If you're going to create a stellar business proposal, one of the easiest ways to get started is with a premium business proposal template. The best templates have everything you need, and a polished design, too.
No matter what business you're in, you need to present your business to others with a view to attracting 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, you'll learn how to create project proposals using templates for Word. You'll also learn where to find some of the best business proposal templates found on Envato Elements and GraphicRiver.
Best Microsoft Word Business Proposal Templates (with Unlimited Use)
A business proposal introduces your business, products, and services 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. With a Microsoft Word proposal template, quickly get information about your business ready to present to investors, shareholders, and partners.
Using well-known software like Microsoft Word shortens the learning curve because you don't have to use any complicated apps. Creating a proposal template in Word also helps business owners who aren't confident in their design skills. Instead of trying to master complex page layouts, simply 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 an offer you won't want to miss: 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 also 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).
- A company description
- Testimonials, cases 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 do some 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 get started with creating your business proposal. Word has built-in templates for many needs. But you'll get much more choice if you check out the Microsoft Word business proposal templates 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, so you can easily customize 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.
Use the on-screen filters to select templates suitable for print, as you'll likely want to print actual copies of your proposal. 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
If you already have an Envato Elements account, add your chosen business proposal template to a project. 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. This template folder includes Windows and Mac versions of the Word project proposal templates. It also has as 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, then 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 automatically 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, which has 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 until you've installed 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 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
Go through the whole document and use the method described above to replace other placeholder images. 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 page needs multiple images, so sometimes, 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, then use the Delete key on your keyboard to remove it.
The page looks much better once that's gone.
Follow the same process to remove other unwanted image placeholders.
9. Replace Placeholder Text
Now, it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty and make all the information you've collected 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 Ctrl + A on a PC to select all the text in a text box, delete it, and type from scratch. Here's how that looks:
Follow this simple process to replace placeholder text throughout the Microsoft 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
When you're happy with 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 that make your business less professional.
It's also essential to make sure any facts and figures presented are accurate and haven't been altered by a typographical error. Consider hiring a proofreading service if you're not confident about your proofreading skills.
Discover More Great Business Proposal Templates
With the right business proposal templates for Word, you can make your business shine to attract the partners, sponsors or investors you need. As well the templates on Envato Elements, you can also find proposal templates for Word on GraphicRiver. Here are some business proposal template roundups to get you started:
Templates20 MS Word Business Proposal Templates to Make Deals in 2019.jpg)
Inspiration25 Top Graphic Design (Branding) Project Proposal Templates (2019)
Proposals25 Professional Business Project Proposal Templates for 2019
Choose Your Next Business Proposal Template Word Doc
As you've seen, choosing and customizing a Word business proposal template is simple. With only a few tweaks, you can create a winning proposal and get it into the hands of potential investors and partners. Get started today. Select Microsoft Word proposal templates on Envato Elements or GraphicRiver.
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