Business Proposal Template: How to Write a Business Proposal Step by Step

Create Business Proposals Step by Step

If you are on this page, you are already familiar with business proposals. For a business to flourish, a business proposal is necessary. Convince clients to buy from you or investors to back your new business.

What is a Business Proposal?

A business proposal is a comprehensive report used to secure a business agreement. The ultimate goal of business proposals is to prove your worth.

A business proposal should be eye-catching, impressive, and attention-grabbing. You should distinguish yourself from the crowd. Show your audience why your business is a better option than the competition.

For deeper context on the difference between proposals and plans, see our breakdown on business proposal vs business plan.

Why are business proposals important?

A business proposal can be prepared for a variety of reasons:

• To influence prospective investors. A common reason to write a business proposal is to convince stakeholders or investors. To continue growth, you may look for financial support. Your business proposal will bring investment.
• To win clients. Every business needs clients. Without enough sales, your business cannot reach prospective milestones. Your business proposal influences sales.
• To attract collaborations. To attract business collaborations, you should present an intriguing business proposal. Emphasize your value proposition and qualifications.

For a business to keep floating or continue growing, a business proposal is a must. For more on framing pitches that convert, see our guide on how to sell an idea effectively.

Types of Business Proposals

There are two types of business proposals.

Solicited Business Proposals. These proposals are requested by clients (companies, organizations, or stakeholders). The organization itself calls for a request for proposal (RFP).

Unsolicited Business Proposals. These proposals are prepared by you to seek out potential clients. They do not necessarily request a business proposal.

For industry-specific needs like accounting services, specialized starting points can help structure your offer more effectively.

For industry-specific needs like accounting services, specialized templates, such as a bookkeeping business proposal, can help structure your offer more effectively.

How to Excel at Writing a Business Proposal

A business proposal is a formal document. Your business proposal should address every important part that needs to be highlighted.

Business proposals are official documents. They should be professional in terms of content and format.

The format of the business proposal may be subject to change, depending on your audience and your business. There's no one-size-fits-all approach to writing a business proposal.

For preparing different kinds of proposals, you may edit some elements or headings. An outline that includes several elements common in proposals can serve as a starting point.

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A Guide for Business Proposal Outline: Step-by-Step

• Title
• Executive Summary
• Table of Contents
• Introduction or History of Your Company
• Problem Statement or Needs Analysis
• Proposed Solution: Product and Services
• Qualifications
• Customer Testimonials or Use Cases
• Methodology to Solve the Problem
• Objectives and Goals to Solve the Problem
• Implementation Plan: Timeline for Solution
• Pricing or Budget Plan
• Conclusion
• Call to Action

For more on the executive summary specifically, see our breakdown on how to write an executive summary. For deeper proposal structure, see our guide on the proposal outline and detailed proposal outlining.

What is a Business Proposal Template?

A business proposal template is a pre-structured layout that eases the process of writing business proposals. With a ready-to-customize starting point, you can write your official document in a quarter of the time.

A business proposal is approximately nine pages long. Using a structured starting point will help you plan your proposal. It provides information on where to start, how to combine your report smoothly, how to clearly divide labor between team members, and how to collaborate on it.

For more on what to look for in proposal-building tools, see our breakdown of the best business proposal tools.

Decktopus AI: The Business Proposal Maker

Decktopus is one of the most used tools to create business proposals. With its features, creating a business proposal has never been easier!

It is not only easy to combine but also attention-grabbing and visually pleasing!

Your audience will definitely be impressed by a proposal prepared using Decktopus’s features!

How to Build Your Business Proposal with Decktopus

Decktopus generates a complete business proposal presentation from a short description. The strategic work stays with you. The deck design happens automatically.

Here's how the workflow looks:

1. Describe your topic. Type something like "Business proposal for a B2B SaaS prospect in manufacturing, focused on enterprise onboarding services." Or upload your written proposal as a supporting file.

2. Choose your style. Pick a brand, reuse a saved look, or start fresh with AI. Decktopus will ask how you want your presentation to look. You can apply a saved Brand Kit, import your brand directly from your company website URL (which pulls in your logo, colors, and fonts), or let AI generate a style from scratch.

3. Review the outline. Decktopus generates a slide structure covering executive summary, problem, solution, qualifications, methodology, timeline, pricing, and call to action. Adjust the order before the full deck is built.

