Prepare a Proposal

The process of preparing a proposal is fairly universal in all industries. Every company will have different guidelines directing the creation of proposals, but this article should provide a general template that may be used in almost any organization.

Steps

Sample Proposals

Doc:Proposal for Process Improvement,Proposal for Safety Measure,Proposal for Cost Savings

Preparing Your Own Proposal

  1. Determine the Proposal Type. The Inside Sales Representative coordinates with the Sales Manager. Together, they will determine the proposal type. The different types of proposals should be defined in the Sales Manual.
  2. Select a Proposal Template. The Sales Administrator then selects a proposal template with help from the Sales Manager. Templates can be found in the proposal template library.
  3. Populate the Template. The Sales Administrator populates the template. He or she should sue use prospect data using the CRM (Customer Relations Management system.
  4. Customize the Boilerplate Text. The Sales Representative customizes Boilerplate text. Refer to the company’s Sales Manual for directions on how to do so.
  5. Write new Proposal text. Sales Representative works with the Sales Manager and the Team Leader to write new proposal text. Refer to the company’s Sales Manual for directions on how to do so.
  6. Determine Pricing. The Sales Representative and Team Leader determine pricing using the price book as a guide.
  7. Evaluate the Pricing. The Sales Managers approves pricing based on values from the price book. If insufficient information was provided, the Sales Manager sends the proposal back to step 6, where the Sales Representative will add the required information and resubmit. If the pricing proposal is rejected, the proposal is sent back to step 6 for reevaluation.
  8. Determine whether a pricing override is needed. The Sales Administrator and Sales Manager determine whether a pricing override is required. Refer to the company’s Sales Manual for guidelines. If a pricing override is required, go to step 9. If no pricing override is required, continue to step 10.
  9. Evaluate the pricing override. The VP of Sales decides whether to approve the pricing override.
  10. Finalize. The Sales Representative and the Team Leader finalize the proposal document.
  11. Send the proposal. The Sales Administrator send proposal to all whom need it. The proposal could be sent via FedEx, email, USPS, UPS…

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