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Feb 1, 2022

How to write a proposal email

Want to learn how to write proposal emails? Our business proposal email samples and a proposal email template will help you to land that client, project, price change, or get your idea taken forward.

Lawrie Jones

Table of contents

Are you hesitant about how to write a business proposal email? Don't worry; you're not alone.

By the time you've read this article on how to write professional proposal emails, you know everything there's to know about sending sales, business partnerships, project, and price proposal emails to clients old and new.

We'll run you through a business proposal email format from subject lines to greetings and provide you with 10 business proposal email samples that will put the lesson into practice.

To top it off, we will introduce you to our proposal email template and show you how to write proposal emails with Flowrite , your new AI writing assistant, like this:

What is a proposal email?

In most cases, a proposal email is an official correspondence sent in the early-mid stages of the sales process. A formal proposal email is a significant step in the sales funnel, providing all the information a lead needs to choose whether to become a client or customer.

The basic sales funnel has four stages, including:

Proposal emails are typically actioned at stage 2 and provide the information a client needs to transition to stage 3.

An effective proposal email includes all the important information a client or customer needs. In addition, it summarises the main talking points of your offer, including supporting evidence, timeline, key terms, any conditions, and the all-important costs.

The bottom line is that a great proposal is essential for transforming a prospect into a customer.

Different types of proposal emails

Proposal emails sent to a potential client are known as solicited messages, which means they won't come as a surprise when they're delivered.

Proposal emails are critical to the sale process, but the same approach can also be used to communicate with people you don't have a relationship with. These are known as unsolicited proposals or cold emails and can include:

• Presenting new services or solutions to a potential new client
• Sharing ideas to your boss
• Responding to opportunities such as grants

Both solicited and unsolicited emails should contain the same information and follow the same structure described below.

“A proposal email is a summary of the discussions and dialogues that you've had with a potential customer and a written, explicit statement of the business arrangements you've discussed,” says author and business expert Geoffrey James .

He describes a business proposal email as an essential email that every salesperson must master, but how’s the best way to do it?

In his expert opinion, every successful proposal email shares the following 7-step structure:

• Statement of gratitude (one sentence)
• Problem definition and financial impact (one or two sentences)
• Desired outcome (one or two sentences)
• Proposed solution (two to five sentences)
• Proposed price (one sentence)
• Risk reduction (one or two sentences)
• Next step (one sentence)

Now, this may seem like a long-winded way to say what you want to, but it actually cuts out the irrelevant information and focuses effort and attention on what matters. Strip out the jargon, ditch the management speak and keep things simple is his advice, and we agree.

Sometimes you might want to create a more visual proposal or send a presentation. For doing so, you can find inspiration from this extensive gallery of business proposal templates.

In our examples below, we show how you can use this structure flexibly, combining sentences where appropriate to cut out pointless prose that could confuse the message. You can cut out elements such as price, or risk reduction if they’re not relevant. Effective emails are personalized and professional, so shape your communication to make it as clear as possible. 

Someone who agrees is email expert Matthew Brown , who helps to clarify exactly what you’re doing: “While your sales proposal email is technically a "sales document," it's not where you do the selling.”

It’s also not a contract either, so avoid legal jargon or attempting to write in an overly formal way. 

All sound clear? Let’s show you how this works in practice by outlining the correct proposal email format.

Business proposal email format

The email format for sending a business proposal is simple and includes just five essential parts:

• Subject line
• Opening line and body

It doesn't matter if you're emailing someone for the first time or the hundredth time; when sending a proposal email, stick to this format, and you won't go wrong. You can use the format outlined here to create all types of professional emails, so learn it once, and it's a skill that will stick with you for life. Once mastered, you'll be creating great emails in minutes.

professional emails, so learn it once, and it's a skill that will stick with you for life. Once mastered, you'll be creating great emails in minutes.

1. Business proposal email subject lines

Your email subject line for a business proposal is perhaps the most essential part of your proposal, with  69% of email recipients judging the contents of every message  by the subject line alone. Books have been written on writing effective subject lines, so we will only cover the basics of proposal email for informal and formal business proposals.

Subject line for a formal business proposal

Formal subject lines get straight to the point. They're all about explaining upfront what you're sending. So here are a few business proposal email subject line examples from the formal end of the spectrum.

• Business proposal from <insert company>
• 5 ways we can save you more money
• I have a proposal for you
• A new business proposal

Subject line for an informal business proposal

An informal subject line aims to grab attention in your message, creating just enough interest to get a click. Here are some examples of business proposal email subject lines that are informal:

• Boost profits by partnering with our business
• Are you happy with your current supplier?
• Can we offer you a better deal on your <service>?
• We can save you 50% on your costs…
• I have a proposal for you…

2. How to start a business proposal email

When you decide how to start the proposal email, you should stop and think about the recipient and whether you are beginning to draft a formal business proposal or an informal one.

Email greetings for a formal business proposal

When you're writing to someone that you know, use a formal email greeting:

• Dear <first name and surname>,

An excellent proposal is all about research, so hopefully, you'll have the name of the person you're messaging. 

If you don't, it's OK (but not ideal) to address them using their job title. Here's an example.

• Dear Purchasing Manager,

Try to avoid using overly fussy greetings such as 'Dear Sir/Madam' and 'To whom it may concern. We also suggest not bothering with Mr, Mrs, or Ms either as these are outdated, too.

Email greetings for an informal business proposal

When writing to someone you know, a current client, customer, or colleague, then you can use a less formal approach if you want to.

• Hi <First name>,

To learn more about the conventions and best practices regarding email greetings, read our article on how to start an email .

3. Email opening lines and body

Proposal emails are about informing, engaging, and inspiring someone with a great idea, concept, or product, so it's tempting to go into details but don't. 

Using James’ structure as a guide, we recommend your proposal emails follow this outline:

• Next step (one sentence) 

Getting the right tone of voice in your emails is critical. You'll want to appear confident about your proposal but avoid boasting or being too overconfident.

In some cases, such as when you know the person, a friendly approach can work. If you don't know the person, then a formal approach is more likely to get a response.

Ultimately, it's up to you how you want to present yourself in proposal emails. Before putting pen to paper (or finger to key), check out our email proposal examples below for some guidance and inspiration.

To help you find the best possible email opening phrases, we've compiled a list of 100 best email opening sentences .

4. How to end a proposal email

The approach you take to end a business proposal email depends on whether you are writing a formal or informal business proposal.

Email sign-offs for a formal business proposal

If you're writing a formal proposal email, it's advisable to use a formal email ending, such as:

• "Yours sincerely" if you know the person's name; and 
• "Yours faithfully" if you don't (or are writing to a group)

Email sign-offs informal business proposal

If you're happy to be less formal, then feel free to select a professional email ending from the list below. 

• Kind regards
• With best wishes
• I look forward to hearing from you

We've tackled the conventions and complexities of how to end an email in a previous article, so be sure to check it out if you need more information.

Professional email signature

A professional email signature for your proposal contains everything the recipient needs to know about you and how to contact you, including:

• Company (if relevant)
• Email address
• Phone number

You can add more detail, such as social media account links, a logo, and product details if it's relevant. For example, if you're in a profession with recognized qualifications (such as law or accountancy), then include your qualifications if you want to.

10 proposal email samples

We've provided the basics of how to write professional proposal emails; now, it's time to put it into practice. Here you can find 10 proposal email samples that tackle slightly different types of proposals. These examples demonstrate all the essential elements you need to include, but always remember to personalize your pr

1. Business proposal email sample

This standards business proposal email provides a short and snappy template to follow, using James' outline.

2. Sample email for proposal submission

Sometimes you'll want to email your boss with a proposal. While you can afford to be a little less formal, the principle is still the same, so stick to the script.

3. Proposal email to your boss

Sometimes you'll want to email your boss with a proposal or idea. While you can afford to be a little less formal, the principle is still the same, so stick to the script.  This is a sample of how how to propose an idea to your boss via email.

4. Proposal email sample to an existing client

When messaging an existing client, you already have a relationship to dispense with some formalities. In this example of a proposal email to a client, we still stick to the format but introduce some elements of personality and focus on shared outcomes.

5. Sales partnership proposal email

A sales partnership is a collaboration that should bring you both profit, so our example of how to draft a sales partnership focuses on that. Here's how to draft a business proposal email that brings mutual benefit.

6. Business partnership proposal email sample 

In this example of how to send a proposal email to a client, we describe how to write an email proposing an idea that can benefit you both. This business partnership proposal focuses on the productivity benefits and profit you'll both enjoy.

7. Proposal email to offer services 

Businesspeople are busy, so we've stripped back this proposal email to offer services to the essential information they need.

8. Price proposal email sample

In business, it's the price that matters, so we've focused on cost savings in this price proposal email sample.

9. Project proposal email

Collaborating on a project involves establishing a partnership. In this example of how to write a project proposal email, we aim to establish a connection and create interest, and then request a meeting to discuss details further.

10. Email to propose an idea

Sometimes you won't have developed a project plan, but you may have an idea you want to run past a potential partner, boss, client, or customer. In this sample of how to propose an idea through an email, we keep it brief and aim to kickstart a conversation.

Proposal email template by Flowrite

Flowrite is an AI writing tool that turns your instructions into ready-to-send emails and messages. Our browser extension and web app take care of the email format, capitalization, grammar, spelling, punctuation – you name it.

You can focus on the message, and Flowrite will handle the delivery. We dare to claim that it's the fastest way to improve your business communications.

Our AI template collection features dozens of email templates to help you with proposal emails. To grasp how easy and fast it's to write a business proposal email with Flowrite , check out the example below.

Still hesitant about how to send a proposal via email? Didn't think so. If you found this blog post about how to write proposal emails helpful, we suggest that you bookmark it to access our business proposal email samples the next time you write one.

In case you feel that our business proposal email format lessons could benefit your team, why won't you share this article with them?

Lastly, if you ever need help on how to write professional proposal emails, Flowrite and our business proposal email template are ready to help.

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Reply to: "

Hi Kyle, I'm Jane, an early-stage investor at Primity.vc. I just noticed Grava, and I wanted to say congratulations on the amazing progress you've made! It's really impressive how quickly your company has grown in such a short time. I would love to learn more about what you're doing and see if we can find a way for Primity.vc to be involved with your company's success going forward. Please let me know when would be a good time for us to talk. Best, Jane

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available for a zoom call on friday apr 9 at 1 pm pst?

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Business inquiry

about to update our office supplies could you send 2022 catalog to me? currently speaking to a range of suppliers looking to make an order in the next two weeks

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How to Write a Business Proposal Email (Examples + Templates)

Table of Contents

Despite the widespread use of Viber, Slack, WhatsApp, and other chat applications, email remains the number one channel for business communication. However, people often don’t use mail in the most effective way, which leads to many messages never being opened and never answered.

Emailing someone in an unsolicited manner to generate business for yourself is a big ask and difficult to do well. Your business proposal letter should attract the attention the specific person you’re reaching out to and create interest in collaborating with you. This could be you buying their service,  vice-versa or just exchanging some professional advice.

This type of reach-out is called a cold email. The term derives from the “ cold call ,” which refers to those annoying companies offering you something. Unlike calls, these business arrangements are much less intrusive and are a great channel to approach someone.

The Subject is Important

According to recent case studies, 47% of participants decide whether to open an email based on its subject. On the other hand, messages without a subject have an opening percentage of only 8%. This information alone is enough to conclude that the subject is one of the most critical parts of the email. Accordingly, if you do not use it to attract receivers to open your message, there is a high probability that they will not read it at all.

The so-called moment of urgency can also attract a potential customer to open your email. This effective business tactic is primarily used in those situations when a solicited business proposal promotes a current offer or action. Sentences like “Just two more days…”, “Incredible offer…” and the like can cause a certain kind of excitement that will make them look at the content of your proposal.

The First Paragraph Attracts Attention

Now that your business proposal letter is open, let’s make sure the recipient will consider it. Most users use Gmail which means it’s easier for them to read the first paragraph, so it’s important to really grab your readers’ attention right away. We have a detailed guide on the topic that may be useful to explore as well.

It would be best to introduce clients, offer support, partnership, or something else. Say it clearly and unambiguously. Successful tactics suggest you be direct right away and say why you’re sending a business proposal letter so that you can start like this:

“Dear Mr. Smith,

I want to offer you to become a distributor and reseller of the software developed by my team. It is specialized software for document management…”

Of course, you need to respect the formal style of business communication. Otherwise, you can look frivolous and make a wrong impression. Here is our comprehensive guide on general dos and don’ts on writing an effective business email .

