A free sales proposal template in seven sections, for anyone who sells to businesses and hears “send me a proposal” after a call or a demo: what the buyer told you, what you recommend and why, one price, and how to say yes. Read it here or get it as a Word file and a PDF.
A sales proposal is the document a buyer asks for after a sales call: what they told you, what you recommend and why, what's included, what it costs and how to say yes. It's a summary of the conversation, not a pitch. The template below has a section for each part.
Copy one section or the whole thing. Under each section: what it's for, and one thing we've learned from the proposals sent with Nusii.
[Yellow] you write[Green] Nusii fills in when you send it
1. Introduction
Your recommendation and how it's paid in a few lines, then who you are. The people who sign often weren't on your call, so write it for someone reading it cold. Working on your own? Write "I" instead of "we".
Hi [Client first name],
Thanks for the call on [date of your call]. You asked us to put our recommendation in writing, so here it is. You told us that [the problem in one sentence, in the client's words, such as "we can't go through another April like the last one, when the server was down for two days"].
In short: [what you'll deliver and by when, such as "we move your files and email off the old server and into Microsoft 365 before January 15, and train your team"]. It's one fixed price, [half when you accept and half when everything works].
[Your company] is a [number]-person [IT company] in [city]. We've [looked after offices like yours] since [year].
[Your name] [Your role], [Your company]
Across all industries, clients first looked at proposals sent with Nusii a median of 48 minutes after they went out (8,319 proposals, November 2025 to October 2026), and about a third of first views are on a phone. Put the recommendation before anything about you.
2. What we heard
Shows you listened: what the buyer told you, the result you'll both check, what it's worth to them and what happens if they do nothing. Only you can write this one: replace the examples with your buyer's words.
Each point below answers something you told us. If we got anything wrong, tell us before you accept and we'll fix it.
You said[the server in your back office went down for two days in April, in the middle of tax season]. We'll[move your files and email to Microsoft 365, so there's no server in the office to break].
You said[half the team works from home on Fridays and the remote connection is slow]. We'll[set it up so everyone opens the same files from anywhere].
You said[you're not sure your backups work]. We'll[set up daily backups and restore a file in front of you before we hand over].
What success looks like:[a result you can both check, such as "all 25 people working from Microsoft 365 by January 15, and a test restore done"].
What it's worth: you told us [your team bills about $120 an hour]. [Two lost days for your 20 billable people] is about [$38,400].
If nothing changes:[what the client said happens if they don't go ahead, such as "the server is eight years old and out of warranty, and we hope it lasts another tax season"].
Philip Morgan and Jonathan Stark, in our 2015 book on proposals: "Your proposal should be a summary, not a pitch." If anything in this section would surprise the buyer, have that conversation before you send it.
3. What we recommend
Your recommendation in the buyer's words, why it beats the option they were weighing, and how it goes from yes to working.
[Your recommendation in one or two sentences, such as "Move everything to Microsoft 365 and retire the server. Your team keeps the same folders and the same email addresses; they just don't live in the back office anymore."]
Why this and not [the option the client is weighing, such as "a new server"]:[the honest reason, such as "a new server costs about as much up front, and in five years you'd be having this conversation again"].
How it goes live:
Week 1: plan.[We list every folder, mailbox and shared calendar, and agree with your office manager what moves and what gets archived.]
Week 2: set up.[We set up Microsoft 365, security and backups, and move three people first to test it.]
[The weekend of January 10]: the move.[We move everyone else over a weekend, so Monday starts on the new setup.]
Weeks 3 and 4: training and support.[Two short sessions for your team, then two weeks of answers within the working day.]
Timing: the move on [January 10] holds if we have [admin access to your server and email] by [December 15]. If a date matters to you, such as [the start of tax season], tell us and we'll plan back from it.
Our 2015 book suggests talking your prospect out of buying, or into a cheaper way. Name the option they're weighing and say plainly why you'd still pick this one: it's the first question whoever signs will ask.
4. Results for businesses like yours
Short proof for the people who weren't on the call: what you did for a business like this one, and what changed.
[Past client], [kind of business]:[what you did and what changed, with a number and a timeframe, such as "moved 18 people off an old server in one weekend, and no lost workdays in the year since"].
[Past client], [kind of business]:[what you did and what changed].
"[A one-line quote from one of those clients.]" [Name, role, company]
Proposals to a repeat client were accepted 62.6% of the time in Nusii, against 46.4% for a first proposal to a client, for the same 122 accounts (July to September 2026). A new buyer hasn't seen your work: one result from a business like theirs does more than a row of logos.
5. What's included
Draws the line between what you deliver and what the buyer's team does, and says what happens if something goes wrong and what they keep.
Included
[The plan: a list of everything that moves, agreed with your office manager]
[Microsoft 365 set up for 25 people, with sign-in security on every account]
[Daily backups, and one test restore with you watching]
[Moving your files, email and calendars over one weekend]
[Two one-hour training sessions, and two weeks of support after the move]
Not included
[Microsoft 365 licenses.] You buy them in your name, so the account is yours.
