Business Proposals v3.0

Win deals and raise funding. Covers the full pipeline: outreach, proposals, and pitch decks.

Workflow

When the user asks for any sales document, follow this process:

1. Clarify stage: Outreach (cold) → Proposal (warm) → Pitch deck (investor)? Ask if unclear.
2. Gather context: Run discovery questions for the specific stage (sections below).
3. Select template: Match the deliverable to the appropriate structure below.
4. Draft: Fill template with user-provided info. Use placeholders [like this] for unknowns.
5. Review: Check against error handling table and production checklist.
6. Verify anti-patterns: Scan the anti-patterns table — if any match, fix before delivery.
7. Output: Return the completed document in the requested format (text, markdown, email body).

Sales Outreach

Required Discovery

1. Prospect: Company + person + role
2. Trigger: Why now? (funding, product launch, job change)
3. Value prop: "We help [X] do [Y] so they can [Z]"
4. Proof: Case study, testimonial, data point, mutual connection
5. Goal: Reply? Call? Demo? Trial?

Cold Email Structure

1. Subject: Personalized + curiosity gap. 10 words max.
2. Opening: Specific reference to them (news, post, achievement)
3. Value prop: One sentence. Their benefit, not your features.
4. Proof: Social proof or relevant data point.
5. Ask: Single, low-friction next step.
6. Close: Simple. "Best, [Name]"

Subject Line Patterns

Pattern	Example
Reference	"[Company] + [observation]"
Question	"Quick question about [situation]"
Compliment	"Impressed by [achievement]"
Mutual connection	"[Name] suggested I reach out"

Personalization Levels (ALL required)

1. Company: Recent news, funding, launch
2. Person: Recent post, talk, job change, GitHub activity
3. Fit: Why this matters to THEM specifically

If you cannot do level 2, do not send the email.

Sequence Logic

Email 1 (Day 1):  Value prop + low-friction ask
Email 2 (Day 4):  Follow-up with additional value
Email 3 (Day 8):  Different angle or case study
Email 4 (Day 12): Breakup — leave door open

4 emails max. No response in 12 days → move to nurture.

Proposals

Required Discovery

Question	Why
What problem needs solving?	Problem statement anchors the proposal
What is the solution?	Scope definition
What are the deliverables?	Tangible output client expects
What is excluded?	Prevents scope creep
What is the budget range?	Pricing tier selection

Executive Summary

[Client] needs to [solve specific problem].
We propose to [solution overview] over [timeline] for [price].
This achieves [outcome 1], [outcome 2], [outcome 3].

One paragraph. This is the only section most decision-makers read.

Scope of Work

Included: features, revision rounds, deliverables (docs, source, deployment) Excluded (critical): hosting, maintenance, content creation, third-party licenses, training Assumptions: client access, decision-maker availability, feedback turnaround, frozen requirements after sign-off

Timeline

Phase	Duration	Activities	Deliverable
Discovery	Week 1	Interviews, audit, requirements	Requirements doc
Build	Weeks 2-4	Implementation in sprints	Working build
Review	Week 5	QA, revisions, acceptance	Reviewed build
Deploy	Week 6	Production deployment, docs	Live system

Add 20% buffer for unknowns.

Pricing (Good-Better-Best)

• Core: essential features, basic revisions, standard timeline
• Recommended (best value): everything in Core + extras + priority support
• Enterprise: everything + premium features + dedicated team + ongoing support

Payment terms: 50% deposit, 25% midpoint, 25% delivery. Net 30.

Risk Reduction

Risk	Mitigation
Will they deliver?	Portfolio item similar to this project
Does it work?	Case study with measurable results
What if it fails?	Guarantee (satisfaction, timeline)

Pitch Decks

The 10 Slides (Sequoia/Y Combinator)

#	Slide	Emotion	Investor question
1	Title	—	Company, tagline, founder
2	Problem	Pain	Is this real? How bad?
3	Solution	Hope	Is it compelling?
4	Market	Ambition	Is it big enough?
5	Product	Excitement	Does it work?
6	Traction	Proof	Is anyone using it?
7	Business model	Confidence	Does the business make sense?
8	Competition	Trust	Can they win?
9	Team	Conviction	Is this the right team?
10	Ask	Urgency	How much? What for?

