While your job as a marketer may be to promote and sell other people’s products and services, you probably hate doing it for yourself. Writing and submitting proposals isn’t the most exciting part of marketing and the last thing you want to do is spend your valuable time writing proposals.
Unfortunately, a proposal is a bit like writing a high-school essay, it’s not your favorite thing to do, but you have to do it.
You might be completely clueless about where to start, what to write, or even why previous proposals haven’t worked. In fact, you’d much rather send out your marketing agreement and start creating high conversion content for your clients.
The truth is that you need those clients first.
And landing the best clients, the biggest names, and the best pay, means writing proposals and doing it well. You have to market yourself before you can market them.
But while writing proposals is an unfortunate fact of life, it doesn’t have to be such a pain. You can take steps to make writing and submitting proposals as easy as possible.
How? By creating a proposal writing system, you can reduce the amount of time and effort you spend on each proposal, while still churning out top-quality proposals that land you the clients you deserve.
Taking the time to learn about writing persuasive proposals now can help you to reduce time investment and hassle in the future. Once you’ve learned the basics, it’s easy to create your own system and start converting the high-profile clients you’ve always wanted.
Ready? Let’s get started!
Here's What to Include Inside of Your Marketing Proposal
Most proposals will vary in length and style from project to project, but each should follow the same basic structure. You don’t have to worry about putting tons of creativity into each one, and that’s the point.
Any marketing proposal should contain the following five elements, regardless of the complexity or length of the project.
The client’s issues are typically more complex than the listed required services and it is your job to figure out what they are. Prove to your prospective client that you know what they need, and you will get the job. This is your problem statement.
A winning problem statement tells the client what they need, not what they want. It finds the root of the issue and offers the client a solution rather than a service.
You may be bidding on a PPC & SEO campaign to generate X number of clicks, but that’s not why the client is hiring a marketer. In fact, the number of clicks probably isn’t the issue at all.
The purpose of any business, including yours, is to make money. And instigating traffic hardly ever generates revenue. If they just wanted traffic, they could easily buy that for next to nothing. Instead, they’re hiring an expensive marketer to generate these clicks for them.
You have to look at the heart of the issue to find the real problem. The reason they want to pay someone money to drive traffic. Why is your prospective client looking to increase traffic? What's wrong with their current marketing efforts?
Your problem statement addresses this issue and explains to the client that you know what they need. Check out this example proposal to get an idea of what it looks like.
ABC Company is looking to generate 1,000,000 new clicks from Google over the next 12 months, through a digital marketing campaign. The campaign should feature SEO, PPC, and Social, and should include monthly research, updates, and analytics reports.
In this example, the marketer goes over the prospect's marketing goals, explains the skills and services required, but does nothing to explain the results and significance of those services. Importantly, it doesn’t describe why a marketing campaign to generate 1,000,000 new clicks would benefit the business in the first place.
This example simply reiterates the client’s needs without telling them what you can do for them. It does nothing to sell itself, or you, as a marketer. In fact, it probably blends in with most of your competitors opening proposals.
Bottom line: this problem statement doesn’t address the real issues.
Now let’s say you took the first problem statement, and made it look like this?
ABC Company has seen a marked increase in the number of online competitors over the past two years. Many of these companies already engage in aggressive social, SEO, and marketing campaigns, and the result is that many of ABC Company’s former customers are now moving on to better advertised options.
ABC Company could combat this issue by instigating their own digital marketing campaign targeted towards their customer demographic. The resulting campaign would be targeted with keywords researched to instigate high-conversion clicks from those likely to purchase from ABC Company, therefore driving sales up.
The campaign should include a multi-prong digital marketing strategy including PPC, SEO, email marketing, and Social Media, with a minimum of a 12-month management, research, and analytics program to ensure its success.
This revised problem statement explains not only the problem, but also what you intend to do about it. It’s eye catching because it tells your prospective client that you know their issue, and you know how to solve it. In this case, they don’t need extra clicks, they need to compete with competitors and in so doing, drive up sales.
You will have to spend a few minutes researching each company to find their real problems. This is mostly because many clients have trouble voicing, explaining, or even identifying their issues, and some may automatically assume you already know what the problem is.
Present the client’s real problem from the very start of your proposal. Doing so will grab their attention and make your proposal stand out from your competitors.
What’s really driving the client to offer this project?
If you use your problem statement to answer your client’s needs rather than wants, then your proposal is already off to a good start.
