3+ SAMPLE Accounting Business Proposal

What Is an Accounting Business Proposal?

An accounting business proposal is basically what summarizes the company profile, industry performance, prices, and services of an accounting firm. And it is sent to potential clients to help decide why they should consider hiring your accounting enterprise and which options of accounting packages to use. Another use of an accounting business proposal is to request funding so that a proposed accounting firm will be officially moved for startup and flourish into an established business. Nonetheless, you need this proposal to present your accounting company in good light and aim to receive the best impressions possible.

According to Statista’s 2021 research survey, the estimated revenue in the US accounting service industry was expected to reach $119.5 billion.

Why Are Accounting Business Proposals Necessary?

An accounting business proposal is not something you just take for granted. It is certainly worth making, especially when you learn these reasons that prove just how important it is:

Accounting Firm Overview

There are numerous accounting firms in the market and an accounting business proposal is your chance to introduce your firm and why it is different from other accounting service businesses. So in the proposal, expect to write an executive summary about your firm’s name, date of foundation, contact numbers, and other introductory details. So rather than having a hard time explaining who your accounting firm is and what you offer in a long presentation or discussion, simply present the data in an accounting business proposal.

Easy Explanation of Prices and Service Packages

Do not expect that you just give out one price and one service in an accounting business proposal since it is meant to provide more than just one option. That means the document should explain the different prices and service packages that they can choose from your firm in the easiest way possible. Maybe you present that they can save more in acquiring a service package rather than just a few accounting services. Also, this is your chance to show prospects the many services you can do from simple bookkeeping down to the most complex accounting services. The more you have to offer, the better your proposal will be.

Compelling Tool to Gain New Prospects

Accounting business proposals are great tools for marketing plans. Take this opportunity to pitch your business with a riveting sales talk. Remember that you are not only going to get new clients through force. You have to be creative with your marketing strategies and tactics in order to win them. But, that also means you need more creativity in terms of how to close a deal with new prospects effectively. So the more you put effort into making a proposal, expect greater chances of winning your target audience.

Shows the Firm’s Sense of Preparedness

The accounting business proposal enlists many key decisions in business such as goals and objectives, marketing, personnel, cash flow, accounting tracker system, and so much more. So prove in the document in terms of how prepared your accounting firm is to face these different aspects in the business. In fact, the US accounting service industry had estimated revenue of $119.5 billion in 2021. With that big of a number alone, you can tell that there are numerous accounting service enterprises. And with tough competition in the market, how prepared you are to make the proposal matters a lot.

Opens an Accounting Business Agreement

Remember that an accounting business proposal is the first part of a business agreement. When a client agrees to the terms and provisions in the proposal, then an accounting business agreement follows. So it is crucial that nice impressions will be received from the proposal so that you have higher chances to set an agreement and officially close the deal. But the difference between the proposal and the agreement is that proposals can still be changed. Maybe a client partly agrees with the proposal but with a few alterations. And the finalized version of the proposed agreement will be written in the official accounting business agreement or contract.

Basic Inclusions of an Accounting Business Proposal

If you have seen many accounting business proposals, it can be intimidating to process all the information. But you can certainly create solid proposals when you are familiar with the accounting business proposal’s common format. And the format contains the following inclusions:

Title Page: The title page is the very first page of your accounting business proposal. And it should have the words “accounting business proposal” visible at the top center part for easy navigation as to what the document is called. The title page naturally includes the accounting firm’s branding such as the business name and official logo. And at the bottom part of this page, write to whom the document is for after “prepared for,” as well as your name or business name after “created by.”Table of Contents: Make navigation simple for clients who read through the accounting business proposal’s details by inserting the table of contents after the title page. Expect to make the TOC as the last step or after you write everything since that is how you know which page a certain provision is and other details. However, TOC must be inserted after the title page, just like how most books are written.Cover Letter: A cover letter page comes next and it is written just like any formal letter from the date, sender/receiver details, salutation, introduction, body, complimentary close, to the signature. The cover letter introduces what you are writing in the proposal and why you are writing it. This is for formality’s sake that you are not just giving them a proposal right away; you provide background and formal introductions in the letter ahead.Project Description: Just like a job description, a project description is necessary to outline the tasks to fulfill, also known as what your accounting business promises to do for the client. You could state that you aim to review the financial statements of a company as well as other financial needs. A short step-by-step basis of the accounting work plan is welcome in this part.Executive Summary: Write the goals and objectives of your accounting business in detail in the executive summary section. You can write the goals in bullet points as long as they are clear and specific. Besides the goals, figure out the right solutions to reach these goals. And this is the perfect opportunity to place your accounting business proposal’s vision and mission statement.About-Me Section: Expound more about your accounting firm from the date of when the company was founded, your enterprise’s list of achievements, nature of work, list of team members, and anything interesting about your business that potential clients should know about. Consider the about-me section as the statement that describes your company at a glance.Testimonials: Evidence that displays how successful and well-praised your accounting firm is would be through the use of testimonials. Insert what some of your previous clients have to say about your accounting services. Part of what makes a proposal compelling is when it contains actual feedback from previous clients. So if the majority of the comments are positive, then that is how you know your business is doing its job well.Services: Mention the breakdown of accounting services your business offers since prospects naturally want to know what you offer. And common examples of accounting services include bookkeeping, administrative support, accounting review, financial planning, financial analysis, and professional advisory.Cost Summary: The pricing, price calculation, and any concern regarding accounting business costs will be written in the cost summary section. The amount would vary per company and it helps to conduct cost analysis so you would be able to compare your costs from competitors and make sure you gave the right amount that won’t burden your business and clients. Examples in dividing the cost summary data are by initial account setup, ongoing monthly expenses, ongoing quarterly expenses, ongoing yearly expenses, expense summary, and a price quote disclaimer.Contract Terms: General terms and conditions are also part of a proposal, not just in an agreement. And the essential aspects to talk about here are the scope statement, modifications, access and information, payments, termination clause, and limitation of liability.Signature of Parties: The signature of both parties marks the last part of the accounting business proposal. Once a prospect signs this part, it marks the acceptance that the client has read, understood, and agreed to the proposed ideas in the document.