Content Rules

• One slide, one idea. Max 20 words per slide (except traction).
• No bullet points. Font min 24pt content, 36pt headlines.
• Images > text for product slides. 3 seconds per slide max.
• PDF format, 5MB max.

Traction Benchmarks

Stage	Key metric	Benchmark
Pre-seed	Problem validation	50+ interviews, 500+ waitlist
Seed	Engagement	10k+ MAU, 30%+ weekly retention
Series A	Revenue	$1M+ ARR, <20% monthly churn
Series B	Growth + unit economics	3x YoY, LTV/CAC > 3

Ask Slide Format

Raising [$X] at [$Y valuation]

Use of funds:
→ [%] Engineering
→ [%] Go-to-market
→ [%] Operations
→ [%] Reserve (6-month runway)

Milestones 18 months: [metrics from → to]

Error Handling

Situation	Resolution
User gives no prospect info	Ask: "Who is the target? Company, person, role?"
User gives no budget	Use "investment" language: "Typical engagements $X-$Y"
User has no case studies	Use "we've helped similar companies achieve [generic result]"
User has no traction data	Focus on problem validation: interviews, surveys, waitlist
User wants pricing without scope	Ask: "What deliverables do you need?" then tier pricing
User provides 5-year projections pre-revenue	Cap at 12-18 months. "That's our credible horizon."
User's RFP is vague or contradictory	Flag contradictions back. "I see X and Y — which takes priority?"
Multiple decision-makers with conflicting needs	Ask: "Who has final authority? I'll address their concern first."
User wants one price (no tiers)	Explain Good-Better-Best creates reference frame and increases close rate
User wants to pitch without problem slide	"No problem = no reason to invest. Always lead with pain."

Production Checklist

Before delivering any document, verify:

• Personalization: company + person + specific reason (outreach)
• Exclusions listed in scope (proposals)
• Pricing has at least 3 tiers (proposals)
• Cover letter or intro paragraph written (proposals, RFP)
• Slides: one idea per slide, ≤20 words, ≥24pt font (decks)
• Ask slide: specific amount + use of funds + milestones (decks)
• Traction or validation data present (decks)
• Contact info and CTA included (all)
• PDF export ≤5MB (decks)
• Proofread for placeholder tokens — no [unknown] left in final

Anti-Patterns

Mistake	Fix
No personalization beyond [Name]	Don't send. Requires company + person + fit level
No exclusions in proposal	Client assumes everything included → scope creep
Single pricing option	No frame of reference → client demands discount
No traction in deck	"We just launched" is not traction. Use validation data.
No clear ask	"We're raising a round" without specifics → no urgency
Too many words on slides	Investor stops reading. 20 words max per slide.
5-year projections pre-revenue	12-18 months is credible. Beyond that is fiction.
Sending outreach without trigger	"Why now?" missing → immediate delete
Pricing before value explained	Always state problem + solution + outcome before price
Generic subject lines	"Let's connect" / "Partnership opportunity" → spam folder

Pricing Psychology

Good-Better-Best

Tier	Role	Price anchor
Good	Makes Best look reasonable	30-40% below Best
Better	The one you want them to buy	Midpoint (highlighted/default)
Best	Price anchor	Highest

Decoy Effect

Add a third option that makes the target option look better: Option A ($10, basic) + Option B ($25, pro) + Option C ($24, pro-lite) → C makes B look like a deal.

Bundling

Bundle complementary services at 20-30% discount vs individual. Never discount individual items below bundled price.

Legalese Templates

"Payment terms: Net 30. Late payments accrue 1.5% monthly. All deliverables remain property of Provider until full payment. Either party may terminate with 30 days written notice. Liability capped at fees paid in prior 12 months."

Sources

• Sequoia Capital pitch deck template
• Y Combinator Startup School
• DocSend "Pitch Deck Study"
• Close.com outbound sales research
• AIGA agency proposal best practices
• B2B pricing psychology research

Checklist

• Skill loads without errors in the AI agent
• YAML frontmatter is valid (description, compatibility, audience)
• Workflow section provides clear step-by-step instructions
• Error handling section covers common failure modes
• All referenced files (references/, scripts/, assets/) exist
• Skill triggers correctly for intended use cases
• No broken links or missing resources