- A proposal is the written summary of a conversation, not a substitute for one.
- It starts with the client’s problem in their words, not with your company.
- One clear recommendation beats five options. Two is the maximum.
- The price sits next to the value, not alone on the last page.
- Every proposal ends with an agreed next step.
When should you write a proposal?
Only once you know which problem the client wants to solve, who decides and by when. A proposal on a vague enquiry is quickly written and long unanswered. Whether the effort is worth it, you clarify beforehand, for example with the questions from Qualifying a deal.
If the client asks for a proposal before this is clear, you may ask back: «Gladly. So that it really fits, I need another half hour with you. When suits you?»
What belongs in a good proposal?
The structure follows the conversation, not your company presentation.
- Situation. The client’s problem in their words, with the consequences they named themselves.
- Goal. How they will know in a year that it was worth it.
- Approach. What you do, in which steps and with whom. Concrete enough for them to picture it.
- Investment. Price, scope and terms, clear and without small print.
- Next step. What happens after the proposal and by when.
References, company history and team belong in the appendix. Anyone who reads the situation and recognises themselves in it rarely needs them.
How many options should a proposal contain?
One, two at most. Offering three or more options pushes the decision back to the client, and they postpone it. You know your field: say what you recommend and why.
A second option makes sense when it reflects a real choice, such as a smaller first stage. Then: less scope, lower price. Never the same scope at a lower price.
How do you present the price?
Next to the value the client named themselves. If the price stands alone on the last page, the client compares it with other prices. If it stands next to the consequences of the problem, they compare it with what doing nothing costs them.
Do not justify the price with your effort, and do not apologise for it. Writing «we have kept our margins tight» invites negotiation. If the objection comes anyway, see «Too expensive»: what the price objection really means.
How do you hand over the proposal?
Ideally not just by email. Present it in a short meeting, in person or by video. That way you see the reaction, hear the questions and can clear objections while they are still small.
Agree how things continue:
«By when would you like to decide, and when do we talk after that?»
A proposal without an agreed next step ends up stalled. What to do then is in Following up on a proposal.
A deal has stalled? Bring it along.
20 minutes, specific and free. We look at what will trigger the next step.