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Writing a Business Proposal That Wins Deals (+Templates)

Learn how to write a business proposal that stands out, impresses buyers & seals more deals. Learn how to prepare and what to include in your proposal.

Author Amotz Harari, Head of Marketing

5 minute read

How to write a business proposal

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Short answer

What to include in a business proposal

  1. Title
  2. Personal message / Cover letter
  3. Table of contents
  4. Executive summary
  5. Challenges
  6. Objectives
  7. Overview of your company and product or service
  8. Deliverables
  9. Outcomes, benefits, and ROI (if applicable)
  10. Team
  11. Social proof
  12. Case studies
  13. Pricing
  14. Terms and conditions
  15. Agreement (e-signature)
  16. Next steps
  17. Contact


Read on to get practical details for each slide ⤵

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What is a business proposal?

A business proposal is a presentation or PDF that details a product, service, or project to a prospective client. It is used near the end of the sales process and covers the prospect’s needs and objectives, and the provider’s solution, pricing, and expected outcomes.

A successful business proposal ends with the prospective client accepting and signing the document.

PDF is traditionally the go-to format for business proposals.

But in recent years, and increasingly with the rise of AI, leading sales teams and professionals are transitioning from static PDFs to interactive proposals that give prospects more freedom for customization, and increase the likelihood they’ll accept and sign the document.

Types of business proposals

Business proposals broadly fall under 3 types:


1) Service provider business proposal

Service proposals cover services given over time such as cleaning, security, gardening, IT, staffing, and management.

Service proposals normally include start and termination dates for the service, rather than timelines and milestones, and focus on deliverables rather than KPIs.


2) Product business proposal

Product business proposals cover a product or solution. It’s commonly used by B2B SaaS companies in high-tech or manufacturers that supply parts or raw materials to other companies.

This type of business proposal can focus on KPIs and ROI in the case of SaaS, or on delivered quantities and qualities in the case of manufacturers.

This is not to be confused with a product proposal given to stakeholders and decision-makers before product development or a product launch.


3) Project business proposal

A business proposal for a project covers a service, a deliverable provided once, and limited in time. This type of proposal is used by providers such as consulting agencies, construction companies, engineering firms, legal firms, and website development companies.

Project business proposals focus on timetables, milestones, and the project’s impact as measured in KPIs and ROI.

These are not to be confused with project proposals made outside the sales context. Such project proposals are used internally (or externally as part of a broader service) to get the buy-in and backing of stakeholders and decision-makers.

This type of project proposal is closer to a project plan than a business proposal.

Solicited vs. unsolicited business proposal

Unsolicited

These business proposals are used as part of early prospecting to generate leads and MQLs. These are essentially the same as sales prospecting decks.


Solicited informally as part of the sales process

These proposals, sometimes called sales proposals, are used after one or more sales meetings have occurred and only after the prospect has shown interest in buying. This is what most people refer to when saying “business proposal”.


Solicited formally as a response to an RFP (Request for Proposal)

An RFP response is sent only when an RFP is issued for a service or solution you provide. Often the RFP will have particular requirements and a specific structure and format for application.

What does a business proposal look like?

The standard format for a business proposal is PDF. Proposals are often designed to be asthetically pleasing and more inviting than a text-only document.

But in recent years leading sales teams are moving away from PDFs to interactive digital proposals. These new digital formats help them differentiate from the competition, and provide valuable engagement analytics, support engagement, and increase close rates.


Here’s an interactive proposal example by Storydoc:

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How to write a business proposal slide by slide

To compose a highly effective business proposal you’ll need to differentiate your value proposition, address key selling points, manage expectations, and involve all critical stakeholders.

By the end of this guide, you’ll know how to make world-leading business proposals, surpass your competitors in every way, and get more deals over the finish line.

This guide is a broad guide. However, different industries require different proposals with different focuses and different slides. And so, below you’ll find links to our specialized proposal writing guides for whichever your niche or use case may be.

Proposal writing guides for specific use cases:

See more

TIP: Write your proposal quickly. Writing effective business proposals quickly is essential for closing deals. Proposals don’t have to be perfect, but they need to be timely to keep the prospect engaged and avoid ghosting.

