business development proposal template word

Free Business Development Proposal Template That Wins Clients

This proven proposal template won over $23,000,000 of business for our business development customers in 2023 alone. The text, images, colours, your logo - it's all 100% editable.

Everything you need is included

Looking for visually appealing and highly functional? You’ve got it. This template comes with a pre-built layout designed to help you create professional documents quickly and easily.

• Case study example
• Next steps with digital signing
• Pre-written contract
• Take payments from your clients

The first thing your client sees is a beautifully designed cover, fit for a world-class business development pro. If the cover doesn't impress them, it's always going to be an uphill struggle from there. You can change the text, your logo, and the background image if you like - this gets you started.

Writing about what you do is hard. How much is too much? Will the client understand it? Completely valid questions and ones you don't need to worry about now.

In this business development proposal template, the page detailing the work you're going to do is done, the structure is laid out. You just need to add a few client specifics when you use it.

Like with this entire proposal, it's all editable - the colors, the text, images, layout - everything.

Explaining the business development sales process can be difficult. You want to give enough detail, but not so much that it seems overwhelming. Fortunately, this has been battle-tested and is the perfect amount of information. You can tweak it to suit your exact process.

The number of biz dev pros that simply put examples of their work in their proposal templates is shocking. It's not enough. If you want to be taken seriously, you need to show that you understood the client's issues and came up with a solution that was successful.

In this business development proposal template, we've set out an example case study. All you need to do is replace our example with one of yours and use the structure we've used.

Getting pricing right for business development services is difficult. In this automatically calculated pricing table, all you do is put the numbers in, type a quick 1-line description of the service and the quote part of your proposal is done. If you want to charge per hour, sell in quantities, or have optional up-sell products, you can do that, too.

One of the biggest reasons businesses don't win work is they don't give clear instructions on how to buy from them. This proposal template comes with a 'Next Steps' page which you shouldn't need to alter at all. Simply detail the next steps your client will go through and ask them to sign digitally by typing their name and clicking Accept.

Our digital signatures are 100% legal and compliant. When your client signs, you can see your digital signature certificate in your Better Proposals account.

Every service business needs a contract with their clients. The business development world is no exception. We've scoured the world for experts to lend their contracts they use in their businesses for you to use.

We're not legal professionals and don't play them on the internet, but if you're not using anything at all, this will likely be a great start. That said, get a legal professional to read it over.

Getting paid - it's the hardest thing to do in business. The sooner and the easier you can get that money in your account, the better.

Using our integrations with Stripe, PayPal, and GoCardless, you can take a payment from your client the moment they sign your proposal. Then, if needed, you can also start a subscription.

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Set up your logo, brand colors, and fonts once to have them automatically embedded in all your documents.

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Reuse what works

Save your best work into the Content Library and use pre-built blocks to speed up your doc creation.

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Leave embarrassing mistakes in the past. Use merge tags to automatically populate docs with the right information.

• {{company_name}}
• {{first_name}}
• {{last_name}}
• {{email_address}}
• {{brand_company_name}}
• {{owner_first_name}}
• {{owner_last_name}}
• {{owner_email_address}}

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Blog Business How to Write Business Proposal (Examples + Free Templates)

How to Write Business Proposal (Examples + Free Templates)

Written by: Aditya Sheth Jan 25, 2024

The great Mark Cuban once said, “Sales cure all.” If a business doesn’t sell, it doesn’t make money and by extension the business fails. That’s why you need to write business proposals .

A well-written business proposal can often mean the difference between winning or losing a prospective client.

In this in-depth guide to creating business proposals, we show you how to close more deals, make more sales and crush your business goals — all by using easy-to-edit professional business proposal templates .

Here’s what this guide will cover (click to jump ahead):

What is a business proposal, what are the components of a business proposal.

• How to write a business proposal step by step

What should you include in a business proposal?

What are the types of business proposals, more business proposal examples + writing and design tips.

• FAQs about business proposals

Looking for a shortcut? Watch this quick video for an overview of everything to include in your business proposal:

A business proposal is a document designed to outline a business plan to convince potential client, investor or partner to engage in a business agreement with you or your company. It’s basically a sales pitch in writing to persuade potential clients to show them benefits of working with you or your company for their business success.

A business proposal outlines what your business does and what you can do for your client . It can be general like this business proposal example:

Or it can be more specific, like this business proposal template which focuses on proposing a project for the Newton Center Rail:

Or this business proposal sample, which presents a plan for a social media strategy and campaign:

To design a business proposal that holds the client’s attention, identify their pain points . Then provide your buyer with the right solution to alleviate those frustrations.

Working on a new project? These project proposal examples might come in handy for you.

The components of a business proposal can change depending on the field, company size and client needs. While details may differ, strong proposals typically introduce your company, explain the problem, offer a solution and its benefits, highlight your team’s skills, and outline timeline, cost and next steps.

How to write a business proposal step by step

Before you start creating your business proposal template, you need to understand the business proposal format. At a high level, your effective business proposal should include the following:

• Create a compelling business proposal title
• Build a table of contents
• Craft the executive summary
• Write a detailed problem statement
• Propose your solutions
• Showcase your team’s expertise
• Create a realistic timeline
• Present your payment structure
• Specify the terms and conditions
• Receiving the decision

Below, you can see business proposal examples that demonstrate how to include these 10 sections.

1. Create a compelling business proposal title

A compelling title could mean the difference between someone reading your proposal or ignoring it in favor of a competitor’s . 

What makes a good title page? Here are the essential elements to include: 

• Your name along with your company’s name
• The name of the prospect (or their business) 
• The date you’re submitting the proposal

The gray business consulting proposal template above contains all the details a prospect would want to know. The title also offers a strong tangible benefit to the prospective buyer. Honestly, “Who doesn’t want to grow their business?”

2. Build a table of contents

The table of contents is a fundamental part of every winning business proposal template. It makes your proposal scannable and easy to read.

The people you will be pitching to are usually C-level executives like the CEO (Chief Executive Officer), COO (Chief Operating Officer), or fractional executives who work part-time. These are busy people who don’t have time to read your entire proposal in one go.

That’s why most of the business proposal examples in this list include a table of contents.

Adding a table of contents to your document makes it easy for them to go through it at their own pace. They can also skim through parts of the proposal that they deem more important. You can see how this abstract business proposal template uses the table of contents:

You can also make your business proposal template easier to navigate by adding hyperlinks to the document, particularly in the table of contents. This way your clients can jump to specific sections without having to scroll through the entire document. Ensuring your business plan format follows a clear structure can greatly enhance readability and comprehension for potential investors or partners.

It’s easy to add hyperlinks in the Venngage editor. Select the text you’d like to turn into a link, then click the link icon in the top bar. From there, select the page you want to link to! Then download your completed design as an Interactive PDF .

3. Craft the executive summary

The executive summary is a staple in all kinds of annual reports , leadership development plan , project plans and even marketing plans . It is a concise summary of the entire contents of your document. In other words, write a business proposal outline that is easy to glance over and that highlights your value proposition.

The goals of your executive summary are:

• Introduce your company to your buyer
• Provide an overview of your company goals
• Showcase your company’s milestones, overall vision and future plans
• Include any other relevant details

This gray business proposal example has a detailed yet short executive summary including some social proof in the form of clients they’ve worked with:

Take note of how precise this business proposal example is. You want to keep your executive summary concise and clear from the get-go. This sets the right tone for the rest of your proposal. It also gives your buyer a reason to continue reading your proposal.

Crafting an executive summary and keeping it concise and compelling can be challenging. but you can use an AI summarizer online to generate an executive summary. Such tools are trained on relevant AI models that can extract core points from a given text. You can get such a point either in bullet form or in abstract summary form.

Pro Tip: Try to write an executive summary such that, even if your prospective client doesn’t read the entire proposal (with a good executive summary, they most likely will), they should have a clear idea about what your company does and how you can help them.

4. Write a detailed problem statement

The point of writing a business proposal is to solve a buyer’s problem. Your goal is to outline the problem statement as clearly as possible. This develops a sense of urgency in your prospect. They will want to find a solution to the problem. And you have that solution.

 A well-defined problem statement does two things: 

• It shows the prospect you have done your homework instead of sending a generic pitch
• It creates an opportunity for you to point out a problem your prospect might not be aware they had in the first place. 

This bold business proposal template above clearly outlines the problem at hand and also offers a ray of hope i.e. how you can solve your prospect’s problem. This brings me to… 

5. P ropose your solutions

The good stuff. In the proposed solution section, you show how you can alleviate your prospective buyer’s pain points. This can fit onto the problem statement section but if you have a comprehensive solution or prefer to elaborate on the details, a separate section is a good idea.

Spare no details regarding the solution you will provide. When you write a business proposal, explain how you plan to deliver the solution. Include an estimated timeline of when they can expect your solution and other relevant details.

For inspiration, look at how this business proposal template quickly and succinctly outlines the project plan, deliverables and metrics :

6. Showcase your team’s expertise

At this point, the prospect you’re pitching your solution to likes what they’re reading. But they may not trust you to deliver on your promises. Why is this?

It’s because they don’t know you. Your job is to convince them that you can fix their problem. This section is important because it acts as social proof. You can highlight what your company does best and how qualified your team is when you write a business proposal for a potential client.

This free business proposal template showcases the company’s accolades, client testimonials, relevant case studies, and industry awards. You can also include other forms of social proof to establish yourself as a credible business. This makes it that much more likely that they will say yes!

Pro Tip: Attaching in-depth case studies of your work is a great way to build trust with a potential client by showcasing how you’ve solved similar problems for other clients in the past. Our case study examples post can show you how to do just that.

7. Create a realistic timeline

To further demonstrate just how prepared you are, it’s important to outline the next steps you will take should your buyer decide to work with you.

Provide a timeline of how and when you will complete all your deliverables. You can do this by designing a  flow chart . Or add a  roadmap  with deadlines. Pitching a long-term project? A timeline infographic would be a better fit.

If you look at this abstract business proposal template below, even something as simple as a table can do the trick.

The timeline is not always set in stone, rather it’s an estimation. The goal is to clarify any questions your potential client might have about how you will deliver for the underlying B2B sales process.

8. Present your payment and terms

On this page, you can outline your fees, payment schedule, invoice payment terms , as well as legal aspects involved in this deal. You can even use the  Excel Invoice Template  to create professional-looking invoices (including brand logo and other elements) and add them to this page.

The adoption of invoice templates is beneficial for small businesses as it streamlines the invoicing process and maintains professionalism in financial dealings. Also, by utilizing small business invoice templates , you can efficiently manage invoicing tasks while upholding a polished and structured approach to financial transactions.

The key to good pricing is to provide your buyer with options. A  pricing comparison table can help with this. You want to give your client some room to work with. Make sure you’re not scaring off your client with a high price, nor undervaluing yourself. 

Breaking up your pricing in stages is another great way to make sure your potential client knows what he’s paying for. Look at how this simple business proposal template does this:

The legal aspects can slot right into the terms and conditions section. Alternatively, you can add them to the signature section of the proposal to keep things simple.

9. Specify the terms and conditions

Summarize everything you have promised to deliver so far. Include what you expect from your prospective buyer in return.   Add the overall project timeline from start to end, as well as payment methods and payment schedule, incorporating these details into an online digital project management tool. This way, both of you will be clear on what is being agreed on.

