Branding Tips

How to Write a White Paper [Tips & Templates]

How to Write an Successful Project Proposal

Learn how to create a compelling pitch for your next project and get it approved by the stakeholders.

Being able to successfully present your ideas is a vital skill for getting your projects approved.

Giving a convincing elevator pitch is often not enough – you need to create a formal, structured document that explains why your ideas are worth being executed and addresses the stakeholders' concerns before they had a chance to voice them.

Let's dive deeper into what a project proposal is and how to write it.

What is a project proposal?

Project proposal example, how to write a project proposal, project proposal template, tips for creating a persuasive project proposal.

A project proposal is a document that outlines your project’s core value proposition and sells it to the stakeholder. Simply put, it establishes what the project is, what you are aiming to achieve with it, how you plan to get there, and why it's a worthwhile endeavor. Writing it is the first step in the project management process .

A project proposal may include a list of activities or tasks that will be associated with the project, but it doesn't go into the same level of detail as a project plan .

There are many reasons why you might what to create a formal proposal for your project – to win a new client, to secure funding, to convince your manager to allocate resources to your initiative, and many more. In any case, a well-written, clear, and detailed document is usually the best way to approach it:

A project proposal helps you get a buy-in at your organization.

It creates clarity about the goals, priorities, and requirements of the project.

It forces the project initiator to think through the project details before pitching it.

After the project proposal is approved by all the stakeholders, it becomes the foundation of the project plan .

No two project proposals are alike, and depending on the nature of your project you may want to follow a different format. There are various types of project proposals:

Internal or external (intended to get buy-in from internal or external stakeholders)

Solicited or unsolicited (created in response to an official request for proposal or written ad-hoc)

Continuation (an update to an ongoing and already approved project)

Renewal (put forward to restart a terminated project)

Supplemental (used to request additional resources for an existing project)

The amount of detail in your project proposal can also vary significantly. In some cases, a simple and brief one-pager proposal would suffice, while in others, you would need to cover every point in great detail, creating an extensive document spanning many pages.

Here's what a project proposal example can look like in Nuclino :

Project proposal example

Nuclino is a unified workspace where you can not only manage your projects and collaborate on project documentation , but also build your internal knowledge base , onboard new employees , take meeting minutes , and more. It works like a collective brain, allowing you to bring all your team's work together in one place and collaborate without the chaos of files and folders, context switching, or silos.

Manage projects in Nuclino

Include an executive summary

The executive summary is the first and most important part of your project proposal and should be written last. If it fails to capture the attention of your readers and make a compelling point, it may doom your proposal right then and there. Think of it as the elevator pitch for your project and focus on describing what success would look like.

Here are some guiding questions to help you get started:

What problem does your project aim to solve?

Why is it important to solve it?

How will it help solve it?

Include the project background

Include a section where you go into more detail about the problem you are solving. Prove to your readers why they should care about this project and back your claims with relevant references and statistics.

Consider providing answers to the following questions:

What is the history of the problem? How long has it existed?

How is solving it related to the business goals of your organization?

Explain your solution

After you have described the problem, it's time to lay out the proposed solution:

How will you solve the problem you described?

Why will the proposed solution be effective?

Why is the proposed solution better than alternatives?

What would it take to make it happen?

Define the deliverables and success criteria

Make it clear how the success of your proposed project will be measured:

What will be the project deliverables?

What are the SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound) objectives of the project?

List the required resources

Be realistic and detailed when you estimate your project budget requirements. Include the supplies, tools, ad spend including cost per click , salaries, and whatever else would be required to successfully deliver the project.

A detailed financial breakdown will signal to the stakeholders that you've done your research and assure them that there wouldn't be many unexpected costs down the road. If you're working on a project for an external client, a good way to avoid any surprises would be to provide them with a formal cost estimate and get their approval.

You may want to conclude the document with a brief conclusion. Reiterate the points you made and remind your audience why they should approve your proposal, without introducing any new information.

As previously mentioned, there is no one-size-fits-all format. But this simple project proposal template can be a great starting point:

Project proposal template

Using a good template does not guarantee the success of your project proposals. Following a clear structure is important, but that alone is not enough.

There are several noteworthy best practices that can help you make your proposal as compelling as possible.

Understand your audience and write for it

No matter how great and innovative your initiative is, it will fail to persuade your readers if you don't convey it in a way they would understand.

Try to answer the following questions as you write:

What is the background of your readers – specifically, the decision-makers? Would they understand specialized terminology or would it be better to use simpler language?

What would they find more convincing? Data? Visuals? User feedback?

What tone of voice is likely to resonate with them? Formal or informal?

Keep it brief and simple

There is probably a lot you can say about your project – you have likely been thinking about it a lot. But is all that information relevant to the point you are trying to make? Focus on what would strengthen your pitch and provide as much detail as needed, not as much as possible.

