The biggest mistake coaches, consultants, and service providers make when writing a consulting proposal is including too much information in it.
There is a misconception that decision makers need every single bit of data — from the history of your company to how your team is organized — to improve the chances of success. Writing more does not get extra credit, and in fact can actually slow down the decision-making process, which is never good.
Decision makers, especially those in larger teams, only want the information they need to move forward. A successful consulting proposal is:
- Straight to the point
- Intentional
- Tailored to the prospect
We’ve outlined our proven template for a successful consulting proposal below.
However, it’s best if you watch this video first before continuing with this article, so you can see the consulting proposal template in action.
In the video, we walk slide by slide through exactly how to structure a consulting proposal, what to include on each slide, and how to guide decision-makers through the presentation.
The Most Important Step in Writing A Successful Consulting Proposal
Before writing, make sure you’ve gathered everything you need to know about the client and the project or initiative. That may sound obvious, but many professionals often become overwhelmed later on because they only have a small portion of information and begin making “educated” guesses about parts they don’t know or understand.
Just to be clear: Guessing “stuff” about your client is never a good idea. Writing a successful consulting proposal needs to be:
- Grounded in fact
- Intentional to the client’s needs (not yours)
This is why we highly recommend that you have a co-creation meeting before sending any proposal.
This way, you are truly designing a solution that eliminates any second-guessing. And by the time they are meeting with you and you are walking them through “a proposal,” the prospect is already mentally and emotionally “bought in” to the solution because they helped to create it. The proposal step is merely formalizing the details.
The Actual Writing Process
Once you’ve gathered all your data and co-created a solution with your client, you can start writing your consulting proposal.
We strongly recommend using slides for your proposals (PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote, etc.) rather than a Word document. This is because slides make it easier to:
- Fall into the trap of writing long paragraphs of text
- Keep the focus only on the things that matter
- Walk decision makers through the proposal in a clear, logical sequence (see the process here on how to do a proposal walkthrough)
- Present information from the prospect’s perspective, and
- Re-use slides from one proposal to the next.
BoldHaus’ Proven 11-Part Consulting Proposal Template
In the next sections, we’ve outlined the critical elements to cover and the order they should be covered. As you build each component, ask yourself: “What do decision makers need from us in order to say ‘yes’?”
Each slide in this framework is designed to answer just one essential question for the decision maker, helping them move forward with greater clarity and confidence.
1. Proposal Name and Date
Your cover slide should convey a simple, powerful message: This is customized specifically for the client at hand.
Include:
- Client name
- Project or initiative name
- Your company name and logo
- Date
- Optional: media logos of where your firm has been featured
2. The Opportunity
After your title card, your next slide should anchor your entire proposal. Use this slide not to repeat your prospect’s pain points (they know that already) or educate them on their industry (they know this, too), but to show:
- The specific problem you and your firm will help them solve
- The desired end state
- The bigger vision or untapped opportunity
3. Project Goals and Success Metrics
This is where you outline 3 specific goals the engagement is designed to accomplish. We recommend:
- Using bullet points.
- Starting each goal with an active verb (our favorites are things like “increase,” “boost,” “minimize,” “reduce,” and “accelerate”).
- Making them outcome-focused (such as “Reduce the percentage of undesired employee attrition.”)
- Citing measurable metrics, whenever possible (i.e., “35% increase” or “95% satisfaction”)
Decision makers respond enthusiastically to concrete numbers — and they love outcomes they can picture in their mind’s eye. But even more importantly, by getting straight to the point at the outset of the proposal, it helps to surface any desired outcomes that the decision makers failed to communicate up until now.
4. Additional Organizational Benefits
This is the part where you highlight secondary benefits of collaborating with you, such as:
- Improved team efficiency
- Knowledge transfer
- A stronger company culture
When writing this slide, think about all of the times that past clients have communicated to you the unexpected benefits they experienced in working with you. Here’s the place to capture that added value.
5. Project Scope
This is where you transition into what the client is going to get from you and your firm. Again, much of this has already been discussed during the co-creation step of the sales process, and you’re merely formalizing it here.
Be sure to outline:
- In-scope: This is a high-level summation of what the client will be getting for their investment. In other words, this includes all elements and initiatives that you and your client have agreed on during your co-creation meeting.
