How to Write a Partnership Proposal (Templates & Tips)

How to Write a Partnership Proposal (Templates & Tips)
Raja Mandal

Written by:
Raja Mandal

Jul 11, 2022
How to Write a Partnership Proposal

Are you planning to get into a partnership or joint venture with another business? Then you'll have to sell the idea, benefits and your future plans to the prospective partner. To win the partnership, you need to present the complete details in a compelling manner.

A partnership proposal template can help you write a stand-out proposal that will explain how you and the potential business partner can grow together.

In this article, we'll discuss how to write a partnership proposal and win new clients.

Let's get started.

Table of Contents

What Is a Partnership Proposal?

How to Write an Effective Partnership Proposal

Tips for Proposing a Business Partnership

Create Your Partnership Proposal with Visme

Create reports, proposals, ebooks and more

  • Dozens of content types to choose from
  • Add your brand colors and fonts
  • Team collaboration available

Sign up. It’s free.

Create <span>reports, proposals, ebooks</span> and more

What Is a Partnership Proposal?

A partnership proposal is a document created before any contract or agreement is made in a business partnership to determine the benefits of running the business together.

In simple words, a business approaches another business to explain why they should work together and how the partnership will benefit both parties. And the document they use to propose the partnership before making the contract is called a partnership proposal.

Here's a sample partnership proposal.

Customize this template and make it your own! Edit and Download

Now let's discuss the potential benefits of a partnership proposal.

Demonstrate Values

According to a recent study, 89% of shoppers stay loyal to brands that share their values.

Maybe your potential partner is in the same industry as you and offers complementary products and services. But that doesn't make the company an automatic fit for a partnership. A successful partnership is made when the core values of involved businesses align.

The proposal helps you show how your brand values and work ethics align with the other business, giving them a strong reason to accept the proposal.

Describe Your Goals

What do you, as a business, want to achieve out of this partnership? How will the other business help with this? A partnership proposal will include all your future and current goals to help the other company understand how their vision and mission match yours.

Outline Benefits for Potential Partner

One of the critical aspects of a partnership proposal is to explain to the other business the benefits the partnership will bring to the table. You can emphasize the benefits that will help both organizations reach the shared goals you have explained.

Create a Long-Term Relationship

Businesses often want to pull out of a partnership ahead of schedule because the partnership fails to deliver the returns as promised. The primary reason for creating the proposal is that the partnership works out for a long time or draws an amicable conclusion.

 

How to Write an Effective Partnership Proposal

Now you know what a partnership proposal is and its potential advantages. However, if you have written proposals in the past, you know that crafting a compelling partnership proposal that is also aesthetically appealing is not everyone's cup of tea.

As a business owner, you might have come across a good number of business proposals. Then you also know what it takes to make a proposal stand out and how time-consuming the process of creating a proposal can be.

Keeping that in mind, Visme offers professionally designed partnership proposal templates to help you so that you don't have to create the proposal from scratch.

Follow the steps below to create your partnership proposal.

Do Your Research

Doing your research before you start writing your proposal is the crucial first step of the process. Though you might know that the company is a match for your business and its vision and mission align with yours, it might not be enough.

Look online for information on the potential partner's history, accomplishments, leadership and work ethics. Read case studies, and spend time on their website and social media to conduct an in-depth analysis of the company.

Use your research to explain why you want to partner with the particular company and not others and how it's a win-win for both parties.

Structure Your Partnership Proposal

Once you've researched your potential partner, it's time to structure your partnership proposal. The proposal is your opportunity to create a great first impression of your company on your recipient. According to Forbes, first impressions in business settings may be formed in just seven seconds.

Therefore, you must structure your proposal well to win the deal. Here are some steps to follow when structuring a proposal.

1. Introduce Your Business

The goal of your proposal's introduction is to gain the recipient's interest. This section should include the basic information about you and your company and an overview of the topic to clarify what the proposal is about.

Mention any previous partnerships you have done, share the results, communicate your values and introduce your team. Also, don't forget to provide your contact information.

Look at the "about our company" section of the template below for inspiration.

Corporate Proposal
Customize this template and make it your own! Edit and Download

2. State Your Purpose

Your purpose for the proposal is what you want to make out of this partnership or what problem exists that you need to fix through it. Provide clear information about the proposal and make the main message clear immediately.

3. Define Your Goals and Objectives

In this section, talk about how your goals match the other business and the objectives you will establish to get there together.

If you are having difficulty achieving your business goals, it could be because you aren't setting them wisely. Learn how to create SMART goals and achieve them easily. Here is a template to help you with that.

Printable SMART Goals Worksheet
Customize this template and make it your own! Edit and Download

4. Explain the Benefits

Since you have researched enough about the other company, discuss all the benefits you will bring.

