Making Proposals

Warm-up: Your proposal, cold

2 warm-up questions

• Have you ever proposed something at work — a deal, a budget, a change — and watched it die in the room? What do you think killed it?
• First try: I'm your manager (or a client — you choose). Propose one real thing you actually want — a tool, a rate, a contract change. Sixty seconds, go.

Reading: The Art of Making Proposals

Read a 154-word text about The Art of Making Proposals

The Art of Making Proposals A good proposal isn't just about stating what you want—it's about framing your request in terms of mutual benefit. Before You Propose: Research the other party's interests and constraints Identify your priorities and your "walk-away" point Prepare supporting evidence and data Structure of a Strong Proposal: 1. Context Set the scene and establish common ground. "Given the challenges we're both facing with the supply chain..." 2. The Proposal State your offer clearly and specifically. "We'd like to propose a two-year contract at $50,000 annually." 3. Benefits Explain how it helps them, not just you. "This would guarantee your supply stability while giving us..." 4. Flexibility Signal Show you're open to discussion. "Of course, we're open to discussing the terms." Key Language Patterns: "What we're proposing is..." "We believe this would benefit both of us because..." "We'd be willing to... if you could..." "Let me explain the reasoning behind this..."

Vocabulary: Proposal Vocabulary

7 items

Reading: Three model proposals

Read a 318-word text about Three model proposals

Three model proposals The same four moves — context, the proposal itself, their benefits, a flexibility signal — in three commercial situations. Notice how every offer is specific (numbers, dates) and every benefit belongs to the listener. The account manager (contract renewal, software client) “Given that your team has doubled since we signed last year, I wanted to get ahead of the renewal. What we're proposing is a two-year renewal at €38,000 a year — that's your current rate frozen, plus a dedicated support contact. We believe this would benefit both of us because you get price stability and faster response times, and we get the certainty to invest properly in your account. Of course, we're open to discussing the terms — particularly the contract length.” The employee (flexible working, to a sceptical manager) “Given the office move has added an hour to my commute, I've been thinking about how to protect my output rather than complain about it. What I'd like to propose is working from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as a three-month trial. The benefit on your side is that I'd take the 7 a.m. calls with the Warsaw office from home — calls I currently miss — and I'll keep every Monday planning meeting in person. I'm open to adjusting the days if the schedule needs it. Could we trial it from next month and review in December?” The freelancer (turning projects into a retainer) “Given that you've booked me for four separate projects this year, we're both losing time on quotes and paperwork. What I'm proposing is a monthly retainer: three guaranteed days a month at £1,800. The rationale is simple — it works out about fifteen per cent below my project rate, and you skip the queue whenever something urgent lands. We'd be willing to start with a single quarter so you can test it risk-free. Shall I send the one-page terms?”

Practice: Proposal Phrases

Gap-fill exercise, 5 items

• We'd like to ____ a partnership that benefits both organizations.
• The ____ behind this approach is to reduce costs while maintaining quality.
• This would be mutually ____ for both parties.
• We're open to ____ the specific terms if needed.
• We'd be willing to make a ____ on the timeline.

Practice: Match Proposals to Contexts

Matching exercise, 6 items

• Starting a proposal
• Showing flexibility
• Explaining benefits
• Justifying your position
• Making a conditional offer
• Checking understanding

Dialogue: Making a Business Proposal

Role-play: You're proposing a new contract to a client. Practice presenting your offer persuasively. (8 lines)

• Client: So, you wanted to discuss the contract renewal?
• You: Yes, thank you for meeting with me. Given our successful partnership over the past year, we'd like to propose an extended three-year contract.
• Client: Three years is a big commitment. What would that look like?
• You: We're proposing a 10% reduction in the annual fee in exchange for the longer commitment. This would give you price stability and priority support.
• Client: The price reduction is interesting, but three years feels like a long time.
• You: I understand that concern. The rationale is that a longer commitment allows us to invest more in your account and deliver better results. However, we're open to discussing a two-year option if that's more comfortable.
• Client: Two years with an option to extend sounds more reasonable. What about the price?
• You: For a two-year commitment, we could offer 7% off the annual rate, with the option to lock in the full 10% discount if you extend to three years later. Does that approach work for you?

Discussion: Your mission: the real proposal

3 discussion questions

• Mission: propose a flexible working arrangement (or another real change you want) to your manager — all four moves, under two minutes. Success = one sentence of context, a specific offer with numbers or days, at least two benefits for THEM, and a flexibility signal at the end. (Tutor: play a busy, mildly sceptical manager and time it.)
• Second take: your manager replies 'we tried something like this before and it didn't work.' Re-propose without repeating yourself — what do you change: the terms, the benefits, or the trial period?
• Compare this with your first sixty seconds from the start of the lesson. Which of the four moves was missing then — and what's the one phrase you're keeping?