How to Make a Business Proposal Presentation in 11 Steps
Learn how to create business proposal presentations that stand out and win. Get customizable business proposal templates built on battle-tested practices.
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What does a business proposal presentation look like?
A business proposal presentation typically looks like a static PDF or PowerPoint, packed with text and barely any visuals. But, the problem is that kind of proposal kills engagement.
Companies are catching on to this and moving to interactive proposals, which let you segment content using clickable tabs, embed videos, or attach files.
As a result, more people actually read the proposal, stay engaged, and take action.
Here’s an example of an interactive business proposal presentation:
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How to create a winning business proposal presentation
Whether you’re selling products or services to prospective clients or pitching new ventures, business presentations are an everyday part of modern business.
Still, most business professionals don’t know how to do it right.
The reason why so many business proposal presentations fail is that not all elements of a successful business proposal presentation are in place.
In this section, I’ll walk you through them step by step, so you can create a business proposal presentation that keeps prospects engaged and moves them closer to a yes.
1) Do your research about the prospect
Before you set out to make your business proposal presentation, you must conduct a thorough research about the company you’re going to be pitching to.
Often, the difference between a knockout business presentation and a poor one is the level of confidence during the delivery.
Carrying out a great deal of detailed research beforehand will give you the confidence needed to ace the presentation.
- What is the company size and sector?
- What do their internal processes look like?
- Who are the main decision-makers in the company?
- Who are they selling their products and services to? Is it a B2B or B2C company?
- What is your prospect’s most pressing problem?
- What are they hoping to achieve?
- What is your role in helping them reach these goals?
- What is their allocated budget?
- Have they ever used other industry solutions?
Finding the answers to these questions will ensure that your lead is qualified and allow you to bring up relevant insights during your presentation.
It will also make your prospect feel understood, which will capture their attention and boost your closing rate.
2) Structure your business proposal for maximum engagement
Once you’ve done your research, the next step is to turn that knowledge into a presentation that flows smoothly and keeps your audience engaged.
A strong business proposal presentation isn’t just a series of slides—it’s a structured narrative that leads your prospect toward a clear decision.
In our usage data we see presentations with similar business proposal structures outperform the rest time and time again.
Here’s an example of a well-structured proposal deck:
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- Title slide: Make sure your first slide includes your company name, the client’s name, their logo, and the submission date so they know exactly who this proposal is for.
- Introduction: Give a quick overview of who you are and why this proposal matters. Keep it relevant to the client, not just a generic company intro.
- Executive summary: Your executive summary should be short and to the point, highlighting the key takeaways in a way that grabs attention. If you need help writing one, check out our 101 guide.
- Problem statement: Show that you truly understand their biggest challenge or need. Make it clear why solving this problem is urgent and important.
- Solution & Methodology: Walk them through how you’ll tackle the problem and what they can expect at each stage. Keep it simple and results-focused.
- Benefits & Value proposition: Go beyond just listing features—highlight the real benefits they’ll get and why your solution is the best fit for them.
- Pricing: Break down costs in a clear, transparent way. If you offer flexible options, make that easy to see.
- Team: Show them who they’ll be working with. A quick intro to key team members helps build trust and credibility.
- Social proof: Case studies, testimonials, and industry recognition all help show that your solution works. Use real-world results whenever possible.
- Next steps: End with a clear call to action, outlining what the client should do next.
3) Personalize your proposal presentation
If you do your homework right and know who your potential client is, you will be able to deliver a tailor-made business proposal presentation.
Our research shows that by personalizing your proposal, you’re increasing the number of people who will read your deck in full by 68%, as compared to generic presentations.
If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Every single email that starts with “Dear Owner” or “Dear User” immediately goes to live in my Bin folder.
By including a personal note tailored to your recipient, you’re skyrocketing the chances of it living rent-free in their head instead.
I) Add company-specific insights
This can be anything you learned while doing your research on the prospect or something they mentioned during a discovery call.
II) Include your client’s name and logo in every business proposal presentation
If you’re using a PowerPoint this means going in and manually adding the identifying info into the deck.
If you’re using Storydoc, then this can easily be streamlined for scale using dynamic variables that change specific info for specific recipients.