Tell Why You Chose That Person

After you have said what you want, tell a client why you decided to contact them. There must be some reason why that person can help you. Again, this is an opportunity to flatter the reader by showing that you have done your homework by offering basic knowledge about this business. Just be careful. You want to sound like someone familiar with the work of that company/person.

Remember that even when you’re getting in touch with businesses, you are talking to someone, so always address that way. Companies are not some imaginary entities, and they employ services you need.

In our business proposal example there is the following sentence, but you can also learn more by reading   free essays online for students who want to get more information about this kind of business communication writing. So, here it is: “We decided to approach you because we see that you have experience selling software, such as ACME, and we believe that our offer will be interesting to you”.

Introduce Yourself and Your Company Briefly

Now is the perfect moment to include additional information and say who you are and what you do. Don’t exaggerate – give a few  essential details and leave a link where a prospective client can research more, provided he is interested.

Then, when presenting your proposed solution, indicate your website that lists relevant details of your project, summary, product features, benefits, etc. No need to drown in a business proposal. If anyone is interested, they will get to it. Also, don’t forget the “About Us” page when creating your website. You can talk more about yourself and your goals, and your customers can find more details here.

Say what you need, why you are writing to that person, and who you are. Now, say what you expect that person to do. For example, if you say, “I need some advice on software development,” you have not said anything specific. You have not defined whether you need advice on a particular piece of code or perhaps advice on functional development. Don’t make the reader guess but say specifically.

Also, if you are looking for advice, state whether you want to meet, talk via Skype, or receive an answer by email. Say and ask for tangible things.

By defining the expected action, you facilitate the reader to take the next step and answer you. Then, if he doesn’t have to spend too much time learning, thinking, and responding, he will help you.

A client doesn’t have any interest in dealing with your problems, so make it easy. Write simple, short, and precise sentences with a clear message about what you want and how they deliver it to you. Clear instructions increase your chances of getting what you need. Finally, our example should go like this, and you can modify the template according to the specific terms of the job you’re offering:

I want to offer you to become a distributor and reseller of the software developed by my team. I decided to approach you because I see that you have experience selling software, such as Acme, and I believe my business proposal will be attractive to you.

First, let’s say a few words about our company: we develop software for agricultural companies and offer them support for introducing information technology into everyday business. Our goal for 2022 is to expand our offer and establish a network of clients who use our solutions. Developing a network of clients is a segment where we need a partner like you.

If you are interested in this type of cooperation, reach us by email or phone, and we will talk about all the details of our meeting.”

The Takeaway

To get most of the opportunities this type of marketing offers, it is essential to know when to apply which form of writing. This will make it easier to tailor your business proposal and achieve a better effect. Approaching people this way you should always remember to be polite no matter what their response is. Even if you lose them as a client now, cooperation is still possible in the future. Following these simple examples will help you avoid unnecessary mistakes, be precise and concise and get what you want in no time. Visit here for a top guide on how to apply this to longer form communiques.

Join the thousands who have sharpened their business writing skills with our award winning courses.

Copyright © 2024 Businesswritingblog.com.

How to Write a Business Proposal Email

Sending out a proposal over email is tricky business – whether you’re reaching out cold or following up on a recent meeting. Chances are, the person you’re trying to reach will have a busy inbox, so it’s up to you to make your message stand out. It’s important to follow the correct email format when […]

Sending out a proposal over email is tricky business – whether you’re reaching out cold or following up on a recent meeting. Chances are, the person you’re trying to reach will have a busy inbox, so it’s up to you to make your message stand out.

It’s important to follow the correct email format when writing a business proposal email. The templates below should give you a rough idea on how to format it correctly.

Business Proposal Email Format

You can start creating business proposal emails quickly and easily if you follow a simple 5-step format:

1. Subject Line

Your business proposal email subject line needs to accomplish a few different things. First of all, it should be attention-grabbing. You’ve only got a few seconds so every word you use here matters.

Secondly, you need to make your subject line relevant and get right to the point. This shows professionalism and a respect for your recipient’s time.

Lastly, use the recipient’s name whenever possible. This makes your email have a more personalized feel.

Some example subject lines to use are:

• “[Name] – My proposal regarding the new launch”
• “Hey [Name] – Please look this over”
• “[Company Name] Proposal”

2. Greeting

Once you have gotten your recipient to open your email by making it catchy, personal, and relevant, you need to work out the greeting you’re going to write.

There are several schools of thought regarding what a greeting should look like. Some feel that you should go with a personal and informal greeting. Others would claim that you should keep it ultra formal.

The reality is that a great greeting depends on the market or person you are addressing, and your relationship to them. Obviously saying “Hey Buddy” wouldn’t be very appropriate if you’re cold emailing a C-level executive that you’ve never met.

That being said, here are a few greetings ranging from least formal to most formal that you can use to start off your email:

• “Hey [first name]!”
• “Good afternoon [first name]”
• “Dear [Mr. / Mrs. Last Name]

3. Opening Line and Body

Think of the opening line as an extension of your subject line. Go into more depth about the purpose of this email. In other words, tell your recipient what to expect in the words to follow.

For the purposes of a proposal, you also want to include some kind of “hook” — this is some kind of useful information or promise of value within your proposal.

As an example, you might have a very dense body paragraph with the information outlining your proposal. However, this might look intimidating to read at first glance.

So you can give them a brief overview first, like “We’ve found a way to save your company 30% on your office supplies over the next year.”

Then, you can simply fill them in on the details of the proposal throughout the body as you normally would.

You can think of the business proposal email ending as the inverse of the opening and greeting. It will be a lot less detailed and a lot more general than the body.

Use the ending as a chance to wrap up the email by providing a brief summary of what your proposal is. In addition, you’ll want to end with a call-to-action. This way, you tell your recipient what the next step is in the process and take leadership.

Here’s an example ending utilizing the concepts above:

“In summary John, by working with ABC Office Supplies, we can save your law firm 30% on your office expenses annually. Please let me know if you’d like to move forward on this agreement or if you have any other questions. Talk soon.”

5. Signature

The final part of your proposal is your signature. This may sound like simply signing off with your name, but it’s a little more involved than that depending on your goals.

Sure, you can simply sign off with a “Regards, [Your Name]” type of signature. This is short and sweet.

However, consider adding some more pizzazz to your signature with potential social media links, product or sales page links, and additional contact information. These can be helpful if you are trying to expand your footprint and the ways in which your recipient can reach back out.

8 Business Proposal Email Templates to Use in 2024

Want to send out business proposal emails in even less time? Utilize these customizable templates below and save hours of hard work:

1. Proposal email to offer services

Subject line : Need help with [service?]

Just noticed that you are [potential customer avatar] and I thought we might be able to help you. We help companies just like yours [solve their problem]. I would be happy to discuss the possibilities more in detail.

Just reply to this email and we can set up a good time to chat.

Regards, Austin

Why it works

Instead of beating around the bush, this email simply tells the potential client exactly why you’re contacting them — to potentially work together.

2.Proposal email sample to an existing client

Subject line : Congratulations

Through the last 2 years of being our client, we’ve helped you increase your sales by 45% and increase your productivity at the same time, saving countless hours of time and payroll.

We just wanted to say congratulations and focus on improving your business in every way possible, and investing in a service that allows you to enjoy these results!

That being said, our team has come up with a few ways that we think we can improve your sales process even further. If correctly implemented, it could boost your bottom line by another several percentage points this year.

When would you have a quick 15 minutes to connect on this and dive into some more detail?

Cheers, [Your name]

Why it works From the first moment in the subject line, by saying congratulations, you are setting a positive tone. You want to remind them of all the good things you’ve done together, and the benefits of continuing to work together.

3. Project proposal email

Subject line : Hope this finds you well…

Hey [supervisor’s name],

Just taking a few moments in between finishing up today’s reporting and preparing for the meeting with [client] tomorrow on their ongoing needs.

Through the past several months I’ve been proud about crushing my projections and I want to thank you for all of your support.

Frankly, I see a bright long term future here and am excited to work every day on our mission. With that being said, I have an idea for a new project that I would love to spearhead.

This project could potentially reduce client turnover and specifically help our largest client [client’s name] get even better results in a short amount of time.

As you know, I’m interested in continuing to work hard and earn promotions to eventually be in management, so I would appreciate your feedback on the potential of this new project.

Speak soon, [your name]

Why it works You are putting the project in terms of the benefit to your boss / recipient. Obviously, you benefit too but always remember who you’re talking to.

4. Business proposal email sample

Subject line : Your campaign was stunning

Hey [potential business partner],

Your marketing team must be on fire! Your recent round of campaigns were really engaging and I felt it really reflected the high impact you’re having on your market. Well done.

You know, here at [your company] we’ve always found that aligning with other people and organizations with similar values and reputations was a good way to synergize results and resources.

Our company has a long track record of helping our partners grow in new ways. I wanted to see if there was any mutual interest in working together to see if there are any cross promotion / integration opportunities between our two verticals.

You can reach me here at this email or at [number] any time to discuss further.

Best regards,

[your name]

Why it works It always helps to have a high amount of respect for potential business partners. Flattery goes a long way in opening doors.

5. Proposal email to your boss/ manager

Subject line : Can we talk?

Hi [boss’s name],

I was wondering if you had a few minutes this week to chat. I really love being here, and I see a great future on the horizon in my role as a [role].

However, recently, I’ve incurred some additional expenses and am hoping to find a way to increase my income.

Namely, I’m curious as to what additional tasks I can do or value I can add to potentially increase the income I earn here at [company] first and foremost. That would be my preference before looking externally.

Look forward to connecting soon. Thanks, [Name]

Why it works When you know your worth, it’s important to still be careful with how you approach your boss. They have things to deal with as well, such as budgeting or restrictions on what they can compensate you — so get clarity first and always use some grace.

6. Quirky proposal email

Subject line: Fill in the blank?

I have something on my plate here and I just need you to fill in the blank. We found a way to supercharge your business revenue by 3x this year alone.

I need you to fill in the blank with your signature. Please find the proposal attached.

[Your name]

This email stands out a little bit. It’s a little bit cheeky. Someone may think that you have a lot of confidence in your product or service to speak this way.

7. Proposal email to unresponsive client

Subject line: Maybe this is no longer a priority?

Just following up because over the last few months your communication has fallen off. If this is something you’re no longer interested in, that’s totally fine.

If not, could you please take a look at the attached proposal and let me know if it’ll work for you?

You have nothing to lose if a client has become unresponsive. In today’s day and age, they could have potentially not seen your email, but also very likely is that they are just too busy. By calling this out and acknowledging it, you bring this issue back to the top of their mind.

8. The social proof proposal email

Subject line: Three other successful clients couldn’t be wrong

Hey [name],

Three of our most successful clients couldn’t be wrong, could they? After all, we’ve helped them grow their business by an average of 30% month after month. If you’re interested in how we can do this for you as well, I have a proposal for you.

It’ll only take around 15 minutes to dive into it. What do you say we set up a call soon?

Social proof is one of the most powerful ways to get a message across. Many people take third-party cues, such as how many other clients have chosen your service, instead of simply looking at the facts or statistics.

Proposal Email Top Tips to Follow

There are a few tips and tricks that will help you get your proposal in front of the right person and convince your target that you have what they’re looking for.

1.   Research and Target Your Recipient

Before you even begin to write – let alone send – your proposal email, it’s important to know who you’re addressing it to. This will ensure you nail the style and tone of the proposal, but it will also allow you to personalize your email and reach the most appropriate person.

If you’re sending your proposal email out cold, then locating your target’s email address might be tricky, if not impossible. If you cannot find the exact address, then at least know the name of the recipient so that you can refer to them in the subject line and email body.

2.   Nail Your Subject Line

The value of your subject line cannot be underestimated when sending out an email proposal. It’s the first thing your recipient will see in their inbox and is your first (and sometimes only) chance at a good impression. According to Optimonster, 47% of email recipients will open an email entirely on the basis of the contents of the subject line.

The key to the subject line is to be clear about what’s in the email. This may seem like an obvious point, but people often make the mistake of disguising the real purpose of their email with an ambiguous subject line as if to “trick” the recipient into opening it.

Another top tip: if you can, personalize your subject line. If you do, you might expect a 26% better chance of your email being opened.

3.   To Attach or Not to Attach

When you’re sending your proposal via email, you have the choice to include the proposal as an attached document or to include it in the body of the email.

While adding as an attachment could affect its deliverability, it’s also important not to send out lengthy email messages to unsuspecting recipients. In fact, HubSpot argues that emails should be no longer than 200 words.