This step is very important as it outlines all the legal aspects of the deal. That is why the terms and conditions section of your proposal needs to be as clear as possible.

I recommend consulting a lawyer or your legal team when working on this section of the business proposal. If you’re a business veteran and understand the legalities of your business, you can use the same terms and conditions across all your proposals.

10. Receiving the decision

The final step of this whole process. Your client has read your business proposal and they want to buy what you have to offer.

Add a small section at the end of your proposal to get the necessary signatures. This way, you and your client can sign the proposal and the partnership becomes official.

Be sure to also include your contact information in your business proposal template. It acts as a gentle prompt to your client to contact you in case they have any questions. A professional way of doig that would be to include an e-business card with your contact details, email i.d and any other social links you want to share. You can go through this article for the best digital business cards .

A business proposal usually aims to answer the following questions: 

• Who you are and what your company does
• The problem your buyer is facing
• The solution your company offers to alleviate the problem
• How your company will implement this solution effectively
• An estimate of resources (time, money, etc) required to implement the solution

You can see how this sample business proposal template covers the above points.

Notice how this proposal template addresses the same project like in one of the previous templates, but uses a completely different design style (more retro, while the previous business proposal template is more modern and minimalistic).

Generally, there are three types of business proposals:

1. Formally solicited 

A formally solicited business proposal is made when you respond to an official request to write a business proposal.

In this scenario, you know all the requirements and have more (if not all) information about a prospective buyer. You simply need to write the business proposal for your buyer to evaluate so you can begin the sales process .

2. Informally solicited 

Informally solicited business proposals are written when there isn’t an official request for a proposal. A prospective buyer is interested in your services and asks for a proposal so they can evaluate it.

An informally solicited proposal requires a lot more research from your end. These types of proposals are usually created out of informal conversations. They are not based on official requests which often contain more detail.

3. Unsolicited 

Think of this as a marketing brochure or a cold email . Unsolicited business proposals will often take a generic, one-size-fits-all approach to business proposals. Unsolicited proposals lack any understanding of the buyer or their requirements.

But with additional  market research , personalization and identifying customer pain points , you can propose a customized solution based on your buyer’s needs. This can be a very persuasive approach, such as in this business proposal example:

Now that you know how to write a business proposal, let’s look at how you can optimize your proposal to deliver results!

Below you’ll find some winning business proposal templates and examples to get you started. I’ve also included some design tips to keep in mind when you’re creating your next business proposal: 

1. Know your audience 

If you have some clarity on who your ideal buyer is — their pain points, their budget, deadlines, among other things — you’ve already won half the battle.

If you are a business that helps clients with everything from running giveaways or helping grow their blog , identify which customers to pitch. This is a sure-shot way to close the deal.

Mapping user personas  for your ideal buyer can help bring some clarity. It will also help you position your business proposal correctly. This improves the chance of your buyer moving your business proposal to the “Yes!” pile.

2. Put your brand front and center

If your company follows certain brand guidelines, incorporate them in your business proposal templates. Consider how business proposal examples like the one below highlight brand identity :

From the color palettes to the company logos , everything follows their brand guidelines. The result: a business proposal that’s consistent across the board.

Pro Tip: Switching this template to match your brand assets is actually pretty easy. Venngage’s My Brand Kit feature allows you to import your color palettes, logos as well as font choices. Any Venngage template can now be your template.

You can also consider this sample business proposal template:

App design companies sure do know their design. They did a phenomenal job keeping their brand colors consistent while opting for a black design. This unique color scheme also makes their white logo prominent throughout the proposal.

3. Try less text, more visuals

Have you ever read a proposal and thought to yourself, “Wow, this is all text and has no images, I love it!”? Yeah, me neither.

The free business proposal template below is a perfect example of the “less is more” principle. It does a phenomenal job of communicating what it needs to. By substituting some of the text with icons and visuals, you get a clean business proposal that’s much more scannable.

Want to keep things strictly professional? Instead of icons, you can always add your team’s headshots. This shows your buyer exactly who they’ll be working with.  

Check out this formal business proposal format for some inspiration:

4. Switch up your business proposal designs

It doesn’t hurt to go above and beyond once in a while. Jazz up your business proposal template with some extra colors. This helps make your business proposal more engaging. It also helps your buyers retain information faster.

The business proposal example alternates between black, white and grey backgrounds. It still manages to maintain consistency in its branding . Just switching up your backgrounds once in a while can also bring in some variety to an otherwise standard business proposal.

This SEO business proposal sample proves that it’s possible to switch up the colors in every other page. But it still maintains the same color scheme across the entire proposal just like a professionally designed website : 

Pro Tip: Not a color expert? Our guide on picking colors can help you pick the right color scheme for your proposals.

FAQ about business proposals

What is the purpose of a business proposal.

A business proposal aims to streamline the B2B sales process (which is often complex ) between you as a seller and a buyer.

It does this by serving the dual purpose of acting as a source of information. The proposal also acts as a sales pitch aimed at convincing your buyer why they should buy what you have to offer.

What are the best practices for business proposal design?

• Do a thorough spell-check. The goal of your business proposal is to convince your buyer why you’re the perfect person for the job. A proposal with typos or grammatical errors communicates the opposite. A thorough spell-check before you send your proposal is a must.
• Keep things clear and readable: Clarity is an important aspect that you have to ensure in your business proposal. If you want your proposal to hit home and make an impact on the buyer, you have to write it in an understandable way. To keep things clear and readable, there are a couple of things that you can do. You can, for one, take care to use easy wording and segmented sentences from the get-go. You can also try paraphrasing the hard parts of your proposal once you are done writing it.
• Let your brand shine. As discussed before, writing a business proposal is all about knowing your ideal buyer and focusing on their pain points. But that doesn’t mean your business proposal template has to be boring. Demonstrate how different you are compared to other companies. You can do this through your brand guidelines , by using more visuals, switching up your proposal design or showing off your personality in your writing . 
• Create a business proposal PDF. Downloading your business proposal in PDF format allows you to attach other collaterals with your business proposal. These can include a company explainer video or case studies showcasing the work done with past clients. Also, who doesn’t love saving paper?

How long should your business proposal be? 

The length depends on the scope of the work as well as the complexity of the project. Here is a one-page business proposal template:

Can your business proposal template really be one page? Yes, as long as you understand who your buyer is and their pain points. You should also have the ability to communicate everything your ideal buyer needs to know about your business in a succinct manner.

Or if you’re feeling adventurous how about just two pages? Often, clients prefer if you go straight to the point and avoid all the fluff.

For example, this green modern marketing proposal template wastes no time in getting down to brass tacks:

Need more inspiration? Check out this blog on the 5 marketing proposal examples that’ll help elevate your business.

There is no one size fits all approach when it comes to deciding how many pages you should include in your business proposal template. And at the end of the day, “the only rules are the ones you set for yourself”.

At the end of the day, writing winning business proposals that sell is all about you understanding your buyer, their potential pain points and positioning yourself as someone who can alleviate those pain points. 

Now that you know how to write compelling business proposals, what are you waiting for?

Take action and start creating your own business proposals to close more deals and grow your business today!

More business communications templates + writing tips you might be interested in…

• 31 Consulting Proposal Templates to Close Deals
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How to Make Great Business Proposals With Microsoft Word Template Docs

A premium business proposal template is the best way to create a stellar proposal. The best business proposal template docs have everything you need, and a polished design, too.

A business proposal helps you attract partners, sponsors, or even buyers. That's why the business proposal is a key tool, and it needs to be professional to make your business look its best. One of the easiest ways to do this is to use a professional business proposal template .

In this tutorial,gra you'll learn how to create project proposals using Word templates. You'll also learn where to find some of the best business proposal templates .

Best Microsoft Word Business Proposal Templates (With Unlimited Use)

A business proposal introduces your business to potential clients, partners, and investors. It's likely to include:

• a description of your company
• evidence of your success via reviews and testimonials
• details of the business venture you're proposing
• a place where people can sign

Using a business proposal template in Word makes sense. For a start, using any template saves time and effort when creating a business proposal. That's always a plus for a busy business owner. 

Plus, there's no need to learn a complex program. Creating a proposal template in Word also helps business owners who aren't designers. You can focus on getting the content of your business proposal exactly right. 

If you're ready to find a professional business proposal template Word doc, Envato Elements has a compelling offer: download as many project proposal template Word docs as you want for one low price.

Or, if you want a single template for one-off use, you can find proposal templates for Word on GraphicRiver.

What You Need to Customize Your Business Proposal Template

Business proposals contain a lot of text. But you can also include images that make your business look its best. To customize your business proposal template in Word, you'll need:

• a company logo, to brand your business proposal document
• a cover image that relates to and showcases your business or the proposal content
• photos or graphics to illustrate key moments or important data
• text (the bit that tells the people who are reading your proposal what they want to know)

The text part of your business proposal will include:

• a company description
• testimonials, case studies, or portfolio items
• the actual proposal, including a description, timelines, and deadlines
• financial information
• terms and conditions for the deal
• space for people to sign

It's a good idea to research on the people who will read your proposal to make sure it's tailored to meet their needs. 

If you're still wondering " How do you write a proposal? " check out our guide to How to Make a Better Business Proposal . Next, we'll get started on how to create a proposal in Word. 

How to Customize a Microsoft Word Business Proposal Template

When you've got your content ready, it's time to create your business proposal. Word has built-in templates for many needs. But you'll find many more  Microsoft Word business proposal template docs  on Envato Elements. (You can also find well-designed business proposal templates on GraphicRiver.)

Here's how to create a business proposal using a Microsoft Word proposal template. We'll be using the clean, modern project  Proposal  template pictured below. It includes 32 different page layouts. You can easily customize it for your business proposals.

Here's how you find the perfect project proposal template for Word on Envato Elements:

1. Download a Business Proposal Template Word Doc

Go to the website. Choose Graphic Templates to the right of the search box to limit your search to templates. Type “business proposal templates” into the search box.

Use the on-screen filters to select templates suitable for print. This will ensure you get templates that look their best when printed. 

Click on any templates you like the look of to see a preview and get details of what's included. Keep going till you find a Word project proposal template that meets your needs. 

2. Download & Unzip the Business Proposal Template

Add your chosen business proposal template doc to a project in Envato Elements account. Then click Add & Download . This will download the zip file to your computer. Click on the downloaded file to unzip it. 

3. Explore the Proposal Template Folder

Next, check out what's inside the folder. You'll find Windows and Mac versions of the Word project proposal templates. It also has versions for the InDesign and Pages apps.

We'll use the US Letter template for this tutorial. Click on US Letter, then click on MS Word.

You'll find two versions of the templates. The DOCX version works with Word 2007 and later. If you're using an older version of Word, use the DOC template instead.

We'll use the DOCX version. Click on the DOCX folder to access the Proposal-US template, and you're ready for the next step.

4. Import the Template Into Microsoft Word

Double-click on your chosen Word proposal template. It should open in Microsoft Word. Save this with a new name so you've got the option to use the template to create new business proposals at any time.

If the template doesn't look as you expect, close the document. Go to the included ReadMe file. You'll find a download link for the font used in the proposal template, which is Source Sans Pro. Download the font, and click on the folder to unzip it.

