Examples of Business Proposal Ideas
Examples of Business Proposal Ideas
A great business proposal starts with an executive summary. This is the part of your document that will help a potential client understand what you can do for them even if they don’t read the rest of your proposal.
A pricing table is also a helpful addition to your proposal. This will make it easy for your prospect to see exactly how much your service costs.
The Executive Summary
Creating an executive summary is one of the most important things you can do to entice clients to read your business proposal. It acts as the hook that will get readers to stick around, and it’s also where you’ll be able to make your case for why you’re the best person to work on their project.
The goal of an executive summary is not to promote yourself or your company, but rather to explain the problem that you’re attempting to solve for the client and why you’re the best person to do it. Keep it brief and concise, but don’t leave out any important details.
Proposal designs that include images are always a good idea, as they can help your audience connect with you and feel more comfortable working together. This event photography proposal template, for example, includes a picture of their team working hard on the project to add a personal touch.
Including a table of contents is another helpful way to highlight the key elements of your proposal. This printing proposal template provides a clickable table of contents to give readers easy access to the different sections. The table of contents is also a great place to highlight any special offers you’re running, like discounts and add-ons. This is a great way to boost your bottom line while providing value for your customers.
The Table of Contents
The table of contents is one of the most important sections in any business proposal. It clearly outlines the structure and layout of the document, making it easier for your client to navigate. This table of content also helps to break up the overall document into smaller, more manageable portions. This allows your client to quickly find the information they are looking for, which in turn will help them make a decision faster.
Use this section to detail the project scope and identify key terms that are relevant to the specific project at hand. This includes an objective, a timeline and any relevant disclaimers or restrictions. Providing clear, precise details in this section will give your client confidence that you can deliver exactly what you promise.
This is the perfect opportunity to share social proof, such as client testimonials or case studies. Prospective clients will likely trust peers and fellow customers over an advertising campaign, so including these elements is a great way to build credibility. In addition, try adding some visuals to your proposal. These can be anything from infographics to block quotes, paintings, pencil drawings, 3D graphics or icons. Visme’s AI-powered image generator is a great tool for this, allowing you to generate countless professional images in minutes. Use these as dividers, backgrounds or even to cover an entire page in your proposal.
The Cover Letter
A business proposal examples is usually a letter presented to investors or clients to ask for financial support for a specific business idea. As such, it needs to be highly persuasive and professionally written.
The cover letter is your chance to entice your prospect into reading the full proposal. Use it to briefly explain the problem you’re trying to solve and how your solution will help them achieve their goals.
It’s also a good place to include your qualifications as a proponent of the proposal, including any relevant education, industry-specific training, certifications, previous successful projects of a similar nature, years of experience and so on. Depending on the nature of your proposal, you can even use this section to showcase your company’s unique selling point.
Make sure to address the letter to a named individual rather than using “To Whom It May Concern.” This shows your level of professionalism and ensures that the person who will be reading it knows exactly who they’re receiving the proposal from. This is especially important if you’re pitching your business proposal to a high-ranking executive or someone who can make a decision on the spot. Including their name will also ensure that they take your proposal seriously and read it to the end.
The Body of the Proposal
The body of the proposal should be detailed and concise, but still engaging. It should clearly answer the client’s questions, such as who, what, where, when and why and how you will perform your services or achieve your objectives. It should also include the initial costs and a timeline for revenue growth (if applicable).
For example, this branding proposal template uses a geometric layout to break up large paragraphs of content and emphasize key points. It also uses multiple shades of purple to create depth in the design. This makes the proposal look interesting and unique, which is a must in this business genre.
Another great way to add credibility and interest to a proposal is by incorporating testimonials from previous clients. They’re especially useful if you can showcase how they were able to improve their organic traffic, sales conversions, or user engagement. You can either dedicate a whole section to this or sprinkle them throughout your proposal, as seen in this example.
Finally, it’s important to remember that the people reviewing your proposals are most likely C-level executives who have limited time. To make your proposal easier to read and skim, be sure to include a table of contents and hyperlinks for quick navigation. And don’t fill your proposal with fluff – keep it to the point and use visuals to increase memory retention.