Proposals win or lose deals

Your proposal is often the document that the decision maker reviews when deciding whether to buy. A great product with a poor proposal loses to a decent product with a great proposal more often than you would think.

Structure that works

A winning proposal follows this structure:

Executive summary (half page)

Summarise the prospect's situation, the problem you solve, and the outcome they can expect. This section should feel like you have been listening, not pitching. Use their language, reference their specific challenges, and state the result clearly.

The problem (half page)

Describe the prospect's current situation and the cost of not solving the problem. Quantify it where possible: "Based on our conversation, you are currently losing approximately $4,000 per month in productivity due to manual processes."

Your solution (1 page)

Describe what you are proposing, how it works, and what the implementation looks like. Focus on outcomes, not features. "You will reduce processing time from 3 hours to 20 minutes" is more compelling than "our platform has automated workflow capabilities."

Proof (half page)

Include one or two brief case studies from similar companies. Show that you have solved this problem before and achieved measurable results.

Pricing (half page)

Present pricing clearly. Show the investment required and the expected return. If possible, calculate the ROI: "The annual investment of $12,000 will save approximately $48,000 in labour costs, a 4x return."

Next steps (quarter page)

Make it crystal clear what happens next. "To proceed, sign below and we will schedule your onboarding call within 48 hours." Remove ambiguity about how to move forward.

Tips for stronger proposals

Personalise every proposal. Templates are fine as a starting point, but every proposal should feel custom.

Keep it concise. Three to four pages maximum. Long proposals do not get read.

Use the prospect's words. Reference specific things they said during discovery.

Include a deadline. A soft deadline ("pricing valid for 30 days") creates gentle urgency.

Equipping agents with proposal tools

If your commission agents write their own proposals, give them a template with the structure above and examples of successful proposals. This ensures consistency without requiring you to write every proposal yourself.

The bottom line

A great proposal is concise, personalised, focused on outcomes, and makes it easy to say yes. Master this document and your close rate will improve meaningfully.