There are several versions of the font. Click on one of them (the Regular is a good bet) to get the option to install it. Click Install to add it to your computer's fonts.

Repeat this step to install all necessary versions of the font to your computer. Then reopen the template as described above.

5. Explore the Business Proposal Template Word Doc

Next, take a look at your new proposal Word document. It's helpful to familiarize yourself with it so you know where to add text, images, and any other content.

This template has 32 pages, including areas to:

• summarize your business
• share contact details
• outline your proposal
• highlight key team members
• describe your business in detail
• showcase your achievements

6. Add a Cover Image

The first step is to add an image that represents your business as a cover image. 

To do this, right-click on the grey placeholder image box. Then select Change Picture > From a File . Next, add your cover image picture by uploading it from your computer. It'll automatically resize to fit the image placeholder box.

If you need to find suitable images, check out the images available on Envato Market  or Envato Elements . I used this image  for this tutorial.

7. Replace Placeholder Images

Repeat the steps above to replace other placeholder images in your proposal template. This is a good time to add your company logo, anywhere you want it to show up. We're using the abstract image below as a company logo.

8. Remove Unwanted Image Placeholders

Not every Word page layout needs multiple images. In that case, you'll want to remove unwanted placeholders for a cleaner, fresher look. For example, we added the logo on the page below, but there's an extra image placeholder we don't need.

Here's how you remove that. Click on the image placeholder so the handles show and use the Delete key on your keyboard to remove it.

The Word page layout looks much better once that's gone.

Follow the same process to remove other unwanted image placeholders.

9. Replace Placeholder Text

The next step is to turn all the information you have into a polished business proposal in Word. To do that, you'll need to replace the placeholder text included in the template.

A good place to start is with the easy items, like your:

• company name
• company address
• website and phone number

Then you can move on to other parts of the proposal.

There are a couple of ways to replace text in Word. First, place your mouse cursor inside a text box. Select the text you want to replace. Then type in your new text.

Or press Control-A on a PC to select all the text in a text box, delete it, and type from scratch. Here's how that looks:

Repeat the steps to replace the rest of the placeholder text in your Word business proposal doc.

10. Tweak the Proposal Design

While you add text and images to the design, it's important to make sure they look their best. So sometimes, you may need to make small adjustments to the design. For example, you can adjust the size of images like this.

Click on the image to bring up the image box handles.

Grab a handle to resize the image. You can also click in the middle of the box to move the resized image to a new place.

It's also essential to make sure that text is easy to read. Reposition text boxes using the process described for images above. You can also highlight text and described earlier and change the size or color to make it more legible. 

To change the size of the text, highlight it, and use the font size selector in the Word menu bar to pick a new size.

You can also use the text color selector in the Word menu bar to change the color, so the text is easy to read.

11. Proofread Your Business Proposal

Use Word's spelling and grammar checking tools as a first step to checking errors. Proofread the business proposal before printing it. Then send it to your intended partners, investors, or sponsors. It's important to avoid grammatical and spelling errors. They can make your business look less professional.

It's also essential to make sure any facts and figures presented are accurate. Consider hiring a proofreading service if you're not confident about your proofreading skills.

5 Quick Tips For Better Business Proposals 

The steps shared above cover the basics of creating a great business proposal in Word. But if you want your proposal to stand out, here are five more quick tips. These tips will help you create a standout business proposal. 

1. Create an Engaging Cover

Your cover is the first thing potential partners and investors will see. That’s why it needs to represent your business. Use a photo of your building, office, team members or even your logo. 

2. Use Plenty of Visuals

We’ve already mentioned that your business proposal should have images. Aside from images, don’t forget to include charts, infographics, graphs, and any other supporting material. This will help present the data in a visually appealing way.

3. Stand Out With Color

Your proposal doesn’t have to be all black and white. Use your brand colors to reinforce your brand image and make key areas stand out. 

4. Have a Strong Call to Action

Once your readers reach the end of your proposal, what do you want them to do? Make it clear and obvious what the next step is by using a strong call to action.

5. Organize Your Content Into Columns

Break up the pages into two columns when you've got a lot of information to share. Using columns to organize your content is a great way to make your proposal easy to read.

Discover More Great Business Proposal Templates

With the right business proposal templates for Word , you'll attract partners, sponsors, or investors you need.  Aside from Envato Elements, you can also find Word proposal templates on GraphicRiver. Here are some business proposal template articles to get you started:

Learn More About Creating Great Business Proposals

Customizing a Word proposal template is only the beginning. There’s a lot more that goes into making a great business proposal. We've got plenty of tutorials to help you out. Get started with these tutorials about creating business proposals:

Choose Your Next Business Proposal Template Word Doc

As you've seen, choosing and customizing a Word business proposal template doc is simple. With only a few tweaks, you can create a winning proposal. Then, all you need to do is get it into the hands of potential investors and partners.

You don't need to know how to design in Microsoft Word when you use a business proposal template doc. The template does all the heavy lifting. Word page layouts with text and image placeholders are already there. Just drop your content in place.

Get started today. Select Microsoft Word proposal templates on Envato Elements or GraphicRiver .

Editorial Note: This tutorial was last published on October 12, 2019.  It's been revised to make it current, accurate, and up to date by our staff—with special help from Brenda Barron.

Business growth

Business tips

20 free proposal templates to ace your pitch

In my vast experience of convincing people to do things they're initially sure they don't want to do, I've picked up a trick or two—namely, that no matter how exceptional and transformative your product may be, if your proposal doesn't articulate its value, you might as well fold it into a paper airplane and throw it out a window.

Impactful proposals require structure, which is where a proposal template comes in. It's the strategic framework that turns your pitch into the corporate equivalent of standing outside someone's house with a boombox over your head—except instead of blasting Peter Gabriel, you're serenading prospects with solutions to their pain points.

Here, in a burst of generosity characteristic of neither me nor most of the business industry, I'll share 20 free proposal templates and show you how to use them to showcase your unique offerings.

Table of contents:

What is a proposal?

A proposal is a persuasive document used to convince someone to buy into your project, idea, or business opportunity. It outlines what you plan to do, how you plan to do it, when you plan to do it, and how much it will cost.

A proposal is the first—and sometimes only—shot to make an impression. It's your opportunity to prove that you understand a potential client's underlying needs and showcase why you're the best choice for the job. A well-crafted proposal can mean the difference between popping Champagne and crying into your takeout.

There are two types of business proposals:

Solicited proposals are submitted in response to a formal client request for proposal (or RFP) and have specific requirements issued by the client.

Unsolicited proposals , sometimes called proactive proposals, are offered to a prospect independent of a request, usually following discussions about their business needs.

Proposals come in all shapes and sizes, from a quick email pitch to a 100-page grant proposal with a budget the size of a small country's GDP. The key is choosing the right level of detail for your audience and objectives. 

If responding to an RFP from a big company, you should roll out the red carpet with videos, case studies, client testimonials—the works. For a small business owner you've been nurturing for months, a short but compelling proposal focused on key benefits and next steps is likely all you'll need.

At the end of the day, a solid proposal should convince your reader that you understand their problems and have the solutions to fix them.

How to choose the right proposal template for your needs

Different objectives call for a different approach and, thus, a different template. The one you choose should align with your needs and requirements to fit your project like a glove (or at least like a comfortably loose mitten). 

Follow these steps to get started:

Next, consider who's sitting across the table from you. A contract proposal for legal professionals will differ vastly from a storyboard proposal aimed at creatives. The template should speak their language and cater to their expectations. 

Lastly, consider your desired outcome or what you're after. Are you looking to win a contract, forge a partnership, or charm the coins out of investors' pockets? Your template should have all the necessary details to prompt a reaction more positive than the one I get when I say I'm a writer at a family gathering.

Free business proposal templates for any industry

Crafting polished proposals is key to winning new clients and growing your business. But who has the time to start from scratch every time? These business proposal example templates have got you covered. Clients and customers will be so impressed with your beautifully crafted proposal that they won't even realize how little effort it actually took.

Project proposal template

A project proposal outlines the details of a specific project, including an executive summary, objectives, scope, timeline, and costs, submitted for approval or funding. It's essentially a wishlist of how you plan to spend someone else's money.

Best used for: Securing funding or approval for a project

Who should use it: Project managers, business owners, entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations

Business proposal template

A business proposal is a comprehensive offer from a business to a prospective client detailing how the business can meet the client's needs and the benefits of choosing its services or products.

Best used for: Securing funding from investors, attracting new clients, or partnering with other businesses

Who should use it: Business owners, entrepreneurs, sales professionals

Job proposal template

A job proposal helps freelancers pitch their services effectively to potential clients. It emphasizes understanding client needs and providing a breakdown of project costs, which improves pitch quality and increases the chances of securing valuable client partnerships.

Best used for: Securing freelance work

Who should use it: Freelancers of all types, including writers, designers, developers, and more

Proposal letter template

Best used for: Concisely presenting a proposal to a potential client or partner

Who should use it: Business owners, sales professionals, freelancers

Contract proposal template

A contract proposal is a formal offer detailing the terms and conditions under which a party will perform services or deliver goods to another party. It's the prenup of the business world.

Note: always run such contracts by your legal team to ensure they align with your interests and comply with relevant laws.

Best used for: Securing a contract with a client or partner

Who should use it: Business owners, sales professionals, lawyers

Event proposal template

An event proposal is a detailed plan submitted to stakeholders outlining the concept, logistics, budget, and expected outcomes of a proposed event. It's the party planner's battle strategy, where success is measured not in conquests but in compliments and clinking glasses.

Best used for: Securing funding or approval for an event

Who should use it: Event planners, non-profit organizations, businesses

Content marketing proposal template

Best used for: Securing a content marketing contract with a client

Who should use it: Content marketers, freelancers, agencies

Proposal planning template

A proposal plan is a structured document that outlines the approach, resources, and timeline for accomplishing a specific goal or project. It's essentially admitting you need a plan to make your plan. It's plans all the way down.

Best used for: Ensuring that a proposal is well organized, persuasive, and complete

Who should use it: Anyone who writes proposals, including business owners, sales professionals, freelancers, and non-profit organizations

Research proposal template

A research proposal is a systematic plan proposing a research project, typically including the research objectives, methodology, timeline, and estimated budget—the "hold my beer" for academics.

Best used for: Securing funding or approval for a research project

Who should use it: Researchers, academics, students

Budget proposal template

Best used for: Securing funding or approval for a budget

Who should use it: Project managers, event planners, business owners

SEO proposal template

Best used for: Securing an SEO contract with a client

Who should use it: SEO professionals, freelancers, agencies

Web design proposal template

A web design proposal outlines the scope, design, functionality, and cost of a website developed for a client. It essentially helps navigate the journey from "Hey, I need a website" to "Wow, this is exactly what I envisioned!"

Best used for: Securing a web design contract with a client

Who should use it: Web designers, freelancers, agencies

Sponsorship proposal template

A sponsorship proposal seeks financial or in-kind support from a sponsor, detailing the benefits the sponsor will receive in return. It's like asking someone to pay for your party and, in return, they get their name on all the balloons. It's a win-win, especially if you like balloons.

