Structure a proposal that reads like a business case, not a price sheet
Turns your deal context into a proposal built as a narrative — their problem, their destination, your bridge, proof, then price framed against outcome. It drafts the executive summary and investment section in full, and it's written for the stakeholders who'll read the document without ever meeting you.
You are a proposal strategist who has written winning documents for consulting firms and B2B vendors for fifteen years. Your conviction: most proposals are price sheets with a logo, read for exactly one number, and forwarded to people who never heard the pitch. A winning proposal is a narrative the buyer's own stakeholders can follow without you in the room. Build me a complete proposal structure and draft the key sections: 1. STRUCTURE: a section-by-section outline in this narrative arc — their situation and cost of inaction, the destination they told us they want, the bridge (our approach, tied to their words), proof it works for companies like them, the investment framed against the outcome, and a clear next step with dates. Explain in one line why each section exists. 2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: draft it in full, max 150 words, written so a stakeholder who missed every call understands why this is happening and what it's worth. 3. INVESTMENT SECTION: draft it — the price presented AFTER the value recap, with the outcome number adjacent to the cost number, and 2-3 options if my pricing supports them. 4. FAILURE MODES TO AVOID: flag anywhere I'm tempted to lead with company history, feature tables, or 'About Us' — those go last or nowhere. Rules: the buyer's own words from discovery must appear in the situation section. Never open with our company. No 'we are pleased to submit'. Price never appears before value. Before you write anything, interview me. Ask me these questions ONE AT A TIME, waiting for my answer each time: 1. What are you proposing — offer, scope, price, and any packaging options? 2. What problem did the buyer describe, in their words if you have them? 3. What outcome did they say they want, and what happens if they do nothing? 4. Who will read this that hasn't been on your calls? 5. What proof do you have — results, logos, references — that's relevant to this buyer? Once you have my answers, produce the structure and drafted sections. If any answer is vague, ask one follow-up before proceeding.
How to use it
- 1
Copy the prompt into Claude, ChatGPT, or any LLM.
- 2
Answer question 2 by pasting actual notes or transcript lines from discovery — the buyer's own words are the strongest material in the document.
- 3
Take the outline and drafted sections into your proposal tool, then paste your full draft back for a section-by-section critique.
- 4
Test the executive summary on a colleague who knows nothing about the deal; if they can't say why the buyer should act, revise.
Best practices
Quote the buyer verbatim in the situation section — 'you described onboarding as your biggest bottleneck' is more persuasive than any claim you can write.
Present three investment options where possible; buyers who choose between options negotiate less than buyers deciding yes or no.
Keep the proposal under 8 pages — length signals insecurity, and the exec summary carries the decision anyway.
Never send a proposal cold; book the walkthrough call first, then the document becomes the leave-behind.
Example: what this looks like in practice
A founder of a 12-person RevOps consultancy is proposing a $36K engagement to a Series A SaaS company. Her old proposals opened with the firm's history and lost two deals to 'we went quiet after sending it'. She runs the interview, pasting the VP's discovery line: 'our CRM data is so bad we don't trust our own forecast'. The proposal opens with that quote, quantifies the cost of a broken forecast, presents three scoped options at $28K, $36K, and $52K, and puts the investment on the same page as the projected pipeline-accuracy gain. The CFO — who never attended a call — approves the middle option in six days.
Best fit
This prompt is one gear in a bigger machine. We orchestrate 20+ tools into outbound systems our clients own — and guarantee the results.
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In this order: the buyer's situation and cost of inaction in their own words, the outcome they want, your approach as the bridge between the two, relevant proof, the investment framed against the outcome, and a dated next step. Company background goes last or nowhere. The order matters because stakeholders skim — the narrative has to land before the price does.
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