This feature swaps out your client’s details while the rest of your deck stays intact, and with a 10-second setup, you’re good to go.
III) Include your prospect’s branding
If you’re using PowerPoint, then you’ll have to go in and change the design and visuals in your deck to fit your prospect’s branding.
Alternatively, you can use a DIY tool like Snappa’s SVG editor or Logo.com’s logo generator.
With Storydoc, you can automatically apply branding pulled from any given website just by providing the website address—including the brand’s colors and fonts.
This will make an impact on your prospect while requiring minimal effort on your part, let alone involving a designer.
IV) Keep your proposal relevant at all times
When choosing client stories to share in your business proposal, stick to companies from a similar field.
Show a deep understanding of your prospect’s industry, key pain points, and competitors. This will make it easier for them to visualize what your solution can do for them.
4) Keep your business proposal presentation short and concise
You may feel that the more information you include in your business proposal presentation, the higher your chances of sealing the deal are. But it’s the exact opposite.
The busier people get the narrower their attention spans. I can assure you that when faced with a bulky document, your prospects will either skim through it or not bother reading at all.
I’ve seen 200-page proposal decks that looked more like a book than a business presentation. It’s scary to look upon.
Remember this—your business proposal is not your vanity project. It’s not supposed to be all about you and your business. Keep it about what only you can do for your prospects and the information they need to finalize their decision to buy.
Here’s a good example of a short business proposal:
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5) Avoid complexity and jargon
Complexity adds to cognitive load and any additional bit of information makes it harder to decide.
The best strategy for your business proposal would be to bring up only the most important aspects of your product or service that came up during the sales process.
Don’t be tempted to add bonuses, they will drown your perceived value in noise.
You don’t have the time or attention to tell them everything. So tell them what really makes a difference.
I) Don’t get too technical
No matter how great the technology behind your solution is, I can assure you that most of your clients don’t care about the details.
They care about the outcome your solution brings them, and what it’s going to cost them in time and money.
Sounds harsh? Sorry, but that’s the reality.
We don’t buy the latest iPhone because it has a pro 12MP camera system or a lens with a ƒ/1.8 aperture and 120° field of view.
We buy it because we can take holiday photos for Instagram that will make Debra from HR green with envy.
Your customers are no different. They don’t need to have the same level of knowledge about your solution that you do.
You will only confuse them by bombarding them with technical details.
II) Write in simple words and sentences
Busy people have short attention spans. The extent of the attention your proposal will likely get is similar to that of an 8th grader. If you know your solution inside and out, you should be able to explain it simply.
Practice answering these questions as if asked by an 8th grader:
- What does your company do and what makes you best qualified for the job?
- What are your customers’ main pain points?
- What is your proposed solution and how are you going to tackle the prospect’s problems?
- What is the project timeline?
- How much will it cost the prospect?
- What are the gains for a prospect by choosing to work with you?
- Who are the main team members that are going to work on this project?
- What relevant experience do you have?
6) Refine your unique value proposition
You are likely competing against other providers. Always remember that your ability to stand out is limited to your ability to deliver a simple and crisp value proposition.
Simple is easy to understand and most importantly makes it easier to choose. Get simple, get chosen.
But there’s more! No matter what your business does, your biggest competitor is the status quo, where buyers choose to do nothing at all.
Facts and figures are important, but they won’t stick unless they’re wrapped in a story your prospect can relate to.
Seth Godin said in his seminal book This is Marketing that sales or marketing professionals are agents of change. But change takes time and effort. It’s easy for buyers to stick to what they have, even if it no longer serves them.
So when describing your product or service, don’t just focus on the benefits your clients are going to get.
Instead of just listing features or pricing, frame your proposal as a journey—starting with your prospect’s challenge, showing the impact of inaction, and positioning your solution as the turning point.
7) Position yourself as a consultant rather than a seller
It’s mostly true that people hate being sold to, but they love to buy.
Most buyers prefer to avoid meeting with salespeople and follow the self-serve route because they fear that salespeople will pressure or manipulate them into buying the wrong thing.
Sales are already losing big to self-service. A McKinsey survey from 2020 suggests that 70% of B2B buyers now look kindly on making self-serve buying decisions, even when considering solutions costing $500K and more.