Best used for: Securing sponsorships for an event or initiative

Who should use it: Event planners, business owners, and non-profits

Social media marketing proposal template

Best used for: Securing a social media marketing contract with a client

Who should use it: Social media marketers, freelancers, agencies

Consulting proposal template

A consulting proposal is a document in which a consultant outlines the services they offer to solve a client's problems, including methodology, timeline, and pricing. It's for the Mary Poppins of the business world, swooping in with a bag of tricks to fix everything from their sales strategy to their coffee machine.

Best used for: Securing a consulting contract with a client

Who should use it: Consultants, freelancers, agencies

Service proposal template

Best used for: Securing a service contract with a client

Who should use it: Freelancers, agencies, businesses

Sales proposal template

​​A sales proposal helps sales professionals present their products effectively and establish credibility with potential clients by showcasing the company's background and client testimonials.

Best used for: Closing sales deals

Who should use it: Sales professionals

Grant proposal template

A grant proposal is a written request for funding submitted to an organization or government agency, detailing the purpose, plan, and budget of the project needing support. It's like Kickstarter but with more footnotes.

Best used for: Securing funding for a project from a grant-making organization

Who should use it: Non-profit organizations, researchers, academics

Storyboard proposal template

A storyboard proposal is used to visualize and plan a project and is typically a visual representation of the project's key steps, milestones, and deliverables. It's like drawing a treasure map for your project, except the treasure is just meeting your deadlines and hopefully not walking the plank.

Best used for: Securing approval for a storyboard or selling a storyboard to a client

Who should use it: Project managers, business owners, designers

Partnership proposal template

Best used for: Establishing a mutually beneficial partnership

Who should use it: Business owners, sales professionals, non-profit organizations

Tips for optimizing a proposal template for your business

When it comes to proposal templates, you need to make them work for you, not the other way around. The template is just a jumping-off point. To combat its genericness, it's essential to add your own razzle-dazzle. Here are a few tips to make any old template sizzle.

Tailor content to suit the specific project

When you begin to write a business proposal, the first thing to consider is your audience. Who are you trying to woo, and what will make them open their wallets?

Here's how to do some sleuthing to identify your target reader and customize your pitch to their needs:

Do your research: Check out the client's website and social media profiles. See what they're posting about and what their customers are saying. Look for any public RFPs or project briefs. The more you understand their business and goals, the better you can position your proposal.

Tailoring your content isn't just about fitting in—it's about fitting so well they can't imagine going with anyone else.

Add visual elements and branding

Long before our brains got rewired to crave the instant gratification of flashy screens and endless scrolling, our ancestors were also suckers for a good visual. There's nothing quite like an eye-catching graph, chart, or image to break up blocks of text and drive a point home.

Photos: Throw in some photos of your smiling face, your product in action, stacks of money, or whatever is relevant and helps tell your story. Just be sure any visuals are high quality and actually add value. And please, no cheesy stock photos of overly enthusiastic business people engaging in unnatural acts of corporate glee.

Infographics: If you have data or statistics to share, turn them into slick infographics. Those colorful, bite-sized bits of visual information are like catnip for proposal readers. But keep your infographics clear and concise. Cramming too much text or too many numbers onto one can make people's eyes glaze over faster than a hot donut.

Company branding: Spice up your proposal format with your company's colors, logo, and fonts—whatever matches your branding. This helps build brand recognition and makes your proposal look more professional. But don't go overboard, or it'll seem like you're overcompensating.

Using visuals and branding in your proposal helps bring it to life, giving readers an instant visual understanding of your company and offer, all while flexing your expertise. And that can only help your chances of getting to yes.

Choose the right language and tone

When choosing the language and tone for your proposal, you have to walk a fine line. Aim for that sweet spot where you sound like a polished pro, but not so much that people think you're actually a robot in a skin suit.

Use balanced language: Avoid stiff, formal language as much as overly casual speak. Expressions like "enclosed herewith, please find" sound pompous, while "wanna" and "gonna" are too laid-back. Simple, straightforward language is the way to go.

Engage your reader: Talk to your reader like you would a colleague or client. Let your passion shine through in a genuine, unforced way. Demonstrate your enthusiasm for the project without the aggressive, frantic energy of someone selling blenders on infomercials at 3 a.m.

Keep promises realistic: While you want to highlight the benefits and potential wins of choosing you, don't make promises you can't keep or claims you can't back up. Share relevant case studies, statistics, and data to build a persuasive yet realistic argument. Your readers will appreciate your honesty and see you as a trustworthy partner.

Meticulously proofread: With the language and tone set, be sure to proofread carefully. Double-check for any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors that can undermine your credibility and the professionalism of your proposal. Nothing screams "I wrote this in the parking lot" like a typo.

Highlight your unique selling proposition and social proof

You've got to convince your clients you're better than all the other yahoos vying for their business, and the best way to do that is by showing off what makes you uniquely qualified to solve their problems.

Framing your unique selling proposition (USP) in a way that benefits the customer is vital because it makes your offering more relatable and appealing, directly addressing the customer's needs or pain points.

For instance, a company might boast, "Our team has 103 years of collective experience." That's a hefty number, and one can't help but picture a team of Gandalfs shuffling papers and nodding sagely. Yet, without context, it's just a number, as emotionally stirring as announcing you've collected 103 pieces of lint from your dryer.

Instead of just humblebragging about your gazillion years of experience, tell prospects how it benefits them: "Our team's 103 years of collective experience means we spot problems before they arise, we don't waste time upskilling, and, like workplace MacGyvers, we're ready to turn a paperclip and a stick of gum into a solution."

Provide solid evidence that you've done this kind of work before. Share details of similar successful projects, along with social proof like testimonials or case studies from happy clients. Mention any awards or the time you got mentioned in the paper for something other than that misunderstanding about the "borrowed" traffic cone. The more you can demonstrate your experience and expertise, the more credibility you'll build.

Include a strong call to action

At the risk of stating the obvious, which I understand is a cherished tradition in the world of business proposals, one must not, under any circumstances, let a proposal fizzle out at the end without calling out next steps. It's like leaving a high-five hanging—it's awkward and, honestly, a little sad. Give your proposal the kind of finale that has confetti cannons and at least one person in the background slow-clapping until everyone joins in.

Remember, ending a business proposal without a call to action is like forgetting to say "Bingo!" when you've got five in a row—it's a missed opportunity that could cost you more than just mild embarrassment at the senior center. Don't let a weak ending undermine an otherwise slam-dunk proposal. A strong finish could be the difference between a lost opportunity and your next big client.

Proposal template next steps

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Allisa Boulette

Based in New England, Allisa is a content marketer and small business owner who hopes to make the internet a more interesting place than she found it. When she’s not working, you can find her lying very still not doing anything.

• Sales & business development
• Small business

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59+ Free Proposal Templates for MS Word

Event proposals.

Job Proposal Formats

Accounting Proposals

Bid Proposals

Marketing Proposals

Business Proposals

Consulting Proposals

Construction Proposals

Common misconceptions surrounding business proposals:

• A business proposal is mere wastage of time, you don’t necessarily need one.
• The clients/investors would invest no energy in reading your business proposal.
• Business proposals should be lengthy, all-embracing, and extensive.
• Businesses today are no more interested in creating business proposals.
• You don’t have to be prompt in creating a business proposal.
• Our business proposal will blow the customers away once they read it, therefore we don’t need to personally go see the customers.

Types of business proposals:

• Formally Solicited business proposals: A formal request has been made in this case. The writer is aware of all the official guidelines, requirements, and detailed information in this case.
• Informally Solicited business proposals: In cases where there isn’t an official business request for the creation of the business proposal, rather an informal request has been made from one of the potential clients or buyers in order to give them an insight into the credentials and services of the business they are interested in.
• Unsolicited business proposals: The “un-asked-for” or unsolicited proposals are created when the recipient has not requested the proposal by itself, rather the writer might need to convince the business of the need for the origination of a proposal based on the type of the project. These do not include a detailed involvement of the business or the client rather is more of a generic document that can be rendered suitable for more than one type of situation. These can also be customized based on the needs of the party involved.
• Internal business proposals: Just as the name depicts, an internal business proposal is meant to stay “within” the organization and is generally designed for the people and officials within the same organization. This is prepared for providing them an idea of the information that will be included inside a proper business proposal meant for a specific project or service, helping them approve or reject one. The ease with this kind is that these need not embrace all and every detail, and can be comprised of a more “generic” approach too.
• External business proposals: Written with a far more informal approach as compared to the internal ones, these proposals are prepared with an intention to be sent “outside” and organization and are designated to be received by any particular entity, organization, or a decision-maker external to your own company.

Process of creating a business proposal:

• Get ready, fold your arms, and make sure you have the right information required for outlining the proposal.
• Carve out the potential scope of your business proposal; ask yourself all the “hows, whats, whys, whens, and ifs.”
• Calculate the expected cost
• Read and proofread

This is what your business proposal outline should look like:

• A title page
• A cover letter
• An Executive summary
• Table of Contents
• Services and Methodology
• Deliverables
• Estimated Budget/Pricing
• About the business
• Past clients and contacts
• Terms and Conditions

Things to avoid in your business proposal:

• Going overboard with your qualities and concealing your flaws
• Not enough research
• Underestimating the competitors
• Including more information than needed.
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Powerful business plan templates

Plan for the future, no matter what your business plans are or the size of your business with these designs and templates. whether it's just one big project or an entire organization's worth of dreams, these templates will keep you and your company on track from ideation to completion..

Put your ideas to work with simple templates for every business plan

Every successful business took a lot of planning to get there, and these templates will be cornerstones of your future success. Whether you're looking to attract new business, pitch your services or reimagine your company, with these simple, customizable templates at your fingertips you can turn complexity into something tangible. These templates can become marketing assets or simply remain internal touchpoints for your team. And as your dreams change, you'll always have this template to refer to – it's easy to change what exists on paper. If you're a small business, focusing on your niche can help you dominate in your field, and you can forge a plan to figure out exactly what that niche might be and how to target your ideal customer . When it's time to share your vision with stakeholders, craft a presentation that outlines your plan succinctly and with style. Let these templates from Microsoft Designer be your partner in business strategy for years to come.

35+ Best Business & Project Proposal Templates for Microsoft Word 2024

Microsoft Word is the perfect tool for quickly putting together a professional brochure or a proposal in a very short amount of time. What makes it even better is the ability to use templates.

With Word templates, you can instantly produce a high-quality brochure design without having to spend hours perfecting it. They simply help cut your work time in half.

In this post, we feature some of the best proposal templates for Word that you can use to create beautiful brochures for various types of business proposals. Be sure to keep a few of these templates saved on your computer to use whenever you need to create a quick project proposal.

6,000+ Word Templates & More With Unlimited Downloads

Discover thousands of Microsoft Word templates for your next project with an Envato Elements membership. It starts at $16 per month, and gives you unlimited access to a growing library of over 2,000,000 graphic templates, design assets, themes, photos, and more.

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Explore Word Templates

Modern Project Proposal MS Word Template

This Word template comes with a modern and stylish design that will allow you to craft project proposals that win clients. It lets you choose from 16 page layouts with colorful shapes, paragraph styles, and editable graphics. You can also customize each page to match your branding. The template is available in Word and InDesign formats.