Explain the benefits they can expect from this partnership in the near future. If you are unable to provide an immediate benefit, your potential partner might not sign on.

Partnership Proposal
Customize this template and make it your own! Edit and Download

5. Include Legal Considerations

Partnering with other businesses without any formal partnership agreements is not a wise decision. Also, partnerships, like all corporate structures, come with legal complications. So, include all the legal considerations in the partnership that your potential partner should consider before signing in.

Partnership Proposal
Customize this template and make it your own! Edit and Download

If you're still unsure about putting together a partnership proposal, watch the video below for more information.

Keep Your Partnership Proposal On-Brand

Consistent branding is a crucial aspect of running a business. So, keep every page of your partnership proposal consistent with your brand identity.

Consider your brand colors, brand fonts, logo and other branding elements. If you haven't defined your brand identity yet, choose design elements that match your brand personality.

Visme's Brand Wizard can help you with this. It automatically imports your branded assets so that you can create branded content directly in Visme. Simply input your website URL, choose your brand colors and fonts, choose the branded templates theme and watch the magic happen.

Watch the video below to set up your branding kit in Visme.

Add Engaging Media and Data Visualization

Keep the recipient engaged by adding high-quality visuals such as icons, illustrations, images, videos, interactive content and more.

Attach supporting documents to your proposal, like graphs, charts, reports, and other data visualizations. It will make the proposal more engaging, helping your prospective partner better understand why you're the right partner for them.

Get Your Team Involved

A business partnership requires a lot of critical decision-making processes from the company's top management. But you should involve all your team members in the process of creating the proposal.

Get your team involved in creating the partnership proposal will Visme's collaboration features. Leave comments, tag your team members, and edit your partnership proposal in real-time.

Watch how easy it is to collaborate with your team in your Visme workspace.

 

Tips for Proposing a Business Partnership

Now that you know how to write a partnership proposal, here are some tips to attract that strategic partner for your business.

Pick the Right Company and Understand Their Needs

The first thing you should do before anything else is  pick the right company to propose your partnership. Your future business partner might be from another industry or might offer different products or services from yours. But, you need to make sure that you have shared goals, objectives, vision and mission.

Once you find a business you can partner with, understand their needs and incentives to work with you.

Talk To The Decision-Maker

When it comes to partnering with big companies, it involves multiple parties that can significantly make the process slower. This makes it important for you to talk to the company's decision-maker.

For example, you can talk to the CEO, head of business development and vice president of the finance department who approves the budget. Reaching out to the other people in the company who are not in a decision-making position could slow down the process.

Get Warm Introductions First

One of the best ways to approach your potential partner is through an introduction from a shared connection. This is where you can use your investors, advisors and mentors.

Provide the mutual contact with an overview of your partnership proposal. Also, make sure that the proposal can be easily forwarded. Once the introduction part is complete, follow up regularly and set the next steps.

Send a Pre-Meeting Email

To prepare your client for the meeting, it'd be wise to send a pre-meeting email. Include quick, scannable information explaining what to expect at the meeting. This will help you set the right expectations and keep you both on the same page.

Design your email using Visme to make the process quickly and easy. Our email header templates will help you convey your message visually and make your email as compelling as possible.

Be a Good Listener

Once you're done presenting your proposal, listen to your potential business partner's goals and objectives carefully. Allow the other person to do the talking and share their thoughts. This is one of the strongest foundations for the strategic business partnership to develop and grow.

Don't Make It Overly Promotional

Don't miss an opportunity to highlight your company's achievements. Let the brand voice sound loud, but don't make the proposal overly promotional. You are proposing a mutually beneficial business relationship, not selling a product or service to a customer.

After all, it's a partnership proposal and not a sales letter. Keep your partnership proposal honest and professional.

Learn more about some business proposal presentation tips to present your proposal confidently.

 

Create Your Partnership Proposal with Visme

Use this article and the partnership proposal template to write your partnership proposal and win the deal confidently. When partnering with a business, you might need to create various other documents. Visme's partnership templates can help you acquire a strategic partnership.

But that's not enough. Once you gain the business partnership, ensure that all the stakeholders learn about this great news. Use Visme's Partnership - Press Release template to get media coverage and Partnership Announcement LinkedIn Post to share the information on LinkedIn.

Sign up for a free account in Visme today and start creating professional documents for all your business needs.

Create Stunning Content!

Design visual brand experiences for your business whether you are a seasoned designer or a total novice.

Try Visme for free

    We’re stingy and don’t share emails with anyone.

    About the Author

    Raja Antony Mandal is a Content Writer at Visme. He can quickly adapt to different writing styles, possess strong research skills, and know SEO fundamentals. Raja wants to share valuable information with his audience by telling captivating stories in his articles. He wants to travel and party a lot on the weekends, but his guitar, drum set, and volleyball court don’t let him.