What is a Business Proposal? Definition, Types, and Examples

There's nothing better than getting a request for a business proposal. It means that your marketing and sales efforts have paid off.

If this step makes you worried, or if you haven't sent a business proposal in a while, it may seem like harrowing work.

But don’t panic. We've got you covered. 

Let’s take a look at what makes a good business proposal, along with the most successful types used today.

What Is a Business Proposal?

A business proposal is a sales document that a supplier sends to a prospective client with the purpose of winning a specific project. It's an official document that outlines your proposed solution and value proposition.

Many service-based businesses and B2B Saas businesses depend on proposals to sell their services and bring in new business. The proposal can be either digital or printed. It explains the product or service features taking into consideration the potential client’s problem or needs. 

In other words, an effective business proposal shows how a company can solve the prospect's problem and help you win a new client.

Types of Business Proposals

Business proposals can be solicited or unsolicited. A solicited business proposal is sent when a client specifically requests one. A client can ask for a proposal casually in conversation, during a meeting, or send a formal request for proposal (RFP) document. 

Here’s how it works:

Formally Solicited Business Proposal

For example, a small boutique resort has been a regular client of your landscaping business. They have already hired you for a few one-time jobs and you know what they need. Now they want a regular service and need to double-check the terms before paying. 

They ask you to send a business proposal that contains service names, prices, timelines, payment options, etc. 

After receiving your offer, they are obliged to respond within an agreed period. In case the resort agrees to your terms, the proposal becomes a legally binding purchase agreement.

Informally Solicited Proposal 

In this scenario, the boutique resort has discovered your landscaping business and is interested in your services.

In an informal conversation between the two reps, they ask for a document outlining more details about the quality of your services, previous clients’ reviews and testimonies, pricing, etc. The difference is that they are not obliged to respond to the offer.

Unsolicited Proposal

Your landscaping business is running a lead generation campaign and wants to inform the local boutique resorts about the services it offers. In this campaign, you'll create multiple unsolicited business proposals containing an introduction to your company, your expertise, etc.

Unsolicited proposals need to be especially convincing since you're sending them to a cold audience.

Business Proposal vs. Business Proposal Letter

A business proposal letter or cover letter is a document that businesses sometimes send to their prospects alongside a business proposal. A shorter proposal may even combine these two in a single document.

A cover letter helps provide context on why you’re sending the accompanying business proposal. 

Keep your cover letter brief, no longer than one page. It definitely shouldn’t steal the show from the business proposal. 

It should:

• Mention when the proposal was requested

• Credit people who helped prepare the proposal

• Offer an introduction (executive summary) of the proposal

• Thank the potential client

• Provide your contact information

You can mention the client’s RFP document or refer to a conversation where the potential client has expressed interest in seeing the business proposal. 

Proposals vs. Estimates

Business proposals and estimates are both sales documents that businesses use in attempts to win projects. 

However, a business proposal is much more detailed than an estimate and usually covers more complex projects and relevant details. 

Proposals also tend to explain the value the company will provide to a potential client, together with listing its past projects and including client testimonials. 

Some small businesses use estimates to detail the costs and tasks covered by the project. Then, they prove their value through other means, like during a call or a site visit. This way they avoid drawing a formal proposal altogether.

In some cases, the prospective client gets a referral from a trusted partner or they have read great online reviews. In both cases, the job is not overly complex and a project estimate will do.

However, in the majority of cases, the clients may need more proof to make sure your business is the right fit.

Then you need a proposal to prove that as a supplier or service provider, you are able to provide the right approach, design, timeline, etc. For example, if you are working with an executive coaching organization, they may require a long-form business proposal with plenty of client testimonials.

Key Parts of a Business Proposal

Let's take a look at how to create a well-written business proposal.

We recommend you start with a beautifully designed business proposal template. When using Better Proposals, you can rely on more than 100 business proposal templates that you can easily customize to your needs.

They make your entire proposal process easier and quicker. You won't have to write a business proposal outline, since the templates already come with all the essential business proposal elements.

The Cover Page of your Business Proposal

The cover page is the first thing your potential client sees, so make sure to make the right impression from the beginning. Ask any graphic designer and they’ll tell you that here less is more. Keep it simple and focus the client’s attention to:

• the project name

• the name of the person the proposal is addressed to

• your company name

• your contact information

• submission date

You also need to include your logo. Since this is the cover page, make sure you use a high-resolution version.

If you’re thinking about whether you need the cover page at all, let me assure you that you do. We did our own research that shows that if you include a cover in your proposal, you’re 4.6% more likely to land the account.

The Introduction or Executive summary section of a business proposal

Before they sign off on the project, the clients need to like you. And they can’t like you if they don’t know you. 

Your intro needs to be tempting. After all:

• The introduction is the part of your business proposal on which people spend 38.2% of the total time reading your proposal.

