A proposal summary can help when your contact likes the offer but needs someone else to approve it. Forwarding a long email chain leaves that person to reconstruct the problem, price, and decisions. Give your contact a short explanation that makes sense on its own.
Ask what the other person needs
Before rewriting anything, ask who will review the proposal and what matters to them. Your contact may need a budget decision, an operational check, or agreement on the scope. Don't assume they lack authority, and don't bypass them to approach their boss.
Put the decision above the detail
Use a brief summary with the full proposal attached or linked. Include:
- The need: what the customer wants to accomplish, using their own stated priorities.
- The offer: the scope, quoted total, and important exclusions, matching the current proposal.
- The decision: what needs approval and any questions that remain unanswered.
For example, a caterer could help an office manager explain a lunch proposal to a co-owner:
This proposal covers individual lunches delivered to your office for the team meeting. The attached quote lists the menu, headcount, delivery charge, and total. Drinks are excluded. The decision is whether this menu and total fit your plan; dietary requirements still need confirmation before the order can be finalized.
Let your contact steer the conversation
Replace every detail with what is true for that quote. Ask your contact whether the summary answers the reviewer's questions. Offer to clarify anything through them, or join a discussion if they invite you.
Keep internal approval separate from a confirmed order. If the reviewer requests changes, issue a clearly updated proposal rather than leaving conflicting versions in circulation. The aim is to make the decision understandable without asking your contact to become your salesperson.