[New laptops or other hardware.] If anything needs replacing, we'll tell you and you decide.
[IT support after the two weeks.] If you'd like it, we'll quote it separately.
What we need from you:[admin access to your server and email] by [December 15], one person who can answer questions within [a working day], and [an hour from each person for training].
If something goes wrong:[if anything we set up stops working in the first 30 days, we fix it at no extra cost].
How changes work: if you want something that isn't listed here, we write it up with its price and what it does to the dates. Nothing extra starts until you say yes.
What you keep:[every account and license is in your name, and you get every password when we hand over].
Philip Morgan and Jonathan Stark, in our 2015 book: "You will almost never be the only party responsible for the outcome of a project." Whoever signs will look for what it asks of their team, so write it down here.
6. Investment
One fixed price, what it covers and when it's invoiced. These are example prices: what you sell sets yours.
[Setup and the move, for 25 people]
$4,000
[The plan, Microsoft 365 setup, security, backups and moving your files, email and calendars], at a fixed price.
[Training and two weeks of support]
$800
[Two one-hour sessions and two weeks of support after the move], at a fixed price. The total is invoiced in two halves: when you accept, and when everyone is working on the new setup.
Total: $4,800
Of the proposals with a price sent with Nusii from July to September 2026, across all industries, 46.5% were between $1,000 and $5,000, and about half of those were accepted. Over $15,000, about a third were.
7. Next steps
Tells the buyer exactly how to say yes, what happens after, and when you'll call. No expiry date, no "this price is only valid until Friday".
If this works for you, accept and sign this proposal.
We'll send the first invoice ([$2,400]) and book the planning call for [a date in the next week].
Before that call, you send us [admin access to your server and email].
I'll call you on [a day three working days from now] to answer any questions. Or go through it with me on a 20-minute call: [your booking link].
Does someone else at [Client company] need to sign off? Forward them this proposal, or tell me and I'll walk them through it.
If you have a question before then, call me on [phone number] or reply to the email this proposal came with.
Across all industries, 51.5% of the proposals accepted in Nusii got their yes within three days of the first send (November 2025 to October 2026). A call three working days after you send it lands while the buyer is still deciding.
A sales proposal example, filled in
Two sections of the template above with a buyer's words in the brackets, so you can see how it reads when it's done. Brackenmoor Accounting is made up, and so are its numbers.
No more server outages at Brackenmoor Accounting by tax season
What we heard
You said the server in your back office went down for two days in April, in the middle of tax season. We'll move your files and email to Microsoft 365, so there's no server in the office to break.
You said half the team works from home on Fridays and the remote connection is slow. We'll set it up so everyone opens the same files from anywhere.
You said you're not sure your backups work. We'll set up daily backups and restore a file in front of you before we hand over.
What success looks like: all 25 people working from Microsoft 365 by January 15, and a test restore done.
What it's worth: you told us your team bills about $120 an hour. Two lost days for your 20 billable people is about $38,400, eight times what this costs.
If nothing changes: the server is eight years old and out of warranty, and you hope it lasts another tax season.
Investment
Setup and the move, for 25 people
$4,000
Training and two weeks of support
$800
Total: $4,800
See it as your client will
Every page of the PDF, printed by Nusii. Sent as a link, it's one scrolling page on any device: your client accepts with one button and signs with their name.
The template in Nusii, the way your client will see it. It opens in a new tab.
What proposals sent with Nusii were worth
A sales proposal has no going rate: the price is whatever you sell. What we can show is what proposals sent with Nusii were worth across all industries, as the client saw them on opening. The template's example, $4,800, sits in the most common range.
What
Price
Source
An accepted proposal, median
$3,050the middle half ran from $1,250 to $7,000Nusii
Sources: Nusii, 1,713 proposals first sent July to September 2026, all industries, in US dollars. The total the client saw on opening, before taxes and without monthly fees. Most senders are agencies, consultants and software firms, so treat it as a guide to how big one proposal usually is, not as a price list.
How often proposals got a yes, by price
Proposals over $15,000 got a yes about a third of the time. The template's example total, $4,800, is in the $1,000 to $5,000 band. From 1,713 proposals first sent with Nusii, July to September 2026.
Under $1,000
67.1%
$1,000 to $5,000
50.7%
$5,000 to $15,000
48.9%
$15,000 to $50,000
36.1%
Over $50,000
33.3%
Share accepted, by the total the client saw. Bigger proposals are bigger decisions, so this shows what happened, not that a lower price would win. Method: The State of Proposals 2026.
The email to send it with
The proposal does the explaining, so the email only has to get it opened and say when you'll call. Leave the price out, so your buyer reads the recommendation before they judge the number. In Nusii this goes in the Send Proposal window, and you can save it as your template for next time.
