Are you a consultant looking to win over clients and secure lucrative projects? One of the most critical tools in your arsenal is a well-crafted consulting proposal.
A compelling proposal not only showcases your expertise and understanding of the client’s needs but also demonstrates your professionalism and commitment to delivering value.
Here’s a guide on how to write a consulting proposal that stands out and maximizes your chances of success.
Keep reading to discover eye-catching consulting proposal templates and presentations that will help you tell a story, unlock conversations and ultimately, win the job.
A consulting proposal usually has the following sections:
Sometimes a clean, simple consulting proposal without too many frills is all you need, whether you’re pitching a traditional corporate client or simply want something easy to fill out.
After all, juggling your current workload and finding new clients (and then pitching these leads is tough. A well-designed sample consulting proposal will make your life a lot easier. Plus, clients hiring a consultant may even be more likely appreciate a simple, straight-forward proposal that they can understand than one that needs lots of explaining.
Success tip: Focus on value and ROI in your proposal
Be upfront about how significant the potential return will be for the client’s investment. A significant return is incredibly compelling for a potential client and will make a client much more likely to sign you on.
Alex Williams, a web consultant from Hosting Data UK recommends anchoring your consulting fees to the value your client will receive. A high ROI means the client will be much less likely to bat an eye at your (hopefully substantial) fee.
It’s still possible to add quick custom touches to a simple consulting proposal.
Success tip: Include the client’s logo on the proposal cover page
Include personal branding , like your logo, as well as the client’s logo on the cover page using our My Brand Kit feature. Or swap in real images of the client’s office or retail space with our photo upload feature.
This conservative sample consulting proposal is perfect for pitching a corporate client. It includes a table of contents and your contact information in a footer on each page. Copy the last page to add an appendix.
Design pro tip: Get help. Collaborate with your team.
Don’t go it alone! Venngage has team features to make collaborating on and sharing your consulting proposal template much easier.
Add team members to your account and decide who can see or edit your proposal. When you’re done, hit “share” to invite team members to collaborate and edit the design. Or copy the private link to send it via Slack or wherever else.
Want to kick things up a notch? Turn on our real-time collaboration feature (Business plan only) to collaborate on your proposals in real time with your team so you can work together anytime, anywhere.
You can also download your proposal to your hard drive as a PDF if you’d like to print it (Business and Premium plans only).
Simple but powerful, this consulting proposal template clearly communicates key proposed growth strategies.
Let’s say you and the client have already hashed out many of the project details, either in conversation or during a formal presentation. This consulting proposal template works well if you simply want to reiterate a few key points you’ve already discussed.
Design pro tip: Visualize concepts with icons
Swap in different icons from our library of thousands of modern icons. Use this strategy to illustrate your specific deliverables or customize the cover page to reflect your client’s industry.
For example, if the client is in the healthcare industry, you could add medical symbols.
You can also use icons to create an icon story . Icons are a quick way to communicate concepts and visuals. Use a cluster of icons to decorate your proposal or to explain an idea.
Direct the reader’s gaze to certain parts of a page with icons. Add a circle or square background to your icons, make them oversize or change them to a bright color to make sure they capture the reader’s attention.
This business proposal template has more formal colors to suit traditional clients.
Design pro tip: Pick the right colors
Picking the right colors for a project depends a lot on color psychology and color meanings.
For example, say your potential client’s in banking, a typically conservative industry. Use a cool color (like blue) in your proposal. The logos below highlight this trend.
Our post about picking and using brand colors has even more examples.
Here’s another tip: use the executive summary section in the template below to show that you thoroughly understand the client’s business and current situation. And that you understand exactly how to get them from point A to point B–their desired result.
Highlight current challenges and opportunities using the two columns in the consulting proposal example below: problem and solution.
Design pro tip: Add your brand colors
Add your potential client’s brand colors to your consulting proposal template. Venngage’s My Brand Kit feature pulls colors, fonts and logos from your client’s website so you can apply them to your proposal with one click.
Your prospective client makes their living selling directly to consumers and using emotional marketing strategies to persuade them.
Your job is to acknowledge these tactics, while using a tried-and-true B2B selling strategy: focusing on the client’s bottom line.
Use the consulting proposal template below to highlight your client’s current situation in the “Problem” section. And then use the “Budget” section to outline the value and ROI you’ll provide the client for your services.
Design pro tip: Use gradients to spice up your designs
Gradients are one of the biggest graphic design trends . So this template is perfect for forward-thinking companies, especially those in marketing and design. Change up the gradient quickly in Venngage by clicking “background” and selecting a different color scheme.
This bold proposal makes use of a geometric background and illustrations to help it stand out from the pack. Change the text and the illustrations–thanks to our in-editor icon library. It’s easy to customize for your industry.
This sample consulting proposal is best for consultants who want to express their ideas with text.
That said, don’t be afraid to add visuals. Visuals make your content more memorable and engaging and they can also make it easier to understand.
Here are some ways to summarize information from your proposal:
The above project proposal template also has plenty of room to highlight your experience, past clients and unique skills.
A project summary is complimented by key deliverables, with a concrete project timeline laid out on the last page. Drag and drop in visuals, as you please.
