How to Make Proposal Templates That Sell

June 20, 2018

In the search for new business, organizations will commonly need to prepare proposals that outline their services and/or products to acquire new customers.

Powerful proposals require certain elements in order to capture the attention of the reader; including details that cover all bases and an easy-to-read yet appealing design. Customizing your proposals to your customer’s needs is essential.

Need to build a proposal but not sure what to include in it? Deciding between free proposal templates or purchasing a software to help you out? Here are the key components that will make your proposal stand out from your competition.

Depending on your business, your proposal should include some or all of the following:

Who you are

Brand Identity – The identity of your business must be reflected on your proposal. This includes logos, fonts, colors, slogans, and other additions that characterize your business.
Past Clients – Include a list of your current or previous clients/customers, especially those recognizable or relevant to the recipient. Also, be sure to backup your claims if asked.
Team Members – If applicable, mention the team members associated with the deal. You can even include their faces to help personalize the quote.
Technology – If applicable, add a brief description of the technology that will be used with the deal.

What you’re selling

Offer Details – Build a table that includes details such as item description(s), pricing, quantity, and customizations they may have requested.
Terms and Conditions – Briefly mention the terms and conditions associated with the deal.

Next steps

Contract signature – Save a step by adding a signature line, which can be included with an attached statement of work. This allows for immediate sign off to begin working immediately.
Point of Contact – For easier follow up, contract revisions, and ongoing discussions, provide a point of contact that your potential customer can communicate with if there are any questions afterwards.

Great proposal templates can save you time and energy while adding consistency. Your proposals should include your logo and the necessary details about your company. Your proposal should also include an impactful cover page – one that encapsulates the details of the deal and drives excitement about your product or service.

Applications that build proposal templates should be simple to design with zero coding experience required. A “what you see is what you get” (WYSIWYG) interface can help you customize the look and feel of your template. Designing your quotes in advance makes proposals a breeze for your sales team to prepare, customize, and send.

However, it’s important to avoid the most common mistakes in preparation of a deal. Stay away from built-in proposal templates in Word or Excel – customizing a master template file can be difficult to internally share or keep consistent. In most cases, commonly used templates will be glazed over without a second look. Plus, if you accidentally send out a proposal with incorrect details, it’s hard to undo.

It’s also important to convert your proposals into PDFs before sending. This ensures you don’t lose sales from unapproved edits, broken formatting, incompatible file formats, or any other mishaps that may occur. This is even more so applicable if you’re sending proposals prepared in Word or Excel.

A great proposal takes an effort to prepare. If you’re competing for business, the company that goes the extra mile will win the customer over. Creating your custom proposal templates will make your business stand out.

We believe in proposals that sell. TeamGram can help you build professional proposals in minutes at an affordable price point. Start a free trial and prepare your first proposal today!