Business proposal templates

Q: How Do You Send a Business Proposal to a Client?

You can send a business proposal to a client via email, as a direct link, or through a client portal within Super Proposal.

Whether you are a freelancer, a sales team, or a growing business, you always seek efficient solutions that save time and money. Super Proposal offers a variety of customizable business proposal template PDFs and sample documents to streamline your workflow.

Super Proposal empowers you with efficient document tracking, real-time notifications, and insightful analysis of client engagement. It ensures error-free bids and quotes and elevates your proposal game. Super Proposal business proposal software combines the best of MS Word, MS Excel, and an e-sign tool into one intuitive platform.

Ready to transform your proposal process? Take advantage of our free business proposal samples today and discover how Super Proposal can boost your conversion rate by an impressive 40%.

No hidden fees and no forced branding—just a powerful proposal software designed to work for you.

About Free Business Proposal Templates

Creating a business proposal is overwhelming— let’s not beat around the bush. Creating a convincing proposal that appeals to clients and conveys your essence is an art form, which requires skill and time. If you hurry because of a deadline, you might end up with a proposal with insufficient appeal or persuasiveness.

Super Proposal is here to help. We have an extensive library of over 100 professionally constructed business proposal templates. Each one delicately designed to elevate your closing rate by 40%.

There is no need to worry about finding a suitable business proposal sample PDF or sample document—that task is now off your plate. Our downloadable proposal templates are in PDF and Word form and easily editable, empowering you to tweak them to harmonize impeccably with your brand identity and unique project prerequisites.

In addition to providing users with a convenient web interface, Super Proposal offers a set of easy editing and collaborating features to make proposal creation process a breeze.

Super Proposal allows you to customize sections and incorporate your brand elements quickly. Additionally, it ensures consistency and professionalism in your communication with the client, increasing your chances of winning the client.

You can monitor interactions with documents, manage approvals, and facilitate document sharing with the latest updates on document changes. Our proposal software also empowers you with a legally binding e-signature and can provide valuable analytics to polish your proposals.

Do not be intimidated by the moment when there is nothing to write on paper or a computer screen before you. Stop losing business and start turning more bids and opportunities into business with the help of our Business Proposal Template Sample PDF, which you can download today from Super Proposal.

What is a Business Proposal and Why You Need One?

A business proposal is a formal document that a company uses to pitch their products, services, or solutions to potential clients or partners.

Its main purpose is to:

Show the prospect what you offer or the problem you can solve with real results and client testimonials.
Clearly outline what’s included in the proposal to avoid confusion.
Lay out terms and conditions that protect both parties.
Streamline decision-making with e-signatures for instant approval.

A potential client can either request a proposal through RFPs (Request for Proposal) or you can initiate a proposal without any request to create opportunities. The former is known as solicited proposals, and the latter is unsolicited proposals.

Both require clarity, professionalism, research, personalization, and a clear value proposition to stand out. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a poorly structured proposal, losing the client’s interest, even if your offer is excellent.

Why use a business proposal template?

Whether you are a seasoned professional or drafting your first proposal, a business proposal template can make your task easier. Here’s how:

Save Time and Effort: No need to start from scratch every time. Save time with customizable, pre-designed proposal templates and samples for various industries and purposes. Check out our services proposal templates, av proposal templates and software proposal templates.
Maintains Professionalism: The pre-designed layout and formatting gives your proposal a polished and professional look. The visual appeal impresses the client.
Guides Your Content: A well-structured template provides clear sections for important points, ensuring you stay organised and don’t miss any important point.
Adaptability: The customisable nature of the templates makes it easy for you to adjust and fit your brand elements and specific requirements for each proposal.
Clear and Transparent Communication: A well-written proposal template covers everything, from your services to terms and conditions, making it easy for clients to understand.
Track and Improve: With proposal making software like Super Proposal, you can track every document change in real time. This allows you to reform your approach with each proposal.

Different Types of Business Proposals

There are two main types of business proposals:

Solicited Proposals: These are requests made to a consulting firm in a bid to be awarded a project from a potential client. This request often comes as a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Quote (RFQ). Invited bids are usually submitted about the need and bid notice advertised in the RFP or RFQ.
Unsolicited Proposals: These are tenders an organization develops independently and offers to a customer or organization likely to have yet to invite it. They are frequently employed to present your company or service to the new potential buyer. The offers received in response to unsolicited bids are often broader as you may not have enough information as the party initiating the process.

Business Proposal Format Sample

A simple business proposal template is your opportunity to show your expertise, build trust, and win clients. Here’s an ideal business proposal format:

Cover Page: It is the first thing your client sees, make sure it conveys professionalism and grabs attention. It includes your company’s name, proposal title, and client details.

Cover Letter: A personalized cover letter introduces your proposal and builds a rapport. This is your chance to speak directly to the client, give a brief overview of the problem, solution, and your value proposition.

About Us: The client always wants to know the kind of company they are working with. Highlight what makes your company the right choice by giving a short overview of your company, including vision, mission, expertise, and your unique selling proposition (USP).

Meet Our Team: Introduce the people from your team involved in the project to humanize the proposal and build trust.. Give details of their designation, qualifications, and expertise.

Problem Statement: Prove to the client that you understand their challenges or pain points. Show empathy and don’t give generic statements. Add relevant data and examples to show you understand their situation.

Proposed Solution: The client wants to know whether you have the expertise to solve their problem or not. So, give a detailed explanation of how your product or service can help solve their issue.

