What is a sales proposal?
A sales proposal is an outline for a potential client (digital or written) detailing the problems that are being solved, the solutions you can provide, what the client will be receiving in terms of deliverables, and so on. It usually outlines the time it will take to complete the proposition as well as the cost. The sales proposal is just the first step in closing business. In most cases, the sales cycle works as follows: a proposal is given, it’s approved, it’s signed, the contract stipulations are executed, invoicing occurs, and payment is received.
For example, let’s say you have a manufacturing plant in Cambodia that’s making inlines for roller skates. A large roller skate manufacturer lost their current supplier and requests a phone call with you. You discuss basic terms on the phone, notes are taken, and now it’s time to put those notes into an outline, in the form of a sales proposal.
Sales proposal vs. business proposal vs. project proposal
In the business world, proposals come in all shapes and sizes. Kind of like a kaleidoscope of ways to ask for business. The three most common ones are as follows.
| Type | Primary goal | Common use case |
|---|---|---|
| Sales proposal | Win a specific client deal | Services, consulting, B2B sales, implementations |
| Business proposal | Secure funding or a partnership | Investors, partnerships, and expansion plans |
| Project proposal | Get approval to start a project | Internal initiatives, change management, scoped work |
By far the easiest way to determine which proposal it is is based on who the reader is and what type of decision they need to make.
Used to win a specific client deal.
A sales proposal is used to present a solution, what you will provide (deliverables), when (timeline), and how much it costs (pricing). For example, a field service company might propose a maintenance contract to a property manager.The reader is asking:“Should we hire you?”
The goal is to make the value crystal clear, leading to an easy decision
Used to secure funding or a partnership.
A business proposal is used to present an investment opportunity to investors or a partnership. For example, a startup developing software may present its expectations for growth.The reader is asking:
“Is this worth investing in?”The focus is on growth and ROI, as well as long-term value.
Used to get internal approval.
A project proposal is typically an internal request for approval of an initiative, such as implementing a new CRM system or improving a current workflow.The reader is asking:
“Should we approve this project?”The focus is on justification, cost, timeline, and expected impact.
Why it matters in the sales process
A sales proposal is where your prospect makes an assessment of whether or not you have understood their needs sufficiently and if your solution is worth the price. If you didn’t understand what they needed, then your sales proposal will be a moot point. For example, let’s take an area distributor who is asking to have customized production runs created with faster lead times and variable order quantities. If the proposal addresses these requirements, prices the production accurately, and provides enough information about what is possible from an operational standpoint, the finance and operations teams will give their backing to the proposal. If, on the other hand, the proposal is lacking in terms of scope, margin, or feasibility, it will stall out before ever getting ot the holy grail of sales. the “signature stage.”
Who typically uses sales proposals?
Everyone uses sales proposals if it involves real-world complexity. Multiple services, custom pricing, recurring work, milestones, approvals, or coordination across teams. Sales teams, consultants, you name it. If you are selling something on the more complex end or are involved in the supply chain, you will be using a sales proposal. This is why Method’s malleability fits so well with differnet types of teams, because it connects proposals, approvals, and follow-through in one system that mirrors how the work actually gets done.
What should a winning sales proposal include?
So, what should a winning sales proposal include? Let’s keep it simple at first, with bells and whistles to be added later.
A winning proposal has two jobs:
1- Make the decision easy for the buyer
2- Make the delivery clear for your team.
In truth, most sales teams will care about number 1 far more than number 2, and that’s OK. No. 2 is important to make sure you can allocate the proper resources to get it done. Here is the rest of what you should include.
Title page & cover letter
The title page includes all of the key information about you and your company (the proposer), the contact information for the person at the prospect that is being approached (prospect), the date of the document, and the exact title of the proposal. In addition to the title page, there will be a brief cover letter that explains the reason for creating this proposal and how it supports the joint business objectives. The cover letter, or cover page if you will, may describe the issue and the proposed solution in terms of reducing quoting delays and providing better team visibility to the production process, rather than simply proposing a new system.
Executive summary
A good Executive Summary provides a quick overview of the major problems faced, describes the proposed solutions to those problems, states what improvements can be expected to the business as a result of implementing the proposed solution, and tells the reader what they need to do to move forward with the decision-making process. For example, an executive summary might tell the reader that the current systems and processes that exist have resulted in lost revenue due to inefficiencies in communication and collaboration; propose a central workflow to improve efficiency; state that employees can expect to save a certain amount of time per day/week/month, etc.; and suggest a plan for a phased implementation.
Company background
This section establishes credibility. You don’t need a full company history, just the details that reduce risk for the buyer
- Your experience
- Your focus area
- Relevant certifications
- What makes your process reliable
This is also a great place to include past success and client testimonials if you have them to hand.
