Who Needs What in a B2B Proposal? Evidence for Users, Buyers, and Decision Makers

Author: Daisuke Irikura (Representative Director, HUV DESIGN OFFICE Co., Ltd.)

Conclusion

Before writing a proposal, find out who will use the solution, who checks the terms, and who gives final approval in the customer’s organization. Match each role’s questions with evidence in a coherent proposal. The goal is to give your contact the material they need to explain the proposal internally, not to bypass that person.

Our article on the B2B branding process briefly discusses purchasing roles. Here we focus on how those roles inform proposal design.

Do Not Infer Decision Rights from Job Titles Alone

OpenStax’s Principles of Marketing describes B2B purchasing roles including users, influencers, buyers, and decision makers. It also notes that not every role is involved in every purchase and that one person may occupy more than one role.[1] This is a framework for understanding purchases, not a rule that determines every customer’s organizational chart.

The same textbook outlines stages from problem recognition and specification through supplier search, proposal requests, selection, and performance review.[2] What a proposal should contain also depends on the stage the customer has reached.

Ask Five Questions First

During an initial conversation or request for proposal, ask what the customer can reasonably disclose:

1. Which team will use the product or service, and what problem does it face?
2. Which conditions are mandatory, and which will be compared among suppliers?
3. Who reviews specifications, budget, and contract terms?
4. What material is required before final approval?
5. Who will assess the result after implementation, and against what criteria?

Mark unknown roles as “unconfirmed” rather than filling in assumptions. Do not press a contact for internal details they cannot share.

Match Evidence to the Questions

Users and operating teams may need to understand the work problem, daily use, implementation burden, and support contacts. Provide instructions and a clear scope of support that you can actually deliver.

People shaping specifications may ask whether mandatory conditions are met, whether the proposal fits existing systems, and how quality will be checked. Set out specifications, test conditions, and exceptions.

Buyers and contract teams may review timing, payment, warranty, and responsibility alongside price. State what the quote assumes and which costs fall outside its scope.

Approvers may want a concise account of the investment purpose, major risks, alternatives, and internal resources needed. Show the assumptions behind any projected benefit and distinguish projections from observed results.

These are working hypotheses for proposal design. They do not mean that every person in a given role asks the same questions. Replace them with what the customer confirms.

Put the Proposal in Decision Order

Start with the customer’s confirmed problem, the scope of the offer, and the conditions needed to decide. Then present the method, delivery team, price and terms, how performance will be checked, and what remains undecided. Organize supporting documents so each claim can be traced to its evidence.

If you say an implementation is “easy,” for example, specify the required tasks, the customer’s responsibilities, the expected time, and the assumptions. This is an illustrative example, not a reported client outcome.

After submitting the proposal, ask which questions remain for which teams. If price is mentioned as the issue, check differences in scope, budget limits, and implementation demands before revising the offer.

Where Brand Strategy Helps—and Its Limits

A proposal makes the company’s promise verifiable for the customer. If promises or terms change with each salesperson, the shared explanation and decision standards discussed in our article on sales dependence on individuals deserve attention.

Better documents cannot make up for missing mandatory specifications, an unsuitable price, or insufficient delivery capacity. If a customer’s evaluation criteria remain unknown, label the proposal’s assumptions as such.

Summary

Before lengthening a proposal, place the purchase process, the participants’ questions, and the evidence you can submit side by side. A useful first step is to annotate the proposal already in use: for each claim, write “Whose decision does this support?” and “How can they verify it?”

References

[1] OpenStax, Principles of Marketing, “4.2 Buyers and Buying Situations in a B2B Market.” Purchasing roles and the possibility of one person holding several roles were checked. Consulted September 29, 2026.

[2] OpenStax, Principles of Marketing, “4.4 Stages in the B2B Buying Process.” Proposal requests, supplier selection, and performance review were checked. Consulted September 29, 2026.

Related Articles

• How to Approach B2B Branding
• When Sales Depend Too Much on Individuals

To align a customer’s buying process with a consistent explanation from your team, see HUV DESIGN OFFICE’s services.