1) Title

The title slide is like a shop window. It’s your prospect’s expectations for what’s inside. It should be visually appealing, but that’s not enough.

To get a headstart over your competitors with your proposal title slide it needs to capture the essence of your value proposition, establish relevancy, and create intrigue.

Easier said than done. But definitely doable.

How to make a business proposal title slide that sets you apart?


To nail your cover slide, and stand out from other proposals competing for their business do the following:

  1. Include a short version of your unique sales proposition in the title and tagline.
  2. Include the prospective client’s company name and other information specific to them in the title or tagline.
  3. Include their company logo beside yours.
  4. Include the sender’s and the recipient's names.
  5. Include relevant imagery
  6. Include the expected reading time (to set their effort expectations)
  7. Include some form of motion, like animation or video to grab attention (but don’t make it too distracting).
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title slide example

2) Personal note or Cover letter

A personal note or cover letter is an introduction that eases the reader into the proposal. It establishes the basic context needed to start reading.

Your cover letter should be kept conversational and short. Don’t make it too cold and formal, and don’t make it a form of an executive summary, just make the connection to past meetings, voiced expectations, and people involved.

TIP: It’s good practice to put a face to the note, to make it warmer and personal (like in the example below).

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personal note or cover letter slide

3) Table of contents

It’s important to add a table of contents to your proposal for 3 reasons:

  1. It manages the prospect’s expectations and lets them quickly see if everything they expect is in the doc.
  2. It helps the prospect assess the effort it would take to review the proposal.
  3. It allows prospects and decision-makers to access deep content easily and quickly, in their first or subsequent reviews.

TIP: Adding jump-links will provide you with click data on which slides prospects found most important. With this info, you could follow up with them knowing exactly what issues to address.

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table of content slide

4) Executive summary

An executive summary in a business proposal should be kept very short and easy to scan using bullet points, ordered lists, short texts, and preferably a video (if you’re using interactive proposal formats).

It is NOT a long and text-heavy intro like you find in reports or research papers.

What to include in a business proposal executive summary?

  1. Your company and expertise
  2. Key selling points (the client’s imminent needs)
  3. The impact of your product or service
  4. What you intend to do and provide (game plan outline)

TIP: Using a slide template like in the example below you could embed a video about your business, product, service, and expertise, and reduce the text needed to deliver your message.

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executive summary slide

5) Challenges

The challenges slide, sometimes called the problem slide, is a short yet ultra-specific description of the problem or challenges that plague your prospect and that your solution aims to solve.

Since your prospect knows their own pains, there is no need to explain them in length. Simply describe their pain points in titles using their own words from past meetings and correspondence.

In the example below we used a simple “card” format to list the main challenge.

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challenges slide

6) Objectives

The objectives slide lists the desired outcomes gained from procuring your service or product. This is essentially the mirror image of the client’s challenges.

Use the prospect’s own words to articulate their objectives, same as I advised for describing their challenges. This would make them more relatable and compelling.

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AJ cassata quote on objectives slide
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objectives slide

7) Product or service overview

Your service or product overview slide should explain what your solution does, a bit about how it does it, and what makes it uniquely valuable.

Make an effort to focus your overview on how your solution addresses the client’s main problem, important features or deliverables, and especially the impact it brings.

This slide is best done with a mix of video and text, where the video gives a broad overview and the text is tailored to the specific prospect and their concerns.

How to create an effective business proposal solution slide?

Ensure your value proposition clearly solves the client's business challenge.

  • Highlight unique aspects of your solution that address the client's specific needs.
  • Address any potential gaps in your products and services proactively.
  • List potential risks and discuss them with the client before they become issues.
  • Develop contingency plans for each identified risk and demonstrate your preparedness.
  • Incorporate visual aids to enhance understanding and retention. Support your text with interactive graphs and charts, videos, infographics, annotations, and images.
  • Cater to different learning styles by using multimedia content, like video, scrollytelling, and data visualization.
  • There is no one way to make this slide. Depending on the level of complexity and the number of challenges you want to address you can use tabs, cards, a list of items, or a narrator slide.
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service overview slide

8) Deliverables

The deliverables slide includes services beyond and around the main solution, like onboarding, training, integration, design, customer support, dashboards, documentation, audits, hardware supplied, etc.

