Business Proposal Template

The place of writing and sending of a proposal cannot be overemphasized in everyday business transactions. Independent consultants and business experts often send proposals to their prospective clients and investors, asking or better still convincing the client to do business with them.

To win top contracts as a consultant, you have to send prospective clients a proposal who has shown interest in employing your service.In layman's terms, a proposal is a document a consultant or supplier hands over to a customer to indulge in his/her product or service.

You should have a proposal template that you can always customize to convince clients about your service. If you want clients to do business with you, then a business proposal template Word Doc would be ideal to convince your customers about your business expertise. 

Why use a business proposal template

Writing and sending a business proposal is undoubtedly one of the best ways to convince a proposed client about your business prowess. But do you know that the best way to create a proposal is to use a business proposal template Word Doc that is available online? These are ready-made templates that you can download and then customize to fit your needs. By so doing, you save time while coming up with a solid business proposal. 

A good business proposal will catch the attention of your reader; it is a business proposal writing strategy to focus on your potential customer.  The document should contain the problem definition, solution, goal, strategy, and budget of the contract. Besides, a good business proposal template Word Doc will fulfill the needs of the parties involved in a contract, and it can act as written proof of the terms and conditions agreed by the parties involved. 

What to include in a business proposal template

Every business proposal should include information about the problem, scope, goals & objectives, cost, and risks. See the information contained in the sections below.

1. Title page

The first step in creating or editing your business proposal template Word Doc is to identify the audience you are targeting. Include the business name of the proposed client, mailing address, contact address, and website. Don't forget to include your personal information as well.

2. Table of contents

This is applicable if the document is a multi-paged proposal. 

3. Executive summary

Here, write a clear statement about the customers’ pain point and how your service is a solution to it.

4. Business details

• What business or service are you required to work on?
• It is marketing, advertisement or rentals, or property management? 
• Have you identified the problems and pain points of your client?

Ask the proposed client some questions then come up with solutions using the words of the customer. List the benefits of employing you and paint pictures of what to expect in the business deal. 

5. Qualifications

Give a brief profile of yourself/ business and list your past successes in related business projects. You’d convince your client with this if you are a high flyer in his area of need. 

6. Budget

Make a list of the fees and total costs of the project. This section of your business proposal template Word Doc should be clear enough to help your prospective client keep an eye on the income and expenses of the contract. 

7. Responsibilities 

Are there resources that must be provided by your client? Include them in your business proposal. Besides, let your proposal be precise so that the reader understands what action is expected of them.

8. Terms and conditions

Include terms of work, including the preferred payment method and timeline, among others.

Business Proposal Example PDF

A big part of running a successful freelance business is writing effective business proposals.

You might be responding to a request for proposals (RFP); perhaps you’ve had a productive meeting with a prospective client and want to follow up; or maybe a client has contacted you and asked you to submit a proposal.

Whatever the need for a proposal, being able to put one together quickly, while still making it clear, comprehensive and effective, is one of the challenges of being a freelancer. That’s when having access to a business proposal example can be helpful, whether you’re just starting out or you’re a successful freelancer always looking for new clients to build your business. PDF is a very popular format for business proposals since it's easy to create, edit, and share. Services like Docsend to PDF reflect the popularity of the PDF format.

A business proposal example PDF is one way to have the basis of a document that can be reused time and again. Some platforms even allow you to make changes to PDF documents, and then save them as a PDF. You can also convert a proposal from a Word or Excel document to a PDF.

So whether you use a service that will provide you with a business proposal example PDF or you want to build your own, there are 6 keys to an effective business proposal. Let’s look at them. 

1. Build an outline

Every proposal you send to a client will be different, based on the client’s needs, services you’re offering, pricing and more. But there will be many things that will be the same, or at least similar. So you can create a business proposal example PDF that will include these components. 

With some sections of a business proposal example, the section will simply be a placeholder. For instance, specific client requirements outlined in an RFP can only be written for that RFP. But other sections can be done in advance, like your company profile. 

Then, when you need to pull an actual proposal together, you’ll have many of the big pieces of work done, and placeholders to remind you where to complete the client-specific work.

2. Create a profile of your business

Build a document that describes your freelance business, including your education, your work history, freelance history, your products and/or services, your resources and more.

This section can also include any special qualifications, certifications, training or professional development that you have completed. It should outline the competitive strengths of your business. 

Once you have a great profile document, you can use it in other places, such as your website, or in a business plan when applying for funding, for instance. But you need it as an essential component of any business proposal. 

In fact, spend a fair bit of time on this section, as it’s vital to success. Once your profile is complete, proposals can be done a lot quicker, even if slight modifications are needed based on the client or the RFP.

