SalesDeal Execution

AI Prompts for Sales Proposal Development

A proposal is read by people who were not in the meetings, in an order you do not control, usually starting with the price. It has to work for that reader: an executive summary that states the problem in the prospect's words and the outcome with a number, a solution section organized by their criteria rather than your modules, proof that matches their doubts, and commercials that are easy to compare. Proposals organized around the vendor's product structure get scored down by procurement and skipped by executives.

These prompts structure the document, draft the executive summary, and review a draft against the buyer's evaluation criteria. Pricing strategy and the business case have their own pages; this is the document that carries them.

Before you use these

Have these ready to replace the highlighted [variables]:

Discovery and demo evidence: problem, impact, criteria, stakeholders, process
The scope and commercial terms agreed or proposed
Proof points relevant to their doubts
The buyer's evaluation criteria or RFP requirements, if formal

The prompts

1. Structure the proposal around their problem
2. Draft the executive summary
3. Review the proposal against the buyer's criteria

1. Structure the proposal around their problem

Best forA proposal outline organized by the buyer's criteria and reading habits, not the vendor's product.

Inputs needed

Discovery evidence
Scope
Evaluation criteria

How to use itGive the model what the prospect said and how they will evaluate. It produces the outline with the purpose and content of each section and what to cut.

Expected outputSection-by-section outline with purpose, content, length, the reader each section serves, and the sections to leave out.

Act as a proposal strategist structuring a proposal for [prospect] on [opportunity].

Discovery evidence: [problem in their words, impact, what good looks like, stakeholders, decision criteria, process, timing]
Scope and commercials: [what is proposed, term, pricing structure]
Evaluation: [formal criteria or RFP requirements, if any; who reads and in what order]
Proof available: [references, results, case studies]

1. Outline the proposal: executive summary; their situation and objectives (in their words); proposed approach organized by their criteria/outcomes, not our modules; implementation and timeline; proof; commercials; terms; next steps. For each section: purpose, the content it must carry (drawn from the evidence), length, and the reader it is written for.
2. Map each of their decision criteria to the section that addresses it, and flag criteria we address weakly.
3. What to cut: boilerplate, company history, feature lists, anything not tied to their stated needs.
4. Reading order reality: what the executive reads (summary, price, timeline), what the evaluator reads (approach, proof), what procurement reads (commercials, terms) — and how each path lands.
5. Risks in the proposal: claims we cannot support, scope ambiguity, pricing that invites unbundling.
6. The one page that would win if it were the only page read.

Keep the outline to what the evidence supports. Where evidence is missing for a section, say what to confirm before writing it.

2. Draft the executive summary

Best forThe one page most decision-makers actually read.

Inputs needed

Problem and impact in their words
Outcome with a number
Approach in three points
Investment and next step

How to use itGive the model the prospect's language and the numbers. Ask for under 300 words; a summary that needs more has not been decided yet.

Expected outputExecutive summary with situation, outcome, approach, proof, investment framing and next step — plus notes on the lines that must be true.

You are drafting the executive summary of a proposal to [prospect] for [opportunity].

Their problem and impact (their words): [quotes and numbers]
The outcome we propose: [with the metric and a credible estimate]
Approach: [three points, each tied to a criterion]
Proof: [one relevant result or reference]
Investment and terms: [summary] Proposed next step: [with date]

Write the executive summary, under 300 words:
1. Situation: their problem and its impact, in their language — no restating our understanding as theirs.
2. Outcome: what changes and by how much, with the assumption behind the number.
3. Approach: three points, each answering one of their criteria; no product names as headings.
4. Proof: one sentence, one result, sourced.
5. Investment: framed against the impact, not listed as a price; the total and the structure in one line.
6. Next step: specific, dated, tied to their process.

Then: the claims in the summary that must be true (verify before sending); the lines a skeptical CFO would challenge; and a version of the outcome sentence with a range instead of a point estimate.

3. Review the proposal against the buyer's criteria

Best forScoring your own proposal the way the buyer will before they do.

Inputs needed

Draft proposal
Evaluation criteria
Competitor positioning if known

How to use itPaste the draft and the criteria. The model scores each criterion as the buyer would, finds the gaps and the vendor-centric language, and lists the fixes.

Expected outputCriterion-by-criterion score with the evidence in the draft, gaps, vendor-centric passages to rewrite, risk in the commercials, and the priority fixes.

Act as the buyer's evaluation lead reviewing a proposal from [our company] to [prospect].

Draft: [paste]
Evaluation criteria and weights: [formal or inferred]
Competitive context: [what the alternatives offer, if known]

1. Score each criterion 1–5 as this buyer would, citing the passage that earns the score and noting where the proposal asserts rather than evidences.
2. Gaps: criteria not addressed or addressed generically.
3. Vendor-centric language: passages about us rather than them; rewrite three of them.
4. Clarity of the offer: can the reader tell exactly what they get, when, for how much, and what is excluded? List ambiguities.
5. Commercial risks: line items that invite unbundling, terms that will be pushed back on, missing options.
6. Proof: does each major claim have a sourced proof point? List unsupported claims.
7. The three fixes with the largest effect on the score, and the send / revise verdict.

Read as a skeptic with a budget to protect. Do not credit enthusiasm.

Related prompts

Logical next step

After this, most sales teams move on to Sales Business Cases and ROI.

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