How to make and present a business proposal solution slide?

When creating this slide:

  • Provide a brief list of the specific services you will provide.
  • Explain how these services will be delivered (step-by-step).

This will remove uncertainty and unwanted surprises. It will give the client the confidence to move forward and help you justify pricing.


When presenting this slide:

  • Discuss the timeline with the client during the proposal presentation to ensure alignment.
  • Explain how communication will be handled.

This will help to align the client’s expectations for response times and meeting schedules with what you are willing to do.

Importantly, be cautious about offering too much access using direct messaging to avoid constant interruptions.

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deliverables and timeline slide

9) Outcomes, benefits, and ROI

This slide includes the outcomes the client is expected to get by procuring your product or service. The most compelling outcomes are measurable impacts on the client’s KPIs or support them directly.

Measurable outcomes demonstrate your accountability, which builds the client’s trust in your ability to deliver.

How to make a business proposal outcomes slide?

  • Clearly define how success will be measured using specific KPIs.
  • Agree on these KPIs during the initial conversation with the prospect.
  • Ensure KPIs are easy to understand and directly tied to the proposal objectives.
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AJ cassata quote on objectives slide
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outcomes and KPIs slide

10) The team

The team slide puts faces to the service you provide. This slide introduces the specific team within the company that will take care of the client and work with them closely to achieve their objectives.

People trust and appreciate the individuals they collaborate with more than a faceless organization. This gives the prospect a sense of connection which could reduce their focus on price.

How to create a business proposal team slide?


  • Include a quality image of 2-4 key team members with a friendly expression.
  • Assign each team member a short professional description with their job title, responsibilities, and past success.
  • Connect each team member to their LinkedIn profile to allow the prospect to learn more.


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team slide

11) Social Proof

Social proof is a standard for almost any type of persuasive document. A social proof slide can include video testimonials, client review quotes, client logos, trust badges, and awards.

Limit yourself to the minimum needed to show trustworthiness, authority, and capability.

Make sure your social proof closely resembles your prospect’s challenges, niche, and circumstances. The more your prospects recognize themselves in your quotes and testimonials the more persuasive it will be.

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social proof slide

12) Case study

Case studies, sometimes called customer success stories, serve as proof of your competence and capability to deliver on what you promise.

Most prospects will want to want to see proof of past success with a client like them, with the same needs and challenges.

The example slide template below has a snapshot of the case study in text and a testimonial video (placeholder). You can cater to prospects who prefer to read as well as those who prefer to listen.

How to make a case study slide?

  • Include 1-3 links to your most relevant case studies.
  • Assign a short teaser text for each case study to help the reader quickly understand what each case study is about.

  • Use your best-known logos, but not at the expense of relevancy.

  • Use tabs to minimize the space needed to present the case studies

Create my proposal with AI
case study slide

13) Pricing

The pricing slide can either show your pricing plan options, in case of a SaaS product business proposal or show the breakdown of the services and deliverables provided, in case of a service proposal.

Both options allow the client visibility into the investments and their corresponding impact. But it also gives them control over the deal at a more granular level.

This minimizes frustration over unexpected costs or missing deliverables they expected to get which were not included in the deal.

How to build an effective business proposal pricing slide?

  • Present the prices along with their potential ROI and non-monetary benefits.
  • Emphasize the value and outcomes to shift the client’s focus from cost to investment.
  • Allow the prospect to actively select the plan they want or check each individual service they require to give them a sense of control and ownership over their decision.
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pricing breakdown slide
Create my proposal with AI
pricing plan slide

14) Terms and conditions

This section is a binding legal document that lists the terms of the agreement and the compensation each side should receive.

This is for your legal team to determine.

