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Free template · Sales & Clients

Business Proposal Template

A business proposal template gives you a repeatable structure for pitching work: a short summary of the client's situation, your recommended approach, exactly what is delivered, what is excluded, pricing, timeline and the next step. It should be readable in five minutes by someone who was not in the meeting.

Updated August 2026

What to include in your Business Proposal Template

  • Title, client name, date and a validity period for the pricing
  • Situation summary in the client's own language
  • The objective and how success will be measured
  • Recommended approach in phases
  • Deliverables listed as concrete outputs
  • Explicit exclusions
  • Pricing, ideally two or three options
  • Timeline with key dates and client dependencies
  • Assumptions the price depends on
  • Relevant proof: comparable work, references, credentials
  • One clear next step with a date

Practical guidance

Structure for a five-minute read

Assume the decision maker skims the first page and the pricing page. Put the situation, objective and recommendation on page one, pricing options on their own page, and move credentials to the back. Length signals effort to you and cost to them.

Price with options

Three options with genuinely different scope let the buyer choose their risk level and reveal their budget. Keep the middle option the one you expect to deliver, and make the differences in scope, not in quality.

Say what is not included

  • Work adjacent to yours that clients commonly assume is bundled.
  • Third-party costs, licenses and travel.
  • Rounds of revision beyond the stated number.
  • Anything dependent on a system you have not seen.

How to use this template

  1. 1Write the situation summary first, using the language from the intake form and discovery call.
  2. 2Lead with the outcome, not with your company history.
  3. 3Offer options rather than a single price so the conversation becomes which, not whether.
  4. 4State exclusions plainly; they protect margin more than any contract clause you will not enforce.
  5. 5Send it with a specific next step and a date, then follow up on that date.

Filled-in example

Example

Filled-in example: three-option proposal, marketing consultancy

  • Situation — inbound enquiries fell 40% after a site rebuild; no analytics baseline exists.
  • Objective — return to 60 qualified enquiries per month within two quarters.
  • Option A $2,400 — technical audit, fix list, analytics rebuild, one review call.
  • Option B $5,900 — Option A plus content plan and three months of implementation oversight.
  • Option C $11,500 — Option B plus fully managed delivery and monthly reporting.
  • Excluded — paid media spend, photography, third-party licenses.
  • Assumptions — CMS access within five working days, one named client reviewer.
  • Next step — 30 minute decision call, Thursday 14 March.

Common mistakes

  • Opening with pages about your company before addressing the client's problem.
  • Listing activities instead of deliverables, so value is invisible.
  • One price with no alternative, which forces a yes or no.
  • No exclusions, which guarantees scope arguments later.
  • No stated next step or expiry, so the proposal drifts for months.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a business proposal be?
Two to six pages for most small-business work. Long proposals rarely win on length; they lose on clarity.
Should I include pricing in the proposal?
Yes. A proposal without a number simply delays the real conversation and invites comparison against a competitor who did include one.
Is a proposal a contract?
No. A proposal describes intended work and price. Contracts should be prepared or reviewed by a qualified professional in your jurisdiction.
How long should the price stay valid?
Fourteen to thirty days is typical, and it creates a natural reason to follow up.
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How to Write a Business Proposal

Write a business proposal in this order: restate the client's situation and objective in their words, recommend one approach, list concrete deliverables and exclusions, present two or three priced options, show the timeline and dependencies, then close with a single dated next step.

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