Minimal Project Proposal Word & InDesign Template

If you prefer to use a clean and minimal approach in your proposal brochure, this template is perfect for you. It comes with 16 page designs that include layouts for showcasing your client testimonials, teams, project timeline, and much more. This template also includes both Word and InDesign files.

Business Proposal PowerPoint & Word Templates

A three-in-one bundle that lets you design a business proposal brochure and a presentation slideshow with matching designs. This pack includes a proposal template in Word and InDesign as well as a slideshow template in PowerPoint format. You can use it to present your proposals in client meetings and conferences.

Dark Business Proposal Template for Word

A dark color theme is a great choice for designing proposals with an elegant and professional feel. This Word template will help you achieve that goal. It features 20 unique page layouts with a fully editable design. It’s available in both MS Word and InDesign formats.

Elegant Business Proposal Document for Word

This Word template will not only help you design an elegant proposal but will also help represent your brand in a professional way. It features a beautiful design that you can customize to your preference. And it includes 26 page layouts in A4 size.

Auxell – Elegant Business Proposal Word Template

At first glance, you can see how this brochure template is the perfect choice for designing business proposals. It has a clean and professional design with a blue color scheme. It also uses modern formatting, shapes, and includes 24 unique page designs to choose from.

Word Digital Marketing Proposal Template

If you’re working on a marketing proposal for a client or even your own business, this Word template will come in handy. It includes 28 page layouts with modern and fully editable designs. The template comes in MS Word, InDesign, and PowerPoint versions.

Free Freelance SEO Proposal Word Template

This is a simple and free Word template you can use to put together a basic proposal for your freelance SEO projects. It includes several customizable page layouts and it comes in Word, Google Docs, and Apple Pages formats.

Web Design Portfolio Proposal Word Template

An important part of creating proposals for web design projects is showcasing your portfolio, this template does that part quite well. It features 20 unique page layouts in A4 size for showcasing your portfolio and proposal at the same time.

Modern Business Proposal Word Template

This proposal template is ideal for corporate agencies and businesses. It features an elegant and dark color scheme that instantly attracts attention. The template lets you choose from 20 different page layouts with editable colors and shapes.

Digital Marketing Proposal Word Template

You can use this Word template to create attractive digital marketing proposals that win over your clients. There are 28 different page layouts included in this template featuring modern designs. You can also edit the template using PowerPoint or InDesign as well.

Sponsorship Proposal for MS Word & InDesign

This Word template is designed with sponsorship proposals in mind. It includes 20 unique page layouts with clean and minimalist designs. You can easily change the colors, fonts, and formatting using either MS Word or Adobe InDesign.

Free Business Proposal Bi-Fold Brochure Template

If you’re looking for a template to create a short proposal, this Word template is for you. It’s a bi-fold brochure template that can be used to create a simple proposal for your business projects.

Modern Business Proposal Template for Word

Coming up with a great layout design is often the toughest part of creating a proposal brochure. But, with this template, you won’t have to worry about that. It features a gorgeous design that fits in perfectly with modern brands. The template includes 20 page layouts in A4 and US Letter sizes. You can customize it in MS Word or Adobe InDesign.

Clean Business Proposal Word Template

This Word proposal template also comes with a professional design similar to the one before. It’s designed with modern businesses in mind. You can use it to create proposals, brand guidelines, and other brochures. The template comes with 20 page layouts featuring master page layouts, paragraphs, and more.

Project Proposal Brochure Template for Word

If you’re looking for a Word template to design a proposal with a clean layout, this template is perfect for you. It features a simple design with fewer colors and it’s ideal for creative agencies and brands. You can choose from 26 page layouts to design a proposal brochure using either MS Word or InDesign.

Brand Project Proposal Word & INDD Template

This proposal template is ideal for crafting project proposals for corporate brands and businesses. It comes with a professional design with an overall modern layout. The template itself is designed to be used for any purpose but it’ll be best used to showcase your company alongside the proposal. The template includes 16 page layouts.

Minimal Project Proposal Word Template

A modern and minimal Word template for project proposals. It’s ideal for small businesses and agencies for creating attractive brochures to present your proposal for projects, especially for design and marketing. There are 40 different page layouts in the template in MS Word and InDesign file formats.

Free Professional Services Proposal Word Template

This is a free Word brochure template from the official Word templates directory. It’s designed with agencies in mind for creating project proposals while showcasing your services and features. It includes 19 pages.

Professional Proposal Brochure Word Template

You can craft a high-quality proposal brochure using this professional Word template. It features 24 page layouts with complete paragraph formatting and text styles. You can design a very attractive proposal with this template. It comes in Word, InDesign, and Apple Pages formats.

Creative Proposal Template for Word & InDesign

This is a creative brochure template that comes full of stylish page layouts featuring shapes and images. It’s perfect for design agencies. The template includes 24 page designs in A4 and US Letter sizes. You can edit them using Word or InDesign as well.

Company Proposal Template for Word

A clean and minimal proposal template for making professional brochures. This template is suitable for both freelancers and agencies for designing proposals for various projects. The template includes 40 page layouts and it’s compatible with Word and InDesign.

Elegant Business Proposal Template for Word

This elegant Word proposal template features many creative elements such as unique formatting, text styles, backgrounds, and shapes. Each page in this 36-page template has a different design. This makes it perfect for designing brochures for creative agencies, lifestyle businesses, and brands.

Agency Project Proposal Word Template

If you want to create a more visual brochure full of images and photos, this Word template is perfect for you. It features 36 different page layouts featuring highly visual designs. There are stylish backgrounds, shapes, and image placeholders where you can showcase your project proposal in an attractive way.

Free Freelance Proposal Word Template

This is a simple free Word template you can use to create a basic proposal for a freelance project. It features all the necessary sections of a professional project proposal and even includes a contract template. You can download the template in PowerPoint format as well.

Agency Proposal & Portfolio Word Template

This Word proposal template looks professional in every way. It has a clean design, uses fewer colors but with many stylistic elements, and uses very modern page layout designs. It includes 32 page designs in multiple file formats, including Word, InDesign, Apple Pages, Photoshop, and more.

Creative Project Proposal Template for Word

If you’re working on a project proposal for a modern agency or a creative brand, this template will come in handy. It features 24 unique page layouts with plenty of space for showcasing images. You can easily customize the colors of the template as well.

Stylish Project Proposal Word Template

This trendy proposal template comes with a stylish design that uses a two-tone color scheme. It’s perfect for making brochures for marketing agencies and creative brands. The template is available in A4 and US Letter sizes for both Word and InDesign.

MS Word & InDesign Project Proposal Template

You can showcase your proposals and project plans quite well when using minimal layouts. They allow you to highlight your content better with more empty space. This template is designed with that goal in mind. It includes 22 clean and minimalist page layouts. It’s fully compatible with Word and InDesign.

Brand Identity & Proposal Template for Word

This Word template is for creating brand identity brochures. But, it includes templates for project proposals, annual reports, and plenty more. You can easily customize the template to change colors and fonts. It features a very visual design full of colors and shapes. It has 50 page layouts in total.

Free Simple Project Proposal Word Template

A very basic Word template for creating a simple project proposal. This template only has a one-page design which you can use as a structure to make your own project proposals. It’s free to download.

Creative Company Proposal Word Template

This creative proposal template is great for creating a company profile or a project proposal brochure. It comes with stylishly designed page layouts that you can customize to your preference. The template includes 18 page designs.

Business Proposal Template for Word

You can use this colorful proposal template to create a professional project proposal for a corporate brand or an agency. The template comes with 36 unique page layouts that are available in A4 and US Letter sizes.

Sirius – Project Proposal Word Template

This template is perfect for freelancers and creative professionals, especially for putting together an attractive proposal for a client project. The template is compatible with InDesign, Word, Apple Pages, and it includes 24 page layouts.

Multipurpose Project Proposal Template

This is a multipurpose proposal template that comes in multiple file formats. You can edit and customize the template using Word, InDesign, Apple Pages, Photoshop, and Illustrator. It features 28 page designs in A4 and US Letter sizes.

For more templates, check out our best Word brochure templates collection.

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10 Free Business Plan Templates in Word, Excel, & ClickUp

Praburam Srinivasan

Growth Marketing Manager

February 13, 2024

Turning your vision into a clear and coherent business plan can be confusing and tough. 

Hours of brainstorming and facing an intimidating blank page can raise more questions than answers. Are you covering everything? What should go where? How do you keep each section thorough but brief?

If these questions have kept you up at night and slowed your progress, know you’re not alone. That’s why we’ve put together the top 10 business plan templates in Word, Excel, and ClickUp—to provide answers, clarity, and a structured framework to work with. This way, you’re sure to capture all the relevant information without wasting time. 

And the best part? Business planning becomes a little less “ugh!” and a lot more “aha!” 🤩

What is a Business Plan Template?

What makes a good business plan template, 1. clickup business plan template, 2. clickup sales plan template, 3. clickup business development action plan template, 4. clickup business roadmap template, 5. clickup business continuity plan template, 6. clickup lean business plan template, 7. clickup small business action plan template, 8. clickup strategic business roadmap template , 9. microsoft word business plan template by microsoft, 10. excel business plan template by vertex42.

A business plan template is a structured framework for entrepreneurs and business executives who want to create business plans. It comes with pre-arranged sections and headings that cover key elements like the executive summary , business overview, target customers, unique value proposition, marketing plans, and financial statements.  

A good business plan template helps with thorough planning, clear documentation, and practical implementation. Here’s what to look for:

• Comprehensive structure: A good template comes with all the relevant sections to outline a business strategy, such as executive summary, market research and analysis, and financial projections 
• Clarity and guidance: A good template is easy to follow. It has brief instructions or prompts for each section, guiding you to think deeply about your business and ensuring you don’t skip important details
• Clean design: Aesthetics matter. Choose a template that’s not just functional but also professionally designed. This ensures your plan is presentable to stakeholders, partners, and potential investors
• Flexibility : Your template should easily accommodate changes without hassle, like adding or removing sections, changing content and style, and rearranging parts 🛠️ 

While a template provides the structure, it’s the information you feed it that brings it to life. These pointers will help you pick a template that aligns with your business needs and clearly showcases your vision.

10 Business Plan Templates to Use in 2024

Preparing for business success in 2024 (and beyond) requires a comprehensive and organized business plan. We’ve handpicked the best templates to help you guide your team, attract investors, and secure funding. Let’s check them out.

If you’re looking to replace a traditional business plan document, then ClickUp’s Business Plan Template is for you!

This one-page business plan template, designed in ClickUp Docs , is neatly broken down into the following sections:

• Company description : Overview, mission, vision, and team
• Market analysis : Problem, solution, target market, competition, and competitive advantage
• Sales and marketing strategy : Products/services and marketing channels
• Operational plan : Location and facilities, equipment and tools, manpower, and financial forecasts
• Milestones and metrics: Targets and KPIs

Customize the template with your company logo and contact details, and easily navigate to different sections using the collapsible table of contents. The mini prompts under each section guide you on what to include—with suggestions on how to present the data (e.g., bullet lists, pictures, charts, and tables). 

You can share the document with anyone via URL and collaborate in real time. And when the business plan is ready, you have the option to print it or export it to PDF, HTML, or Markdown.