But there is a way sales can always stay one step ahead of self-serve, and 10 steps ahead of the competition—shifting from being salesy to being consultative.
Acting as a consultant means knowing the concerns and needs of your buyer and delivering the information they need to make an informed decision, even if it means (hope you’re sitting down) not buying your product or solution because it’s not a good fit.
Ironically making a successful business proposal deck means that to be successful, you must paint a full picture of your solution, with its real-world capabilities and limitations.
I know this may sound counterintuitive. But, we often think of product limitations as weaknesses but for the right prospect, they can actually be a strong suit that helps differentiate your solution in the market.
This approach was pioneered by Anthony Iannarino, and you can read more about How to be truly consultative on his website The Sales Blog.
8) Provide social proof
At this point in the buyer’s journey, your lead should already trust you. If they didn’t, they would not proceed beyond the demo. In most cases, they wouldn’t even book a demo.
So why add social proof again at this late stage?
Well, big expenses make most people’s knees shake. Even if the money is not their own, they will be judged by their procurement (your solution), its adoption, and the business impact it generates.
Even if you have the greatest business solution, you need to remind your buyer at this critical stage that you’re credible, and that you have a robust history of bringing results for companies like theirs.
- If you’ve been in business for years, you can include quotes, video testimonials, and quantified results from past clients. When adding any of these, use visual aids, like the person’s image, company logo, and screenshots from real analytics dashboards.
- If you won any industry awards or were listed in the Forbes’ Global 2000 ranking (don’t worry if you’re not quite there yet), now’s the time to flaunt it too.
- If you’re a startup that is still making its way up, you can list your employees’ professional certifications that make them qualified to drive clients to success. You can also talk about the early adopters of your solution or any project you’ve worked on to date, along with the key metrics to measure your success.
9) Include case studies
Case studies are the dark horse of the business race. They’re the least used asset in B2B because of how work-intensive their production is. But, at the same time, case studies are the most effective type of marketing asset.
By not including a case study in your business proposal, you’re running the risk of potential clients finding out about your solution from other sources. Worst case scenario, those other sources are your competitors.
If you feature a case study, you’re in control of the narrative. You can basically have your clients sell for you by covering the main value propositions in their own words.
10) Make the next step clear to your buyer
Including a clear call to action at the end of your business proposal presentation is crucial. As obvious as this must sound to some, many businesses fail to do this effectively.
If a prospective client reads the entire business proposal, they’re clearly interested in your value proposition. They may be ready to seal the deal.
The worst thing that can happen at this stage is if they don’t know how to proceed. It’s like building a supermarket without a checkout counter.
- A text that tells your buyer to give you a call
- An email link for requesting the documents needed for signing
- Or a phone number they need to dial.
- Embedding a calendar to let prospects book the next meeting, using tools like Calendly
- The option to download key documents (e.g. an NDA or a contract)
- Sending prospects to explore more details about your solution (e.g. try out your tool or look at examples from your portfolio)
- Embedding a digital signature for buyers to sign directly in your deck, using Storydoc’s e-signature module or tools like Docusign or any one of these Docusign alternatives.
- An embedded payment module for buyers to pay directly from your deck
11) Move from legacy design to modern design
Most guides teach you how to make a business proposal using PowerPoint presentations. But, by sending your business proposal presentation in PPT format, you’re giving leads something they’ve seen 1000 times over.
With sales closing rates declining for the past 5 years in a row, it’s a major risk to cling to the old ways.
When we analyzed over 1.3 million sessions of sales and marketing presentations, we discovered that giving prospects presentations that can only be read majorly kills engagement.
If you want to succeed and grow your win rate you’ll have to move up to dynamic interactive proposal decks.
By giving readers interactive elements to “play around” with, you’re increasing the chances of your deck being read in full by 41% and the average reading time by 21%.
Interactive business proposal templates
We all know that putting together a proposal can be tough. It’s like the final lap in a race where you’ve got to give it your all.
Interactive business proposal templates are like a roadmap, guiding you on how to structure your proposal so it looks professional and hits all the right notes.
The best part is that they’re built to engage. Instead of sending over a standard document, you’re bringing your proposal to life with dynamic animations, informative videos, and interactive elements.
Grab a template and see how it can transform your deck.