Subject:[Our recommendation for the server move]
Hi [first name],
As promised on [day of your call], here's our recommendation in writing: [link].
In short: we move your files and email into Microsoft 365 before [January 15], and train your team.
It's short, and you can accept it right on the page. If someone else needs to sign off, forward them this email.
I'll call you on [a day three working days from now] to answer any questions.
[Your name]
What happens after you send it
From 8,319 proposals first sent with Nusii from November 2025 to October 2026, all industries.
49.9%
were accepted
48 minutes
median time to the client's first look
2.9 days
median time to a yes
66.5%
of the yeses came within a week
Clients rarely say no. Of all proposals sent with Nusii from July to September 2026, 6.5% were rejected and 45.2% got no answer either way. Silence is the usual no, so a follow-up is worth sending.
Send it again, then call. Proposals sent a second time, more than an hour after the first send, were accepted 58.0% of the time, against 47.4%, for the same 100 accounts (July to September 2026). That's a correlation, not proof, but a reminder costs you nothing. In Nusii you see when the proposal was opened, so you can call when they've read it.
The same template as a Word file you can edit (it opens in Google Docs too) and a PDF printed by Nusii. We'll email you both, plus a few emails with proposal tips. Unsubscribe any time.
Or send it with Nusii
This template is in the gallery of every Nusii account. Send it as a link: you get an email when your client opens it, and they accept and sign online, on any device.
“Sending proposals through Nusii saved us an average of 2 hours per proposal, and increased closed/won deal conversion rate by 41%.”
Rebecca Shaddix
Managing Partner, Strategica Partners
“Whether we’re working with Fortune 500 companies or a business across the street, Nusii allows us to create proposals and close deals in minutes. There’s no better proposal tool out there.”
A sales proposal with the sections already in order and brackets where your buyer’s words and numbers go. You fill in what you heard on the call, your recommendation and your price, and send it. The one on this page has seven sections and comes as text, a Word file and a PDF.
What should a sales proposal include?
What the buyer told you and the result they want, what that’s worth to them, your recommendation and why it beats the option they’re weighing, short proof from similar customers, what’s included and what isn’t, one price and the next steps. The template has a section for each.
How do you write a sales proposal?
Start from the call, not from a blank page. Write down what the buyer said in their own words, then the result they want and what it’s worth to them. Recommend one thing, say what it takes to get started, give one price and tell them exactly how to say yes. The template above walks through each part with an example.
What’s the difference between a sales proposal and a quote?
A quote gives the price; a proposal also shows you understood the problem and why your answer fits. Our 2015 book puts it this way: “A quote says nothing of your understanding of the client’s problem.” A quote works for a simple reorder. When the buyer has to explain the decision to someone else, send a proposal.
How long should a sales proposal be?
As short as it can be while covering the seven parts. In Nusii, accepted proposals had a median of 7 sections and the others 9 (July to September 2026). This template is seven pages as a PDF, cover included, and the first page says the whole recommendation in two sentences.
Should I send the proposal to everyone who has to decide?
Send it to the person you’ve been talking to and make it easy to forward. In Nusii, proposals sent to several people at once were accepted about as often as the rest (48.0% against 48.4% for the same 82 accounts, July to September 2026). The template’s next steps ask the buyer who else needs to sign off.
How do you follow up on a sales proposal?
Call on the day you said you would, and ask what’s left to decide. Most proposals that don’t win aren’t rejected; they go quiet. If a week of calls and emails gets nothing, Blair Enns’ line, quoted in our 2015 book, often gets an answer: “I haven’t heard back from you on [project] so I’m going to assume you’ve gone in a different direction or your priorities have changed.”
Should I offer three pricing options?
One clear price is a good default. In Nusii, proposals with client choices were accepted 40.3% of the time, against 51.3% without, for the same 91 accounts (July to September 2026). That’s a correlation, not a rule. If the buyer asks about an extra, add just that one as an optional line.
Should I add an expiry date to make the buyer decide faster?
Not by default. Proposals with an expiry date were accepted 43.3% of the time in Nusii, against 55.6% without, for the same 51 accounts (July to September 2026). If your price really changes on a date, say so plainly in the next steps.
Should a sales proposal include a contract?
Keep the proposal plain: what you’ll deliver, when, the price and how it’s paid, what’s not included and who keeps what. If you use a sales agreement or terms of service, say so in the proposal, send it with the first invoice, and have a lawyer check it.
Can I use this template to sell a product?
Yes. The structure stays the same and the words in the brackets change. The example lines are about moving an office to Microsoft 365, so replace them with your buyer’s problem, your product and what it takes to get it working for them. The prices are examples too.
Can my buyer accept and sign the proposal online?
Yes, if you send it as an online proposal. In Nusii, your buyer opens a link, accepts with one button and signs with their typed name, on any device, and you get an email when they do. The Word file and the PDF need signing the old way.