But that’s not all. This template is equipped with basic and enterprise project management features to streamline the business plan creation process . The Topics List view has a list of all the different sections and subsections of the template and allows you to assign it to a team member, set a due date, and attach relevant documents and references.

Switch from List to Board view to track and update task statuses according to the following: To Do, In Progress, Needs Revision, and Complete. 

This template is a comprehensive toolkit for documenting the different sections of your business plan and streamlining the creation process to ensure it’s completed on time. 🗓️

If you’re looking for a tool to kickstart or update your sales plan, ClickUp’s Sales Plan Template has got you covered. This sales plan template features a project summary list with tasks to help you craft a comprehensive and effective sales strategy. Some of these tasks include:

• Determine sales objectives and goals
• Draft positioning statement
• Perform competitive analysis
• Draft ideal customer persona
• Create a lead generation strategy

Assign each task to a specific individual or team, set priority levels , and add due dates. Specify what section of the sales plan each task belongs to (e.g., executive summary, revenue goals, team structure, etc.), deliverable type (such as document, task, or meeting), and approval state (like pending, needs revisions, and approved).

And in ClickUp style, you can switch to multiple views: List for a list of all tasks, Board for visual task management, Timeline for an overview of task durations, and Gantt to get a view of task dependencies. 

This simple business plan template is perfect for any type of business looking to create a winning sales strategy while clarifying team roles and keeping tasks organized. ✨

Thinking about scaling your business’s reach and operations but unsure where or how to start? It can be overwhelming, no doubt—you need a clear vision, measurable goals, and an actionable plan that every member of your team can rally behind. 

Thankfully, ClickUp’s Business Development Action Plan Template is designed to use automations to simplify this process so every step toward your business growth is clear, trackable, and actionable.

Start by assessing your current situation and deciding on your main growth goal. Are you aiming to increase revenue, tap into new markets, or introduce new products or services? With ClickUp Whiteboards or Docs, brainstorm and collaborate with your team on this decision.

Set and track your short- and long-term growth goals with ClickUp’s Goals , break them down into smaller targets, and assign these targets to team members, complete with due dates. Add these targets to a new ClickUp Dashboard to track real-time progress and celebrate small wins. 🎉

Whether you’re a startup or small business owner looking to hit your next major milestone or an established business exploring new avenues, this template keeps your team aligned, engaged, and informed every step of the way.

ClickUp’s Business Roadmap Template is your go-to for mapping out major strategies and initiatives in areas like revenue growth, brand awareness, community engagement, and customer satisfaction. 

Use the List view to populate tasks under each initiative. With Custom Fields, you can capture which business category (e.g., Product, Operations, Sales & Marketing, etc.) tasks fall under and which quarter they’re slated for. You can also link to relevant documents and resources and evaluate tasks by effort and impact to ensure the most critical tasks get the attention they deserve. 👀

Depending on your focus, this template provides different views to show just what you need. For example, the All Initiatives per Quarter view lets you focus on what’s ahead by seeing tasks that need completion within a specific quarter. This ensures timely execution and helps in aligning resources effectively for the short term.

This template is ideal for business executives and management teams who need to coordinate multiple short- and long-term initiatives and business strategies.

In business, unexpected threats to operations can arise at any moment. Whether it’s economic turbulence, a global health crisis, or supply chain interruptions, every company needs to be ready. ClickUp’s Business Continuity Plan Template lets you prepare proactively for these unforeseen challenges.

The template organizes tasks into three main categories:

• Priorities: Tasks that need immediate attention
• Continuity coverage: Tasks that must continue despite challenges
• Guiding principles: Resources and protocols to ensure smooth operations

The Board view makes it easy to visualize all the tasks under each of these categories. And the Priorities List sorts tasks by those that are overdue, the upcoming ones, and then the ones due later.

In times of uncertainty, being prepared is your best strategy. This template helps your business not just survive but thrive in challenging situations, keeping your customers, employees, and investors satisfied. 🤝

Looking to execute your business plan the “lean” way? Use ClickUp’s Lean Business Plan Template . It’s designed to help you optimize resource usage and cut unnecessary steps—giving you better results with less effort.

In the Plan Summary List view, list all the tasks that need to get done. Add specific details like who’s doing each task, when it’s due, and which part of the Business Model Canvas (BMC) it falls under. The By Priority view sorts this list based on priorities like Urgent, High, Normal, and Low. This makes it easy to spot the most important tasks and tackle them first.

Additionally, the Board view gives you an overview of task progression from start to finish. And the BMC view rearranges these tasks based on the various BMC components. 

Each task can further be broken down into subtasks and multiple checklists to ensure all related action items are executed. ✔️

This template is an invaluable resource for startups and large enterprises looking to maximize process efficiencies and results in a streamlined and cost-effective way.

The Small Business Action Plan Template by ClickUp is tailor-made for small businesses looking to transform their business ideas and goals into actionable steps and, eventually, into reality. 

It provides a simple and organized framework for creating, assigning, prioritizing, and tracking tasks. And in effect, it ensures that goals are not just set but achieved. Through the native dashboard and goal-setting features, you can monitor task progress and how they move you closer to achieving your goals.

Thanks to ClickUp’s robust communication features like chat, comments, and @mentions, it’s easy to get every team member on the same page and quickly address questions or concerns.

Use this action plan template to hit your business goals by streamlining your internal processes and aligning team efforts.

For larger businesses and scaling enterprises, getting different departments to work together toward a big goal can be challenging. The ClickUp Strategic Business Roadmap Template makes it easier by giving you a clear plan to follow.

This template is packaged in a folder and split into different lists for each department in your business, like Sales, Product, Marketing, and Enablement. This way, every team can focus on their tasks while collectively contributing to the bigger goal.

There are multiple viewing options available for team members. These include:

• Progress Board: Visualize tasks that are on track, those at risk, and those behind
• Gantt view: Get an overview of project timelines and dependencies
• Team view: See what each team member is working on so you can balance workloads for maximum productivity

While this template may feel overwhelming at first, the getting started guide offers a step-by-step breakdown to help you navigate it with ease. And like all ClickUp templates, you can easily customize it to suit your business needs and preferences.

Microsoft’s 20-page traditional business plan template simplifies the process of drafting comprehensive business plans. It’s made up of different sections, including:

• Executive summary : Highlights, objectives, mission statement, and keys to success
• Description of business: Company ownership and legal structure, hours of operation, products and services, suppliers, financial plans, etc.
• Marketing: Market analysis, market segmentation, competition, and pricing
• Appendix: Start-up expenses, cash flow statements, income statements, sales forecast, milestones, break-even analysis, etc.

The table of contents makes it easy to move to different sections of the document. And the text placeholders under each section provide clarity on the specific details required—making the process easier for users who may not be familiar with certain business terminology.

No business template roundup is complete without an Excel template. This business plan template lets you work on your business financials in Excel. It comes with customizable tables, formulas, and charts to help you look at the following areas:

• Highlight charts
• Market analysis
• Start-up assets and expenses
• Sales forecasts
• Profit and loss
• Balance sheet
• Cash flow projections
• Break-even analysis

This Excel template is especially useful when you want to create a clear and visual financial section for your business plan document—an essential element for attracting investors and lenders. However, there might be a steep learning curve to using this template if you’re not familiar with business financial planning and using Excel.

Try a Free Business Plan Template in ClickUp

Launching and running a successful business requires a well-thought-out and carefully crafted business plan. However, the business planning process doesn’t have to be complicated, boring, or take up too much time. Use any of the above 10 free business plan formats to simplify and speed up the process.

ClickUp templates go beyond offering a solid foundation to build your business plans. They come with extensive project management features to turn your vision into reality. And that’s not all— ClickUp’s template library offers over 1,000 additional templates to help manage various aspects of your business, from decision-making to product development to resource management .

Sign up for ClickUp’s Free Forever Plan today to fast-track your business’s growth! 🏆

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Meet any target: business development plan template

A company’s goals are an integral part of its productivity. When your team understands what targets they need to hit, they have something clear to strive for and feel a sense of pride when they succeed. Setting intentions about where your business is going and how to get there is an important part of the building process.

Gain clarity about what your company’s objectives are with the help of a free business development plan template. We’ll share a fully customizable template with you that you can use on monday.com. But before that, this article looks at the benefits of using such templates and what you should include in a business development plan.

Get the template

What is a business development plan template?

A business development plan template is a customizable document that outlines the objectives of your business and actionable steps to meet them. These can be your company’s long or short-term goals, amounts needed for start-up costs, or specific milestones, such as hitting a specific monthly sales target, or getting your first repeat client. The plan outlines steps to take to get to those goals and assigns specific tasks to individuals to hold them accountable for meeting the deadlines.

A business development plan template is a pre-formatted tool that describes your business objectives and how you’ll achieve them.

Although you can always write these plans down in a regular, static document, many businesses opt to use a customizable pre-built format to get off to a strong start.

Why use a business development plan template?

As a business owner, creating a custom, agile business development plan helps you gain clarity regarding decision-making on areas, such as investments, resources, and budgeting. Unlike with pen and paper, or even a word doc, a template is dynamic. You can move initiatives around, assign ownership, store all relevant information on the template itself, and customize any aspect of the template from labels, template structure and appearance, automations, and more.

Of course, there are a lot of things to consider when it comes to creating a well-thought-out document. Below, we’ll discuss some of the things you may want to consider and include in your business development plan.

What to include in a business development plan

A business development plan comes into play during the growth stage of your business. By specifying your targets and plans of action, the business development plan becomes a roadmap for achieving growth and success. To ensure you have a strong plan, consider including the elements summarized below.

Financial goals

A business’s growth is largely based on its financial success, so it’s critical to assess your current financial position to set targets for the future. Start by:

• Looking to your past and current revenue as a baseline for what your business brings in
• Assessing your overhead costs versus your profits
• Setting goals for bringing in higher profits and revenue in the coming months and years
• Getting specific about your timeline, so you can reassess your financial position when you hit those dates

Funding plan

Meeting your financial goals and achieving financial growth requires funding. Use this section of the business development plan to determine the amount of business capital you currently have and what steps you can take to secure more funding in the future within your target market segment.

Opportunities for growth

Look at your business to identify where you have room to grow. This will vary depending on what industry and business you work in. For some, this might mean developing a new line of products or adding additional services that can attract new clients and boost revenue.

Operational needs

Examine operational needs and take a practical look at what needs to change in the daily function of your business to support expansion and further development. This could mean investing in new equipment or hiring additional personnel to oversee specific departments or projects.

Sales and marketing plans

An important part of business growth is how you promote your company to consumers. Determine a marketing strategy to get customers excited about your new products and services or to inform consumers of investments you’re making in equipment upgrades. Your marketing plans are how you’ll communicate your investments and improvements to drive growth through customer interest.

Understand strengths and weaknesses 

Creating a business development plan requires a firm understanding of your company’s strengths and weaknesses. To identify these, consider performing a SWOT analysis . You can use the resulting information to develop a strategic plan to leverage strengths and improve on weak areas across all aspects of your business.

Building your team

For a business to grow successfully, you must also expand your workforce. This means hiring new team members and learning to delegate tasks with a lower priority or difficulty level, so you can focus on matters of high-level priority. Use this part of your plan to assess what tasks you can assign to someone else and how many people you might need to hire to meet the demands of your growing business.

