Business proposal template, with a filled-in example

This free business proposal template is for any company selling to another company: a service, a project, a product or an ongoing program. It gives you every section a B2B buyer looks for, in the order they read it, with brackets to fill in. Below the template you'll find a complete business proposal example for a made-up small business, how to write each part, and the mistakes that slow deals down. It's one of our free proposal templates. If you want to send it as a live page instead of a PDF, see proposal software.

The business proposal template

Example: a filled-in business proposal

Here is a business proposal sample for a made-up small business. Harbor and Pine Print Co. is a fictional six-person commercial print shop. It's proposing a year of printing and signage to Calder Ridge Dental, a fictional dental group with four clinics. All names, prices and dates are invented for this example.

Proposal title: One print program for all four Calder Ridge clinics

1. Executive summary. Today each Calder Ridge clinic orders its own forms, cards and signs from different suppliers, and the brand looks different at every location. You told us you want one look, one person to call and no more rush fees. We recommend the Program option: a shared brand print kit, new signage at all four clinics and monthly printing delivered to each clinic, for $2,150 a month over 12 months. If you accept by the 15th, we can start the design kit the following week.

2. Your situation. In our call, Dana (operations manager) said:

• "Every clinic has a different version of our patient forms, and some are two years out of date."
• "I spend most of a day each month chasing print orders."
• "We paid rush fees three times last quarter because someone ran out of appointment cards."

What success looks like: every clinic uses the current forms and brand, orders take minutes, and rush fees stop.

3. Proposed solution.

• Out-of-date forms: we build one approved set of forms and cards, and only that set can be ordered.
• Time spent chasing orders: each clinic orders from one catalog by email or a short form, and we deliver on a fixed monthly run.
• Rush fees: we hold a buffer of the five most-used items for each clinic and restock it every month.

4. Deliverables.

Not included: building permits for exterior signs (we'll advise if any are needed), patient-facing digital displays, and printing for marketing campaigns, which can be added at catalog rates.

5. Timeline. Week 1: kickoff and photos of every clinic. Weeks 2-3: design kit, two rounds of changes, sign-off by Dana. Weeks 4-6: signage produced and installed one clinic at a time, after hours. Month 2 onward: monthly runs.

6. Pricing.

We recommend Program because it fixes all three problems Dana named for one predictable monthly cost. On Essentials, the signage refresh is quoted separately at $6,400.

7. Why Harbor and Pine. We print and install in-house, so one team owns the job from design to the door. You get a proof before every new item and one named account manager. We're happy to share samples of similar multi-location work before you decide.

8. Terms. Invoiced monthly, due in 15 days. 12-month term, then month to month with 30 days' notice. Orders needed in under 48 hours are charged at 25% above catalog rates. Design changes within the kit are free; new items are quoted first.

9. Next steps. Accept by the 15th. Kickoff call within five business days. Before kickoff, send us your current forms and logo files.

How to write a business proposal with this template

Tips for small businesses

If you're a small business selling to a bigger one, the proposal is often the first thing their finance person or owner sees from you. A few things help:

• Price in their terms. If they budget monthly, show a monthly price. If they buy by location, show a price per location. Don't make the approver do math to compare you.
• Make proof checkable. A sample of past work or a reference they can call beats a paragraph of adjectives.
• Say who will do the work. Buyers worry that a small supplier depends on one person. Name the team and what happens if someone is out.
• Keep the terms short and fair. A one-page set of terms gets signed faster than a long contract, and you can still attach your full terms.
• Match their format for solicited proposals. If they sent a request for proposal with required sections, follow it exactly and add your own sections after.

Common business proposal mistakes

• Starting with your company. The first page should be about the client. Move "About us" to section 7.
• One price, take it or leave it. A single number invites a yes-or-no decision. Two or three options invite a choice.
• Vague deliverables. "Ongoing support" gets argued about. "Monthly print run on the first Tuesday" doesn't.
• No expiry date. An open-ended proposal invites the client to come back in six months expecting the old price.
• No clear way to say yes. "Let us know your thoughts" is not an instruction. Tell them exactly how to accept.
• Sending it and waiting. Decide when you'll follow up, and with what reason to talk, before you send it.

Send it as a page they can accept

With AfterDemo, this business proposal becomes a live page your client opens on any device, shares with the people who sign off, and accepts in one click. You see who read it, and which sections held their attention. See a live example, or start free and send your first one today.