The main thing to ask yourself is whether your proposal is a quick 2-3 sentence affair (and can therefore fit into your email body), or whether it requires a lengthy in-depth document (to be sent as an attachment). The key is to be clear – in the subject line if possible – that your proposal is included as an attachment to your email.

4.   Stick to the Point

It’s important that both the proposal itself, as well as the email copy, remain relevant and helpful and not ramble on for paragraphs on end.

Make sure to provide all the information your recipient may need, whether that be all ways of contacting you, costs, timelines, and summary of your proposal. Your email proposal needs to do all the hard work so that your recipient can see exactly what they should expect from you if they were to go ahead and hire you.

5.   Sell Your Offering

Your proposal email really is your chance to showcase why you are the right person to hire, so seize the opportunity! Whether you’re a freelancer looking for work, or a company reaching out for a new contract, it’s down to your proposal to explain exactly what you’re offering and what makes you better than anyone else to deliver it.

If you’re sending out your proposal to more than one recipient, make sure you tailor this part so that your skills, expertise, and experience are relevant to each company’s specific needs.

6.  Get the Timing Right

There’s no doubt that moving quickly is the key to clinching a new gig. But exactly how quickly is up to some interpretation.

It’s generally held as best practice to send your proposal email within 24 hours of being in touch with your target recipient. It demonstrates that you are keen and organized, but you’re also fresh in their minds.

If you want your email to get opened right away, then try and hold off from sending it at 2am. Likewise, avoid the 9am-11am rush hour. Ideally, you want to be sending your email in the middle of the day, when your recipient is most likely to be sitting at their computer.

Right Inbox’s send Later feature can help you to set your own time delay so that, if you’re eager to compose your message and get it out the door, you can rest easy knowing that it’s been scheduled to arrive when it’s most likely to get it seen.

7.   Follow Up

One of the worst mistakes you can make once you’ve sent your super-charged proposal email is to neglect to follow up . You don’t need to harass your recipient, but a courtesy message a few days after your initial email will demonstrate that you are serious about your proposal and, hopefully, worth a punt.

Emailing a proposal to a new client, boss, or partner doesn’t need to be as difficult as it seems. If you’ve done some sound target research then your knowledge of their working challenges will shine through.

Keeping your proposal and email succinct, sending it at the right time, and following up are all things that will give your proposal an extra chance of getting in front of the right eyes, and getting you hired for the job.

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David Campbell is the editor of the Right Inbox blog. He is passionate about email productivity and getting more done in less time.

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Emails for Proposal Submissions: 4 Methods With Samples

You’ve written all the essential sections for your proposal. The design looks great. Now…all you need to do is craft the perfect email to submit your proposal to your prospective client.

But, writer’s block is settling in. You’re not quite sure what to write in your proposal submission email.

Don’t fret. To help you cross this task off your to-do list, we’ve rounded up 4 unique methods for writing proposal submission emails . Plus, we’ve got email samples for each method.

All you have to do is copy and paste your favorite email sample and customize it to your needs. Let’s do this!

Why your proposal submission email matters

If you have experience writing proposals, you know that your executive summary is important. It sets the tone for the rest of your proposal and clarifies why the prospect should invest time reading it in detail.

But here’s the thing: the submission email comes first. 🤫Don’t tell your cover letter we told you so, but the email is the real first impression.

When prospective clients receive the submission email, it encourages them to view your proposal in its entirety.

To be effective, the email should be:

On brand - Every part of your client experience should be on brand, including this email. For different companies, that might mean using formal language, straight-to-the point messaging, or tons of emojis. Just make sure the email is true to your brand style.

Professional - Potential clients will judge the grammar, formatting, appearance, and language of your email to help them decide whether or not they trust you enough to do business with you, so now is not the time for sloppiness. Always proofread your emails.

Purposeful - Don’t stuff this email with unnecessary information or requests. Make sure that every line serves a purpose. If it doesn’t cut it. If your email is too long or complicated, it will be a big turn-off.

Keep these tips in mind when crafting your email, no matter which of the writing methods below you ultimately choose.

4 methods for writing proposal submission emails [with samples]

So how do you write an email to deliver your proposal?

Try one of these 4 unique email-writing methods:

Short and sweet

Full executive summary

Mini executive summary

Assume the sale

Use the one that best matches your company and industry. Then, add your unique brand style and prospect details, and hit that send button!

Method 1: Short and sweet

First up, let’s dive into the simplest of all our email-writing methods.

This email acknowledges the fact that your prospective client probably just wants to read your proposal , not a long, fluffy email. So, this email is kept short and sweet. It serves as a notification and a quick request for the reader’s attention. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sample email

Here’s an example email using this writing method:

Subject line: Partnership marketing proposal Hi Name, I enjoyed our conversation and I look forward to helping you grow your business through strategic, aligned partnerships with the right companies, associations, and influencers in your industry. I prepared a proposal based on your needs and our solution here: {link} Let’s schedule some time early next week to review any questions you might have and move this forward with next steps. Don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions in the meantime, {Your Signature}

Method 2: Full executive summary

Our next method is a lot more robust. Geoffrey James, a contributing editor for Inc., says every salesperson should master the proposal submission email.

He recommends this 7-point template to guide your writing:

Statement of gratitude (1 sentence)

Problem definition and financial impact (1-2 sentences)

Desired outcome (1-2 sentences)

Proposed solution (2-5 sentences)

Proposed price (1 sentence)

Risk reduction (1-2 sentences)

Next step (1 sentence)

With this method, you’re essentially re-purposing your cover letter for your submission email.

Here’s an example email using Geoffrey’s method:

Subject line: Software development proposal Hi Name, Thank you for giving me the opportunity to submit a proposal for your new startup. The school sports club management niche has not yet been digitized and you have the opportunity to be the first SaaS player in this space. If you don’t get to market quickly, you could lose out on this first-mover advantage. You need to take your product to market in under 6 months, and we expect to meet that deadline. I propose a small product team of two senior-level engineers, one product manager, one DevOps engineer, and one QA tester. My business team will provide strategic direction to ensure that this product team performs at a high level and stays on track with the product roadmap. The cost will be $30,000 per month, with a total expected investment of $180,000 (6 months) to develop your MVP and go to market. After this initial development, the ongoing monthly cost will be lower depending on how aggressively you want to add advanced features. To ensure that the MVP meets user needs, we will start by developing a prototype and conducting user testing with 10 target users. After product validation, we will begin development. Please read the proposal in its entirety. You can find it here: {link} If you’d like us to kickoff prototyping next month, I’ll need the signed proposal and a deposit of $30,000 by March 15th. Let’s speak later this week to go over any questions you might have and move this forward with next steps. I’ll send you an invite. {Your Signature}

Method 3: Mini executive summary

This method is inspired by Geoffrey’s 7-point template above—except that it’s a condensed version.

Instead of writing one or more sentences for all of his 7 points, you cover just 3 or 4 of those points.

The benefit of this email method is that it offers context and clarity, without being unnecessarily long.

After all, you probably don’t need to submit a super-long email with your proposal. You just need to encourage the prospect to give it a read.

We recommend you share your gratitude for being able to submit a proposal, describe their pain points or the desired outcome, and detail your proposed solution. However, you can mix and match any of the 7 points from Method 2 to craft an email that is contextualized, yet brief.

This type of proposal works well for financial aid appeal letters as these emails are not so short, and not so lengthy. Precise, to-the-point, and drives results.

For this example email, we’re including the following points: gratitude, desired outcome, proposed solution, and next step.

Subject line: Proposal ready for review Hi Name, Our team at Acme Architects is honored that you’ve given us the opportunity to submit a proposal for your dream cabin. We know how important it is that this cabin provides memories for your family to enjoy for decades to come. To achieve your goals, we’re proposing our standard package, which includes surveying, architectural renderings, design revisions, and streamlined collaboration with your engineer and building team. Please take a moment to review the proposal here: {link} Once the proposal is signed, our team will get to work immediately on the land survey. In the meantime, let's get some time on the calendar to review the proposal together and I can answer any questions. {Your Signature}

Method 4: Assume the sale

With this method, pretend like you’re writing to a new client who’s being onboarded—instead of trying to sell your services.

Most sellers know the “assume the sale” trick . Here’s how it works: you talk (or write) as if the prospect has already said yes. Your easy confidence in winning the deal helps convince them that you’re the one for the job.

This technique is frequently used on sales calls. A sales representative might say something like, “ Let’s make sure to set up a training session on this feature. Our head of education, Samantha, is really great. Your team is going to love her. What month would you like to schedule that ?” The seller is putting the prospective client in the mindset of having already said yes to the deal.

You can use this little sales trick in your proposal submission emails as well. You might hone in specifically on the next steps and not mention much else. Or you might include some details on the first few phases of the project.

Keep in mind that this trick can be effective for small businesses, but if your prospective client is a large organization, you might come across as clueless if you assume that decision-makers are already on board. So, use this method with caution. Find ways to mention onboarding and service details without being overly presumptuous.

Here’s a sample email using this method:

Subject line: Let’s get started! Hi Name, I’m looking forward to working together. You can find the proposal based on our conversation here: {link} Next week, we’ll kick things off with a 90-minute strategy session. I can’t wait for you to meet our chief brand strategist. She’s a gem and very excited about this project! Then we’ll dive straight into customer and market research, and your new brand will be ready for you by May 1st. Can’t wait! {Your Signature}

Must-have email templates when submitting proposals

When writing a professional email, it’s wise not to start from scratch. The proposal submission is an essential part of the sales process, and you want to get it right.

Before sending your sales proposal, consider using these great email templates. They’re available inside of Proposify , our platform designed for sending, tracking, and closing proposals.

Email template for sending the proposal

We’re big believers that for many companies and industries, sales emails should be kept simple.

This proposal email doesn’t include pain points or value propositions. It simply asks the prospective client to take a look at the proposal and let the sender know if they have any questions.

Let this template be a reminder: you don’t have to dress up your proposal with a complicated email. You can choose to let your proposal shine instead (and take pomp and circumstance out of the picture).

Automated follow-up email template to close the deal

Before you submit your proposal, you should set up at least one automated follow-up email . Not only will this save you time, but follow-up email automation also boosts proposal closing rates by 50% on average .

Use our reminder email template as an example. It kicks things off with a simple opening paragraph: “Do you have any questions on the proposal? I’m happy to adjust the terms to meet your needs.”

Automated thank-you email template

The thank-you email serves as one of the initial elements in your client experience.

You should use automation to send the thank-you email, because you want the client to feel good about their decision to work with you. If they sign the proposal while you’re away from your desk, automation ensures that you’re responding to their decision without delay.

You can use this email to cover important onboarding steps, such as filling out a questionnaire or booking a kickoff meeting. Or, you can simply deliver a copy of the signed proposal and let your client know you will be in touch with them as soon as possible to begin the onboarding process.

Proposify offers automated thank-you emails within our platform. This template uses simple, positive language like, “Thank you for accepting our proposal. We’re excited to get started and we’ll be in touch ASAP with next steps.”

With Proposify, you can edit any of our email templates or create your own templates for a variety of use cases.

Get proposal templates and automated emails with Proposify

To send beautiful proposals and submission emails in a snap, you need proposal software .

Proposify includes both proposal templates and email templates to save you time and create consistency for your sales team. Our software also offers analytics features so you can check which prospective clients have viewed your proposal and how often. This data will help you craft custom follow-up emails based on each client’s level of interest (or lack thereof). You can also track average viewing and closing rates to set goals for improving your sales stats.

And for the cherry on top, emails sent with Proposify enjoy an average open rate of 90.5% , so you can be sure that your emails are getting through to your prospects.

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Seal the Deal: Game-Changing Business Proposal Email Samples

A business proposal email is a convincing sales document sent to clients to gain business interest. Whether freelancing or pitching for new work, writing a business proposal letter or email can be daunting. 

Acquiring new clients is crucial for businesses regardless of size. Although it is possible to manage a business effectively through referrals and networking, you will still need to send an official proposition at some point through a business proposal email to target leads. Business proposal emails can take many forms and be sent to new or existing clients depending on the objective.

Proposals like this are an administrative summary of the vital business arrangements you discussed with a potential client . They present your ideas in a structured format and highlight the pros and cons. The email can either summarize an idea or include the full proposal itself. The aim is to engage the client, urge them to read the document with supporting information, and set the ball in motion.

