A client proposal, service proposal, pitch deck, or however you like to refer to it is one of your business’s most valuable pieces of content. It’s the first deliverable that speaks to who you are, what you can do, and most importantly – why the client should care.
So, taking some time to create a solid client proposal is well worth it, and honestly, it’s something you want to revisit and constantly improve. This is your moment to impress potential clients.
One of the best questions you can ask yourself in creating your client proposal is…
What kind of experience do you want to create?
With that in mind, here are 10 tips for creating better client proposals that get you closer to hearing that “YES!” and building the right experience your client will notice.
1. Show Your Personality
At the start of your business proposal for the client, take a moment to introduce yourself. Give a quick peek into who you are as a person.
I like to do the following right at the top of my business proposals to clients…
“Hello [First Name of Client],
It’s great to meet you, and I appreciate this opportunity to send you a proposal for my [X services]. I enjoy creating content and helping businesses like yours build your brand online, but I’m also:
- A mom of two
- An avid traveler of our national parks
- And a glass-half-full kind of gal.”
It’s important to keep it brief but go beyond your job title. 😋 Open the door for an opportunity to connect.
2. Expand on Complimentary Skills
Clients have no doubt reached out to you because they have clear needs you’ve already discussed, but in your business proposal, you should also highlight your other strong qualities that will add to the experience of working together.
Highlight what else will help the project move smoothly. If you can’t think of anything, consider what others have said about you with past projects.
- Are you good about capturing all the details with strong meeting follow-ups?
- Is project management sort of your thing, being good with dates and milestones?
- Does it come naturally to be more strategic and think “big picture” as you try to hit goals?
Highlighting what else you do in addition to the services/deliverables will help differentiate you from other solicited proposals.
3. Include Social Proof
Use a recent testimonial from another client who loved your work. Or if you have writing samples, share applicable links for them to see your work that performed well first-hand.
Right up front, behind sharing more about yourself and the skills you bring to the partnership in your proposal, this kind of social proof is gold.
It can immediately ease any doubts or hesitations the potential client may have upfront.
Seeing that 1 or 2 other clients have worked with you and had a positive experience (or experienced positive results for their business) or reading your work firsthand can immediately put them in a mindset to consider your proposal seriously.
4. Address the Client’s Problem
Don’t make the mistake of indirectly shying away from calling out their challenge or pain point. Directly label a section in the business proposal.
You can call it, “Your Current Challenge.”
In this section, summarize what the two of you have already talked about.
Pro Tip: While you’re in that initial conversation about what the client needs, take note of some of the exact phrases and keywords they use. When you go back to summarize their challenge, make sure you are incorporating this verbiage. It not only starts to help them identify with what you are discussing, but it subconsciously begins building trust because the two of you are speaking the same lingo.
5. Reference Case Studies
If applicable, reference a similar case study of a project you did for another client and include the results. You may not always have these types of examples, but when you do, it’s always nice to show you’ve done the work before. It also can give the potential client a peek into your approach.
It’s right up there with showing social proof.
6. Focus on How Your Services Transform Results
When discussing your proposed solution or services, speak to how your offerings solve the problem statement you’ve heard from your prospective client.
This is where you have to be very clear about your value proposition.
What is it about your deliverables that will make their current challenge easier? Or even non-existent after working with you?
Will the client have well-researched and engaging social posts each month to increase leads? Why is this beneficial?
Will their website be written with specific keywords that also address intent to help increase conversions? Why will this be important for them?
When explaining what the client will receive in exchange for your services, it’s important to always frame it as easing their pain points and expanding on the “why does it matter?”
Anyone can give a laundry list of flat deliverables, but you want to elevate them so that it’s always about the client and WHY it’s a benefit to them. Keep it benefit-focused in your explanations.
7. Consider Giving Them Tiered Options
It’s not mandatory, but sometimes it’s helpful to give potential clients a few different tiers of your services to choose from.
I think of it as the good/better/best categories.
This way, depending on their budget, you can give them insight into what less or more interaction can look like with you on an ongoing basis.
Then, say they want to start with the “good” option; they see levels to grow with you after you prove content results.
Best case scenario – they are excited and ready to go all in on your “best” tier offer.
8. Be Clear On a Payment Schedule
In a proposal, it’s always wise to reference how you expect payment so both you and the potential client are on the same page.
I always advocate asking for half the project cost upfront as a down payment, especially for larger projects. If you are going to be on a monthly retainer, state your payment date at the start of the month vs. the end.
There’s no reason for you to do the work without having any promise of goodwill.
It’s important to emphasize how you would like to get paid (check, PayPal, direct deposit, etc.), and in what currency. One time, I was talking with a potential client in Canada and had to make it clear in the proposal that my cost was in U.S. dollars and not the Canadian dollar.
9. Emphasize Your Excitement
Be genuine.
After discussing payment, briefly express your WHY for wanting this project in a section of your proposal.
Ask yourself…
What about the project, in particular, gets you excited about the work?
Do you have a strong respect for their mission?
Or are you passionate about clients in this particular niche, and why?
Adding personalized communication with what this project means to you takes it from “just a job” to positioning yourself as an invested partner.
10. Close With Gratitude
“Thank you for your consideration” goes a long way.
Even if you don’t get the opportunity to work with this client, who’s to say later down the road that they won’t reach out again and inquire about your services?
Being sincere and expressing gratitude for the opportunity to meet one another and discuss the project possibilities can say a lot about your character.
Let’s be real. Ending with a “thank you” is one of the best last impressions you can make. Showing gratitude is always a positive thing, never wasted.