3. Describe your services

As part of the profile, or as a separate section, write a description of each of your services or products. If you offer different services, describe each one. Describe work you did on previous projects, and include client testimonials if available.

This section can also include actual examples, such as designs if you’re a graphic designer. For instance, you can walk through an actual project from beginning to end, with the end result being the final design. 

4. Know what the client wants

This section would be a placeholder in a business proposal example PDF, but there are some reminders you can include for inclusion in the final document.

 Here are some examples of “notes to self” you can have in this section:

• Requirements of an RFP.
• Any questions you’ve posed and answers to those questions.
• Review notes from a client meeting.
• Put yourself in the client’s shoes - what is their main problem and how will you provide a solution? Why did the client contact you or issue an RFP? 
• What are the goals of your proposal?
• What methodology will you use or what steps will you take to solve the client’s issue?
  

When it comes time to write a specific business proposal, you will be prepared to write the section that defines your solution, services and milestones.

5. Outshine potential competitors

Depending on your market, you may be aware of competitors that will be vying for the same work as you. Even if you don’t know your competition directly, put yourself in the shoes of potential clients, and consider the following questions when writing your business proposal example PDF:

• What sets you apart from the competition?
• What unique services do you offer that other freelancers don't?
• What are the unique strengths of your business?
• What are your specialties that fit perfectly with the client’s needs?
• What benefits will the client enjoy by choosing your company?
• Are there opportunities for a long-term relationship with the client, either on a retainer basis or for ongoing work?
  

These are all important questions to keep in mind as you prepare material for any business proposal. You can have some of this material ready in advance and included in a business proposal example PDF. You can then supplement the information based on what you know of the client and the proposed work.

6. Costs, milestones and payment schedule

This section will be another placeholder, but once again there is some work you can do in advance.

If you do similar services for multiple clients, you could have a document ready that explains the time and cost requirements for those services. You can have details about hourly rates, payment terms, how you bill clients, how you accept payment, any late payment fees and more.

Then depending on the client and the work you’ll be doing, you can add specific milestones, costs and a payment schedule.

Business Proposal PPT

The main purpose of a business proposal PPT is to showcase that you have the solution to a problem. A poorly written proposal can easily kill the chances of sealing a deal for the business. Remember that no matter how good and on demand the company’s solutions maybe, they can be rejected because of a business proposal that doesn’t meet expectations.

For this reason, as a freelancer you have to extensively do your homework and get your facts right. Understanding how crucial the business proposal is, then you realize that the client will not take less than perfect.

1. Who is the business proposal PPT meant for?

A well executed business proposal must resent ideas in a way that effectively engages the audience or customer. For this reason, ensure that your client provides sufficient information about the customer you are itching. This will help in crafting a business proposal PPT that is tailored to the individual audience. This information will clearly outline to you the problem that is to be solved, making it easier to resent the solution effectively.

2. What is the problem?

Remember that a business proposal PPT is meant to highlight a problem that needs a solution. And before you can explain the solution the company is bringing to the table, the first thing is to show the client that there is a need.

Therefore as a freelancer, a deeper knowledge of the need of the prospect you are pitching will enable you engage them. Your proposal must state the problem in an emphatic way in order to illustrate the pain point clearly. If the client understands the problem, they will be willing to accept the solution!

3. What is the solution?

A freelancer you must understand what the client is offering the prospect in order to effectively pitch it. After understanding the problem, you have to ask for enough information regarding the product or service the client is offering. Here you have to take your time to understand the client.

You have understood their target audience, now you have to understand their services and product to be able to present a service or product in a way that shows it can indeed alleviate the previously described pain point. Understanding the client’s product and services will make you stand out from other freelancers.

4. What are the benefits of the service?

After you have understood the service or product the client is offering, it is possible to acknowledge the advantages. When you have understood the benefits of the services, then illustrate it in the business proposal PPT so that the prospect can also see the irreplaceable need for it.

This is also where your understanding of the client and the company comes into play. Understand the clients value propositions so as to demonstrate why the prospect should pick the client over others. Essentially you are answering the question why, the client is the best fit.

5. What tools will be used?

You have understood the pain point and illustrated it effectively in the proposal. You have also clearly brought out the solution, now it is important to research and understand some of the tools that will be used to provide the solution. Essentially, this is how the client plans to execute the plan.

6. How much do they want to put into the service?

Finally, a business proposal PPT will outline the estimates of how much is required to execute the service. Ensure you are given a detailed price estimate. At this point you will be ready to go right into writing the proposal. The estimates are not from you, these must be provided by the client in accordance to what their company plans to invest into the service.