Do you want to boost your sales? Sure. Do you want to do it being at the same time more productive? Of course. So, why don’t you use proposal templates?
What is a proposal template?
A template is a version of a proposal or a quote that you can re-use at your will, no matter if you use dummy texts that you’ll changes case by case or actual texts.
A perfect template should include, at least, some sections: aims and objectives, deliverables, a timesheet and, of course, a quotation. Actually this is the most important part if you want to get your client’s money 😀
We do strongly recommend to add a terms and conditions sections, as this will help to understand your client the scope of the project and some more information. And last but not least, legal information if you want to to convert your proposals into actual contracts and save some corporate bureaucracy (payments, deliverables, liabilities…).
Crafting your own template
Creating your perfect template will take you some time, as well as it takes some time to create all your company’s documents: contracts, leaflets or email signatures are part of your business branding, and so are your proposals.
First things first: the main idea you need to consider for your template is saving time. Yes, you will save a lot of time but you need to invest a good amount of time to create your business proposal templates if you do want to save some time. But why?
Proposals are a key part of your sales strategy. Never forget that.
And since this will reflect your brand and your business, you need to have some assets in place: your logo, graphics, corporate photos… If you start selecting the best assets for your templates, you will not wasting your time selecting the images that better reflect your activity.
If you are selling IT services, a tool like Mockuuups Studio will help you creating some images. As the ones on this article.
Now, it’s time to write!
But before writing the next Great American Novel, you need to set up the structure of it. And this is as important as you will win clients if it’s right and logical. Or your competitors will do if you fail.
We suggest you to start using this structure:
- Intro: introduce your business, experience and skills. Certifications? Definitely yes. Some areas require to be certified (Marketing or IT services).
- Scope: describe the challenges, goals to achieve and potential solutions. And why you should be the best choice.
- Problem: analyze your client issues. A SWOT analysis could fit and will be easy to understand.
- Proposed solution: here you will show your value and how you will work. Don’t forget to add as many information as possible: timeline, deliverables and even needs from your client.
- Pricing: we suggest you to show all financial information under the same section. This will not only help your client to understand your quotation but also you will gain trust: hidden costs are a bad idea. Aren’t you mad when you have to pay an extra fee for something that was supposed to be included?
- Terms and conditions: adding this extra section will help you and your client getting a clear idea of each one’s needs and liabilities. And potential limitations, if any.
This structure is a good starting point when it comes to create your very own business proposal templates. And then, research about your potential clients. Remember: you are writing for other people, not for yourself.
Remember to use the right terms for each client: a corporate event is not a wedding. And a podcast proposal is not a radio ad. And as you are not writing for Google bots on your website, you should be writing for your clients, not for an email server.
Last advice: legal terms are important and both parts must agree to them. If your client says that needs time for review, you need to understand that.
Can you create the perfect business proposal template in Quoters?
Of course you can! Use the above mentioned structure or any other that fit your business. Not only that, you can start using any of our templates or start from scratch. And if that is not enough for you, save sections and re-use them in just two clicks.
Not finding a starting point or simply you want us to create a template for you? Send a mail to hi@quoters.io and a member of our team will contact you with a proposal. Of course, we will send you it using Quoters.