Business proposals outline how your business can solve a customer’s problems and which products and services you can offer them. In this guide, we’ll take a look at how to create a business proposal.
Securing deals with clients is crucial for your business to succeed. A well-crafted business proposal can be what makes or breaks it.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to create solid and compelling business proposals in 2025. 📈
What are business proposals?
A business proposal is a document that explains to a client how your company can address their needs.
These are some of the key questions you should address in your business proposal:
- Who are you? What does your business do?
- What problems are your potential clients facing?
- What solution does your business offer?
- How will your business implement the solution?
- What benefits will the solution provide?
- How much money, time, and resources will you use? This will most likely be an estimation, but it’s helpful for the client to be able to evaluate your offer.
Different types of business proposals
Business proposals can be divided into three categories:
Unsolicited business proposals
Unsolicited business proposals are proposals that clients haven’t requested from you. You can use this type of proposalto market a new product or service or to introduce your company to a new customer segment or new geographical location.
Getting a deal from an unsolicited business proposals is more challenging, since you have to convince the potential client that they actually need your proposed solution.
Informally solicited business proposals
Informally solicited business proposals are made after casual conversations with a potential client. This means you won’t necessarily have a lot of information about the client and their problem, so make sure you do enough research to set up a comprehensive and well-informed proposal.
You could be competing with other businesses when you provide your proposal.
Formally solicited business proposals
A formally solicited business proposal is made in response to a request for proposal (RFP): In other words, in response to a client reaching out to request an offer. The RFP will have specific criteria and expectations from the client. The formally solicited business proposal you make in return must address all the criteria laid out in the RFP.
You’ll most likely be competing with other business.
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How to write a business proposal, step-by-step
The first step is to evualte the client’s needs versus your offerings. If you can solve their problem or make their workday easier, then you should create a business proposal.
If, on the other hand, you think the client might be looking for something else, it might be best to send them an email and part on good terms, rather than spending time on a business proposal that’ll get rejected. Take a look at your business plan and remind yourself of your target customers—they might not be who you’re looking for.
If you’ve decided to create a business proposal, you should make sure you have a good understanding of the client’s business and their needs. If they’ve solicited a business proposal via a request for proposal, make sure to review the RFP thoroughly.
You can even suggest a call or meeting with the potential client to make sure you understand their goals and to ask follow-up questions. This type of initiative also demonstrates that you’re committed to providing them with a good solution.
Once you have enough information, you can write your business proposal. While there’s no one-size-fits-all, most proposals are made following these steps:
1. Create your title page
Start with a professional title page that provides some basic information about you and your business. Ensure that the title page is well-designed, that it boosts your brand identity, and that there are no factual or textual errors.
Here are some tips for what you can include on the title page:
- Your name
- Your company’s name
- The URL of your website
- The date you submitted the proposal
- The name of the client and the project you are making a proposal for
2. Write an executive summary
The executive summary highlights the key points of your proposal, and most importantly, the benefits of your solution.
Keep it concise, no more than two pages, and make sure that you explain what problem you’re addressing, the proposed solution, and the value it will bring to the client.
3. Outline the client’s problems
To win clients, you have to demonstrate a thorough understanding of their problems. Describe the challenge they’re facing, the impact of that challenge, and the goals they want to reach. This section also demonstrates that you understand their context, that you listen attentively, and that you have an attention for detail.
4. Present the proposed solution
Present your solution, and the strategies and tools you’ll use to address the client’s problem. Use visuals like diagrams, flowcharts, or infographics to keep the client engaged and ensure that they understand. Check out these 8 tips to improve your sales technique.
5. Establish the timeline and milestones
Provide a detailed project timeline, breaking down the phases, milestones, and deadlines. It should align with the expectations the client has put forward and demonstrate that you have the ability to manage the project effectively.
6. Estimate the costs
Clearly outline the pricing structure: the project costs, expenses, and any additional charges. If you need help, check out how to set the price of a product or how to set the selling price of a service.
Most likely, you’ll have to estimate this, so you should emphasize that it is an estimation. You should also specify that if additional work is required, it’ll be charged at an hourly rate of x, for example.
7. Showcase your expertise and past successes
Build trust and credibility by highlighting your company’s qualifications and experience with reference to case studies, testimonials from satisfied clients, as well as a list of relevant certifications or awards.
This boosts your reputation and shows that you’re able to deliver results.
8. Contact information
Give the client your contact information and let them know that you’re available to discuss the next steps and answer any questions they might have.
Business proposal example
Below is an example of a business proposal outline:
- Title page: Get off on the right foot with a title page that includes your details, the date of the proposal, as well as the client’s details.
- Executive summary: This is a brief overview of the proposal, highlighting the key elements of your solution and its benefits
- Problem statement: This section clearly defines the client’s problem or challenge
- Proposed solution: This section explains how your solution will address the client’s problem
- Timeline and milestones: This section outlines the project timeline and key milestones
- Pricing and costs: This section details the pricing structure and any associated costs
- Qualifications and experience: This section highlights your company’s experience and expertise in solving similar problems
- Contact information: Provide contact details so that the client can easily get in touch