Make your solution SMART

Avoid vague goals such as "increase MRR" or "optimize a process". Make sure your proposal clearly defines the success criteria of your project and keeps it SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound).

Anticipate questions and objections

Be prepared to defend your solution. Don't wait for the stakeholders to voice their objections – address them directly in your project proposal.

Writing formal project proposals may seem like a hassle, especially when you are confident in your idea. But not all great ideas get approved or funded – in many cases, whether your initiative sees the light of day depends on how effective and convincing your proposal is.

Nuclino : Your team's collective brain

Nuclino

Nuclino brings all your team's knowledge, docs, and projects together in one place. It's a modern, simple, and blazingly fast way to collaborate, without the chaos of files and folders, context switching, or silos.

Create a central knowledge base and give your team a single source of truth.

Collaborate in real time or asynchronously and spend less time in meetings.

Manage and document your projects in one place without losing context.

Organize, sort, and filter all kinds of data with ease.

Integrate the tools you love , like Slack, Google Drive, Figma, Lucidchart, and more.

Ready to get started?

Sales Solutions For Government Contractors

Proposal Writing Template

The Proposal Writing Template puts you in control of the entire process, and in control of your proposal writing team. The interface assists you in delegating sections of the proposal to co-writers, and helps your team pull together a coordinated effort without hassle.

View the Outline of the Content of the Proposal Template

Fedmarket's Proposal Writing Template is a Word document with nine chapter templates with model text and instructions to creating a highly structured draft proposal.

Outline of the Content of the Proposal Template

The outline below is the structure of template and sample content. Red text shows examples of instructions included in the template. Purple describes sample information shown in the outline.

The Proposal Template is provided as a single Word document which contains everything shown in the outline below, and more. A single Word document allows the proposal manager to see and refine the proposal as a whole and also allows easy deletion of content not required by the specific Request for Proposal.

Table of Contents

Executive summary.

Introduction Proposal Overview Program Manager Personnel Relevant Capabilities and Experience Contract Risk Aversion

Compliance Matrix

Compliance Matrix/Proposal Writing Schedule

Technical Approach

Technical Approach Writing Guidelines and Example

Management Plan

Contract Schedule Contract Management Policies Earned Value Management System (EVMS) Subcontractor Management and Relationships Corporate Support/Project Management Office Staffing Plan Quality Assurance Plan Quality Assurance Plan (for small proposals) Risk Management Transition Plan Human Resources Plan Information Security Plan Physical Security Plan Safety Plan

Corporate Experience

Business proposal information, proposal submittal instructions, what is the proposal template content outline.

The Proposal Template contains generic content developed over years of proposal writing that can apply to all federal proposals. And the content is valuable intellectual property that may be purchases in its entirety.

The outline below is the structure of template and sample content.  Red text shows examples of instructions included in the template.

Purple describes sample information shown in the outline

2 pages of model text, guidelines, and instructions about how to write a responsive Executive Summary

The template provides a general structure for an Executive Summary. Not all sections may apply to a specific proposal; users delete and add sections as necessary. Writing guidelines are shown in red and model text is shown in black font.

Model sections include:

Introduction

Describe your team (company) in a simple introductory sentence.

______, ______, and _____ (The Team) (or Company) propose to combine their individual corporate experience and capabilities to provide ______ services to the ______ (agency). The Team recognizes the challenges involved in this contract, and we are committed to providing ______ (agency) with high-quality service while at the same time providing the continuity of in-place, experienced staff (or reducing the risk of contract problems)(or ....).

Proposal Overview

Describe what you will do and its benefits in one or two paragraphs. Answer the following questions:

Our proposed approach is (comprehensive, unique, innovative, creative, practical, reliable) and will (integrate, provide, result in, reduce), etc.

Our approach to this project features:

List primary features

Lowers development risks

Provides a foundation to migrate legacy systems to new technology

Uses standards-based tools and platforms

Uses open source software

Program Manager

Relevant capabilities and experience, contract risk aversion.

2 pages of model text, guidelines, and instructions about how to prepare a responsive Compilable Matrix including model excel matrices

Figure 1-2 Compliance Matrix

Sample text and instructions for the technical approach

The ______ (Company) has carefully considered the best approach to delivering the services required by ______ (Agency). In our response, we have done more than simply restate the basic requirements in the Request for Proposal (RFP). Our approach is designed to provide best value to the (Agency) rather than just meet the requirements in the RFP.

Our best value aspects of our approach are as follows.

List each major best value feature. Include why it is unique or valuable, its benefits, and risk aversion aspects.

In the following sections, we describe our technical approach to each of statement of work requirement presented in the RFP.

