What a business proposal is and what it must include
Photo: Avila Ops Tecnologia
A business proposal follows understanding customer needs and states deliverables, price, deadline and price validity. Unlike a quote’s number, proposals include the reasoning justifying it.
Customers decide alone without you present. Proposals must answer what they would ask in person. Otherwise they message, you delay and interest cools.
What must proposals include?
In this order:
- Customer problems in their words, showing understanding.
- Deliverables as a checkable list.
- Exclusions.
- Deadlines and customer dependencies.
- Price and payment, at most three options.
- Validity with a date.
- Next steps: accepting and what follows yes.
One page usually suffices. Twelve pages are read less rather than taken more seriously.
What makes proposals rejected without replies?
Contextless prices. Seeing “R$ 3,200” without understanding what it solves invites comparison with the lowest number rather than value. Problems and deliverables precede prices.
Instead of “cleaning 6 air conditioners, R$ 900,” a maintenance company writes: “Six units, two reported noisy. Complete cleaning, filter replacement, gas test, individual reports. Parts excluded. One day, Saturday. R$ 900, Pix or boleto. Valid 15 days.” Customers have everything needed.
Contracts follow acceptance and formalize agreements: What service contracts do.
What to do now
Check your last proposal against seven items. Missing elements explain questions or silence. See Proposals that close without meetings. For company templates, describe your business; the diagnosis is on us: avilaops.com/jornada or contact us on WhatsApp: wa.me/5517997811471.
Frequently asked questions
Must proposals expire?
Yes. Otherwise April customers request January prices. Ten to fifteen days is common and gives a polite follow-up reason.
PDF or WhatsApp body?
A PDF or linked document with a message summary. Documents record; messages invite opening. WhatsApp-only text gets lost.
Should prices appear in proposals or only discussions?
In proposals. Missing prices suggest pricing is the problem. Show three options and recommend one if applicable.
Connections, made clear
One contact. A clear path to the next conversation.
Explore a sales follow-up example with context at every stage.
- New contactReceive the enquiry and record its source.
- QualificationUnderstand the need and assign an owner.
- OpportunityOrganise the history and next action in CRM.
- ProposalTrack the proposal and customer questions.
- Follow-upRecord the outcome and agree on the next contact.
- New contact. Receive the enquiry and record its source.
- Qualification. Understand the need and assign an owner.
- Opportunity. Organise the history and next action in CRM.
- Proposal. Track the proposal and customer questions.
- Follow-up. Record the outcome and agree on the next contact.
New contact
Receive the enquiry and record its source.
Turn what you learned into your next step.
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