A premium business proposal template is the best way to create a stellar proposal. The best business proposal template docs have everything you need, and a polished design, too.
A business proposal helps you attract partners, sponsors, or even buyers. That's why the business proposal is a key tool, and it needs to be professional to make your business look its best. One of the easiest ways to do this is to use a professional business proposal template.
In this tutorial,gra you'll learn how to create project proposals using Word templates. You'll also learn where to find some of the best business proposal templates.
Best Microsoft Word Business Proposal Templates (With Unlimited Use)
A business proposal introduces your business to potential clients, partners, and investors. It's likely to include:
- a description of your company
- evidence of your success via reviews and testimonials
- details of the business venture you're proposing
- a place where people can sign
Using a business proposal template in Word makes sense. For a start, using any template saves time and effort when creating a business proposal. That's always a plus for a busy business owner.
Plus, there's no need to learn a complex program. Creating a proposal template in Word also helps business owners who aren't designers. You can focus on getting the content of your business proposal exactly right.
If you're ready to find a professional business proposal template Word doc, Envato Elements has a compelling offer: download as many project proposal template Word docs as you want for one low price.
Or, if you want a single template for one-off use, you can find proposal templates for Word on GraphicRiver.
What You Need to Customize Your Business Proposal Template
Business proposals contain a lot of text. But you can also include images that make your business look its best. To customize your business proposal template in Word, you'll need:
- a company logo, to brand your business proposal document
- a cover image that relates to and showcases your business or the proposal content
- photos or graphics to illustrate key moments or important data
- text (the bit that tells the people who are reading your proposal what they want to know)
The text part of your business proposal will include:
- a company description
- testimonials, case studies, or portfolio items
- the actual proposal, including a description, timelines, and deadlines
- financial information
- terms and conditions for the deal
- space for people to sign
It's a good idea to research on the people who will read your proposal to make sure it's tailored to meet their needs.
If you're still wondering "How do you write a proposal?" check out our guide to How to Make a Better Business Proposal. Next, we'll get started on how to create a proposal in Word.
How to Customize a Microsoft Word Business Proposal Template
When you've got your content ready, it's time to create your business proposal. Word has built-in templates for many needs. But you'll find many more Microsoft Word business proposal template docs on Envato Elements. (You can also find well-designed business proposal templates on GraphicRiver.)
Here's how to create a business proposal using a Microsoft Word proposal template. We'll be using the clean, modern project Proposal template pictured below. It includes 32 different page layouts. You can easily customize it for your business proposals.
Here's how you find the perfect project proposal template for Word on Envato Elements:
1. Download a Business Proposal Template Word Doc
Go to the website. Choose Graphic Templates to the right of the search box to limit your search to templates. Type “business proposal templates” into the search box.
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Use the on-screen filters to select templates suitable for print. This will ensure you get templates that look their best when printed.
Click on any templates you like the look of to see a preview and get details of what's included. Keep going till you find a Word project proposal template that meets your needs.
2. Download & Unzip the Business Proposal Template
Add your chosen business proposal template doc to a project in Envato Elements account. Then click Add & Download. This will download the zip file to your computer. Click on the downloaded file to unzip it.
3. Explore the Proposal Template Folder
Next, check out what's inside the folder. You'll find Windows and Mac versions of the Word project proposal templates. It also has versions for the InDesign and Pages apps.
We'll use the US Letter template for this tutorial. Click on US Letter, then click on MS Word.
You'll find two versions of the templates. The DOCX version works with Word 2007 and later. If you're using an older version of Word, use the DOC template instead.
We'll use the DOCX version. Click on the DOCX folder to access the Proposal-US template, and you're ready for the next step.
4. Import the Template Into Microsoft Word
Double-click on your chosen Word proposal template. It should open in Microsoft Word. Save this with a new name so you've got the option to use the template to create new business proposals at any time.
If the template doesn't look as you expect, close the document. Go to the included ReadMe file. You'll find a download link for the font used in the proposal template, which is Source Sans Pro. Download the font, and click on the folder to unzip it.
There are several versions of the font. Click on one of them (the Regular is a good bet) to get the option to install it. Click Install to add it to your computer's fonts.
Repeat this step to install all necessary versions of the font to your computer. Then reopen the template as described above.
5. Explore the Business Proposal Template Word Doc
Next, take a look at your new proposal Word document. It's helpful to familiarize yourself with it so you know where to add text, images, and any other content.
This template has 32 pages, including areas to:
- summarize your business
- share contact details
- outline your proposal
- highlight key team members
- describe your business in detail
- showcase your achievements
6. Add a Cover Image
The first step is to add an image that represents your business as a cover image.
To do this, right-click on the grey placeholder image box. Then select Change Picture > From a File. Next, add your cover image picture by uploading it from your computer. It'll automatically resize to fit the image placeholder box.
If you need to find suitable images, check out the images available on Envato Market or Envato Elements. I used this image for this tutorial.