A winning business proposal should contain all the necessary information for your potential client. The proposal needs to be fascinating and persuasive. It should include all the important points about your business and highlight why you are their solution and why they should choose you.

It has to give a background to your experience in the field of your said business and detail the financial information like the pricing structure and payment terms. A good business proposal should include all this without unnerving your potential clients. In this article, we cover everything you need to know about business proposal writing. 

9 Email Samples for Accepting Business Proposal

Understanding the Audience

The first step of writing a business proposal is scoping the market. You must find your prospect. This is the person or company you’re looking to get into business with. It should be evident in your business proposal that you have done vital research on the company and found relevant information. You must understand their core values and what makes them tick as a business and tailor your solution to reflect and enhance this. 

Identifying their needs and necessities is your starting point if you are into the proposal. Find the connection and the disconnection between how they see themselves vs how they’re actually perceived. Once you have comprehended their needs and business methods and know where they are and how you can help them get to where they’re going, you’ve done the bulk of the necessary work. 

Tailor the proposal to address their specific requirements. Everyone, businesses and individuals alike, appreciate an individual approach to everything. Take your time to learn about the company and its competitors. Try to find out their core values and use them in your proposal email.

How to Write Project Proposal Email and Samples

Structuring the Email

A business proposal letter is a document used to persuade or propose cooperation between organizations or two parties. You can send a business proposal email as a reply to a request for information about your business or to potential clients to introduce your company and the products you provide. It can also be sent to propose a partnership, to provide a solution in the form of a service or product, to propose an internal collaboration, or to provide marketing services. It doesn’t matter what your intention for writing the proposal; it should be structured in a particular manner. 

• Clear and concise subject line: Start with a clear subject line to show the general purpose of your letter. It should be attention-grabbing and straight to the point. This shows your professionalism and respect for the potential client. Some examples include; [Name] – My proposal regarding the new launch, Proposal to sponsor [Company Name], [Company Name] Proposal, etc.  
• Professional greeting and introduction: You should address the recipient by their name. Don’t be tempted to address the prospect with To Whom It May Concern. You should start your greeting in a semi-formal way. Go for the grey area between formal and informal. Greetings like Hello [first name]! Good day [first name], Dear [Mr. / Mrs. Last Name] work well in a business proposal email. Your introduction is an extension of your subject line . Go into more depth about the purpose of the email.
• Engaging and persuasive body paragraphs: The body paragraph that would follow should present a problem or opportunity, propose a solution or idea, highlight the benefits and value of the proposition, and provide supporting evidence or data. It is reasonable to be as open and precise as possible in your email. Be transparent with your ideas and set out each stage of the project, especially if it is a long-term business spanning several months. 
• Call to action and next steps: A call to action is vital to a business proposal email, especially in business-related emails. It encourages your potential customer or business to act rapidly rather than tardily. The call to action does not have to be complicated. It can be simply a reminder to contact you for any further information, schedule a call, or visit your website to view as studies. Make sure it is persuasive enough for them to act on the proposal.

Polite closing and signature: Close your business proposal email with a simple and polite thank you to the prospect for their time in checking out your proposal, and urge them to contact you with any questions. Write the email with enough of your personality and add a follow-up request. Have them feel you are the solution with the right services once they read your proposal email.

Sending Proposal Email to Client Sample

Business proposal template, sample email for sending revised proposal to client, sales proposal email template.

In conclusion, crafting an effective business proposal email requires careful consideration of key elements. First and foremost, establishing a compelling subject line that grabs the recipient’s attention is crucial. Secondly, ensuring a concise and well-structured email body that clearly communicates the proposal’s value proposition is essential. Lastly, including a strong call-to-action to encourage a prompt response from the reader is vital for success. By incorporating these three phrases, a persuasive business proposal email can be created, increasing the likelihood of generating positive outcomes and securing valuable partnerships. Remember, the art of writing a business proposal email lies in striking a balance between professionalism and persuasive storytelling, ultimately making a lasting impression on the recipient.

About The Author

Jim Blessed

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Master the Art of Persuasion: 10 Winning Business Proposal Email Examples

Email has become a ubiquitous part of our lives, especially in the world of business. it’s a quick, easy, and cost-effective way to communicate, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. that’s why it's important to understand the art of crafting a compelling business proposal email - one that captures the attention of your recipient and makes them want to say “yes”..

In this blog post, we will provide you with 10 business proposal email examples that can help you create compelling pitches to secure those coveted deals.

10 Business Proposal Email Examples to Secure Winning Deals

In the business world, sending a well-crafted business proposal email can be the key to securing winning deals and gaining new clients. A persuasive and professional proposal can effectively communicate your value proposition and convince potential partners or customers to choose your business.

Example 1: Proposal for Social Media Management

Subject: Boost Your Online Presence with Our Social Media Management Proposal

Hello [Client's Name],

We understand the importance of a strong online presence in today's digital world. Our tailored social media management proposal aims to enhance your brand's visibility and engagement. Please find the attached proposal outlining our services and strategies.

Looking forward to your feedback.

Best regards,

[Your Name]

Example 2: Event Sponsorship Proposal

Subject: Exciting Sponsorship Opportunity for [Client's Company] at [Event Name]

Dear [Client's Name],

We believe [Client's Company] would make an excellent sponsor for our upcoming event, [Event Name]. We've crafted a sponsorship proposal highlighting the numerous benefits and exposure opportunities for your brand.

Kindly review the attached document and let us know your thoughts.

Warm regards,

Example 3: Partnership Proposal

Subject: Exploring a Mutually Beneficial Partnership Between [Your Company] and [Client's Company]

We believe that a partnership between [Your Company] and [Client's Company] could yield significant benefits for both parties. Our partnership proposal, attached herein, highlights how we can collaborate and achieve shared goals.

We look forward to discussing this further.

Kind regards,

Example 4: Product Demonstration Proposal

Subject: Discover the Benefits of [Your Product] with a Personalized Demo

We're excited to showcase the capabilities of [Your Product]. Our proposal, attached to this email, offers a personalized product demonstration, highlighting how it can address your unique needs.

We'd be thrilled to schedule a demo at your convenience.

Example 5: Marketing Strategy Proposal

Subject: Amplify Your Brand with Our Comprehensive Marketing Strategy Proposal

Our team has developed a marketing strategy proposal specifically designed to elevate your brand and achieve your business objectives. Please find the attached document detailing our approach and recommendations.

We look forward to your feedback.

Example 6: Freelance Services Proposal

Subject: Enhance Your Project with My Freelance [Service] Proposal

I'm confident that my freelance [service] skills can add significant value to your project. I've attached a proposal outlining how my expertise aligns with your requirements and the deliverables you can expect.

Let's discuss how we can work together.

Best wishes,

Example 7: Software Implementation Proposal

Subject: Streamline Your Operations with Our Software Implementation Proposal

Our software solution can help optimize your business processes and increase efficiency. We've prepared an implementation proposal, attached to this email, detailing the steps and timeline for a seamless integration.

We look forward to your thoughts.

Example 8: Training Program Proposal

Subject: Empower Your Team with Our Customized Training Program Proposal

Investing in your team's professional development is essential for growth. We've designed a training program proposal, attached below, tailored to your organization's needs and objectives.

We're excited to hear your feedback and discuss next steps.

Example 9: Research Collaboration Proposal

Subject: Exploring Research Collaboration Opportunities in [Subject Area]

We believe that collaborating on research in the field of [subject area] could lead to groundbreaking discoveries and mutual benefits. Our research collaboration proposal, attached to this email, outlines our objectives, methodology, and the potential impact of our joint efforts.

We look forward to discussing this opportunity further.

Example 10: Website Redesign Proposal

Subject: Transform Your Website with Our Redesign Proposal

We've analyzed your current website and identified areas for improvement. Our website redesign proposal, attached to this email, outlines the changes we recommend for a more user-friendly and visually appealing site.

We're eager to hear your thoughts.

Crafting a persuasive business proposal email is an essential skill for success in today's competitive business landscape. The 10 business proposal email examples provided in this blog post serve as valuable resources to inspire and guide you in creating winning pitches that secure deals.

Remember to tailor your proposal to the specific needs and preferences of your target audience, clearly articulate the benefits of your offering, and maintain a professional tone throughout your communication.

With these examples as your guide, you'll be well-equipped to create impactful and effective business proposal emails that increase your chances of securing those sought-after deals.

Understanding the Importance of Business Proposal Emails

Business proposal emails are a critical component of your sales process. They provide an opportunity for you to introduce your business, products or services, and explain how you can help solve your prospect's pain points.

However, simply sending out a generic email without any personalization or attention to detail is unlikely to yield positive results.

To truly make an impact with your business proposal email, it is important to understand the role it plays in closing deals.

A well-crafted email can serve to highlight the unique selling points of your business, showcase your expertise in your industry, and demonstrate your understanding of your prospect's challenges.

By doing so, you can establish trust and credibility with your potential customer, making them more likely to want to do business with you.

The role of personalization in business proposal emails

One key element of an effective business proposal email is personalization. By taking the time to understand your prospect's specific needs and pain points, you can tailor your message to resonate with them on a deeper level.

This can involve referencing their industry, company size, or specific challenges they may be facing. By doing so, you can show that you have taken the time to truly understand their situation, and are offering a solution that is specifically tailored to their needs.

Key elements of an effective business proposal email

In addition to personalization, an effective business proposal email should include a clear value proposition that grabs the attention of your reader. This could involve highlighting the benefits of your product or service, or showcasing how it has helped other businesses in similar situations.

It should also show how your product or service can solve their specific pain points, and include a clear and concise call-to-action that encourages them to take the next step.

Of course, it is also important that your email is well-presented and professional-looking. This means paying attention to details such as formatting, grammar, and spelling, and ensuring that your email is easy to read and visually appealing.

By doing so, you can help to establish your credibility and professionalism, making it more likely that your prospect will take you seriously and consider your proposal.

In conclusion, business proposal emails are a crucial part of the sales process, and require careful attention to detail and personalization in order to be effective.

By understanding the role they play in closing deals, and focusing on key elements such as personalization, value proposition, and presentation, you can increase your chances of success and win over new customers for your business.

Crafting a Compelling Subject Line

The subject line is one of the most important elements of your email marketing campaign. It’s the first thing your prospect will see when they receive your email, so it’s crucial to make it eye-catching, attention-grabbing and relevant to your proposal.

The subject line can make or break the success of your email campaign, so it’s important to get it right.

One of the most effective ways to create an attention-grabbing subject line is to use questions or statements that create a sense of urgency. This will encourage your prospect to open your email and take action.

For example, you could use a subject line like "Limited Time Offer: Save 50% on Our Services". This creates a sense of urgency and encourages the reader to open the email to find out more.

Another way to create an effective subject line is to include numbers, percentages or other statistics that highlight the value of your proposal. This can be especially effective if you’re offering a discount or promotion.

For example, you could use a subject line like "Get 20% off Your Next Purchase with Our Exclusive Coupon". This highlights the value of your offer and encourages the reader to take action.

Appealing to the reader's emotions is another effective way to create an attention-grabbing subject line. For example, you could create a sense of curiosity or excitement by using a subject line like "Discover the Secret to Perfect Skin with Our New Product Line".

This creates a sense of excitement and encourages the reader to open the email to find out more.

Tips for creating attention-grabbing subject lines:

• Use questions or statements that create a sense of urgency
• Include numbers, percentages or other statistics that highlight the value of your proposal
• Appeal to the reader's emotions, for example, by creating a sense of curiosity or excitement

Remember, the subject line is the first thing your prospect will see when they receive your email, so it’s important to make it count. A great subject line can make the difference between your email being opened and read or being deleted unread.

Subject line examples for different industries:

• For an IT company - "Revolutionize Your Business with our Advanced IT Solutions"
• For an advertising agency - "Maximize the Impact of Your Marketing Campaign"
• For a digital marketing company - "Boost Your Online Presence with Our Expert Strategies"

These subject lines are specific to different industries, but they all follow the same principles of being attention-grabbing, relevant and valuable to the reader. By following these tips and examples, you can create subject lines that will help you achieve your email marketing goals and drive more business.

Structuring Your Business Proposal Email

A well-structured business proposal email is key to presenting your ideas in a clear and concise way that is easy to understand. However, it's not just about being clear and concise, it's also about being persuasive and engaging.

You want to capture your recipient's attention and convince them that your product or service is the solution they've been looking for. Here are some tips on how to structure your business proposal email:

Opening with a strong introduction

The first few sentences of your email are crucial. You need to grab your recipient's attention and make them want to keep reading. Start your email with a clear and attention-grabbing introduction that highlights the key benefits of your product or service.

