If you are a person who deals with sales, negotiations, or other things in the business industry, then you are most likely quite familiar with the process of writing business proposals. A business proposal is a document used to secure a deal. It is usually sent by an individual or a business organization as a response to a specific job offer, project, etc.
One can think of a business proposal as a sales pitch or a short job interview in which one party explains why it is perfect for a job offered by another party.
A typical business proposal usually mentions services that one party offers and explains how it would approach a specific task. It also includes an estimate of the cost required for completing the work.
There are generally two types of proposals, solicited and unsolicited.
A solicited proposal means that the individual or the organization writing the proposal has been asked to submit the proposal by their client.
An unsolicited proposal is when a company or an individual tries to attract a client by sending a proposal. Such proposals are a bit harder to write as you have no information to go on and need to be very persuasive if you wish to attract a new client.
In this article, however, we will focus more on the structure of a solicited business proposal.
What is the basic format for writing a business proposal?
Most proposals should follow a professional outline. This outline includes a title and/or cover page, table of contents (especially if it is a longer proposal), an executive summary, and an acknowledgment of the problem.
Next, you should explain the approach you would take and propose a solution to the problem. You also need to set deliverables, a timeline, and pricing.
Then you add the company information, case studies or testimonials (these are optional), and the terms and conditions.
Lastly, you add how the client can proceed with the information and set a call to action the client should take.
Remember, the focus of the business proposal is not you, but them. The proposal is designed to sell your services to someone else. So focus on explaining how you intend to meet the needs of the client and provide value to their business.
How to write a business proposal?
First, you need to make sure you have all the information you need. Understand the requirements and if you can deliver what is being asked for.
Also, make sure you talk to the client. This helps to build rapport before you start working with them.
Then, sketch the scope of the project and the amount of work that needs to be completed. Finally, you should estimate the costs and how long it might take to complete the project.
After you have all of this information, it is time to start writing the proposal.
Luckily for you, there are tools that make this whole process a bit easier and quicker. And now, we will review one which we think could help you write amazing business proposals.
Fresh Proposals
Fresh Proposals is a great tool made for agencies, service firms, and sales teams looking to create effective proposals and simplify the negotiation process.
This tool gives you access to pre-designed proposal templates that you can also customize to fit your brand. Its library contains various templates for different sectors and industries; there are even templates for thank you emails with links to download a copy of your proposal.
As we said a moment ago, you can customize the templates with a drag-and-drop builder and add text blocks, images, fees, signatures, shapes, and videos to them.
You can add different fees (fixed, recurring, unit-quantity, taxes, and discounts). And you also have control over whether a client can add or remove items. If changes are made, new calculations are done automatically.
Using this tool, clients are able to interact with your proposal instead of just sending emails back and forth, explaining the changes that need to be made.
There are also e-signatures, interactive pricing, comments, and real-time notifications.
And as if that wasn’t enough, you can also see if a client has viewed your proposal and which sections in particular, as well as how many times they saw it and for how long.
Of course, you will get notifications when clients open, comment on, and accept your proposals.
Pricing
There are 3 pricing plans for this tool.
The Single plan costs $49 (one-time purchase) and is intended for 1 user, 30 active proposals, unlimited clients, and comes with unlimited templates.
The Double plan costs $98 (one-time purchase) and is intended for 3 users, 50 active proposals, unlimited clients, and comes with unlimited templates.
The Multiple plan costs $147 (one-time purchase) and is intended for 10 users, 100 active proposals, unlimited clients, and comes with unlimited templates.
All plans come with a white-labeling option, 1 custom domain, and email whitelisting.
Conclusion
A business proposal aims to streamline conversation between two parties. If done well, it can help sell your services to more clients.
Whatever the reason may be for writing a proposal, be it a project proposal or a business one, you want to make sure it is professional and contains all of the important information.
We would definitely recommend you try Fresh Proposals as it will help facilitate easier conversation between you and your clients. As we explained, it will make the whole process quicker and easier as there is no need to send emails back and forth just to add some minor changes to a proposal.