- Out-of-scope: Of course, no matter how big that umbrella is, there will be things that fall outside of it. Calling this out in writing now sets clear expectations upfront while planting seeds for other services you offer — both helping to prevent scope creep while also laying the groundwork for potential revenue expansion.
6. Key Deliverables
This is the heart of the proposal. At BoldHaus, we refer to these as your success components, where you detail how you will deliver success for each goal mentioned in slides 3-4. For these next few slides:
- Give each key project phase or deliverable its own slide, but still keep it short and succinct.
- Use a short title.
- Include up to 3-5 bullet points describing it.
Expert tip: Be sure to watch the video to see what this looks like!
How Do I Present A Proposal Without Overwhelming The Client?
Decision makers are extremely busy and do not have the time for lengthy explanations. In fact, research shows that executives will decide whether or not to even read something based on how long it is. Bottom line: The data proves that less is more. (Behavior Scientist)
Even then, it’s important to remember that a proposal isn’t the only factor in an organization’s decision to move forward or not.
When a prospect declines to move forward, it does not necessarily mean you did anything wrong along the way. We discuss this further in our blog, When a Client Says No to Your Proposal, What Should You Do Next?
7. Examples of Return on Investment
Decision makers need evidence that your work delivers results.
- Include measurable ROI statements from past clients.
- You can use the ROI for one client or several from various clients.
- Keep each statement short and results-focused.
Keep this slide short and data-driven. Infographics work great here.
8. 1 to 3 Relevant Case Studies with Measurable Results
Case studies give greater context to the ROI story and show the real-world impact of the services and expertise you provide. For maximum impact, here are tips on how to approach your case studies.
- Focus on the end result up front. Do not title your case study, “Case Study.” Instead, title it with a results-based headline such as: “How a fast-growing tech startup increased efficiency by 10%.”
- As succinctly as possible. Follow this format when presenting: Challenge > Solution > Result (or something similar)
- Add an infographic if you have one.
Remember: The goal here is to show you have a proven track record of successful past performance, which makes you a less risky choice in the mind of the decision maker.
9. Business Case for Making the Investment
Oftentimes, whether or not a prospect moves forward with an initiative has nothing to do with you and your firm — and everything to do with whether or not the decision makers on the other side of the table can justify the time and expense the project will require. In other words, is the project really worth doing at all?
This slide of your proposal helps you help your client to formulate that internal business case and build internal consensus around moving forward. To do this:
- Include third-party research or stats to support outcomes
- Focus on measurable, bottom-line impacts
Your slide can look something like this:
- Value Proposition: This is a statistic or data point that shows the value of this project
- Proof Point: A credible source that shows measurable outcomes.
- Bottom-Line Impact: Insert another statistic or data point.
You’ll want to pull these data points from recognized, third-party, credible sources, such as industry associations and research reports. This increases trust and makes your proposal much more persuasive.
10. Investment and Project Timeline
Include a simple summary of the investment level and the timeline of your proposed project. Watch the video shared above to see what this can look like.
Some items that we recommend including in this table are:
- Success component
- Timeline or phases
- Investment
- Additional Items
We also suggest including a total investment item at the bottom to summarize the total dollar figure.
11. Next Steps and Implementation Plan
Allocate the last slide to help you lead the prospect through a discussion around the following items:
- Confirm immediate next steps, such as additional meetings or approvals.
- Determine the owners of each success component.
- Set up kickoff meetings, team onboarding, or system access.
- Clarify deadlines and key milestones.
- Discuss any additional items, as needed.
Once you put this framework together, you’ll have something that is easily editable for future proposals and will save you hours each time you have a client opportunity.
How Do You Take Your Consulting Proposals To The Next Level?
Successful consulting proposals focus on what the client truly needs to say “yes.” By thinking through each slide, tailoring it to the prospect, and highlighting measurable success components, you make it easier for decision makers to move forward confidently.
If you want to go deeper and build a more predictable path to high-paying corporate clients, we offer a guide that teaches you how to:
- Expand your network of real decision makers
- Build enterprise-level influence without feeling salesy
- Navigate the nine critical differences between B2C and B2B markets
- Master high-level conversations that lead to long-term corporate engagements
Download the guide here: wincorporateclients.com