For example, you could start with a question that addresses a pain point your recipient is likely experiencing. Or you could start with a bold statement that highlights the unique value proposition of your product or service. Whatever approach you take, make sure it's compelling and relevant to your recipient.

For example, if you're pitching a new project management tool to a busy executive, you might start your email like this:

Are you tired of juggling multiple projects and struggling to keep track of deadlines? Our new project management tool can help you streamline your workflow and stay on top of your to-do list.

Presenting your proposal clearly and concisely

The middle section of your email should give a detailed explanation of how your product or service works and how it will benefit your recipient. This is where you need to be clear and concise, but also persuasive and engaging.

Use examples and case studies to illustrate the value of your product or service. Highlight the features that are most relevant to your recipient, and explain how they will solve their specific problem.

For example, if you're pitching a new marketing automation tool to a marketing manager, you might explain how your tool can help them save time and improve their ROI:

Our marketing automation tool can help you streamline your marketing campaigns and improve your ROI. With our tool, you can create targeted email campaigns that are triggered based on specific actions, such as website visits or form submissions.

You can also track the performance of your campaigns in real-time and make adjustments on the fly. This means you can spend less time on manual tasks and more time on high-level strategy.

Closing with a call-to-action

The final section of your email should always include a clear and concise call-to-action that encourages your prospect to take the next step, whether that's scheduling a call, signing up for a demo or requesting a quote.

Make it easy for your prospect to take action by including a link or a button that takes them directly to the next step.

For example, if you're pitching a new HR software to a busy HR manager, you might end your email like this:

Ready to take the next step? Schedule a demo today and see how our HR software can help you streamline your HR processes and improve your employee experience.

Schedule a demo

Remember, the key to a successful business proposal email is to be clear, concise, persuasive and engaging. Use these tips to structure your email in a way that captures your recipient's attention and convinces them that your product or service is the solution they've been looking for.

Looking for More Wisdom?

If you are looking for other articles on email examples, then these articles are a must see:

• supliful.com/blog/email-signup-form-exampless
• supliful.com/blog/examples-of-poorly-written-business-emails
• supliful.com/blog/facebook-email-signup-form-examples

These posts will help you learn more about how to write emails, so you can improve your communication skills.

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The Complete Guide on How to Write a Business Proposal Email

Acquiring new clients is crucial for small businesses. Even though you can sometimes manage that through referrals and networking, you’ll still need to send an official proposition through a business proposal email to potential clients. If your business emails haven’t been generating the wanted results, you’re in the right place!

In this article, we'll explain the importance of a business proposal email and provide you with a guide on writing one your potential client will actually want to read. We know how to create interest with your sales documents so you can rest assured we have the right solution for your situation.

What is a business proposal email?

A business proposal is a proposition of cooperation between two (or more) organizations. It's a sales document that should be written in a form of proposed agreements between a supplier and a user of specific products or services, essentially a document that ends with a call to action . So, whether you’re selling a product or service, writing a proposal is a good idea. 

Once you have your business proposal ready, you need to email it to the interested party.

Types of proposal emails

There are two types of business proposal emails . The first one is the one you send cold email to your audience . This type of email is more commonly known as an unsolicited proposal. An email like this is sent out to people you've never had contact with or ones you know but have never expressed an interest in buying your solutions.

When sending unsolicited proposals, you need to be especially convincing in order to achieve your results. Luckily, there are many cold email templates you can use to help you write a captivating outreach message .

The other type is a solicited business proposal email which is usually sent out after a request by the potential client. In this case, you'll have an easier time creating your business proposal letter, because you'll have more information.

But, whatever the case may be, we have gathered a foolproof plan that will secure success .

Do the research

Throughout your whole business proposal email, it should be evident that you researched the company and found more than their contact information. Get to know their core values, and do a little stalking on social media. 

Facebook, Instagram , Twitter and LinkedIn are the best platforms for showcasing how the company sees itself. If you’re in marketing, this is your jumping-off point. Describe the disconnect between how they see themselves, and how they are perceived by others.

After all, social media is where they keep introducing and reinventing themselves. 

Everybody likes a bit of an individual approach so take time to learn about the company and its competitors. Try to find out what their core values are and use that in your proposal email.

Once you’ve understood their process and how they’ve done things in the past, you’ll likely find something to hook them in and create a proposal that will get you hired. 

If you’re planning an initial meeting where you’ll listen to the potential client’s needs and assess the strategy you’re going to use, you’ll be using a different approach. You still need to research the company and get to know its industry. However, prepping for a face-to-face meeting is different from cold emailing . 

In a meeting, you’ll have more opportunities to ask questions and get a more detailed look into the client’s needs, and former work, but you won’t have as much leeway when it comes to answering their questions. To better prepare for the meeting, check out our 3 easy steps tutorial . 

Introduce yourself

What do you think is more eye-catching, a block of text or bullet points? Exactly! When writing your business proposal email make sure to keep it short and engaging.

Firstly, you should address the recipient by their name (this is no place for a “to whom it may concern”). After that, you can start with a table of contents.

If your potential client sent a request for a proposal, they’ll know what to expect. Still, making a table of contents will elevate your pitch and bring a dose of professionalism. Proposal software usually has this feature integrated, and it’s not something you have to worry about while writing. 

Draft your proposal

In order to have the content for your business proposal email, you first need to write the proposal document.

When preparing your proposal, an executive summary or an introduction is written with the purpose of grabbing the reader's attention. It should get right to the point and express the value you can bring to them. If you’re sending an email to a cold audience, this will likely be the first time they’re hearing about you. You can use that as an opportunity.

Think of this as a cover letter for your future client. Make it concise and easy to read. Also, make sure to think of the person that will be reading it. Put an emphasis on your strengths and avoid mentioning your shortcomings.

Make sure you're not going overboard with how much you write about yourself and the company. Focus on your client and let them get to the meat of your proposal quickly.

Your clients have busy schedules . They won’t have time to remember redundant information. Leaving a strong impression with all your strong points would be much better.

Those of you that already had a discovery meeting ( that went well ) can easily write out your executive summary by using your client's words. Just summarize what you were talking about at the meeting and make a smooth transition to the following page.

This will show them that you were listening and understand what they need out of your business proposal.

Present your solution

After you’ve introduced your proposal, move the conversation to the problem they’ve encountered. This is where you write out your solution. Explain how you would help them, and why you're the person for the job. If you have a custom solution for them, this is where you explain it in detail. Your potential customer will be more engaged and likely to agree to start doing business with you.

The problem you’re proposing to solve should be presented without placing the blame on anybody, so don’t start with an attack. Furthermore, your solution to the problem should be written in an understandable way that doesn’t create confusion. 

How to increase your success rate?

Not everybody is on the same level as you, so make sure to use words people with a lower technical knowledge will know. Avoid using technical jargon and make sure your business proposal doesn't require any additional materials in order to be understood by your clients. The only thing this type of thinking changes is the number of words since you’ll be using more descriptions to get your point across. 

To back up your statements, you can add a few testimonials or a case study that will show your expertise.

Evaluate the cost

Don’t get overwhelmed when you come to this part. Obviously, you don’t want to under-price your product or website testing services , it's critical to make sure that the solution and pricing you offer meet the needs and expectations of your customersOn the other hand, you don’t want your client to take one look at your pricing table and close it. 

Try dividing up your services with a required and optional fee table. That way, your price will be broken down into several sections. This is more visually appealing than a single large number, and your potential client will feel like they are saving money by avoiding the optional services, but still sticking to your core cost estimate. 

If you’re sending proposal letters to a cold audience, you most often don’t know their budget. If you’re not sure how to price your work, we have an amazing breakdown that will help you find the best model.

On the other hand, those of you that had a productive discovery session will have at least an idea of the budget your prospective client has set aside for this job. Still, make sure to present your price and payment terms in an easy-to-understand way.

Quick tip - calling this section “Investment” will work much better compared to the word “Cost”, as investing alludes to the return of resources they’ll give you for a certain service.

As we've explained in our proposal reports , you have to think about the emotion you're trying to invoke with your words. "Return on investment" is a term that puts the reader at ease, while terms like "Expenses" make your proposal seem like a regular invoice.

After the pricing, include your terms and conditions. Be exact, since this is the legal part, there is no need for fluff. 

Call to action

Just like every business letter, you’ll want to end your proposal with a call to action . The reason you’re sending your business proposal is to accomplish a specific task and your CTA should be a reminder of that. The object of your email may be evident to you, but that doesn’t mean it will translate to your potential client. 

The CTA can be something as simple as Get back to me . You can also ask a question that will ensure continued communication because nothing is worst than spending time on a proposal, only not to hear from them ever again. However, don't forget to provide a way for clients to get back to you. Leave them your business VoIP phone number so they can call or text you when they are ready to proceed.

Of course, if you're using proposal software like Better Proposals, you can rely on proposal analytics to help guide your follow-up process. Once your business proposal email is sent, we'll notify you every time your proposal is:

Since all of our business proposal templates are web-based, we wanted to make sure you and your clients never have to print them out.

That's why we incorporated a digital signature option which allows your clients to type in their name and agree to your terms that way. The typed-in signature gets turned into a secure digital signature that can be traced with time stamps and the IP address of the signer.

This makes the digital signature legally binding, so you don't have to worry about the legitimacy of your agreement. For a clutter-free professional look, insert an e-business card featuring your name, contact details, and address beneath your digital signature. Here's a resource to help you pick the best suited digital business card .

Keep it short and easy to read

With all of your content ready, go over it once more and make sure everything is concise and easy to follow. When you address the recipient, your focus should be on quality, not quantity. When you finish, give your business proposal to a colleague to make sure everything is correctly worded and on-brand.

Delete any paragraphs that aren't bringing additional value to your proposal. There is no need to write out a long proposal if you could say the same thing in a more concise way.

Make sure to always finish your business proposals with a greeting and contact information.

Write a good business proposal email

Now that you have all the information, get to it! If you’re saturated with information right now, don’t worry, just jump to our proposal templates . There you can choose from a wide range of templates and find the right one for your small business. 

The platform is easy to use, so you won't need any design experience . With a variety of customizable templates that already have everything we mentioned incorporated, you can easily create a proposal in minutes. If you’re writing a business proposal in response to a request, you can add a contract that’s easy to sign and pay!

With our integrated payments feature, clients can pay instantly using PayPal, Stripe or GoCardless. 

A proposal like this will eliminate the need for a formal, longer-format business proposal email since it answers all of their questions. This will make space for a short, personal note in the email itself, and the link in the email will lead to your proposal.

This doesn't mean that you shouldn't spend some time on your business proposal email. Make sure it's engaging and answers at least one of your client's questions.

If are sending a proposal per their request, your business proposal email could look something along the lines of this:

 Wrapping up

As you can see from the examples, writing a business proposal email doesn't have to be an intimidating task. All you have to do is pick the right proposal tool and make sure you're following your client's wishes.

With Better Proposals, you'll never have to stress about writing a business proposal email again, because we'll make the whole experience easy and intuitive.

Sign up for a free 2-week trial and discover the ease of creating and sending business proposals with Better Proposals. We can help you speed up your sales cycle and win more deals faster.

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How to Write a Business Proposal [Examples + Template]

Published: December 05, 2023

Here's what every new business owner needs: an extra 8 hours in the day, an endless supply of coffee, and, most importantly, a really strong business proposal.

A business proposal can bridge the gap between you and potential clients. Done correctly, and it will outline your value proposition and persuade a company or organization to do business with you.

Here, we'll take a look at the various kinds of business proposals and go over how to write one. We’ll also see some ideas and examples to help guide yours.

Know exactly what you need? Jump to one of the following sections:

What is a business proposal?

Types of business proposals, how to write a business proposal, business proposal templates, business proposal example, tips for writing a business proposal, business proposal ideas.

A business proposal is a formal document that’s created by a company and given to a prospect to secure a business agreement.

It's a common misconception that business proposals and business plans are the same. However, a proposal helps you sell your product or service — not your business itself.

Think of it this way: instead of assisting your search for investors to fund your business, a proposal helps you seek new customers.

Follow Along With HubSpot's Business Proposal Template

Download the Template for Free

There are two types of business proposals: unsolicited and solicited.

• Unsolicited Business Proposals : With unsolicited business proposals, you approach a potential customer with a proposal, even if they don't request one, to gain their business.
• Solicited Business Proposals : Solicited business proposals are requested by prospective clients so that they can decide whether to do business with your company.