Project Schedule: A detailed timeline of milestones and deliverables will help the client understand the flow of the project and your ability to deliver.

Pricing: This is the section which can make or break the deal. So, be transparent and flexible. Include a breakdown of cost, highlighting any optional services or discounts for early payments or long-term engagements.

Terms & Conditions: This section is there to set boundaries. Outline the legal obligations, including payment terms, delivery timelines, liability clauses, etc., to ensure clarity and avoid potential disputes. Keep the language simple and concise.

Signature: Make the proposal a binding document with space for both parties to sign, showing they agree to the terms of the proposal. Use proposal making software like Super Proposal with e-signature tools for quicker approvals.

What to prepare before writing a business proposal

Before you pick a business proposal template to customise, you must follow a few steps to prepare for and write a business proposal:

Research the Client: Understand the client’s business, pain points, needs, and goals. This will help you to personalise the proposal and make it more relevant and impactful.

Set Clear Objectives: Figure out your end goal, whether it is securing a deal or establishing a partnership, and how your solution will add value to stay focused while you draft the business proposal template pdf.

Gather Data: Data like metrics, analytics, case studies, and client testimonials in the proposal will help build trust and prove your expertise, increasing the chances of client buy-in.

Clarify Things with Your Legal Department: Talk to your legal department about terms, conditions, pricing, and sensitive sections to ensure compliance with laws and regulations.

Clarify Pricing Options and Budget: Figure out if you can give tiered pricing, discounts, incentives, or add-ons to increase the chances of acceptance.

Understand the Person Who’ll Receive the Proposal: Apart from the client, understand the decision-maker and personalise the proposal accordingly to increase your chance of closing the deal.

Choose the Right Template: The right template has all the essentials as per the industry and project type. Super Proposal has 90+ FREE business proposal templates PDF and business proposal sample docs designed to improve your close rates by 40%!

How to write a business proposal in 7 steps

To create a proposal that converts, follow these 7 steps:

Step 1: Determine the client’s needs

Every client is different. Understand your client’s challenges, needs, goals, and expectations. Do so by doing your own research and engaging in conversations with the client, whether through multiple calls with a new client or a quick call with an existing one.

Take a step further and listen actively and ask open-ended questions to understand the client’s expectations and mindset. Make notes while you do so that no important details are overlooked.

How do you do that? Check out the client’s socials, network with people in the organization, prepare a list of discovery questions for your initial meeting, and showcase relevant case studies during your presentation. Instead of vague statements, set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals.

Step 2: Find a good proposal template to work with

Use a professionally designed business proposal template specific to your industry and situation to save time and focus on the content rather than formatting. Customize it with your brand elements and content for the proposal.

Find a reliable source like Super Proposal that has 90+ customizable business proposal templates for different industries and proposal types to save time on future projects as well.

Step 3: Write about your company's details

Start working on the fundamental elements of your proposal, i.e., cover page, cover letter, about us page, team bios, case studies and testimonials, if applicable. Highlight the company’s strength and USP with these to establish credibility and set the tone for the rest of the proposal.

What else can you do? Save yourself time and effort for future proposals and create a strong starting point and reusable content.

Step 4: Write the core sections

This is where you start personalising the content for the client. Customise the core sections, i.e., problem statement, proposed solution, and project schedule, to show how your solution directly addresses the client’s needs or goals.

Think ahead in the future and consider possible challenges and map out their solutions as well in the proposal, showing the client that you have covered all the bases.

Step 5: Add pricing and payment options

Set your pricing structure in a table form to make it easier for the client to go through, especially if you are offering tiered options. Keep it transparent and aligned with the project’s scope. You can even include optional add-ons or discounts for early payments to encourage faster approvals.

Want to emphasize return on investment? Pair prices with outcomes.

How does this benefit the reader? It keeps things organized and helps the reader identify essential sections. Make the pricing table simple. While segmenting a project into tasks, suggest volume discounts and early payment to the client as they have to pay for every component of the work.

Download our free business proposal sample PDF today, and further streamline your proposal creation process with our free signature generator tool. Get started on your path to success!

Step 6: Include legal terms and e-signature

Incorporate your contract terms into the proposal. Address confidentiality, payment terms, project scope, and any other relevant terms. Do consult your legal team for this.

Use a proposal making software like Super Proposal to add e-signature functionality to make the approval process faster and simple. Proposals with e-signature functionality close 35% faster in comparison to others.

Want to build confidence and rapport with the client? Add a “next steps” section to guide the client on what happens after they sign.

Step 7: Finalize design and review content

Lastly, once the draft of the proposal is prepared, check it for accuracy, grammatical errors, and overall flow of the content.

Apply your brand’s elements and relevant videos and images to further customise it and give it a polished look.

Check out the overall layout and content once again, and share the proposal with a colleague to do the same before sending.

What else can you do? Test your proposal on different devices to ensure it looks great on desktop and mobile.

Top 10 Business Proposal PDF Templates

Properly structuring and formatting a proposal is a time-consuming process. Luckily, a business proposal sample doc comes in handy, allowing you to shift your focus to delivering quality pitches.

We have handpicked Super Proposal’s 10 best templates for different business types and needs. Each one is fully customizable with predefined sections, making sure your proposal is professional, impactful, and covers all bases.

Keep in mind that the following are just business proposal sample doc examples; it’s not an exhaustive list.

1. Accounting Services Proposal Template

This template is designed for accounting professionals and firms to clearly outline financial services.