How-to Write a Business Proposal

If someone hires you for custom services it is often a good idea to create a proposal and send it to them, thus having a written agreement, so that both you and the client have a clear guideline for what is expected.

Proposals also look professional compared to spoken agreements, and often save time and trouble with unexpected difficulties later on, including court cases if it comes to that.

Proposals have a clear description of what service the client expects you to perform, as well as a clear description of your own pricing and other guidelines.

If you have a stationary header with your company logo, name, address, and contact info it is best to use that for your proposal. If not, then you will need to add contact info to any proposal so that it is handy for the customer.

"Proposal" should be typed or written in large letters on the very top. This will save later confusion when sorting papers on a busy desk. Because of what is included on a proposal it could easily be mistaken as an invoice.

Add the date, and you may choose to add a project designation by name or number, depending on your system. Always keep corresponding designations with your project and any paperwork accumulating from it.

Next, you should add a description. The description is a paragraph or list of everything the client asked for, in as much detail as you need, and everything you said you would provide, as well as payment types and prices. Take notes while talking to the client so that you can flesh out this paragraph.

After the general description you can itemize services and items with individual prices with total. This will later be helpful with writing up an invoice.

Lastly, you should always write in terms. This is one of the most important parts of any proposal. It includes a list of anything you charge extra for, like revisions, shipping, taxes, and other services. You should also add any guarantees, refund options, payment due dates, and timelines.

With proposals, you need to make sure that everything is in as much detail as possible so that when questions arise later you can refer to it. In worst case it will be there for you if there are major problems, or law suits.