Introduction
In service work, everything starts with the client’s need. That’s why service companies often craft every proposal from scratch, tailoring the scope, deliverables, and pricing for each case.
The paradox is that this well-intended customization creates a tangled web of exceptions and variations.
Over time, those one-off promises add complexity to the delivery process, make coordination challenging, and might frustrate the very customers they were meant to delight.
In a world where digital tools raise expectations for speed and consistency, it’s worth asking: what if we designed commercial proposals the way we design software?
What’s Broken
When every proposal is a bespoke masterpiece, the organisation’s knowledge stays locked in individual heads or spreadsheets.
There is no shared architecture, no common vocabulary. Consultants jump from one format to another, trying to accommodate every nuance.
Sales and delivery teams operate on separate assumptions. The result is an efficiently inefficient system: high-effort proposals, potentially unclear scopes, expensive handovers, and projects that drift from budget.
Far from being customer-friendly, this approach often leaves customers confused and internal teams exhausted.
Many service firms believe this is the price of custom work. Yet even in project-based businesses, core patterns emerge. Common pain points, recurring deliverables, similar workflows.
At Dibiz, we’ve learned that true standardisation shapes the way you work, not what you deliver, and that brings clarity and focus.
From Visibility to Modularity
Here’s the mindset shift. Treat your commercial proposition like a digital product.
When software is well built, it isn’t a monolithic block. It’s a series of small, modular components assembled to create an experience.
Each component is clear in purpose and designed for reuse.
Developers build a minimum viable product, iterate quickly based on feedback, and then add refinements. Service design can follow the same logic.
Instead of reinventing every proposal, start from a structured base — the core “what” (your services) and the “how” (your delivery process). Around this core, build optional modules such as addons, timelines, or support packages that clients can combine like menu items.
Seeing proposals as products doesn’t trivialise the work. It recognises that your service is itself a (digital) experience in the making.
Once captured in a well-designed proposal, your service can be delivered through a CRM, ERP, or any other platform, making the jump from document to system seamless.
Clear, modular proposals lay the foundation for automation and digitalisation. They are the first step towards a service-driven commercial workflow.
People at the Core of Change
Structures matter, but people make them work.
Human elements determine whether a new way of working sticks.
We encourage teams to form cross-functional squads. Small groups responsible for specific tracks such as sales, delivery, or administration. Each squad member becomes a change driver, accountable for implementing and refining the new proposal structure.
We always present a first draft, even if it’s rough. A quick visual sparks better reactions than a blank page. Multiple iterations aren’t a failure. They are a sign of engagement and co-creation.
User-centred design is key. Sales and pre-sales stakeholders ensure each module communicates value. Delivery and operations teams test feasibility. Customers sometimes join workshops to prioritise what matters most.
This branching approach mirrors how code grows. A clear root with branches that adapt to real needs. At some point, a product owner consolidates and moves into testing.
Simplify. Connect. Empower.
At Dibiz, we bring product management discipline to commercial proposals.
Our process unfolds in three steps.
- Draft an MVP quickly.
Start with a first draft based on the client’s core services. Even imperfect, it sparks feedback, clarifies assumptions, and accelerates consensus. - Work in squads.
Break down the proposition into mini-projects such as scope definition, pricing, terms, and delivery model. Assign each to a squad with a clear owner. This encourages ownership and speeds iteration. - Design modular, menu-based structures.
Map the service like software. Define core modules (always included) and optional ones (chosen by client needs). Design the system logic first: how modules connect, how approvals flow, how responsibilities transfer.
The result is a reusable architecture that lives in any digital platform, ready for automation and scalable delivery.
Where to Begin
Service design touches every part of your business, so start small where the pain is loudest.
- Map the pain point. Identify where proposals slow down or handoffs fail.
- Draft a simple module. Create one standardised building block — scope, deliverables, and price range.
- Assign owners. A small squad refines and maintains it, ensuring it evolves over time.
Each quick win reveals patterns, inspires confidence, and demonstrates how a product-like approach simplifies complexity.
How You Know It’s Working
You’ll know this method delivers value when:
Proposal preparation time drops because modules replace manual drafting.
Scope creep decreases because clients clearly understand what’s included and what’s optional.
Handoffs between teams become smoother as they share a common language.
Customer satisfaction rises as offers become clearer and more predictable.
The metrics don’t need to be complex. Time saved, fewer exceptions, and smoother approvals are powerful indicators of a system working as one.
Conclusion:
Designing commercial proposals like software isn’t about turning your business into a factory. It’s about bringing clarity, modularity, and co-creation to the front of your commercial process.
When you stop reinventing the wheel and instead build a flexible, standardised core, you free your teams from chaos and empower clients to engage confidently.
At Dibiz, we help organisations see their services as products in the making. By applying product design principles to proposals, you lay the groundwork for deeper digitalisation and sustainable growth.
Ready to turn your next proposal into a product?
Explore how Dibiz helps teams rethink their commercial flows and build systems that think with them, not for them.