In a solicited business proposal, the other organization asks for a request for proposal (RFP). When a company needs a problem solved, they invite other businesses to submit a proposal that details how they'd solve it.

Free Business Proposal Template

Propose your business as the ideal solution using our Free Business Proposal Templates

• Problem summary
• Proposed solution
• Pricing information
• Project timeline

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Fill out the form to get your template.

Whether the proposal is solicited or unsolicited, the steps to create your proposal are similar. Make sure it includes three main points:

• A statement of the organization's problem
• Begin with a title page.
• Explain your why with an executive summary.
• State the problem or need.
• Propose a solution.
• Share your qualifications.
• Include pricing options.
• Summarize with a conclusion.

Before writing your business proposal, it's crucial you understand the company. If they've sent you an RFP, make sure you read it carefully, so you know exactly what they want.

I recommend having an initial call or meeting with any new clients to ensure you fully understand their objectives. Ask open-ended questions to understand not just what they want, but why they want it.

Once you've done your research, it's time to begin writing your business proposal. While there's no one-size-fits-all approach to writing a business proposal, there's several elements most proposals include. (I designed this example business proposal using Canva .)

1. Begin with a title page.

You have to convey some basic information here. Introduce yourself and your business. Be sure to include:

• Your company's name
• The date you submitted the proposal
• The name of the client or individual you're submitting the proposal to

Your title page should reconcile engagement with professionalism. I think of it as your first tone-setter, so you need to make sure yours is sleek, aesthetically appealing, and not too "out there."

Here's an example of what a business proposal template looks like when done right:

The executive summary details exactly why you're sending the proposal and why your solution is the best for the prospective client.

Specificity is key here. Why are you the best choice for them?

Like a value proposition, your executive summary outlines the benefits of your company's products or services and how they can solve your potential client's problem.

After reading your executive summary, the prospect should offer a clear idea of how you can help them, even if they don't read the entire proposal. Here's what one should look like:

3. State the problem or need.

This is where you share a summary of the issue impacting the potential client. This is your opportunity to show them you understand their needs and the problem they need help solving.

In the example above, I included several signals to showcase my expertise – that I've been in the photography biz for 10 years, that I've worked with over 500 clients, and that I've been featured a number of publications. 

As you approach this section, focus on presenting yourself as an authority. Consider leveraging tools like:

• Case studies
• Client testimonials
• Relevant awards
• Industry accreditations

6. Include pricing options.

Pricing is where things can get a bit tricky, as you don't want to under or over-price your product.

The pricing section of your proposal could include:

• A detailed pricing breakdown, including packages, tiers, and add-ons or optional services
• How product features and benefits align with pricing choices
• Pricing for different needs and budgets
• How your pricing compares with competitors
• An FAQ section to respond to anticipated objections and explain your pricing strategy

7. Summarize with a conclusion.

After sharing the above information, simplify it all into one final section.

• First, briefly summarize the proposal. Be sure to share your qualifications and why you’d serve as the best choice.
• Then, to prompt further conversation, confirm your availability to go over the next steps.
• At the end of the proposal, the goal is to have the client ready to work with you. So, be sure to offer your contact information for easy follow-up.

In need of some inspiration before you begin writing? Here are example business proposal templates from popular business proposal software companies you can use to help create your proposal.

1. HubSpot's Free Business Plan Templates

Download these Templates

We know how crucial a great business proposal is to your and your client’s success. That's why we've compiled 2 Free Business Proposal Templates for you to use and customize for any of your projects.

You'll gain access to a concise, one-page template (pictured above), as well as a longer template for you to refine your plan and proposal.

Download the templates now to get started on building your proposal.

What We Like

The one-page template is clear, straightforward, and easy to read — without skipping on the key elements of a business proposal. This format is especially useful for busy clients who appreciate brevity and clarity.

2. Web Design Proposal

5. Marketing Project Proposal

With advertising on social networks projected to reach $82.23 billion dollars in 2025 , it's in your business's best interest to have a plan for growing your client's social media presence.

To help you in that effort, the information in this social media marketing proposal includes an executive summary to help introduce your high-level ideas, an assessment of the client’s company to show your diligence, and a breakdown of billing to show how your company charges for posting, content creation, and analytics.

This template includes all the bells and whistles of a social media proposal packaged in a fun yet professional design. It also includes helpful writing instructions under each section.

8. Content Marketing Proposal

Business proposal templates are helpful places to get started, but what should your business proposal look like when it's complete? This template should inspire you.

When pitching your content marketing services to clients, this template can help you organize your ideas. While it walks you through initial objectives and how to communicate your prospected results, one of the most helpful parts of this template is the pricing ideas it gives you when charging for your services.

In the business template example below, Social Portal Consulting (SPC) pitches a marketing proposal to Graphic Bean. At first sight, this proposal appeals to the creative. I recommend going a step forward and designing the layout in your or your client’s brand colors.

Besides the design, the social media icons quickly tell the prospect what platforms Social Portal is pitching. Because we see Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest icons, the client instantly knows that this proposal doesn’t include LinkedIn, YouTube, or other platforms.

While maintaining its design, this example outlines Social Portal Consulting’s plans efficiently. It begins by providing insight into Graphic Bean and its goals before elaborating on how SPC can leverage its expertise to help them achieve them.

This business proposal template includes an easy-to-follow timeframe for goals and objectives while keeping the client abreast of how payment will happen across the project.

Overall, this is an excellent example of how to combine the elements of social media marketing into a creative and concise business proposal. Finally, we'll leave you with some business proposal ideas to get you started on your own.

• Start with an outline.
• Keep it simple.
• Stay on brand.
• Quality control.
• Include data and visuals.
• Add social proof.
• Use a call-to-action.
• Create a sense of urgency.
• Make the decision for them.
• Incorporate video into your proposal.
• Include up-sell and add-on opportunities.
• Clarify your terms and conditions.
• Include a space for signatures to document agreement.
• Create a table of contents.

1. Start with an outline.

If you want to produce a thoughtful, effective business proposal, you need to have some idea of what you're hoping to achieve with it.

Before I dive into writing a proposal, I always outline the major sections of the proposal that I want to include. That way, I can stay focused and make sure my message stays intact as I write.

Use these free business proposal templates to make sure that your outline includes everything you need.

2. Keep it simple.

Ultimately, there's no definitive blueprint for how long a business proposal has to be. Yours should be however long it takes to convey the information you want to get across.

That said, I'm a firm believer in quality over quantity, especially when it comes to business proposals. Keep your sentences short and simple, and avoid including too much business jargon.

You want anyone who picks up your proposal to make sense of it. So, be straightforward and don't get too fancy. Aim for substance over flash.

3. Stay on brand.

Don't be afraid to let your company's personality shine through in your proposal. Stay true to your brand and show the client what sets you apart from your competitors.

4. Quality control.

I've made it a habit to add an editing/QA step in my writing process. During this step, I do a quick spelling and grammar check before hitting send.

So, as you draft your proposal, and after checking for the basics, keep scanning this document until it's just right.

Check to make sure your proposal:

• Meets client needs and expectations
• Highlights your value proposition
• Is well-structured and easy to read or skim
• Complies with legal, ethical, and regulatory requirements
• Looks professional and engaging

5. Include data and visuals.

You want your business proposal to capture your prospect's attention and help set you apart from any other ones they might have received. One of the best ways to do that is to include hard, quantitative data that helps stress the value of your business.

Use relevant, compelling figures that highlight what you have to offer. This can establish authority and make your proposal more convincing. It also helps to include visuals such as charts and graphs to enhance your proposal.

6. Add social proof.

From my experience, you can only be so convincing when you're personally talking up how great your business is — which is why adding social proof is key to establishing credibility.

At the end of the day, prospects are skeptical. They may not take you at your word. But they'll likely trust peers and fellow customers. That's why including elements like customer quotes and testimonials can go a long way.

7. Use a call-to-action.

I've learned that the best proposal in the world can only take you so far if you don't clearly define the next steps. That's why you have to make sure the reader knows what to do after reading your proposal.

A clear call-to-action is the best way to get there.

Define and highlight exactly what they should do to act on the interest your proposal has generated. Without that guidance, you might leave your reader in limbo.

HubSpot customers : Use this CTA builder to create powerful customized CTAs.

8. Create a sense of urgency.

No one wants to feel as if they missed out on a great opportunity. From my experience, prospect tend to drag their feet and put off making a decision if there isn't a sense of urgency.

So, as you create your business proposal, your goal should be to add a degree of urgency. When prospective clients read your business proposal they should feel that the best time to sign up for your service is now .

One way I accomplish this is by stating short and long-term goals for their business. They'll have to wait for the long-term goals, but I make the short-term goals so enticing that they'll be ready to begin a collaboration.

9. Make the decision for them.

Craft your copy in a way that seems like saying "no" to the proposal would be stepping over dollars to pick up pennies. Your offer should go above and beyond their expectations. Do everything in your power to remove friction and objections along the way.

10. Incorporate video into your proposal.

If you're creating an online proposal using document file formats like PDF, add multimedia elements. This will enhance the proposal experience, make your document richer, and keep them engaged.

Try adding a video at the beginning as an intro to your proposal. Or, put a video in the project breakdown to verbally discuss some of the more confusing parts.

Extras like this can make an impression. This tip works especially well with prospects who are visual or auditory communicators.

Pro tip : HubSpot Video makes it easy to record and embed video into a website or email for a big proposal boost.

11. Include up-sell and add-on opportunities.

They say you won't receive unless you ask. And readers won't explore the upper tiers of your solutions if you don't give them the opportunity.

So, share some upsells and add-ons about your business that they can act on. Call out a specific pain point and how this extra can add value.

With this step, balance is important. Show them everything your business has to offer without overwhelming your recipient.

12. Clarify your terms and conditions.

Your business proposal should include details on your project timeline and payment schedule. This summary is basically what you and the client agree to if they accept your proposal.

Don't forget to share this post!

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Propose your business as the ideal solution using this free template.

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How to Write a Business Proposal Email

Mastering the art of crafting a compelling business proposal email is crucial in today’s dynamic business landscape. Effective communication can set the stage for successful partnerships, secure new clients, and grow your business. This article provides an in-depth guide on structuring your proposal email, from the initial format to essential tips and templates designed to grab attention and elicit responses. Follow these guidelines to enhance your email proposals and achieve your business objectives in 2024.

Business Proposal Email Format

Creating an effective business proposal email requires paying close attention to its format. Each part plays a crucial role in capturing the recipient’s attention and conveying your message clearly.

1. Subject Line

The subject line is your first impression. It determines whether your email gets opened or ignored. Keep it clear, concise, and enticing. Mentioning the recipient’s name or company can personalize it and increase open rates.

2. Greeting

A proper greeting sets the tone for your email. Use the recipient’s name to personalize it. If you don’t know the name, “Dear [Position]” or a simple “Hello” can work. The key is to make it professional yet cordial.

3. Opening Line and Body

The opening line should grab the reader’s attention and encourage them to continue reading. Introduce yourself and your company. Following that, describe how your proposal can solve a problem or improve the recipient’s situation. Use bullet points or short paragraphs to make the information digestible.

Conclude your email with a clear call to action. Tell the recipient exactly what you want them to do next, whether it’s to reply to your email, schedule a meeting, or review an attached proposal document. Thank them for their time and consideration.

5. Signature

Your email signature is an opportunity to provide additional contact information and reinforce your professionalism. Include your full name, position, company, and contact details. You can also link to your LinkedIn profile or company website for further information.

8 Business Proposal Email Templates to Use in 2024

Finding the right way to structure a business proposal email can significantly impact your success rate. Here are eight templates tailored for various scenarios you might encounter in 2024.

1. Proposal email to offer services

Subject: Elevate Your Business with Our [Service] Solutions

I’ve been following your company’s growth and am impressed by your achievements in [Industry/Field]. At [Your Company], we specialize in [Brief Description of Service], which I believe could significantly benefit your operations by [Specific Benefit].

Would you be open to a quick call next week to discuss how we can help you achieve [Specific Goal]?

Best regards,

[Your Name]

2. Proposal email sample to an existing client

Subject: Ready for the Next Level?

Dear [Name],

It’s been a pleasure supporting your team with [Your Service/Product]. Based on your current goals, we see a great opportunity to take things a step further with [New Service/Feature].

Can we discuss how this aligns with your vision for the future?

3. Project proposal email

Subject: Proposal: Transforming [Project Name] Together

Hello [Name],

After our recent discussions, I’ve put together a proposal for [Project Name] that I believe aligns perfectly with your objectives. Our approach is designed to deliver [Key Benefit], ensuring [Outcome].