7. Replace Placeholder Images
Repeat the steps above to replace other placeholder images in your proposal template. This is a good time to add your company logo, anywhere you want it to show up. We're using the abstract image below as a company logo.
8. Remove Unwanted Image Placeholders
Not every Word page layout needs multiple images. In that case, you'll want to remove unwanted placeholders for a cleaner, fresher look. For example, we added the logo on the page below, but there's an extra image placeholder we don't need.
Here's how you remove that. Click on the image placeholder so the handles show and use the Delete key on your keyboard to remove it.
The Word page layout looks much better once that's gone.
Follow the same process to remove other unwanted image placeholders.
9. Replace Placeholder Text
The next step is to turn all the information you have into a polished business proposal in Word. To do that, you'll need to replace the placeholder text included in the template.
A good place to start is with the easy items, like your:
- company name
- company address
- website and phone number
- dates
Then you can move on to other parts of the proposal.
There are a couple of ways to replace text in Word. First, place your mouse cursor inside a text box. Select the text you want to replace. Then type in your new text.
Or press Control-A on a PC to select all the text in a text box, delete it, and type from scratch. Here's how that looks:
Repeat the steps to replace the rest of the placeholder text in your Word business proposal doc.
10. Tweak the Proposal Design
While you add text and images to the design, it's important to make sure they look their best. So sometimes, you may need to make small adjustments to the design. For example, you can adjust the size of images like this.
Click on the image to bring up the image box handles.
Grab a handle to resize the image. You can also click in the middle of the box to move the resized image to a new place.
It's also essential to make sure that text is easy to read. Reposition text boxes using the process described for images above. You can also highlight text and described earlier and change the size or color to make it more legible.
To change the size of the text, highlight it, and use the font size selector in the Word menu bar to pick a new size.
You can also use the text color selector in the Word menu bar to change the color, so the text is easy to read.
11. Proofread Your Business Proposal
Use Word's spelling and grammar checking tools as a first step to checking errors. Proofread the business proposal before printing it. Then send it to your intended partners, investors, or sponsors. It's important to avoid grammatical and spelling errors. They can make your business look less professional.
It's also essential to make sure any facts and figures presented are accurate. Consider hiring a proofreading service if you're not confident about your proofreading skills.
5 Quick Tips For Better Business Proposals
The steps shared above cover the basics of creating a great business proposal in Word. But if you want your proposal to stand out, here are five more quick tips. These tips will help you create a standout business proposal.
1. Create an Engaging Cover
Your cover is the first thing potential partners and investors will see. That’s why it needs to represent your business. Use a photo of your building, office, team members or even your logo.
2. Use Plenty of Visuals
We’ve already mentioned that your business proposal should have images. Aside from images, don’t forget to include charts, infographics, graphs, and any other supporting material. This will help present the data in a visually appealing way.
3. Stand Out With Color
Your proposal doesn’t have to be all black and white. Use your brand colors to reinforce your brand image and make key areas stand out.
4. Have a Strong Call to Action
Once your readers reach the end of your proposal, what do you want them to do? Make it clear and obvious what the next step is by using a strong call to action.
5. Organize Your Content Into Columns
Break up the pages into two columns when you've got a lot of information to share. Using columns to organize your content is a great way to make your proposal easy to read.
Discover More Great Business Proposal Templates
With the right business proposal templates for Word, you'll attract partners, sponsors, or investors you need. Aside from Envato Elements, you can also find Word proposal templates on GraphicRiver. Here are some business proposal template articles to get you started:
Templates25 Microsoft MS Word Business Proposal Templates to Make Deals in 2021
Inspiration25+ Top Graphic Design (Branding) Project Proposal Templates (2020)
Proposals35 Professional Business Project Proposal Templates With Modern Pages 2020
Learn More About Creating Great Business Proposals
Customizing a Word proposal template is only the beginning. There’s a lot more that goes into making a great business proposal. We've got plenty of tutorials to help you out. Get started with these tutorials about creating business proposals:
ProposalsHow to Write & Design a Winning Business Proposal in 2019
ProposalsThe Freelancer's Guide to Writing Proposals
ProposalsWhat Are the 6 Most Effective Types of Business Project Proposals for 2020
Choose Your Next Business Proposal Template Word Doc
As you've seen, choosing and customizing a Word business proposal template doc is simple. With only a few tweaks, you can create a winning proposal. Then, all you need to do is get it into the hands of potential investors and partners.
You don't need to know how to design in Microsoft Word when you use a business proposal template doc. The template does all the heavy lifting. Word page layouts with text and image placeholders are already there. Just drop your content in place.
Get started today. Select Microsoft Word proposal templates on Envato Elements or GraphicRiver.
Editorial Note: This tutorial was last published on October 12, 2019. It's been revised to make it current, accurate, and up to date by our staff—with special help from Brenda Barron.
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