Invoice guide
How to write a business proposal that gets a yes
To write a business proposal, start from the client's problem in their words, say exactly what you'll do and what you won't, put dates on each stage, price every line, offer one or two optional extras, set a deposit and the payments, add short terms, and finish with a page they can sign. Send it within a day or two of your conversation, while they're still keen.
Writing it, step by step
- Write down the problem. Before anything else, one paragraph on what the client wants to change and why now. Use their words from your call.
- Set the scope. What you'll do, how many rounds of changes, and what's out of scope. Most disagreements later come from a vague scope.
- List the deliverables. The things they'll hold at the end, as a list they could tick off.
- Plan the timeline. Three to five milestones with dates. Leave room for their feedback between stages.
- Price it. A line per piece of work, with a quantity and rate, so the total is easy to follow. Add tax if you charge it.
- Offer options. One or two extras they can add, priced separately and left out of the total.
- Set the payments. A deposit on signing, then payments at milestones or on completion.
- Add the terms. Payment terms, what happens if they cancel, who owns the work, confidentiality and late payment.
- Make it easy to sign. An acceptance page with their name, a signature line and the date.
Write it for the person who decides
The person who signs may not have been on the call. Open with a short letter that says what you understood and what you're proposing, and keep each section to a few sentences. Use headings they'd use ("What you'll get", "When"), not your process names. Cut anything that's about you rather than them, except a short "About us" if they don't know you yet.
A worked example
Worked example
Growth strategy review for a coffee roaster. Scope: interviews with six people and a 90-day plan. Prices: 5 days of interviews at £750, a findings report at £1,500, a half-day workshop at £900: a total of £6,150. Option: three monthly check-ins at £400 each. Payments: 50% on signing (£3,075), 50% after the workshop (£3,075). If they add the check-ins, the total becomes £7,350 and each payment £3,675.
Sending it and following up
Send the proposal as a PDF the client can sign without printing. With Invoice, Send for signature hands it to PDF Tools with their boxes placed; they sign at yuzool.com/sign. If you haven't heard back in three or four days, a short, friendly nudge with the proposal attached is fine. Invoice Pro reminds you which proposals are still waiting.
Questions
How do I start a business proposal?
Start with a short letter that restates the client's problem in their words and says, in a sentence, what you propose to do about it. Then go straight into the scope.
How do I price a proposal?
Break the work into lines with a quantity and a rate, so the total is easy to follow. Add any tax, and list optional extras separately so the main price stays clear.
Should a proposal include payment terms?
Yes. Say when each payment is due, how they can pay and what happens if a payment is late. A deposit before you start protects your time.
How soon should I send a proposal?
Within a day or two of your conversation, while the client is still thinking about the project.
What if the client wants changes to the proposal?
Edit it and send it again. In Invoice you can change any section, price or payment and send the new version for signature; only the signed copy of that version is accepted.