You’re ready to move on to part two of building a successful proposal: the solution.
After letting your prospective clients know that you understand the issue, it’s your job to present your services as the best solution for their needs. Knowing the motivation behind their problems puts you at a unique selling vantage because you can market your skills directly towards what they need.
You can figure out how your skills can uniquely address their problems, and hopefully in ways that your competitors can’t.
Most businesses use some sort of marketing, but no one is going to hire you just because you’re a marketer. Clients will hire you for your unique ability to create high conversion traffic and sales, or essentially, because you can make them money.
Traffic is an essential part of marketing, but it’s sales that generate revenue. Highlight your unique services and their effect or benefits to grab client’s attention.
Now take that idea and turn it into a winning solution by describing not just your ‘services’, but the cause and effect of your services on the clients business.
Here’s an example proposed solution to help you understand the point better. For example:
The campaign should include a multi-prong digital marketing strategy including PPC, SEO, and Social Media, with a minimum of a 12-month management, research, and analytics program to ensure its success.
What’s in it for me?
This proposed solution doesn’t do you a lot of favors as a marketer because it doesn’t stand out. It blends in with potentially hundreds of other proposals, and it does not sell your services.
All it does is list a couple of proposed actions without saying how they affect the clients business. Essentially, all you’re doing is listing your own services.
Now check out this proposed solution from our marketing plan template:
ABC Company must implement a marketing strategy focused on recapturing traffic and market sales from competitors. This will start with a traffic and data analysis campaign, customer demographic analysis, and targeted keyword research.
Analysis and research will be followed with a content strategy focused on building high-conversion traffic with the intent of making sales. The actuation phase will include SEO optimization for the website, an active social media page, and PPC aimed at the company’s sales demographic.
In this instance, the marketer explains what services would provide a solution, and how those services benefit the company, by helping to recapture traffic from competitors.
Providing a detailed analysis of your services sounds difficult, but in reality, it makes them seem more valuable. In some cases, naming options like keyword research and market analysis to the table provide extra value to services that you would have provided anyway.
Make it easy for your prospective clients to see the value you are offering.
It's common to jump into some market research facts, or give a high level SWOT analysis, but most client’s won’t know anything about marketing. Try outlining what your clients get when they hire you in your proposal.
Outlining a problem and a solution would be enough in a world with no competition, but that is not the case. Instead, you have to outline the benefits of your specific services so that you can sell those services.
Convincing your prospective client that they need you is half the battle.
The client already knows that you understand their problem and that you have a solution. But what’s in it for them? Why are you better than anyone else?
Chances are, your prospective client might not even know what your services are, let alone what they entail. If they do know what your services are, they still might not understand it will benefit their business. “What’s PPC”.
You know what your solutions will do for your clients, but do they?
Most of your prospective clients won’t understand the benefits of your recommended solution on their own. You’re the marketing expert, and your job is to make the benefits of your services clear.
Try treating your solutions the same way you treated the client’s issues in the problem statement. Go beneath the surface of the solution to come up with the long-term effects and benefits. Show your prospective client exactly what you could do for them in ways they can understand.
Here’s an example:
We’ll get to know you and your company so that your marketing strategy represents the real ABC Company. We’ll start a social media page that attracts fans, builds long-term customer relationships, and drives repeat-sales.
We will research keywords to build a Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign that drives as many sales as possible. We’ll use those same keywords in an SEO campaign to help boost your natural search traffic, and overall web visibility with your target audience.
Taking the time to write down the exact benefits of each proposed solution or service will help you to communicate those services to your potential customers. Outlining the results and benefits of your solution separates you from your competitors, and it gives clients a tangible reason to hire you. Outlining benefits is a key part to writing persuasive proposals.
Once you’ve outlined the problem, offered a viable solution, and explained the benefits of your services, your prospective clients probably have another important question.
How much is this going to cost?
A higher figure is not a deterrent to quality clients, especially if you’ve done a good job outlining the benefits and effects of your solution. Unfortunately, a confusing pricing section will turn them off.
Make your pricing chart or system easy for clients to follow. This is an essential element of any pricing section.
One of the easiest ways to make pricing easier to understand is to use grid typography to format your pricing. Here’s a quick example:
Customized Marketing Solution $11,499
Market Analysis – We’ll do an in depth analysis on your market potential, competitors, and target demographic to provide you with a complete market analysis that you can use to boost sales.
