10 Sales Proposal Templates to Automate the Closing Process

You're at the final stretch, and the prospect you've been talking to for the past month and a half is nearly ready to pull out their wallet. They just want a final proposal that lays out the terms and conditions of working together, how much the agreement will cost, and what services they should expect from your company.

No problem -- until you create the proposal document, that is.

You just need to pull up a previous proposal. Make a copy of it. Replace all mentions of the old company with the new company. Update the document with all the custom details of the project. Update the cost of the project. Replace your coworker's name with yours. Then quadruple-check it before sending it out.

Perfect, that only took two hours.

Thirty minutes after you send it, you realize that you forgot to update one sentence with the new client's company name. Crap. What if that silly mistake costs you the deal?

Let's hope the client still closes.

In reality, that entire process of creating a proposal can be streamlined and mistakes like the one above can be avoided.

Sales teams at HubSpot and our customers have used templates to create proposals, accelerating the way they transact and close deals. Here are several of the most popular proposal templates our customers use, as well as a couple of templates we created for you right here at HubSpot.

Sales Proposal Templates

1. Marketing Proposal

Selling marketing services can be tough. On one hand, you have to put forward a strategy that will generate revenue for the client. On the other hand, there's a lot of implementation and deliverable work to execute that strategy. If you don't set clear expectations and start the relationship out in alignment, the relationship could go sour before the performance starts to speak for itself.

When you have a marketing prospect that's about to close, this template provides a loose outline of what to include in a final proposal including:

• An executive summary
• Situation analysis
• Proposed marketing strategy
• Goals
• Implementation plan
• Costs and conditions

2. Sponsorship Proposal

If you're hosting events, it's likely that you'll want to get sponsors to help cover the costs of the event and generate revenue. This template is especially helpful if it's your first time hosting the event or getting sponsors. (I wish I had this when I was hosting events.)

It includes all the aspects of sponsorship for you to think about, including:

• Number of attendees (and percentage of attendees that are the sponsor's ideal client)
• The keynote speakers that are booked, which help convey the prestige of the event
• Examples of a three-tier sponsorship structure, giving the sponsor options
• Terms and conditions of the sponsorship

Note: A great thing about these templates is they provide in-line tips to make sure you're optimizing for a solid proposal.

3. Website Design Proposal

If you've ever sold web design services and coordinated with the client while the services are being rendered, you know all too well about scope creep. A five-page design can easily turn into twenty-five pages as the client gets inspired... along with endless revisions. That's why it's important to have all your project specs laid out right from the start.

This template will help you lay out all the expectations of your agency and of your client to make sure that communication is clear on both sides. It includes: 

• The responsibilities of the design firm (such as number of pages, etc.)
• The responsibilities of the client with regard to providing necessary and timely input
• How hosting will be arranged for the website

4. Public Relations Proposal Template

Hired to handle public relations for a company? Here's a public relations proposal template to help you finalize the details of the agreement. This template will help you suggest a PR plan for an entire company or for the promotion of a specific product, service, event, or brand. It includes: 

• Analysis of current consumer attitudes toward the brand
• How competitors are currently performing
• What the brand's weaknesses are in terms of public relations
• What goals are being set

5. Bid Proposal

Do you need to hire contractors for your project? This bid proposal template will present the project to these contractors and solicit responses. It will help you outline parameters such as: 

• Timeline
• Budget
• Deliverable schedule
• Payment schedule

The template can be used in one of two ways. You can either send the bid proposal to several contractors, review the responses to the bid, and select one contractor to work with. Or, the proposal could be sent to one contractor, requesting their best offer.

6. Real Estate Proposal Template

With real estate becoming a more popular source of side income, more people are learning what goes into an agreement. This is a simple agreement for Realtors out there to use when closing a deal.

Real estate has a lot of moving parts, so this template covers: 

• Total purchase price
• Closing date
• Contingencies
• Escrow and closing fees

7. Software Development Proposal Template

Since it can get very technical, software development agreements can be tricky. This template outlines all the things to consider when discussing a software development project including: 

• A project overview
• Expected obstacles
• Risks
• Reporting milestones
• Testing
• Documentation
• Support

8. Sales Proposal Template

This simple template is appropriate for service-based businesses that need a simple, general way to lay out:

• Scope of work
• Proposed solution
• Terms

I've learned from personal experience that it's easy to end up doing more work than proposed if these details aren't in writing. This template is flexible enough to customize to your unique situation and won't overwhelm you with too much legalese.

For clients that you're working with on an ad hoc basis rather than a project basis, you can use the consulting agreement template instead.

9. Construction Proposal Template

Construction is another one of those industries where projects get complicated and costly fast. You need an easy way to breakdown costs of material and labor as well as spell out what happens in the event of project delay or complication. This template includes construction-specific considerations such as: 

• Scope
• Schedule
• Permits
• Logistics
• Unforseeable conditions
• Warranty
• Arbitration

10. Consulting Proposal

Let's say you're an expert in your field, and you have advice to share with other professionals. But, how do you win contracts with new customers? This consulting proposal template will help you pitch your solution to potential clients. Plus, it will demonstrate your credibility and present the price of your work.

It includes:

• Objectives
• Approach
• Schedule
• Investment terms

When you have a process down for the repetitive aspects of your business, you can improve efficiency and focus on the tasks that you'd rather devote your attention to. Customize these templates and close deals quicker without ever writing proposals from scratch again. 

Editor's note: This post was originally published in February 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.