Having a plan to develop your business is a great foundation. But you also need tools to put that plan into action. Starting with a solution that lets you bring people together, communicate priorities, and manage tasks can increase your chances of success.

monday.com supports business development and planning

Your business development plan template is the starting point for your company’s expansion. As you move toward creating targets and future plans for your business, you can make use of the many other features and templates on monday.com to understand where you’re at with your business and what areas are ready to support growth.

monday.com lets you create workflows to plan and track projects and day-to-day processes. Connect off-platform tools necessary for collaboration and communication with team members from around the world, and leverage no-code automation opportunities to streamline repetitive tasks.

You can start with our Business Development Plan Template, customizing the columns to meet your specific needs.  Take notes, mention team members on tasks to get their feedback, or color-code your business development plan to create a visual that’s easy to digest at a glance.

Once you’re ready to put your business development plan into action, turn to our Template Center for plenty of other tools to help you get started on various tasks.

Related templates 

A business development plan template isn’t the only useful tool for growing your business. Consider some of these other options to help your teams increase efficiency and promote growth.

One-page business plan template

Our easy-to-use One-page Business Plan Template is meant to provide an overview of your objectives and deadlines at a glance. Completing the one-page business plan template creates a reference point for the scope of your business objectives that you can easily return to at any time.

Business executive summary template

Our Business Executive Summary Template is an ideal tool when you’re preparing to pitch your company to investors. It offers a guide for emphasizing the core of your business plan in a way that appeals to the interests of your target audience. You can include sales/marketing plans, staff expenses, and long-term goals to provide prospective stakeholders with a clear picture of where your business stands and where it’s going.

Writing business plans is easier when you start with a template. But knowing what to include and what might be most important can help you make the most of such documents. Check the FAQs below for some more tips.

FAQs about business development plan templates

What are the main parts of a business plan?

A solid business plan should have four key components. The main parts of a business plan include:

• An executive summary
• A marketing plan
• Key management bios
• A financial plan that includes cost and pricing information

What is the most important part of a business plan?

The executive summary is the most important part of any business plan. The executive summary acts as the preface to the overall business plan and the hook that gets readers excited about the possibility of investing in your company. The goal of the executive summary is to entice the investor to read the rest of your plan, so aim for the most polished version possible.

Build your company’s future with a business development plan template from monday.com 

Your business development strategy is critical to growing your company and meeting future goals. Using templates from monday.com can help you build your business development plan to drive success.

Having a business plan creates a 30% higher chance of growth for your business compared to businesses that don’t start with written action plans. A customizable, user-friendly business development plan template provides a starting point to realizing your objectives.

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Consulting Proposal for Word, PDF

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Template Highlights

• There are eight sections: an introduction, your objectives, the strategy you'll use, a schedule of important milestones, your team, any related costs you'll incur, lines for signatures, and the appendix.
• Not sure what to write? That's what we're here for you. This template includes detailed, step-by-step instructions (with examples) so you can craft a polished proposal.
• We've used HubSpot's signature colors, but we encourage you to change the branding to fit your organization. You can even add a logo.
• Download it as a Word or PDF file.
• Print it, email it.

Benefits of using a consulting proposal template

Our consulting proposal template helps you:

• Save time : While each proposal you send must be unique, you’ll frequently address many of the same points for each client. A consulting proposal template doc helps you cut the time spent on each proposal so you can focus on other needle-moving tasks for your business.
• Reduce paperwork : Instead of creating a new proposal each time, you can work with a template and populate it with client-specific details.  
• Communicate clearly : A template helps you give prospects a comprehensive view of every part of your proposal. Plus, having a consistent format ensures you don’t forget to add key details like schedules or objectives.

How to fill our consulting proposal template doc

Our consulting proposal template for Word is broken down into eight sections. Here’s what you should include in each one of them:

• Introduction : Introduce your brand and highlight the services you plan to provide.
• Objectives : List out the goals of your consulting proposal in great detail, including the metrics you’ll use to measure success.
• Approach : Describe how you plan to achieve the objectives and, if relevant, a list of deliverables.
• Schedule of Project Activities : Outline the tasks you or your team will perform, who will be responsible for them, when they will be completed, and the deliverables attached to them.
• The Team : Introduce yourself and your team members. Make sure to note their role and the impact they’ll have on the project.
• Your Investment : Break down how much your services will cost.
• Signatures : Add a space or page for customers to sign their agreement.
• Appendices : Include any important details. For example, contracts or terms and conditions.

Tips to make the most out of your consulting proposal template

To make the most out of your template, follow these tips:

• Communicate first : Start by getting acquainted with your prospect’s pain points. Understanding your potential client will help you craft a more convincing proposal.
• Focus on the client : While you want to play up how you can help, remember you’re trying to solve their problem. Moreover, if your business targets different segments (e.g., small and large businesses), consider using our template to prepare a proposal for each one. That way, prospects in each segment will feel like the proposal is truly made for them.
• Include details in addition to the big picture : Assure clients you know how to help them reach their goals by including measurable, attainable steps to reach them.
• Review frequently : While filling out each section in your template, review the content to ensure everything is clear and accurate — especially when discussing legally binding elements like contract terms and conditions.

Template Preview

Consulting proposal.

Consulting Proposal Template

You are an expert in your field, and you have useful advice to give to other professionals. But what is the best way to share your services with potential clients? A consulting proposal helps you present your solution, show your credibility, and name a price for your work. This template will help you develop a proposal to successfully pitch your consulting services to win contracts with new customers.

HubSpot Tip: This template provides a foundation for bidding work with new clients, but you should feel free to update it to meet the unique needs of your specific professional field and customers.

Introduction

Every client’s needs are unique, and every project is a little bit different. That is why each consulting proposal should be tailored to the individual client and specific project.

Before you begin writing, you should research your client’s background and preferences. Perhaps you have had phone calls to discuss the issues they are facing. If you know little about the client but want to propose your services in order to begin a new relationship, you can do independent research online to increase your understanding.

Write a few sentences describing the client and the issues you will address with your proposed consulting project.

Then, in a brief paragraph, introduce your consulting firm and what you do. Include a sentence or two on your firm’s history and any similar work you have done in the past.

Close the introduction by providing a one-sentence summary of the project. This should be a written form of the “elevator pitch” you would use at a networking event.

HubSpot Tip: Even when discussing your own company, try to keep the focus on the customer by addressing only the aspects of your firm and experience that are relevant to the client’s needs.

In the previous section, you described in general the needs of your potential client. In this part of the proposal, lay out the specific objectives of the project, clearly defining what you will be trying to achieve.

• Objective 1

• Objective 2

• Objective 3

HubSpot Tip: Whenever possible, you should define how you will measure successful outcomes for each of your objectives. What metrics will you use to know whether the objective was achieved? How will the client know that your methods are working?

Begin by describing the general philosophy that will guide you during the project. Discuss industry best practices that you will implement, or trusted methodologies that you will employ. You should aim to ground your proposal in a framework that the customer feels they can trust.

Then, you will need to describe the tasks you will undertake during the project. The form that this section takes will vary depending on what field you are in. For example, you might include a list of deliverables (e.g., reports, documents, products) that you will submit to the client, or you might list the different phases of assessment that you will go through. Be sure to address all of the major steps in the process.

HubSpot Tip: One size does not fit all. Different industries call for different approaches. Perhaps you will need to write about your project management methodology or it might be more important to discuss the industry-specific frameworks that you will use. For example, for a management consulting project, you might talk about the Balanced Scorecard or Porter’s Five Forces.

Schedule of Project Activities

Schedules are a crucial tool for effective project management. By including one in your proposal, you can show the client exactly what work needs to be performed, who will perform it, and the timeframe during which it will be done. Use a table like the one below to list milestones, activities, and deliverables.

Project Activity

Person Responsible

Completion Date

HubSpot Tip: For complicated consulting projects with many contingencies between tasks, consider developing and including a Gantt chart to give a visual representation of tasks over time.

In order for your proposal to be accepted, you need to convince the client of your team’s qualifications and expertise. Provide biographical summaries of the key staff that will work on this project.

• [Name], [Project Role] - Briefly outline the person’s responsibilities on the project. Describe the experience and credentials that make them right for the job.

HubSpot Tip: Depending on what is appropriate for your industry, you might also consider including headshots along with the biographical sketches and/or full resumes in an appendix.

Your Investment

Now that you have explained the project, you can tell the client how much your services will cost. There are many ways to present this part of the proposal, but you should aim to be clear and concise. Here is an example of how you might lay out the budget portion of your proposal. You can separate out each project activity, and then add all of the columns to give a total.

HubSpot Tip: Consider listing any assumptions that might affect your budget or timeline. For example, “We will complete up to two revisions of each report.”

Describe the contract, any guarantees, and the terms and conditions. Your firm may have pre-written documents that you could insert here. If these documents are very long, consider just referencing them in the text and then provide them in an appendix.

Enter the names and titles of the decision-makers who will need to sign the agreement in order to approve the project.

________________________

[Name], [Title]

HubSpot Tip: By including the signature lines directly in the proposal, you can make the process easy for clients so that your projects can begin sooner!

This section is where you should include important but lengthy information like terms and conditions, contract details, resumes of team members, examples from past projects, and case studies. By putting these documents in appendices, you can avoid interruptions in the flow of the proposal narrative.

HubSpot Tip: Label your appendices with letters (e.g., Appendix A, Appendix B) so that you can include references to each in the body of the proposal that are easy for the client to follow.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should i write in a consulting proposal, is the consulting proposal template free, can i edit the consulting proposal template, related tags:.

• Proposals, Estimates & Quotes

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How to Write a Partnership Proposal [Examples + Template]

Published: June 18, 2024

Partnerships generate $3.9 billion per year in the U.S. and supercharge the revenue of companies like Microsoft, Atlassian, and Shopify. Teaming up with another professional or company can multiply your capacity, expertise, and growth.

With so much at stake, approaching a potential partner can be intimidating. Whenever I make a business pitch, there are three items I work to perfect. First, an underlying relationship to build on. Second, a stellar verbal presentation for a pitch meeting. And third, a killer partnership proposal.

A partnership proposal is a powerful tool to showcase your professionalism and convince your potential partner why they should collaborate with you. I’ve compiled what you should include in your proposal, plus four partnership proposal templates to give you a head start.

What is a partnership proposal?

• Types of Partnership Proposals

Components of a Partnership Proposal

How to write a partnership proposal, partnership proposal template, partnership proposal examples, partnership proposal tips.

A partnership proposal is a document outlining the benefits, scope, and structure of a future collaboration between two businesses or individuals.

Most partnership collaborations begin with an idea and verbal discussions. “ Hey, here’s a crazy idea. What if we…” If you don’t know the person, start with a warm intro email or phone call first.

A partnership proposal is the next step in the process, formalizing concepts to align goals and gain buy-in. While it isn’t a legal contract, it’s often a precursor to one.

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Types of Business Partnerships

Before creating a business partnership proposal, it’s important to understand which type of partnership you want to pursue.

General Business Partnership

When two or more individuals enter a business agreement and share unlimited liability, you have a general business partnership. A proposal for a general business partnership should include the share of ownership, contributions of each partner, the distribution of profits and losses, and the terms for dissolution.