Could we meet this week to go over it?

4. Business proposal email sample

Subject: [Company Name’s] Solution for [Recipient Company’s] Needs

I am reaching out to propose a partnership that I am confident will bring value to [Recipient Company]. At [Your Company], we specialize in [Specific Solution] that addresses [Their Need] effectively.

Are you available for a brief meeting to explore this further?

Kind regards,

5. Proposal email to your boss/ manager

Subject: Proposal for [Idea/Project Name]

I have been developing a concept that I firmly believe could benefit our team and [Company Name] significantly. The proposal outlines how [Idea/Project Name] can [Achieve Certain Goals/Resolve Specific Problems].

May we schedule some time to discuss this in detail?

6. Quirky proposal email

Subject: Let’s Make [Problem] a Thing of the Past!

Hey [First Name],

Isn’t it about time we tackled [Problem] head-on, in style? Imagine a world where [Solution], and [Benefit] are daily realities. We at [Your Company] are ready to make that happen. Are you in?

Cheers to changing the game,

7. Proposal email to unresponsive client

Subject: [Name], Can We Help With Your Decision?

I noticed we haven’t heard back from you regarding our last conversation on [Topic/Proposal]. We understand decisions like this take time and careful consideration. Is there any additional information or support you need from us to assist your decision-making process?

Looking forward to your feedback,

8. The social proof proposal email

Subject: How We Helped [Similar Company] Achieve [Result]

Seeing is believing, and we want to show you how we’ve recently assisted a company very similar to yours in achieving [Specific Result]. Our strategies are proven to deliver, and we’re excited about the prospect of partnering with [Recipient’s Company] to achieve the same success.

Can we talk about how we can replicate this success for you?

Best wishes,

Proposal Email Top Tips to Follow

Composing a compelling proposal email is an art that requires attention to detail, strategy, and knowledge of best practices. Here are top tips that can help you maximize your chances of success.

1. Research and Target Your Recipient

Understanding who you’re writing to is critical. Tailor your message by researching the recipient’s business needs, challenges, and industry trends. Personalizing your email shows that you are genuinely interested in providing value to them.

2. Nail Your Subject Line

The subject line determines whether your email gets opened. Make it specific, intriguing, and directly related to the recipient’s interests or pain points. Avoid generic phrases and include actionable language that encourages the recipient to read more.

3. To Attach or Not to Attach

Deciding whether to include attachments can be tricky. On one hand, attachments can provide detailed information about your proposal. On the other, they might raise red flags for spam filters. When in doubt, provide a brief overview in the email body and offer to send more detailed documents upon request.

4. Stick to the Point

Keep your message concise and focused. Clearly outline how your services or products can solve a specific problem or improve the recipient’s situation. Avoid lengthy introductions or unrelated details that might dilute your main message.

5. Sell Your Offering

Highlight the benefits of your proposal rather than just its features. Explain how your offering can provide value, save time, reduce costs, or increase efficiency. Use bullet points for clearer readability and to emphasize key points.

6. Get the Timing Right

Timing can significantly impact the effectiveness of your proposal email. Research the best days and times to send business emails in your industry. Avoid Mondays when inboxes are typically the fullest and Fridays when people are winding down for the weekend.

7. Follow Up

Following up is key to securing a response. If you haven’t heard back within a week or two, send a polite follow-up email. Restate the value your proposal offers and express your eagerness to discuss it further. However, be careful not to come across as pushy or intrusive.

Final Thoughts

Creating and sending a persuasive business proposal email is a skill that can significantly influence your professional success. The strategies, tips, and templates outlined in this article are designed to provide a strong foundation for crafting emails that not only capture attention but also convincingly convey the value of your proposition. Remember, personalization, clarity, and timing are key components. By meticulously researching your recipients, perfecting your subject lines, and following up appropriately, you can enhance your chances of a positive response. As the business world continues to evolve, so should your approach to proposal emails. Stay adaptable, keep refining your communication techniques, and always aim to offer clear and tangible benefits to your prospective clients or partners.

CMO of Rontar. I’m interested in entrepreneurship, sales and marketing. As part of my day-to-day routine I do everything from creating marketing strategy to starting advertising campaigns. Sometimes I write for our marketing blog. When not at work, I do sports, lead a healthy lifestyle and keep up on everything that is connected with this.

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Blog Business

How to Write Business Proposal (Examples + Free Templates)

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. 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. 

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 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
• 20+ Professional Business Letterhead Templates + Branding Tips
• How to Write a White Paper [Tips & Templates]

AI, Your Side Hustle Hero to Make Money from Home

Think AI is just for super-smart scientists? Nope! There are tons of ways you can use AI to make some serious cash from home.

Ready to turn your tech-love into a side hustle? Here are some amazing ideas:

1. The Content Creation Powerhouse

Ai, your writing buddy.

Imagine having a writing assistant that never gets tired, bored, or has writer’s block! AI tools like Jasper and Rytr help you crank out blog posts, website copy, product descriptions, and even creative stuff like poems or short stories.

You can write paid articles for websites or companies, or use AI to make your own online business shine with tons of fresh content. AI can even help you find ideas and make sure your writing is on point!

Pics in a Flash

Ever wish you could draw anything you imagine? AI image generators like DALL-E and Midjourney let you do just that!

Just type in what you want to see – like “a cat flying a spaceship” or “a watercolor landscape of a hidden waterfall” – and the AI will create it.

You can sell your images on stock photo sites, use them to make your blog posts stand out, or turn them into cool digital art pieces you can sell online.

Movie Magician

AI can help you become the next editing superstar! Services can cut and paste video clips, add background music, and even turn your dialogue into subtitles for different languages.

Imagine helping YouTubers make their videos snappier, or editing short videos for businesses– it’s a skill you could even be paid for!

2. AI Expert Services

The global chat champ.

If you know another language (or more!), AI translation tools become your BFFs. Instead of taking forever on translations, AI does the basic work, and you fine-tune it for accuracy and style.

Get gigs translating websites so they reach worldwide markets, translating important documents, or even adding subtitles so movies and videos can be enjoyed by everyone!

Meet Your Robot Assistant

Businesses want to offer help 24/7, but that’s impossible for humans! That’s where chatbots come in.

Platforms like Dialogflow let you “train” little AI assistants to answer common questions, take orders, or gather information from potential customers even when everyone’s asleep.

It’s like coding and customer service rolled into one cool job.

Data Detective

AI is amazing at spotting patterns way too huge for humans to see alone. You can offer services by using AI to analyze mountains of social media chatter to see what people really think about products or brands.

Investors might pay you to use AI to spot stock market trends. Businesses might want you to use AI to track their rivals and see what sneaky plans they might be hatching!

3. Affiliate Marketing with a Techy Twist

Ai reviewer: the ultimate comparison tool.

Imagine being able to gather tons of information on different products in a flash! That’s what AI lets you do. Let’s say you want to review the best robot vacuums.

AI tools can help you scrape customer reviews, compare features across different brands, and even summarize the pros and cons. You write awesome reviews, include your special affiliate links, and whenever someone clicks your link and buys, you earn cash.

It’s like being a super-helpful shopping guide and getting paid for it!

Super-Niche Websites: Your Secret Weapon

Sometimes the biggest money isn’t in the broadest topics, but the super-focused ones. Imagine a website not about pets, but all about the cutest outfits for teacup poodles! AI tools help you find these “micro-niches” – topics huge groups of people are obsessed with but might have fewer websites dedicated to them.

Once you’ve picked your niche, AI can help with everything else. It can find keywords that help people find your site, suggest tons of article ideas, and even help you write some of the content.

AI can also help you find products related to your niche to promote with affiliate links, making your awesome website into a money-making machine.

4. Build Your AI Empire

Tool time: coding for cash.

If you have some coding skills, you can build super-useful, bite-sized AI tools that people will happily pay for. Think of common problems people have: resizing a ton of images is a pain, long articles can be a drag to read, and catching every single grammar error is tough.

You could build simple tools that offer AI-powered solutions – a quick image resizer, an article summarizer, or an extra-smart grammar checker. Sell these tools on online marketplaces, and suddenly you’re not just using AI, you’re selling it!

Plugin Power: Supercharge Popular Programs

Do you know your way around popular software like Photoshop, Excel, or even game design programs? You can become a plugin superstar! Create little add-ons that use AI to do cool new things.

Maybe your plugin adds AI filters to Photoshop, or teaches Excel to predict future patterns based on the data. Find platforms that allow developers to sell plugins for their software, and your creations could make you money while helping others work smarter.

AI Business Sensei: The Ultimate Consultant

If you get really good with AI, and understand how businesses work, you could make serious money as a consultant. Companies often have no idea how to start using AI to their advantage.

You could be the expert that helps them! Teach them how AI can find them new customers, help them analyze huge amounts of data to make better decisions, or even automate some parts of their business to save them time and money.

As AI gets more important, companies will be desperate for consultants like you!

Things to Remember:

Humans still needed: the ai hype is real, but….

AI is a powerful tool, but it’s still just that – a tool. It can mess up, make stuff that’s just plain weird, or even be used for harmful things if we’re not careful. That’s where you come in!

Your job is to double-check AI’s work, make sure it sounds natural and makes sense, add your own creative spark, and be the one to make sure the AI is doing good, not harm.

Find Your Thing: Be the Specialist

Trying to be an expert in everything AI-related is a recipe for a headache. Instead, become known as THE person for something specific.

Are you the best AI product reviewer for tech gadgets? The go-to person for building customer service chatbots? The genius who finds hidden stock market patterns using AI?

Specializing makes it easier for clients to find you and know exactly what you can do for them.

Never Stop Learning: The AI Train Keeps Rolling

AI technology changes at lightning speed! New tools, techniques, and updates are happening all the time. To stay ahead of the game, you’ve got to be curious and willing to learn.

Subscribe to tech newsletters, mess around with new AI programs as they come out, and take online courses. The more you know about cutting-edge AI, the more valuable your skills become!

• Get started for Free

Business Proposal Email Template: Get Approval Fast

Are you hesitating to write a business proposal email? No need to panic cause you are not alone. Although it is essential to write proposal emails for business purpose, we all get cold feet while doing so.

By the time you complete reading this article, you will know how to create a email business proposal and generate clients successfully. We present the dos and don'ts of email for business proposal and a sample template . Feel free to use it if you please.

Let's get started.

Ace Business Proposals with This Email Template

Along with the business proposal email template, let's learn a few tips and best practices to convert your prospects into customers. Also, we have added a FAQ section to answer all your queries.

Use our Business Proposal Email Template

Sealing deals through business proposal emails takes skill and good copy writing, skip the painful parts and use our business proposal email template to win clients faster than you can imagine. This is the easiest way you can write a business proposal email and give your business the deserving success. Click below and start using Smartlead to scale your growth

Sample Email Template for Business Proposal

Subject: {Recipient Name} I have a proposal for you

Hi {recipient name},

This email is to introduce our company, {company name}, and to introduce you to our proposal. We want the opportunity to work with you on your project.

{Company Name} is a leading provider of services for {product/industry}. We have been continuing in this field for ten years and have a stellar reputation for customer satisfaction. 

If you are considering outsourcing your project, consider us. Our company is committed to excellence and working with you to provide the best solution possible.

We would wait for the opportunity to work with you on your project. We will be in touch soon! Thank you for considering {Company Name}.

Best regards,

{sender name}

Why Does This Sample Email for Business Proposal Work?

• This email ends with a sense of gratitude. Even if it doesn't include a direct call to action, the recipient will most likely get interested in learning about the company and the services it offers.
• In a concise section, this email briefly introduces the company and what it does. It also subtly boasts about its expertise lightly.
• This email is polite and straightforward. Plus, the personalized subject line instantly hooks the prospects, and the email body consists of social proof.

Rate Your Template

Template rating on a few factors:

·    Number of words (122)

·    Social proof (9/10)

·    Introduction (8.5/10)

·    Fluff (1/10)

·    Large paragraphs (1/10)

·    Single CTA (8/10)

·    Potential to convert (8.5/10)

Deliverability Score Scale

·    Spam word use (2/10)

·    Complex sentence use (0)

Best Practices for Proposal Emails

• Don't forget to add everything in a simple yet concise manner. Avoid sending additional information separately.
• Follow up after a day or two. Add value to your follow-up campaign and make an offer. It will show your interest in collaboration with the prospects.
• Make your proposal attractive yet professional using standard styles, fonts, GIFs, templates, etc. Highlight essential sections, and don't forget to add a signup form or CTA.

