How to write a proposal for selling software

March 28, 2006 1:53 PM

How to write a proposal for selling software...

I've made a preliminary agreement to sell some software to a company at a set price. Rather than just cut me a check immediately, this paperwork-loving company wants a more formal proposal first.

I've had a fair bit of experience writing technical documents and I usually have a sales network which handles the proposal writing but this product is being sold outside of the normal sales channels and so I have to write this myself with no experience in constructing these things.

So any templates, suggestions, or advice would be most welcome.

posted by pandaharma to work & money (3 comments total)

Googling 'Software Sales Agreement Template' turned up a slew of results. Alternatively, if you have an attorney who can draft something like this it might be worth the investment if the dollars in question are significant enough to warrant the investment.
posted by TeamBilly at 2:12 PM on March 28, 2006

Think of the agreement to sell software as an interface specification between your two companies. As in a software interface, the bulk of the work creating such a document lies in exensive communication to determine what the document should and should not contain. You can even ask your client if there is a standard format that they prefer, and if they can supply you with a template.

Don't worry about appearing to be ignorant of the process - every company has a different process. Asking for the details of what they prefer shows openness and respect for their process.
posted by b1tr0t at 3:00 PM on March 28, 2006

Thanks for the google terms... i had been googling 'software proposal' but that wasn't very productive.
posted by pandaharma at 7:55 PM on March 28, 2006