How to Make an Excellent Accounting Business Proposal

With everything you discovered about the accounting business proposal’s definition, importance, and inclusions, you are more than prepared to create the said proposal yourself. But to make sure you perfect the process of creating a stellar accounting business proposal, be sure to apply these few steps:

  • Step 1: Draft Your Preferred Proposal Outline

    Brainstorming is a must when you draft the outline of your accounting business proposal. That means you gather as much information you need that you want to present in the proposal. You can review your accounting firm’s service brochures, contracts and agreements, and other sources that talk about what your company does. Then, pick out elements that are only necessary for the proposal. What matters the most is that the data you add to the accounting business proposal will meet your purpose.

  • Step 2: Optimize a Free Accounting Business Proposal Sample

    Why bother making long and arduous accounting business proposals when you can skip making them from scratch and simply edit a premade template yourself? From the list of free sample accounting services proposal templates found in this article, choose an option you want to work on until you can make the proposal your own. Personalizing the template means it should contain relevant details about your firm already. Also, you may transform your template into an accounting project proposal for tax services template, accounting audit engagement letter in project proposal format, accounting business research proposal, or even a sample bookkeeping services proposal letter.

  • Step 3: Display the Relevant Inclusions of Your Proposal

    From the title page, table of contents, cover letter, down to the signature of parties, ensure that your accounting business proposal houses the essential inclusions, as discussed previously. Maybe you were able to explain the price list of every accounting service you offer but you failed to recognize your firm’s goals and striking contract terms. Prevent making such problems from happening. Although it is expected you add lots of details in the proposal, mind your organization as well, such as how to transition from one topic to another without making it confusing for the client.

  • Step 4: Take Time to Review and Rectify Everything before Submission

    The last thing you want to do is to submit a flawed accounting business proposal to a prospect because it will eventually raise problems later on. Thus, the chances of getting a rejection are high when proposals have tons of errors. So take time to conduct an evaluation of every detail in the proposal from the spelling, grammar, pricing numbers, list of services, to the specified terms and conditions. And it is only when you are wholly confident that everything is properly discussed and fact-checked that you submit the proposal to corresponding prospects.

FAQs

What kinds of transactions do accountants get involved with?

Here are examples of the possible transactions accountants are expected to do:

  • Recording business transactions
  • Reporting the organization’s performance
  • Releasing financial statements
  • Receiving invoices from other businesses or returning invoices to customers
  • Reconciling bank statements
  • Issuing wage or salary payments

What is the difference between bookkeeping and accounting?

Bookkeeping refers to the official purchase and sale records within a business. Meanwhile, accounting is the bigger picture of those transactions, specifically what the data means for the firm. Also, accounts can be referred to as bookkeepers but not all bookkeepers are accountants unless they are certified.

What questions concern clients about accountants?

Clients generally want to ask these questions about accountants:

  • What is the accountant’s specialty?
  • How long is the accountant in the industry?
  • Does the accounting firm understand the client’s business objectives?
  • What else do accountants do besides auditing and tax services?
  • How much do accountants charge?

As a business grows, it gets easy to fall prey to errors in daily bookkeeping and accounting, especially with lots of facets to consider and insufficient skills in doing the job. Hence, outsource your accounting firm and show clients how professionally accounting is done to keep businesses afloat. And that is something you have to prove in your accounting business proposal so that clients would actually be coaxed into working with your company. Design a winning proposal using sample accounting business proposal templates now!