The table of contents on page two will help the client quickly refer to key sections. You can even hyperlink to sections throughout the proposal, directly from the table of contents.
A terms and conditions, or Accountabilities, section of your consulting proposal is where you can outline what you (and what the client) are responsible for in the project.
That said, this is a consulting proposal, not a legal document. Don’t confuse your client with jargon and legalese. Keep your words clear and simple. You can check out this project proposal post for more tips on writing up a proposal.
If the client can easily understand the terms and conditions, they’ll be much quicker to sign off on the project.
Again, visuals can be an incredibly helpful way to simplify information. You might even consider making an infographic to present data.
This project proposal example uses icons as bullet points to help explain its deliverables:
To get the job, construction consultants need to demonstrate that they can provide real, cost-effective solutions to their prospective clients’ challenges. They need to demonstrate that they understand the client’s requirements and that they have a solid vision from initial concept to project closeout.
This construction proposal template provides a clear and concise breakdown of your unique vision and can be branded with your business colors and logo using our online tool:
A great social media marketing proposal lays out a consultant’s plans, sets client expectations and highlights just how amazing you are in the social sphere. You can also mention your knowledge of digital marketing trends .
Solid research on the client’s stats, audience and competition is the backbone of any great social media marketing proposal. What platforms are they strongest on? Have they had any successful campaigns?
Your social media plan should show that your recommendations are based on a thorough understanding of the client’s current situation, challenges and opportunities.
Success tip: Use the SMART framework
Follow the SMART framework when laying down social media goals for your client. As in: all goals must be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely.
This short and sweet marketing proposal template addresses all the major points in one page. Copy any of the pages to add more pages and information.
There are several template examples that you can look at and draw inspiration from to make the most of your resources and promote your business. This blog post on 5 marketing proposal examples that’ll help elevate your business is a great guide that I will advise.
This project proposal example has a “project background” section where you can address the client’s needs and any problems. Be as specific as possible. Use point form, if it helps organize your thoughts.
This bright and cheerful social media consulting proposal is definitely eye catching. Use the timeframe section to provide a timetable.
But, don’t overload the schedule with details. The client should be able to get a complete grasp of the project schedule in a glance. You can always add an appendix with a more detailed breakdown, if you need to.
This project proposal example has a simple schedule; copy the slide if you want to add more details:
Design pro tip: Use a color scheme that reflects your goals
Pick a design motif that reflects your high-level goals.
For example, the color scheme could support the mood of your mission. Color psychology usually relates green with “growth,” blue with “loyalty” and “trust” and orange with “playfulness” and “creativity.”
Make sure your design is consistent. You should use the same couple of fonts, the same style of icons and the same palette of brand colors. Thankfully, all our consulting proposal examples have consistent styles you can apply to new pages or slides.
A content strategy plan should outline:
Ask your client for any style guides or brand colors before you start your content strategy plan.
Don’t miss our post and free eBook on repurposing content . Your client will probably be excited to learn of all the ways they can maximize their existing content and create exciting infographics , presentation slide decks , white papers and more.
This clean, modern content strategy plan includes space both for text and bold graphics.
It also already has every section you need to create a comprehensive proposal. Let the template be your guide–a competitor analysis, user persona examples and customer feedback are all key aspects you’ll want to research and fill out.
It can be tough to stand out among a sea of Request for Proposal (RFP) responses. A well-organized, dynamic consulting RFP template will set you apart.
Success tip: Break up text with visuals
Long paragraphs of text are sure to send your potential client to sleep. Use graphics, charts and other visuals to make your point instead.
Above all, avoid marketing jargon. Write clean and clear copy. Scour the RFP itself for key phrases, buzzwords and acronyms that you can apply to your proposal. This will show you know how to speak your client’s language and understand their world.
This professional corporate business consulting proposal will work well when pitching large companies, non-profits or government agencies. It’s clean, clear and formal without being stuffy.
Need help making your strategic vision look as professional as possible? Organizational consultants can use a proposal template to showcase their analytical ability and forward thinking.
This text-based consulting proposal is brought to life through an abstract design motif.
This consulting proposal example uses a fresh gradient background and bold icons to achieve a modern look. You can always swap out the icons and background using our simple online editor:
Looking for a slightly more conservative design? This sample consulting proposal has the same format as the above–but swaps out the background and fonts for a slightly more muted look:
HR outsourcing is expected to reach US$ 48858.42 million by 2031, according to the 360 Market Updates. With this kind of opportunity at stake, you want a thorough proposal that’s professional and easy to digest.
HR consultants can use this project proposal outline to detail key deliverables and costs, your team’s expertise and your unique competitive edge:
Here are some important proposal design tips to keep in mind:
What are your tips for writing an effective consulting proposal? What’s worked for you in the past? What hasn’t worked? Tell us in the comments below.
Further Reading:
More Consulting Guides:
Bronwyn Kienapple is the Content Marketing Lead at Venngage. Her writing on design and business communications has been published in Foundr, 99 Designs, DIY Marketers and more. She was also an ESL teacher for 5 years, taught business English and designed her own courses and teaching materials.
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