There’s no two ways about it: proposals can be a pain in the backside.
You’ve had a great sales call or email exchange, and you’ve promised you’ll send a proposal, but somehow you find yourself putting it off.
It’s uncomfortable putting yourself out there. And what if you put in the work and they say no?
While I can’t help you decide on your services or get them to say yes, I do have tips to streamline the proposal process:
1. Check you have all the information you need
Sometimes you dither over a proposal because the sales conversation didn’t quite give you all the information. You can combat this by using a checklist during a sales call or email exchange, or by sending potential clients a requirements form to complete.
Before starting the proposal, make sure you know:
- The problem you’re solving
- Their goals
- The service you’re going to deliver (including scope and deliverables) to achieve that goal
- The budget/price discussed
- Delivery timescales
If you realise you’re missing some information (it happens!) either bite the bullet and go back to the client for an answer, or give a couple of options in the proposal.
2. Use a proposal template
Staring at a blank page is a quick route to proposal paralysis, so a good old template helps to avoid that. You might think your services are too bespoke to bother with templates, but there are almost always ‘themes’ you can find and use to create several templates for yourself.
To create your template look at:
Format
You can use a simple Word or Google Document which you turn into a PDF, a Canva document or template, or set up your template in proposal software (more on that below).
Recurring elements
Look at proposals you’ve sent before and pick out the recurring elements:
- Do you always include a section about you and your business?
- Do you always use testimonials? Are they the same ones every time?
- What do your service, pricing and timeline sections look like?
- Do you usually offer one service or do you give several options? How do you set out options so they’re easy to compare?
- Do you include your T&Cs or a signing page in the proposal, or does that come later?
- Do you include next steps in your proposal or in the accompanying email?
Plonk those recurring elements into your template (when I’m drafting something I always start by plonking things in willy nilly).
Themes for bespoke work
‘Themes’ is a broad term because there are many ways you could categorise your work. For example, a digital marketer might offer one-off audits, project work and monthly retainers. That’s 3 themes. Or a web designer might offer new builds and design updates. Themes aren’t always clear cut but try to look at what differentiates the types of work you do. Then add sections for all of them to your proposal template because it’s easier to take content out than add it in.
3. Separate the steps
Sending and following up a proposal can feel uncomfortable because there’s a real chance they’ll say no. So instead of having ‘Create and send proposal’ as a task on your To Do list, separate each of the steps.
For example, if you’ve said they’ll have your proposal within 3 days, break it down:
Day 1: Draft the proposal
Day 2: Finalise the proposal
Day 3: Send the proposal – and pop a task in your calendar to follow it up too.
By removing the looming worry of what the potential client might say, you can approach the drafting and finalising stages with a calmer mindset.
4. Use email templates
This is another area where templates can help to remove mindset wobbles. Draft a standard email for sending a proposal and another one for following up, focusing on making it feel comfortable for you. Having something prepared gives you a head start when you feel like hiding instead.
5. Use proposal software and a CRM system
As long as you know what to put in your proposal, then proposal software can streamline the process for you. It will help you create your templates, send proposals, track if they’ve been seen and often get them signed inside the software too. Examples include PandaDoc, Better Proposals, Nusii and Proposify. All-in-ones like Dubsado and Moxie have proposal options too.
However, you also need to use an effective client pipeline to track your proposals as part of your wider client tracking – whether that’s in a CRM software or simply a spreadsheet. Don’t rely on your memory or your inbox to know when you said you’d send a proposal or when you’ve decided to follow up.
6. Get accountability support
For some people, knowing how to tackle proposal paralysis isn’t quite enough. If that’s the case for you then get some accountability support – from a business buddy or a community. Tell someone that you have a proposal to send and get them to hold you accountable for each step (not forgetting celebrating with you when the client says yes!)
Alternatively you can ignore almost everything I’ve just said and outsource a lot of it to either a virtual assistant or use AI as your proposal-creation coach. Tell your virtual assistant or AI what you need to create, by when and what you’re struggling with. Then ask them to do as much or as little of the work for you as you like, including creating templates. You can also ask a VA or AI to do research for you if that’s something you need to put your proposal together.
