How a proposal deck differs from an email
A sales proposal is rarely read once or by one person. The manager you talked to forwards it to their boss, the boss to finance, and each of them opens it without you. So a proposal presentation has to explain by itself what you offer, what it costs and what happens next.
The main rule: the proposal is about the client, not about you. The first slides are their problem and how you will solve it. Company history, mission and awards only matter once the client understands why they need you.
Cold and warm proposals
A cold proposal goes to someone you haven't talked to yet. It's shorter, you have to guess the client's problem from their industry, and its goal is not a sale but a meeting or a call.
A warm proposal is sent after a conversation. It can and should use the client's own words: their numbers, deadlines, worries. The closer your first slide is to what the client said in the meeting, the more seriously they take the proposal.
The 8-slide structure
- Title. The client's name, their goal and your offer in one sentence: "Daily cleaning of Orion Plaza's 18,000 m² for one fixed monthly price".
- The client's problem. The situation and the pain, in the client's words. If there were numbers (complaints, downtime, losses), put them here.
- Solution. What you will do and how it solves the problem. Three points in columns read faster than a paragraph.
- How it works. Stages, timing, who is responsible for what. A diagram of three to five steps answers "what happens after we sign".
- Proof. A case study of a similar client with a result in numbers, short testimonials, logos. One strong case is enough.
- Price. Two or three options with what's included in each. Mark one as recommended.
- Terms. Timing, payment, guarantees and the date the offer is valid until.
- Next step. One action — a meeting, a site visit, a trial month — and a contact or a request form right on the slide.
How to present the price
The price is the slide people open the proposal a second time for, so don't hide it. "Price on request" in a proposal the client asked for looks like you'd rather not talk about money.
- Two or three options. Choosing between options is easier than a yes-or-no on a single price.
- What's included. A short list under each price: what the client gets for the money.
- Price format. Currency, period (per month, per project), with or without tax.
- Valid until. A date until which the price holds — an honest reason to reply on time.
How to tailor a proposal to the client
You can keep one proposal template, but three things change for every client: the title with their name and goal, the problem slide and the case study you pick. If many clients are in one industry, make a version per industry — the case and the wording of the problem differ.
Common mistakes
- Five slides about your company before the first word about the client.
- "Price on request", or the price only in a separate file.
- Several next steps at once: "call us, email us, visit our site, subscribe".
- A heavy attachment that won't open on a phone.
- No feedback: you don't know whether the proposal was opened or whether they got to the price, so you follow up blind.
How to do it in JamPres
Open a new presentation with “Sales proposal” selected under “What it's for” — the button below opens it that way. Paste what you know about the client and the offer: the problem, the solution, the stages, prices, results of past clients. For this purpose the outline follows the proposal story: the client's situation and need, what you offer, how it works, proof, price and terms, the next step. The default tone is “Persuasive”.
In the outline, pick a layout for each slide — “Pricing”, “Case study”, “Testimonials”, “Table”. The outline suggests testimonials only if your text quotes someone: the model won't make them up. Prices and other numbers on the slides come only from your text, and a second model checks the finished slides against the source. At the style step the templates suited to proposals come first.
Turn on “Add a request form” at the outline step — the form goes on the last slide: name and email, a button and consent to data processing. Requests arrive by email and in the “Requests” tab. Forms accept requests from the Base plan.
After “Publish” the proposal gets its link. If you built it without signing in, save it first: sign in by email, no password. Also useful:
- As a website. The same link opens as slides or as a landing page built from them — the “How to show it” switch on the presentation page. Handy if the client will look on a phone.
- Who opened it. “Email” access (from the Base plan): the client enters an email before viewing, and analytics shows who viewed and how far they got. How to read those numbers — in the guide on tracking presentation views.
- An email about views. A few hours after the first views, JamPres emails you how many times the proposal was opened — more in the help article on view emails.
- The offer deadline. In the editor, “More blocks” has a “Countdown” — days, hours and minutes until the date the price stops being valid.
- Edits after sending. “Update publication” changes the page at the same link: the client always sees the latest version.
Describe the client, their problem and your offer — the proposal outline is ready in a few seconds.
Build a proposal