Joint Venture

A joint venture (JV) is an agreement between two companies to combine resources and expertise for a specific purpose. For instance, a global company might form a JV with a local company when bringing a product to a new country.

Limited Partnership

A limited partnership (LP) is a business partnership that includes at least one general partner and at least one limited partner. Limited partners have minimal liability and management oversight of the operations. An LP is common in single-purpose scenarios like a real estate transaction.

Limited Liability Partnership

The LLP structure is common in professional service fields such as law firms, doctor’s offices, and accounting. Similar to an LLC, a limited liability partnership (LLP) is an agreement between partners that grants them limited liability. LLP requirements vary by state.

Influencer Partnership

An influencer partnership is a limited-scope agreement between an influencer or creator and a brand to create and publish branded social media content.

Sponsorship Partnership

A sponsorship is a collaboration between businesses, nonprofits, or media companies where one company pays for access to promote their goods and services to the other company’s audience.

When I write proposals, I always aim to personalize each one and find the right balance between personable and professional. While the nuances of each partnership model vary, there are a few common elements that every partnership business proposal should have.

Executive Summary

Hook your reader’s attention with a summary explaining the partnership concept, key benefits, and a table of contents.

List each partner with their contact and background information. Specify the role each will have, and whether they are a general or limited partner. Make it visual, with photos or logos.

Goals and Objectives

All good partnerships start with shared goals. Explain your goals and dreams for the partnership, from a high-level vision to specific objectives.

Share who your audience is and any key demographics. Make sure that your audience will fit with the partner’s audience, and vice-versa. An audience is a key selling point for partners, especially with influencer or sponsorship partnerships. Some brands go as far as account mapping to identify customer overlap, but general audience data can be as effective.

Scope of Work

Next, define the scope of work and projects to be covered with the partnership. If this is for a limited-scope project like an influencer collaboration, give a precise breakdown of project steps. If this is for a general partnership, JV, or LP, list target activities and deliverables and who is responsible for each. Give timelines as appropriate.

Benefits and Challenges

If you’ve ever written a business plan, you’re likely already familiar with the SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats). Similar to this, give an abbreviated analysis of:

• Challenges that will need to be tackled.
• Benefits to the collaboration.
• Market research and industry analysis.

Legal and Financial Information

Propose terms and conditions for the partnership, like payment and revenue-sharing structures. Spell out who will own intellectual property generated by the company and how royalties will be distributed. Address how disputes or a partnership dissolution would be handled. ​​

To test this out, I wrote a general partnership proposal between a web designer and a web developer who want to team up to start a website studio. I used HubSpot’s partnership business proposal template to build a professional proposal outlining the partnership benefits and structure.

Creating a compelling partnership proposal requires a clear understanding of your potential partner's needs and how your collaboration can meet those needs. To simplify this process and ensure you have all the required information, consider using HubSpot Sales Software . This tool can help you gather insights, track interactions, and manage your proposal process more efficiently.

Here are the steps I took to create the proposal.

1. Outline the Benefits

To convince your partner, make the case why it’s worth them sharing their time (and profits) with you.

I started my proposal with an executive summary envisioning why the partnership would appeal to future clients. That leads into a “Benefits of Collaboration” section where I clearly outline the mutual advantages.

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Free MS Word Strategic Planning Templates

By Courtney Patterson | May 11, 2024

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Below is a collection of the best strategic planning templates in Microsoft Word to help you create a comprehensive roadmap for future growth and success.

Included in this article, you'll find: 

• One-page business strategy template

Microsoft Word IT Strategic Plan Template

• 5-year strategic business plan template
• Nonprofit strategic plan template
• List of related strategic planning templates

Microsoft Word Basic Strategic Plan Template

Download the Sample Basic Strategic Plan Template for Microsoft Word   Download the Blank Basic Strategic Plan Template for Microsoft Word  

When to Use This Template : Use this template with or without sample data when you are starting your business and need to outline a clear direction and foundational strategies. This tool is crucial for transitioning from an informal approach to a more structured strategic planning process. 

Notable Template Features : This basic strategic plan template simplifies the planning process with a clear, easy-to-follow structure that covers essential strategic elements. It includes sections for mission and vision statements, a SWOT analysis, goals, and action plans, making it accessible for first-time strategists.

Check out these  free strategic planning templates that offer robust resources, including ready-to-use frameworks and expert advice, so you can meticulously craft and execute your strategic vision.

Microsoft Word One-Page Business Strategic Plan Template

Download Sample One-Page Business Strategic Plan Template for Microsoft Word Download Blank One-Page Business Strategic Plan Template for Microsoft Word

When to Use This Template : Consider this template when you’re on a deadline and need a swift, comprehensive snapshot of your strategy. Available with or without sample data, the template is ideal for pre-meeting preparations, allowing you to quickly and thoroughly review your strategic position.

Notable Template Features : This one-page business strategic plan template boils down intricate strategies to a single, accessible page. Featuring streamlined sections for goals, actions, and metrics, it delivers a clear and concise strategic outline that's easy to share and discuss. Download the sample version for a pre-filled template, or try the blank version to fill in the sections with your own data.

Check out this  strategic planning guide , complete with free templates that offer you all the tools and insights you need to expertly develop and implement your strategic plans.

Download Microsoft Word IT Strategic Plan Template Download Sample IT Strategic Plan Template  

When to Use This Template : Dive into this template when your IT department is gearing up for a major overhaul or aligning with new business strategies. Available with or without example text, the template is a must-have for plotting out the technological roadmap that supports your organization's long-term vision.

Notable Template Features : This IT strategic plan template features IT-specific sections, such as technology assessments and future roadmaps, making it a powerhouse for managing and planning IT investments. The template includes detailed prompts, so you can thoroughly address and align each aspect of your IT strategy, from cybersecurity to cloud computing, with overarching business objectives.

Explore this  article on crafting strategic plans . It offers a treasure trove of free templates to guide your team through the strategic planning process, ensuring a seamless and effective strategy formulation.

Microsoft Word Advanced Strategic Planning Template

Download the Sample Advanced Strategic Planning Template for Microsoft Word Download the Blank Advanced Strategic Planning Template for Microsoft Word

When to Use This Template : Turn to this dynamic template with or without sample data when you’re ready to plan an all-inclusive strategy. Perfect for times of significant growth or change, it's especially useful for teams looking to blend comprehensive market insights with long-term planning.

Notable Template Features : This advanced strategic planning template is designed to guide you through every facet of strategic development, from SWOT analysis to detailed financial planning. Offering structured sections for an all-encompassing view of your business landscape, it ensures that you have a robust foundation for decision-making and future growth. Download the sample version for a pre-filled template, or try the blank version to fill in your own data.

Dive into this comprehensive  guide on strategic planning model templates to access a diverse array of free resources and streamline the path to your strategic goals.

Microsoft Word One-Year Strategic Business Plan Template

Download Sample One-Year Strategic Business Plan Template for Microsoft Word Download Blank One-Year Strategic Business Plan Template for Microsoft Word

When to Use This Template : Use this one-year template with or without sample data to reach your key goals within the next year. It's a must for companies looking to translate annual objectives into clear, actionable steps.

Notable Template Features : This one-year strategic business plan template is designed with simplicity in mind, featuring sections that help break down goals into achievable actions and timelines. The template’s streamlined approach ensures that you can focus on what matters most, making it easier to track progress and adjust strategies as needed.

Microsoft Word 5-Year Strategic Business Plan Template

Download the Sample 5-Year Strategic Business Plan Template for Microsoft Word Download the Blank 5-Year Strategic Business Plan Template for Microsoft Word

When to Use This Template : Use this template to lay the strategic groundwork for the medium-term achievements your organization aims to reach in the next five years. Available with or without sample text, it's perfect for transitioning from startup to established entity, allowing you to focus on expansion and scalability.

Notable Template Features : This 5-year strategic business plan template empowers you to set ambitious yet attainable goals and create strategies for market expansion. It also includes tools for financial forecasting and resource allocation, making it easier to manage growth and measure success over a longer period.

Microsoft Word Long-Term Strategic Business Plan Template

Download the Long-Term Strategic Business Plan Template for Microsoft Word

When to Use This Template : Use this template when you’re aiming for a plan of 10 years or longer and envisioning your business's journey toward long-term innovation and industry leadership.

Notable Template Features : Featuring a decade-spanning outlook, this long-term strategic plan template empowers you to set visionary goals and detailed strategies for sustainable growth and innovation. It’s designed to help you align your long-range plans with actionable steps, ensuring every department is moving toward a common, ambitious future.

Microsoft Word University Strategic Plan Outline Template

Download Sample University Strategic Plan Outline Template for Microsoft Word Download Blank University Strategic Plan Outline Template for Microsoft Word

When to Use This Template : This template helps university leaders chart a future course that enriches academic excellence and campus life. Use it during periods of strategic reflection or in advance of accreditation reviews to ensure all goals align with the institution's mission and vision.

Notable Template Features : Tailored to the academic sector, this strategic plan outline includes sections for setting educational priorities, creating a strategy for program development, and planning campus enhancements. Available with or without example text, it facilitates a comprehensive approach to institutional growth, encouraging stakeholder engagement and long-term planning for academic and infrastructural improvements.

Microsoft Word Marketing Strategic Planning Template

Download the Sample Marketing Strategic Planning Template for Microsoft Word Download the Blank Marketing Strategic Planning Template for Microsoft Word

When to Use This Template : Turn to this template when you're preparing to put a new product on the market or revamping your brand's presence. It's ideal for synchronizing your marketing initiatives with your overarching business goals.

Notable Template Features : This template with or without sample data stands out with its clear sections for defining marketing objectives, pinpointing your audience, and crafting detailed campaign strategies. It supports marketers by laying out a comprehensive plan that not only attracts but also retains customers, ensuring all marketing activities are in lockstep with the business's vision and objectives. Try the pre-filled template to see sample text, or use the blank template to fill in your own data.

Microsoft Word Nonprofit Strategic Plan Template

Download the Nonprofit Strategic Plan Template for Microsoft Word

When to Use This Template : Reach for this template when your nonprofit is gearing up for a period of strategic renewal or aiming to better align its efforts with its core mission. Helping you clearly articulate your organization's direction and impact, this tool is crucial for running annual planning sessions or preparing funding and grant applications.

Notable Template Features : This template is designed specifically for nonprofit organizations, featuring sections dedicated to mission statement clarification, stakeholder engagement strategies, and impact assessment methods. It offers a comprehensive framework for nonprofits to navigate the complexities of sustainability and mission-driven planning, ensuring every activity contributes to long-term success.

Related Strategic Planning Templates

Discover this list of free templates that perfectly complement your strategic planning needs. From business model canvases to detailed market analyses and customer journeys, these tools ensure a solid value proposition and guide your business toward success.

Free Microsoft Word Action Plan Templates

Check out these  free Microsoft Word action plan templates for tools to streamline your project planning, enhance your task management, and achieve your goals more efficiently.

Free Gap Analysis Templates

Explore this  collection of free gap analysis templates to help you identify the discrepancies between your business's current state and its desired future state, offering a clear pathway for strategic improvement and goal achievement.

Free Scenario Analysis Templates

Use these  free scenario analysis templates to get frameworks that prepare you for various future possibilities, enabling strategic decision-making and risk management.

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