Things to ensure in your terms and conditions:

  • Include a summary of the engagement duration and termination terms.
  • Clearly state the compensation details and payment schedule.
  • Break down payments into phases and ensure you get paid before starting work, even if it’s a partial deposit.
Create my proposal with AI
terms and conditions slide

15) Agreement and e-signature

This is the part all your efforts have been leading up to. All you need is the beautiful signature in the box that seals the deal.

Don’t use a static PDF as your business proposal format if you can avoid it, since it makes this part more difficult and may trip you at the finish line.

Use modern digital proposal software that allows you to embed an e-signature box right in your proposal. And better yet, software that syncs with your CRM and automatically updates the lead status.

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agree and accept slide

16) Next steps

The next steps slide is where you tell your client what will be the next immediate mutual action items after accepting the deal.

The plan for moving forward should be clear, concrete, and involve specific people.

How to create an effective next steps slide?

  • Schedule follow-up meetings or calls to discuss the proposal further.
  • Help the client visualize the process to reduce friction in their decision-making.
  • Embed your live calendar app in the proposal to make it super easy for the prospect to book the next meeting with you.
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next steps slide

17) Contact

Provide your contact information so your contact or any decision maker within the client’s organization can communicate with you to ask questions, get more information, or update you on progress.

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c slide

Business proposal templates that get the deal

To help you speed up your proposal writing I brought you some of our best business proposal templates.

These interactive templates are easily customizable and completely reusable.

They were built and optimized based on what we’ve constantly seen work best for Storydoc clients.

Stroydoc can be integrated with your CRM so these templates can be automatically personalized and sent to the prospect from your sales platform with a click.

Grab one!

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Before writing your proposal: how to prepare

1) Collect the critical information to customize your proposal to the client’s specific needs and circumstances. But don’t stop there - seek their feedback to refine the proposal (don’t assume you got it right in the first draft).

2) Make sure you understand the prospect’s decision-making process and criteria. Ask the prospect and try to identify all key stakeholders, decision-makers, and other obstacles involved in the process.

3) Get the client's expectations for the next steps and timelines. Discuss expected timelines with prospects and clarify the steps that will occur after accepting the proposal.

4) Get verbal agreement from the prospect before writing your proposal.

This bit is critical! Only write your proposal after discussing the main points of a possible deal with the prospect and getting their agreement. This will avoid nasty surprises and misunderstandings.

After writing your proposal: presenting to the client

Writing your business proposal is the hard part. But you have to present it effectively to finish the job.

DO NOT SEND YOUR PROPOSAL BY MAIL.

When you send your proposal over email you lose control over the conversation. So always schedule a call to walk the client through the proposal instead of emailing it.

Doing a live walkthrough with the client lets you handle objections, clarify details, and address concerns in real-time.

This is critical for avoiding confusion, doubts, or clients focusing solely on the price.

After presenting your proposal you can send it by email for further review by other decision makers.

NOTE: Do your best to prevent your prospects from printing out your proposal. A 2020 study found that once someone prints your proposal, your chances of landing the deal shrink by 84%!

Another benefit of using digital proposals is that you get engagement analytics that gives you visibility into who inside the client’s organization read the proposal, how long, which slides they focused on, and who they shared it with.

After presenting your proposal

  • Plan your negotiation strategy - determine your best and worst-case scenarios for negotiations. Decide on your objectives and what you're willing to compromise on.
  • Maintain your influence with follow-up interactions - Schedule a follow-up meeting immediately after presenting the proposal to discuss the proposal and next steps. Also regularly share knowledge and insights to keep the client engaged post-proposal.
  • Prepare to handle client queries and requests - Clear proposals lead to more specific questions from prospects. Be ready to provide additional information if requested by the client.
Amotz Harari

As the Head of Marketing, I lead Storydoc’s amazing content-ops team in our fight to eradicate Death-by-PowerPoint wherever it resides. My mission is to enable decision-making by removing the affliction of bad content from the inboxes of businesses and individuals worldwide.

Table of contents
What to include in a business proposal What is a business proposal Types of business proposal Solicited vs. unsolicited business proposal What does a business proposal look like? How to write a business proposal Business proposal templates Before writing your proposal: how to prepare After writing your proposal: presenting to the client After presenting your proposal
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