Deliverables
Confirm the deliverables! This is for both the client, as mentioned above, and your team as well.
| Deliverable | What it includes | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery & requirements | Workflows, pricing rules, approvals, edge cases | Week 1 |
| Build & configuration | Proposal format, line items, services, automation | Weeks 2–3 |
| Training & rollout | Team training, go-live support, and adoption | Week 4 |
Pricing
Your pricing strategy should reflect how buyers plan their budgets and be as clear and understandable as possible. Your pricing strategy can also vary depending on your type of business. The pricing strategies most commonly used by businesses are itemized pricing, tiered pricing, packaging, pricing based on the month, week, day, etc., pricing based on usage, and combinations of these. When offering options to your buyer, it is important to clearly label those options and identify which option is best suited for which buyer.
Case studies or examples
Your track record is the most important sales tool you have in business, and including examples of how you have solved similar problems or helped similar businesses is crucial. If you can turn those case studies into visual representations, even charts and graphs, the better.
Call to action (CTA)
Don’t end with a weak CTA, of “let us know when you have the time.” Confirm a time to schedule a call or a timeline for the proposal approval. If you set up a call, offer next Monday or Wednesday to limit their choices and corner them in.
An example of a sales proposal (with commentary)
Below is a realistic sales proposal example you can adapt for your business, which is customizable to fit your needs when dealing with potential customers. After each section, you’ll see a short note explaining why it works. As you read, notice how each part maps to the workflow you run internally, customer details, opportunity context, deliverables, pricing, approvals, and next steps.
Sales Proposal Template
Proposal for [Prospective Client Name]
Date: [Date]
Prepared by: [Your Company Name]
Contact: [Phone / Email]
Executive Summary
We propose a tailored solution to help your business streamline operations and increase sales conversion rates.
This proposal outlines our approach, pricing, deliverables, timeline, and next steps.
Client Needs & Challenges
[Describe the key business problems the client is facing that your solution will solve. For example: manual re-entry, slow approvals, unclear pricing, inconsistent follow-up, or delayed invoicing.]
Proposed Solution
Our approach includes:
- Customized implementation of [Product/Service]
- Integration with your existing systems
- Training & onboarding of your team
Pricing
Setup / One-time fee: $X,XXX
Ongoing / Subscription: $XXX per month
Testimonials / Case Studies
“Working with [Your Company] improved our sales process and reduced admin time by 40%.” — Happy Client
Project Timeline
Week 1–2: Setup & configuration
Week 3: Training
Week 4: Go-live
Terms & Next Steps
Upon approval, we will send a contract for signature and begin work as outlined. Please sign below to proceed.
Client signature: ________________________
This is a basic structure that you can copy, but the best results might be developing your own sales proposal from the ground up, particularly if you employ tech like Method’s
Why use Method for sales proposals?
With the Method Proposals Pack, proposals are now part of an integrated workflow and link directly to the customer’s opportunity and customer record. This allows customers to accept the proposed work and automatically create an invoice without having to retype the data, thereby reducing the risk of inconsistencies and manual entry errors. Since proposals pull their data from existing CRM systems, teams are able to avoid creating new documents every time they want to send a proposal, reduce manual entry errors, and ensure consistency across all team members who may be working on the same customer account.
For companies based on QuickBooks, the two-way sync ensures that both customer and financial data remain aligned. This reduces the complexity and potential problems associated with reconciling approved proposals to actual invoices. The method was designed to configure proposals to support how a business actually sells (pricing rules, discount rules, deposit requirements, recurring billing requirements, etc.), as well as internal approvals. In addition, automated workflows will take care of sending reminders, follow-up emails, and updating status, so that deals won’t get hung up in someone’s inbox.
Tips to improve your sales proposals
So are your proposals up to snuff? Even if you followed our proposal strategy to a tee, you might be missing something. Consider the following checklist if you aren’t moving past the sales proposal stage in your process.
Quick checklist: before you send a proposal
- Does the executive summary state the outcome in plain language?
- Are deliverables specific enough to prevent scope confusion?
- Is pricing easy to understand at a glance?
- Is the timeline realistic and tied to milestones?
- Is the CTA unmissable (what happens next, and how)?
Coffee is for closers, so go and get your caffeine fix!
We all need sales as this is what keeps the business running. If it were all outgoings on the P&L ledger, then we would all be in for a world of hurt. This is why a sales proposal is so crucial; it’s the first step in getting those incomings on the right side of the ledger. So, how to make the best sales proposal possible? Data and automation, and this is where Method comes in. With Method’s proposal pack, you can be firing out world-beating proposals, with the corresponding evidence/data, much more frequently than you ever thought possible.
FAQ
How to write a sales proposal?
Write an executive summary which will state what you want to achieve, next state the customer’s needs and pain points, and provide your solution to those needs. Describe the items you will deliver along with a timeline, display your pricing in a very organized fashion, and conclude with a clearly defined call to action (next step)
What are 5 things all proposals should include?
Our proposal should generally include an executive summary, a clear list of deliverables, product features, a mini business plan, the price of your deliverables, a time frame, and a “what’s next” call to action. Track record is another way to add strength to your proposal with a testimonial and/or a case study. Your LinkedIn details can be a good ad on too.
Should pricing always be included in a proposal?
In most cases, yes, but it doesn’t need to be in the table of contents. But obviously, there is nuance to things, and if your industry is a sensitive one, this could be different.
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