INSERT WORK HIERARCHY HERE (e.g., Phase/Task/Subtask), see blank nodes in outline. Use the Scope of Work from the RFP and create nodes and sub-nodes for the work hierarchy.

Purpose of subtask e.g. In this task we will .... (enter text below ) (Enter text here)

Objective of task e.g. The objective of this task is to ....

Why is it being done this way? May be apparent (discuss only if it is meaningful to performance)

Who will perform the work? Relate to the contract staffing sections.

What will be done?

How will it be done? Distinguish yourself by discussing specific RFP requirements from the customer’s prospective. How will your approach:

Where will it be done? Discuss only if it is meaningful to performance.

How does it mitigate risks? Discuss only if you can be specific.

What will be the results? Be as specific and relate to deliverables and the results of other tasks.

What will be the direct benefits of doing the task this way? Distinguish yourself here; this will add to your evaluation points.

Example of model text

Our proposed management approach provides strong contract and program management, a knowledgeable staff with experience in ______ (agency) business and technology, and a comprehensive solution that supports the goals of the ______ (agency) . We will establish a partnership with ______ (agency) by being flexible and responsive to ______'s (agency) business requirements and changes.

The Project Team is already working together at _____, (agency) delivering many of the services required in the RFP. In addition, we have program plans, contract management processes, and human resource programs already in place, which will reduce transition risk and ensure smooth contractor-subcontractor working relationships.

We have integrated project management principles into all aspects of our proposal so that _____ (agency) will benefit from a tested and proven method for accomplishing its mission.

A key focus of our management approach is contract risk mitigation. Our approach will minimize contract start-up risk, maximize contract performance, and guarantee contract success. The approach and the accompanying Phase-in Plan will minimize risk to the ______ (agency) . Specifically, our company:

Use the points that apply.

List other key capabilities

Our company is dedicated to enhancing contract performance and to making the contract a model for superior _____ (kind of services) services across the Federal government. Our team is in an ideal position to improve ______ services, because our approach builds on the core ______ program already in place at ____ (agency) .

The following model sections should be tailored per the Management Plan instructions.

14 sections (70 pages) of model text for sections needed in management plans (sections selected based on the RFP)

Contract Schedule

Contract Management Policies

Earned Value Management System (EVMS)

Subcontractor Management and Relationships

Corporate Support/Project Management Office

Staffing Plan

Certification Requirements

Our proposed personnel meet all the certification requirements specified in RFP Section ______. Figure X-X lists each certification and identifies the certified team member and his or her position title.

Figure X-X Certification Requirements

Letters of Intent

________ (name of company) will deliver the key personnel being proposed for this contract who are currently employed by us. We have included signed letters of intent below for the following key persons who are not currently employees of our company.

Quality Assurance Plan (for large proposals) Quality Assurance Plan (for small proposals) Risk Management

The successful small business contractor must balance the need to perform 50% of the contract services with ______'s (agency) need to retain the experienced people already in place under existing contracts. Our proposed team and staffing plan satisfy both of these objectives. Our proposed contract staffing plan retains the core of ______'s (agency) current contractors.

The Team has more than half of the proposed staff currently working at the _______ (agency). These employees will be in place at contract award, which will eliminate contract start-up risks and will ensure that we continue to provide IT services to _______ (agency). Our approach ensures that IT services will be consolidated effectively under the newly formed Office of ______ (agency). Specifically, our team:

Transition Plan Human Resources Plan

A portion of the model text follows.

Contract Staffing

The Program Manager and management team with the support of our Human Resources Department (HRD) will constantly monitor the contract staffing process. The HRD will be responsible for ensuring that staffing remains at full capacity to meet _____'s (agency) requirements and service levels. Vacancies will be filled through our corporate new hire requisition and competitive selection process.

The formal corporate process addresses candidate selection, applicant record keeping and analysis, affirmative action program monitoring and analysis, and posting requirements. Compliance with these procedures will be subject to audit by corporate human resources staff. Formal and informal self-assessments and quality control checks will be conducted to monitor and ensure good-faith compliance.

Figure X-X provides a summary of the specific methods proposed to address the human resources functions defined in the RFP; more information about these methods is provided in the sections that follow.

Figure X-X Summary of Proposed Human Resource Functions

Information Security Plan Physical Security Plan Safety Plan

8 pages of model text, guidelines, and instructions about how to write a Personnel chapter including suggested resume formats

12 pages of model text, guidelines, and instructions about how to write a Corporate Experience chapter including formats for experience summaries

Example instructions

Enter all RFP information concerning the business proposal into this chapter for use by the financial organization in developing contract pricing. Also include any business proposal notes from the proposal writing team, e.g., staffing, other direct costs, etc.

Sample text

Enter all RFP information concerning proposal submittal into this chapter for use by the Proposal Manger and document production in writing and delivering a finished proposal. Include:

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