Take Away Tips for Writing Proposal Emails to a Client

• Even if it's a business deal, make it sound personal. Always mention the person's name and write an exciting subject line.
• The opening lines should give a brief yet clear idea of who you are and how collaborating with you can solve a problem or improve things. Offer some social proof of your achievements but don't sound baggy.
• Offer your gratitude at the end for keeping up with your email. Encourage your prospects to ask questions or get back to you.

1. What are the steps of writing a proposal email for business?

Here are the following steps for writing a proposal email:

1.    Polite address your targeted client

2.    Brief introduction and information about what you do

3.    Proposal of your business plan

4.    How the collaboration will help you both grow

5.    Call to action

2. Should you follow up on proposal emails written for business?

Following up is one of the essentials of marketing. Yes, you can follow up on your business proposal. Instead of making it long, add value (bog, webinar, meeting for assistance) to the email.

3. How do you introduce your business to a new client in email samples for business proposal?

After addressing your client, explain your business and how your service/product can impact your client. Add the key points and attach a brief brochure for further reference.

4. How long should a Business Proposal Template be? 

The ideal length of a business proposal email template can vary based on its type and purpose. In general, it's best to keep it concise, around 200-300 words, ensuring key points are clear. However, complex projects may require more detail. Tailor the length to your recipient's preferences; shorter for busy professionals and longer when detailed explanations are essential. Always prioritize clarity and relevance.

5. Why Do I Need a Business Proposal Template? 

A business proposal template simplifies the process. It's your roadmap to present vital details, making it easier for potential clients to understand your offerings, strengths, and why you're their best choice. In today's competitive landscape, a well-structured proposal sets you apart from the competition, enhancing your chances of sealing the deal.

6. How Do I Customize a Business Proposal Template?

Customizing a business proposal template is crucial for meeting your unique business and client needs. Start by reviewing the template content and identifying areas to personalize. Tailor the proposal to address your client's pain points, showcase your solutions, and highlight your relevant experience. Keep it clear, concise, and easy to read to ensure your message resonates effectively with your potential client.

7. What Key Elements/ Format Should Be Included in a Business Proposal?  

A compelling business proposal email should begin with a friendly greeting, followed by an executive summary highlighting the main points. Next, outline the scope of work, detailing what you will provide. Provide transparent pricing and payment terms. Present a realistic timeline. End with a courteous call to action and contact information. Keep the language clear and personal to engage the recipient effectively.

8. How Can I Make My Proposal Stand Out from Competitors?

Craft a compelling proposal email by emphasizing the distinct advantages you bring. Speak conversationally with a friendly tone. Personalize it to address the recipient's specific needs and interests. Share relevant testimonials or case studies to showcase your proposal's success. Keep the language simple and engaging to resonate with your audience and make your email memorable.

9. What are the Different Types of Business Proposal Templates?

Business proposal templates come in various types tailored to different needs. They can differ by industry, like a tech proposal for IT projects or a catering proposal for food services. Project-specific templates cater to varying initiatives, such as product launches or construction bids. Additionally, templates adapt to client preferences, from formal corporate proposals to creative pitches. These templates help streamline the proposal process and impress potential clients.

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How to Write an Effective Business Proposal Email

• Added: 12 Oct 2018
• Author: Mukulika Mukherjee
• Tags: effective business proposal email , effective email , email etiquette series , professional email
• Views: 12506

• Add a relevant Call to Action (CTA) in the concluding part of your proposal mail.
• Include data and statistics to make the proposal sound more convincing.
• Attach supporting documents for the claims made and facts stated in hte proposal to make it credible.
• Use your brand’s font and style in the proposal for brand building.
• Proofread to remove grammatical and spell errors.
• If it’s a solicited proposal, make it a point to send it without delay.

Up Next on the Email Etiquette Series:   How to Write a Product Launch Email

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Proposal email template ideas and best practices

Email is still a handled communication channel for sales, especially for B2B sales and it is still a preferred medium to send your sales proposals. With that in mind, we put together a list of best practices and email template ideas for writing proposal emails.

Table Of Contents 1. Best practices for writing a proposal email 1.1 Cover all the bases 1.2 Highlight your experience and expertise 1.3 Evaluate the cost 1.4 Highlight important points 1.5 Don’t miss any important attachments! 2. Email template ideas for proposal 2.1 Proposal for Engineering / Technical services 2.2 Software solution 2.3 Proposal for partnership 2.4 Infra project proposal email 2.5 Dealership proposal 2.6 Freelance services 2.7 Marketing services 3. Why you should use cold email automation to send bulk proposal emails? 4. FAQs: Sample of business proposal email

Best practices for writing a proposal email

Follow these best practices to write effective proposal emails and increase your success rate.

Cover all the bases

Use your proposal emails to clearly outline the proposed work, terms, and conditions. In addition, cover all the points to not leave any room for future misunderstandings or disputes.

If you are sending a proposal for a complex project, for example – a software/app development project, it is important to cover all of the details in your proposal. The major points from your proposal should also appear in your proposal email.

Highlight your experience and expertise

If you are sending your unsolicited proposals, for example – a proposal for your freelance services, etc, you will be making your first impression with this proposal email.

In that case, you would want to make a strong, positive impression by highlighting your experience and expertise – for example – “8 Years of SEO experience, helped 15 websites to get DA score of 60+” .

You should keep up a professional writing tone while highlighting your experience and expertise. This will also leave a good impression of you on the receiver. However, if you are not from the writing field, then it may be difficult for you to write info in a professional manner. In such kind of scenario, you can make use of a paraphrase tool .  It will quickly turn your given text into a professional one by changing casual words with their appropriate synonyms

Evaluate the cost

For the proposal to be effective, the client should be able to acknowledge and agree to the cost. However, evaluating a cost can be overwhelming. Obviously, you don’t want to underprice your product or services. On the other hand, you don’t want your prospect to feel that the cost mentioned in the proposal is over budget.

Use the information you’ve already gathered to offer a price that benefits both you and the customer. Moreover, you can try to bifurcate the cost with a required and optional fee table. This makes your cost appealing and easy to understand, as it makes the recipient feel that he can benefit by avoiding optional costs.

Highlight important points

The most important parts of your proposal should also appear in your email. Especially, try to focus on the points which can put you ahead of the competition. In addition to that, try to highlight such important points using bold text in your email.

For example – “40% cheaper than other alternatives” .

Often, many of your recipients will only glance over your emails. Make your USPs immediately clear and force them to take notice of your proposal email.

Don’t miss any important attachments!

Also remember to send any other documents with your proposal, which can make your case stronger. For example, you may like to send case studies, past project lists, customer testimonials, etc.

Proposal email template examples

There are different types of proposals. By using a standardized email template to send your proposals for different purposes, you can add a little more automation to your lead management process .

Proposal for Engineering / Technical Services

A proposal for engineering services or any other similar technical services is going to be fairly complex. You will be able to submit a proposal only after having at least a few interactions with a customer and having a detailed understanding of their requirement.

Therefore this proposal and the email you send should try to display, how you have thoroughly studied the customer’s requirements and why you are well qualified to provide the required solution.

Software solution

Normally you will send a software solution proposal to someone only after you have had a few discussions with them to understand their requirements. So this is not going to be a cold email . The recipient would probably know you to a fair degree when you get to the software proposal stage in your sales cycle.

So in this email, the focus should be on presenting a thorough solution, removing all room for doubt, and setting up complete clarity for future work to be done.

Since this is not your first email to the customer and since they have already requested a proposal from you, the important thing here is to be thorough in your proposal.

Emphasize all the requirements that your solution is going to answer so that the commercial proposal and solution can be justified.

Proposal for partnership

The right partnership proposal email template will help you craft a message that grabs the potential partner’s attention and makes the reader interested in what partnering with your event has to offer. With partnership emails, your first impression is your last. So make sure to make your proposal as creative and personalized as possible.

Make sure you specify what kind of partnership you’re expecting. Highlight the key points of the partnership. Also, talk about how this partnership will help your potential partner. You can also mention a few of your achievements or previous collaborations to build trust.

Infra project proposal email

For an infrastructure project proposal, you may need to include several other documents along with your proposal in the email. Typically you may send – a project schedule, contractual document, payment schedule, quality plan, etc. in your proposal email for an infra or construction project .

If you are looking for email templates for your solar installation business , you will find them here. You can copy and use them in this CRM platform to get new leads for your solar business .

You can also make use of this standard proposal email template to speed up the proposal process for infra projects.

Dealership proposal

When you are sending dealership proposals chances are you will be sending them to more than one prospect. Try to make all the proposal emails as personalized as possible. Talk about the benefits they will receive if they accept your proposal.

Freelance services

If you are a freelancer offering services such as – SEO, email marketing , lead generation , app development, web development, etc. you know that the market for such services is already crowded.

So you will need to reach out to many people in order to get a few leads. You can do that with cold email marketing workflows to reach out to a large audience base.

Use the following email template to send a proposal for your freelancing services to your prospective client. Automate your email campaign, so that you can reach out to many people without actually spending your own time.

We have kept this proposal email template fairly generic so that you can use it for a number of cases by tweaking it a little bit. The subject line is intentionally kept vague to get more email opens. But you alternatively use the following subject lines –

• Improve your {{your value proposition}} by {{x percent}} %
• Here’s what {{your well known customer}} had to say about {{area of your expertise}}

To get more creative with your subject lines, check out these best practices for cold email subjects .

Also, check out these cold emailing best practices and a few more email templates for B2B cold emails .

Marketing services

Email remains the number one channel for business communication. 

But emailing potential clients in an unsolicited manner to generate business for yourself is a big ask and difficult to do well. 

Hence, your marketing proposal should attract the attention of the specific person you’re reaching out to and create interest in collaborating with you. This could be you buying their service,  vice-versa, or just exchanging some professional advice.

Here is a sample of a business proposal email, you can use.

Insurance company

Insurance agents should focus on establishing meaningful connections with potential leads and clients rather than directly selling their services in sales emails. Building stronger relationships is the key to success in insurance email campaigns. Due to some agents’ sneaky practices, the insurance industry has suffered from a tarnished reputation.

As a reputable company, it is essential to proactively reach out to gain public trust. While an insurance sales email template can be helpful, its effectiveness lies in customizing it appropriately for each recipient.

Why you should use cold email automation to send bulk proposal emails?

Spam filters  have become smarter. They can detect patterns of automated bulk emails. When you send hundreds of proposal emails with bulk emailing software, there is a good chance those emails will land in the ‘SPAM’ or ‘Promotions’ folders. SafeMailer’s ‘Cold Email Automation’ app is a smart solution that mimics the email-sending pattern of a human.

Cold email automation  workflows send your proposal emails in a staggered manner instead of sending all of them at once. This ‘human-like’ email-sending behavior helps you avoid spam filters .

SafeMailer can boost the  email deliverability  and opening rate for your proposal emails by   300-600%  ! This free cold email marketing software is ideal when you spend tens to hundreds of proposal emails in a day. It will help you build up and maintain a healthy  sender reputation so that your emails are well-received by your customers.

FAQs: Sample of business proposal email

Q: How should I format my proposal email? A: Your proposal email should be formatted professionally, using clear and easy-to-read fonts, and including any relevant attachments such as a proposal document or presentation.

Q: How much detail should I include in the email? A: Your email should provide enough detail to give the recipient a clear idea of your proposal, but it should not be overly long or detailed. Include the key points and benefits of your proposal, and save the more detailed information for a proposal document or presentation.

Q: How should I address the recipient? A: Always address the recipient by name and use a professional tone in your email. If you are not sure how to address them, use their formal title and last name, such as “Dear Ms. Smith.”

Q: Should I follow up after sending the proposal email ? A: It is a good idea to follow up after sending a proposal email, either by email or phone, to ensure that the recipient received your proposal and to answer any questions they may have.

Q: How can I make my proposal stand out? A: To make your proposal stand out, focus on the benefits and unique value proposition of your proposal, and tailor your proposal to the specific needs and interests of the recipient. You can also include any relevant testimonials or case studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of your proposal.

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Business proposal templates

The importance of sending a business proposal

How to title a business proposal, business proposal subject line examples, how to write a business proposal.

Determine if the business proposal is cold outreach, or if the potential customer has already shown some interest. For cold outreach, your proposal should be more professional and include an executive summary. For the latter, you can focus on the project itself and be less formal in tone. Remember to refer to any previous conversations that you’ve had with the prospect in your project proposals.

What to include in a business proposal

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