Blog
What goes in a proposal, how to send it, and what to do while it sits unread.
Latest
Nepfy charges a flat price from $19 a month with no per-seat fee, never caps proposals and gives you 14 days of Pro with no card. Here it is next to Qwilr, Proposify, Better Proposals and HoneyBook.
8 min read
Structure & templates
A service proposal needs the client's problem, the work, what's in and out of scope, a timeline, the price, payment terms, an expiration date and how to accept. Here's a filled-in template.
9 min read
Proposals by profession
Audit, 90-day goal, three retainer packages with counted deliverables, approval deadlines and ad spend kept out of your fee. A filled-in example you can copy and adapt.
13 min read
Sending & follow-up
The right follow-up email after a proposal depends on what the client did with it: never opened it, never reached the price, or kept rereading the price. Nine templates with subject lines.
10 min read
Proposals by profession
Price the assessment and the implementation as separate options, list what you need from the client and cut what you can't promise. Here's the full template, filled in with a $12,000 assessment.
12 min read
Sending & follow-up
Name the project in the subject line, keep the body to three short paragraphs and link to the proposal instead of attaching it. Subject lines by situation and a filled-in email to copy.
7 min read
Pricing & terms
Two weeks works for most service projects. Put a "valid through" date next to the price, say why it exists and use it in follow-ups as a reminder, not a threat.
7 min read
Structure & templates
Use two or three relevant case studies, each with context, approach and result, plus one specific testimonial, and place them after the diagnosis. Here's how to pick, structure and ask for each one.
8 min read
Presenting & closing
Before you write the proposal, check four things: a real problem you solve, a budget that fits your rates, a reason to act now and access to whoever signs. Leads that fail get a different answer.
7 min read
Presenting & closing
A sales process for a service business is seven stages with clear entry and exit rules: lead capture, qualification, discovery, proposal, presentation, follow-up and close.
9 min read
Proposals by profession
You don't need to look like an agency to win agency-sized work. A freelance proposal that wins sells what agencies can't: the person who pitches is the person who does the work.
8 min read
Proposals by profession
To sell marketing services to a skeptical client, translate every service into a business result, define what you need from them and how results are measured, then show the price.
5 min read
Pricing & terms
Show the price after the problem, the solution and the scope, tie the number to an outcome, and when the client compares you to a cheaper bid, adjust the scope instead of the price.
5 min read
Sending & follow-up
Plan up to five follow-ups after you send a proposal, each with a reason: confirm the read, add something new, flag the expiration date, ask what changed, then close the loop.
5 min read
Structure & templates
A solid scope of work says what's included, what's not, how many revision rounds you'll do, and how extra requests get handled. Here are the four parts, a sample and a checklist.
5 min read
Presenting & closing
Don't email the proposal and wait. Walk the client through it on a call, in a recorded video, by phone or in person, in this order: problem, approach, scope, investment, next step.
5 min read
Pricing & terms
A quote answers what it costs, a proposal answers why you and why this price, and a contract sets the terms after the yes. Here is when to send each one.
5 min read
Structure & templates
The proposal mistakes that cost the most deals: opening with your bio, a vague scope, no clear next step, no idea whether they read it, and a price with no context. Each one is a quick fix.
4 min read
Presenting & closing
Add up the hours you spend writing and following up, multiply by your hourly rate and by the proposals that don't close. In the worked example, seven lost proposals a month cost $27,300 a year.
4 min read
Sending & follow-up
A PDF proposal can't tell you if the client opened it, reached the price or stopped reading halfway, and every change means a new file. Here is what changes when the proposal is a link.
5 min read
Proposals by profession
A marketing agency proposal that wins starts with the client's current situation, states the expected outcome, explains the strategy, then shows scope, ramp-up timeline and a monthly fee in context.
7 min read
Structure & templates
It depends on how much you build from scratch. Your first proposal for a type of project is slow because you decide structure, scope and tone. After that, only the client-specific parts change.
5 min read
Sending & follow-up
Follow up with a reason and at the right moment: right after an open, when there are several opens and no reply, or when the agreed decision date passes. Without a reason, it's a nudge.
5 min read
Presenting & closing
Don't just send the link. Book a short call, share your screen, walk the client from their problem to your price, pause at the key sections, and leave with a dated next step.
7 min read
Structure & templates
A business proposal that wins has six parts: the client's situation, the outcome, the scope, the timeline, the investment in context, and one clear next step. Send it as a link and track the read.
6 min read
Structure & templates
Give the AI what you already have after the call: a brief, pasted notes, an old PDF or the meeting itself. It writes the first draft; your prices and dates stay exactly as you typed them.
5 min read
Structure & templates
A high-ticket proposal walks the client through the decision: their problem in their words, the root cause, your strategy, a tight scope, the investment in context and one clear next step.
7 min read
Sending & follow-up
Online proposal software replaces the attachment with a link that shows when the proposal was opened, how far the client read, and lets them accept on the page. Check five things before you pick one.
5 min read
Sending & follow-up
Send the proposal as a link, not a PDF attachment. A web page records every open: when, for how long, how far they read and whether they reached the price. Visits are anonymous.
6 min read