Draft a business proposal for [PROSPECT AND DECISION MAKERS] based only on the information below. Prospect context, goals, and current problem: [PROSPECT CONTEXT] Discovery notes and evidence: [DISCOVERY NOTES] Our proposed offer, capabilities, and relevant proof: [OFFER AND PROOF] Commercial parameters and desired next step: [PRICING AND NEXT STEP] Write a proposal of 900 to 1,300 words in this order:
1. Executive summary: name the prospect's stated business objective, the obstacle, and the proposed outcome in no more than 120 words. 2. Current-state understanding: summarize the facts from discovery, separating confirmed facts from assumptions that require validation. 3. Recommended approach: describe 3 to 5 workstreams, the deliverable from each, who is responsible, and what the prospect must provide. 4. Scope and timeline: show phases, milestones, dependencies, and acceptance criteria. State exclusions explicitly so scope is not implied by silence. 5. Expected value: connect the proposal to the prospect's goals. Use only supplied metrics or label a calculation as an illustrative scenario with its assumptions. 6. Commercials: present the supplied price, payment schedule, validity period, and any conditions. Do not create pricing, guarantees, case studies, or legal terms. 7. Next step: propose one concrete meeting, approval, or pilot decision with an agenda and named attendees. Use the prospect's language where it appears in the notes, but do not mimic vague marketing claims. Keep sentences direct and avoid a generic company history. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if a required input is missing. Before answering, check that each promised deliverable has an owner and acceptance criterion, and flag every claim that is not directly supported by the inputs.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [PROSPECT AND DECISION MAKERS] | Name the prospect organization, primary contacts, roles, and any known buying committee members. | Northline Logistics; Erin Cole, VP Operations; Marcus Bell, CFO; Dana Wu, IT director. |
| [PROSPECT CONTEXT] | Describe the prospect's business, goal, current process, pain points, and relevant constraints. | Regional freight broker with 180 employees. Erin wants fewer manual shipment-status updates before the holiday peak. IT cannot replace the TMS this quarter. |
| [DISCOVERY NOTES] | Paste factual notes from calls, emails, audits, or research, including quotes only when you have permission to use them. | Erin said dispatchers copy updates into email and spend about 18 hours weekly. Dana requires SSO and a security review. Marcus asked for a 90-day payback view. |
| [OFFER AND PROOF] | Describe the service or product, deliverables, delivery team, and verified relevant evidence such as approved case studies. | Implementation of our status-alert workflow: process mapping, TMS connector configuration, pilot for two branches, training. Approved case study: Harbor Freight reduced manual status emails by 31% over four months. |
| [PRICING AND NEXT STEP] | Provide approved pricing, payment terms, proposal validity, and the exact action you want the prospect to take next. | $24,000 implementation, 50% at kickoff and 50% at pilot acceptance; software subscription quoted separately; proposal valid 30 days. Ask for a 45-minute scope confirmation with Erin, Dana, and Marcus. |
How to use
- Paste discovery notes rather than relying on memory, and include only case studies and terms your company has approved.
- Read the scope table closely: each deliverable should have a clear acceptance criterion and a prospect-side dependency.
- Remove or qualify any value claim that cannot be traced to a supplied fact or stated assumption.
- Follow up with: “Turn this into a one-page decision memo for the CFO, retaining only evidence supported by the discovery notes.”
Variations
One-page proposal
Use this when the buyer needs an early, concise decision document.
Write a one-page business proposal for [PROSPECT] using these discovery facts: [DISCOVERY FACTS]. Our offer is [OFFER], at [COMMERCIAL TERMS]. Produce five sections: business issue, recommended action, scope and exclusions, expected value with clearly labeled assumptions, and a single approval or meeting request. Use 450 to 600 words. Do not add customer results, savings, delivery dates, or terms that are not supplied. Ask up to 3 questions only if a required input is missing. Check that the recommendation addresses the stated issue and that every commercial statement matches the inputs.
Pilot proposal
Use this when the prospect needs evidence before committing to a full rollout.
Create a pilot proposal for [PROSPECT] based on [DISCOVERY NOTES]. The proposed pilot is [PILOT DESIGN], and approved commercial terms are [COMMERCIAL TERMS]. Write 700 to 1,000 words covering: hypothesis, pilot population and duration, implementation responsibilities, success metrics and how they will be measured, decision criteria for expansion, exclusions, price, and the approval next step. Do not promise a result or invent baseline data. Ask up to 3 questions only if necessary. Check that success criteria are measurable and that expansion is not presented as automatic.
Renewal proposal
Use this when an existing customer is deciding whether to continue or expand.
Draft a renewal proposal for [CUSTOMER] using account history: [ACCOUNT HISTORY], requested changes: [CUSTOMER REQUESTS], and approved renewal terms: [RENEWAL TERMS]. Produce sections for outcomes delivered, unresolved items, recommended renewal scope, changes from the current agreement, shared success plan, commercials, and the renewal decision required. Keep verified performance separate from future targets. Do not create usage figures, concessions, or contract clauses. Ask up to 3 questions only if an essential input is missing. Check that every outcome is evidenced in the account history and every requested change is addressed or explicitly excluded.
Tips
- Use discovery language in the executive summary, especially the buyer's business objective and operating constraint, because it proves the proposal is based on their situation.
- Write acceptance criteria for implementation work, such as a trained user group or tested integration, instead of using vague milestones such as “configuration complete.”
- Separate outcome evidence from forecasts; a case study can support plausibility but does not prove the prospect will achieve the same result.
- State prospect-side responsibilities early, including security reviews, data access, and stakeholder availability, because these often control the delivery timeline.
FAQ
Can AI write a proposal before I have a discovery call?
It can create a discovery agenda or hypothesis-led outline, but a credible proposal needs confirmed goals, constraints, and buying process details.
Should I include ROI in an AI-written proposal?
Include it only when you provide the baseline data and assumptions. Ask the model to label estimates and show the calculation rather than presenting them as guarantees.
How long should a business proposal be?
Match buyer complexity. A one-page decision memo can work for a small, clear purchase; multi-stakeholder implementations usually need scope, dependencies, and acceptance criteria in more detail.