This is the part where you tell them what your company is all about and how you can bring value to their business.

On the other hand, avoid the common misconception of making the intro all about you. Instead, you want to focus on the client’s pain point. This way, you’re holding their attention from the very start and raising your chances of sealing the deal. 

Easier said than done, eh?

Here are a few pro tips. 

Business Proposals should be short and sweet

The rule of thumb with introductions is to keep them short. For now, your goal is to hook your prospects and keep them reading.

Make it personal 

Your business may be sending a lot of business proposals, but you don’t want to copy-paste the same generic content over and over again. Generic content always loses to customized pitches, so you’re ruining your chances of closing a deal. 

Your potential client is likely entertaining other companies as well, so you need to stand out from the crowd. Use your executive summary to do just that.

This is fairly easy, especially if you’re using proposal software and AI writing tool. 

Draw from meeting notes to build your business proposal

If you had a call with your potential client and asked the right questions, you should have a pretty good idea of your prospect's pain points. Now you only need to show why you're the right choice to tackle those problems. 

You can mention the goals they shared with you, their current situation, and how you can help them achieve those goals.

Your Solution

When your prospect gets past the executive summary, they’ll be eager to know what’s in it for them. Here it’s important that you focus on the end result rather than the process that will get them there. Let’s say you’re selling landscaping services. 

As a professional, you know how much work goes into each project. You need to do the on-site assessment, improve the soil, create the drainage slopes, select plants for each layer, etc. Not to mention the actual manual work. 

Since you take pride in your expertise, you may be tempted to describe the entire process from start to finish. However, that’s not always the best idea.

The client is hiring you to get the results, not a crash course in gardening. At the end of the day, they are interested in the improved aesthetic appeal of the resort and the increase in traffic that goes along.  

I admit that finding the right balance between describing your solution and results can be difficult. The trick is to focus on benefits while allowing just enough technical specs to resolve any potential disputes.

The Project Timeline

All clients want to know how long a project is going to take. Include a timeline to help your client get on board with the process and to set your own pace and milestones, suggests Ryan Zomorodi, co-founder of Real Estate Skills.

For example, a big project can have a six-month timeline, which may seem intimidating for the client. The best course is to break it up.

First, it helps the client distinguish between different phases. Second, it lets you set deadlines for yourself to keep you on track. 

The Social Proof

There’s hardly a better way to win a client who’s on the fence than showing them that you’ve done similar projects before. 

That’s why you absolutely must add a relevant case study to your business proposal.

Depending on the project, you can choose an industry- or project-centred case study. 

As you can see in our business proposal template, it can be in a short format. No need to include your entire portfolio.

Keep your prospective client in mind when creating your business proposal. The whole experience should be positive for them instead of feeling like doing homework.

The Pricing

You’ve shown that you understand your client’s needs and offered appropriate solutions. Now it's time to nail the pricing section.

Help them choose you by making small adjustments:

• Use “Investment” instead of “Pricing"

It sounds much better this way because it assures your client that they are investing in the future. 

• Add a brief testimonial

After seeing the price, the client needs to see how your solution has helped someone else's business take off. It helps them realize the value you provide for the money. 

• No optional services

You may be tempted to offer your clients upsells and package prices. However, our report shows that this can actually hurt your conversion rate. It’s much better not to give any choices. If you go with one price, you can ask for a 20.6% higher upfront fee and 33% higher monthly fees.

The Guarantee 

Some businesses embrace the idea of a guarantee. Others are less enthusiastic about giving guarantees, fearing abuse. 

Still, guarantees can be the last piece the client needs to convert. Instead of a typical money-back guarantee, consider guaranteeing a part of your service or a timescale.

For example, for smaller projects, you can offer a “curb appeal in a day” guarantee.

The Next Steps

At this point, you need to tell the client how they should proceed. Take some time to explain the steps they need to take to close the deal. You don’t have to go overboard here. Everything up to now should be clear. 

As you can see in our business proposal template, this section should be pretty straightforward.

By signing, the client agrees to the terms of the proposal and agrees that their typed name can be used as a digital signature.

Terms and Conditions

Finally, it’s always better to include your terms and conditions in your proposal. That way, the new client only needs to sign one document. They know what to expect and you're legally covered.

All our business proposal templates come with proposed terms and conditions sections which you can adapt to your liking.

Once your proposal is done, read it and make sure that there are no grammatical errors.

Wrapping Up

A business proposal is a complex sales document that can be simplified if you're using the right proposal software. 

Instead of starting with a blank page, you'll be able to write an amazing business proposal that converts in less than an hour.

When you choose your business proposal template, you won’t have to figure out how to structure your offer. Our templates are always being updated with the latest marketing trends, as we hone the features that regularly make the most conversions. 

Sign up for our 14-day free trial and see for yourself why we're the best choice.