4. Refine in the editor. Use the prompt bar with instructions like "make the pricing slide more visual," "tighten the qualifications section," or "add a timeline graphic." Brand Compliance keeps every slide on-brand.

5. Export or share. Download as PDF or PPT, share via link, or present directly to your prospect.

Decktopus Features for Business Proposals

• AI Presentation Generation: Describe your topic and get a complete, structured proposal deck in minutes
• Brand Import: Paste your website URL to auto-apply your logo, colors, and fonts
• Brand Kit and Brand Compliance: Keep every slide consistent across your team
• AI Image Generator: Generate custom visuals for any slide based on your content
• Prompt-based Editing: Refine any slide by typing what you want changed
• Slide Library: Save and reuse your best proposal slides across deals
• Version History: Restore any past version of any slide in one click
• Team Sharing: Share decks with edit access for collaborative team work
• Folders: Organize your proposals on the dashboard
• Embedding: Embed links, web pages, and your calendar inside your presentation
• Export as PDF or PPT, share via link, or present directly

Ready to build your business proposal? Get started with Decktopus.

Business Proposal Use Cases by Industry

Decktopus can generate a business proposal presentation for almost any scenario. Here are the most common use cases and what to focus on when you build yours.

Partnership Proposal

Pitch your company or project in an organized and convincing way. Include an overview of your company or project, and emphasize the gains of the partnership for both parties. Make the mutual value obvious in the first 3 slides.

Sponsorship Package

The sponsorship proposal works for events of any size. Introduce yourself and the event in just a few slides. Professional and organized regardless of the type of organization or who's attending.

Music Business Plan and Recording Studio Business Plan

Music business proposals work best when the brand reflects the artistic identity. Fill in the content with your music brand specifics, and let Decktopus handle how it looks. Change branding according to your clients easily.

Business Project Proposal

Stand out with a polished project proposal whether you're presenting in the office or remotely. Make your project specifics easy to grasp.

Non-Profit Business Proposal

A business plan can be invaluable for non-profits. Even a brief non-profit business plan urges you to research, crystallize your purpose, and refine your messages. For deeper guidance on this, see our sample business plan for nonprofit organization.

Sales Business Proposal

Sales proposals can mean the difference between losing and making a sale. Done correctly, an offer not only helps close the sale but also makes it bigger.

Focus on the prospect's goals. Most sales reps focus solely on the results they can offer. Instead, focus on the main problems your prospect is trying to solve. For more on framing sales narratives, see our breakdowns of the sales pitch and how to prepare a sales proposal step-by-step.

Commercial and Business Lease Proposal

The business lease proposal closes the deal. Professional and designed for speed. Change branding on the fly to fit any type of client. Close faster with a creative, helpful proposal presentation.

For more on building marketing-focused proposals, see our breakdown of how to write a marketing proposal step-by-step.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) How do I export my business proposal as a PowerPoint (PPT)?

Decktopus generates your business proposal from a short description and exports as both PPT and PDF. Upload your existing proposal document as a supporting file to give the AI more context, then refine specific slides with prompts before exporting.

2) Where can I find business proposal layouts to start from?

Decktopus generates business proposal presentations from a short description, with your brand applied automatically from your website URL. After signing up with your email or Google account, you can start building proposals immediately.

3) What are some common business proposal examples?

There are many use cases. Common ones include accounting services proposals, educational project proposals, digital marketing proposals, partnership proposals, sponsorship packages, and sales proposals. Each follows the same core structure (problem, solution, pricing, ask), with industry-specific details swapped in.

4) How do I share my business proposal with my prospect?

Once your business proposal is finished in Decktopus, you can download it as a PDF or PPT file. You can also share the link to your Decktopus deck with your audience, or present directly from the editor. For more on AI presentation tools generally, see our guide on the best AI presentation tools.

5) How long should a business proposal be?

Most business proposals are 8 to 15 pages or slides. RFP responses can run longer because the buyer dictates the format. The shorter you can make it while still answering every question, the better.

6) What's the difference between a business proposal and a business plan?

A business proposal is external-facing and pitches a specific deal to a client. A business plan is internal-facing and covers your company's strategy. See our deeper breakdown on business proposal vs business plan for full guidance.

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