What makes a good proposal template?

Good business proposal templates are few and far between. In my commercial experience I've seen some god awful excuses for business proposals land on my desk.

Here is a quick list of the 5 most important elements to an exceptional proposal.

5.) Keep it short - Un;ess you've got a formal tender response document, don't give in to the urge to create reams and reams of what you think to be important text. Your potential customer is busy and you will lose their attention pretty quickly if you stray away from your core proposal.
4.) Pictures paint a thousand words - it's a cliche but as with all cliches it's right 99% percent of the time. Use imagery to illustrate your proposal whenever you can.
3.) Attention to detail - DON'T make spelling mistakes - ever!
2.) Simple, plain language - don't try to overcomplicate things. People often fall victim to trying to make things sound more complicated than they actually are
1.) Don't sell - inform and explain. Seasoned proposal readers will know when someone is talking crap to them in a proposal. Don't promise the sun, moon and stars. State what you will do, how you will do it and what the outcome will be. People already know what they want. They just want you to tell them how you will deliver it!