What to include in your proposal to land clients

Proposals are quite literally the make or break when landing clients, so why aren't you putting more effort into them?

Let's get into what leads to a proposal, when to send one and what to include in it so client's say yes every time you hit send.

Today's topic: What to include in your proposal to land clients
Estimated read time: ~4 minutes (Skim time: 90 seconds)

What kind of problem is this?

Creating and sending proposals is a clarity problem but its also a direction and momentum problem.

Clarity because you need to know what to include, how to structure it and how to present it.

Direction + Momentum because without a solid proposal process, you're inconsistently landing clients, which leads to inconsistent income and losing confidence in your ability to close work.

And alongside all of that, there's also confidence. Even once you know what to write, actually hitting send on a proposal to a dream client is a whole other thing.

Wow... many problems. Let's find the solution.

First, what is a Proposal?

A proposal is a document sent before a project begins.

The potential client is warm; they know about you or you've had a call or they have asked you for a proposal to showcase the value you can provide to their problem.

The proposal will outline the detailed scope, deliverables, timeline, and cost so both parties are aligned.

A Proposal should be sent straight after a call with a potential client (no longer than 20 minutes so you are fresh in their mind).

It's sent to warm or hot leads because it is tailored to what the client actually needs.

If you're sending cold, send a Services Guide, Portfolio or Pitch.

Services Guide / Marketing → Portfolio / Call → Proposal → Contract → Onboarding

How to send a Proposal?

Step one: Find clients

Outbound marketing through;

• Send a Pitch (see After Hours 015)
• LinkedIn with a personalised message
• Message your network (see After Hours 008)
• Ads (I don't recommend this for beginners)

Inbound marketing through;

• Social media content
• Platforms like Dribble or Fiverr

Step two: Next steps

The client wants to proceed and they have;

• Requested a call → book a call with them
• Asked to see more work → send your Portfolio
• Asked how you can solve problem → send Pitch
• Asked about packages → send Services Guide
• Or asked for a Proposal → send Proposal

Step three: Warm them more

If they haven't requested a Proposal at this stage and have asked for a Portfolio, Pitch or Services Guide, send those.

If they have requested a call, use this run sheet.

• Quick, friendly banter
• "Tell me about your business/brand/idea etc"
• Sit and listen and take notes
• Ask any questions you have about them or their business.

Some questions could be;

• Timeline
• Manufacturing process
• If they have a name for their business yet
• Where they see their business in the future

• Run through your process "So how I work is…"
• Ask if they have any questions for you
• Ask them if they have a "budget in mind" but don't say your prices here. Bonus if you've already included budget in your inbound form.
• "I'll send through a proposal with pricing, timelines and processes after this call."
• End the call with a thank you
• Send your proposal ASAP the sooner the better so you're fresh in their mind.

Step four: Send your Proposal

Your Proposal should include:

• Introduction
• Detailed scope
• Deliverables
• Project stages / process
• Timeline
• Project investment / pricing
• Payment schedule / when + how to pay
• Next steps
• Signatures

What to send with your Proposal?

A pleasant and clear email thanking the client for the call (if you had one) and that the Proposal is attached. See an example below.

Email for Client Proposal Attachment example:

Subject: Your proposal

Hi [Client name],

Thanks again for taking the time to chat through your plans for [their business / project] — it was great hearing about how we can collaborate together to elevate your business.

I've attached the proposal outlining the scope, timeline, and investment we discussed. Take your time reviewing it, and if anything needs clarification or adjusting, I'm happy to walk through it with you.

If everything looks good, the next steps are outlined at the end of the proposal.

Looking forward to building something great together,
[Your name]
[your business name]

Proposals are a key stage in your client process so make sure you're sending good ones.

As always, this is just one piece of the client landing process.

Each time you get one piece right, you're closer to having the perfect process that lands every time.

See you next week,
Penelope

Ready-made Proposal

The CBOS Proposal framework takes everything covered in this issue and does it for you. Scope, timeline, investment, payment schedule, next steps, all built in, all ready to go.

But the Proposal is just one of eight frameworks inside CBOS. You also get a Portfolio, Services Guide, Pitch, Contract, Invoice, Onboarding and Offboarding, plus a full Notion workspace to manage your clients, finances, content and daily planning.

Your entire client process. Done for you. Ready to make your own.

CBOS is live now. Grab yours here.