A business proposal is an offer letter which can be categorized as a “Persuasive document.” It has been called or categorized such because the sole aim of preparing and sending an offer letter is to persuade the client to purchase the product or service or accept an offer made by the company. For example, website designers might need to include information about templates, widgets, or shopping cart technologies; network specialists may want to include specifications for cables and routers they recommend; IT trainers might include lists of courses and certifications offered; and so forth.

This section should contain some pages with general headings like Services Provided, Benefits, Features, and Cost Summary, but should also incorporate more detailed pages that fully describe your products and services, explain how you can fulfill the client’s needs, and list the associated costs.

The first step in writing a top quality business proposal is to solidify who your audience is. Spend some time deciding what type of investors you are interested in securing as well as what type of customers you are hoping to serve with your business.

This self-explanatory section should let the client know how much it’ll cost to put your proposal into action and what you expect the return to be. It’s important to find the balance between overestimating (and scaring the client off) and underestimating (and disappointing the client) here.

While the information and documentation used to support the many strategies, assumptions, and protections within a business plan are found in the body of each specific section, the appendix differs in that it typically contains financial information that business owners want to limit access to.