Keyword Research – We’ll research the keywords and high-sales converting phrases that you need for your ads and SEO.
Pay Per Click Campaign –We’ll run a pay per click campaign for you to directly boost your sales.
SEO Campaign – We’ll SEO Optimize your website, build backlinks, and increase your Page Rank to grow traffic and search based sales.
Social Management – We’ll take over and manage your social pages to create a highly engaging community that builds customer relations to provide long term repeat sales, and higher customer satisfaction.
Project Total $11,499
You’ll notice that this outline offers two main benefits to readers. The first is that it’s not complicated, you don’t have to be a financial whiz to understand what you get for the money. You’re also not pricing each service. By breaking down prices at a high level, you avoid confusion, and you avoid the impression that any of these services are for sale individually.
While you may be tempted to try to undercut your competitors, keep in mind that psychological price hacks are often more successful at standing out in a crowd.
For most proposals, a short ‘Fee Summary” is perfect for explaining the costs of your marketing project. A summary is a short overview of total costs, with information about what you’re getting.
Sometimes you will have longer, more in-depth, and more complex projects that require a longer fee section. A ‘Fee Schedule’ covers portions of the total price, any specific project milestones, and the do break down pricing a little more than your summary. Once again, break down prices at a high level, even for fee schedules, and tell prospective clients what they’re paying for at each milestone.
When most people finish reading a proposal, or any other type of email, their first reaction is to set it aside. Usually to go read something else. Not because you didn’t’ impress them with your proposal, but because they want time to think, and then get back to it later.
Even if you created a killer proposal that convinced your prospect that you are the best marketer for their needs, you can still lose them at this point.
Why? Because inboxes fill up, people forget, and people often quickly confuse one item with another. It’s not enough to get them to plan to get back to you, because it might never happen.
Follow up a strong proposal with a direct call to action. Ask your clients to follow through now.
Yes, it seems like an obvious addition to a proposal, but many people leave it out. Most people don’t expect to have to ask for action, but the truth is that clients are just as busy, stressed, and forgetful as you are. Make sure you ask them to respond or act in some way.
You want to make moving forward with the project easy so: 1) tell clients how to contact with you to move forward with the hire and 2). Make it easy.
Here’s a quick example of a call to action:
To proceed with this digital marketing plan, ABC Company is required to take the following steps:
1. Accept the proposal as-is or discuss any desired changes. Please note that changes to the scope of the project can be made at any time, but additional charges may apply.
2. Finalize and sign contract.
3. Submit initial milestone payment of $979.
Once these steps have been completed we will begin the project with a preliminary meeting to discuss company policies, and media scheduling.
This kind of call to action clearly explains what is expected of the prospective client if they want to move forward with you. The call to action lists a clear number of options, and even alternatives, before offering follow-up information, in the form of what happens after the client accepts.
Don’t forget the call to action! A call to action makes it easy for clients to hire you. Don’t forget it!
Structuring a Persuasive Proposal
Now that you know the essential elements of a proposal and what they contain, let’s put them together to create the basic structure you’ll need for templates.
Once you’ve got a good idea of what goes into a proposal, you can put everything together to create your own. Let’s try with the five basic elements discussed above.
The structure for a standard design proposal goes like this:
One thing to keep in mind is that you can use different terms or headers in your section. Each of the five elements go by a number of names, and you can utilize most of them, just try to keep phrasing uniform throughout the proposal.
“Problem Statement” can also go by “Client Needs,” “Client Goals,” “Client Objectives,” or “Goals and Objectives,” or “Statement of Need”.
“Proposed Solution” can also go by “Recommended Solution” or “Recommended Strategy.”
“Pricing Information” can also go by “Fee Summary” (for shorter projects), “Fee Schedule” (for longer projects), or “Project Pricing.”
Download the Full Marketing Proposal eBook
General Instructions: Follow the italicized instructions for each section below to create your own persuasive marketing proposal. Do your best to limit your proposal to 4-5 pages or less, as this should be all you need to identify the client’s problem, propose your services as the solution to that problem, and help the client understand all the ways your services will benefit the client. Most clients, especially clients with modest marketing budgets, will respond better if you focus on quantifiable improvements you can create for their business (i.e., "increase your website traffic by 33%") instead of more ambiguous terms like "market exposure" or "brand awareness."
Instructions: Use the first paragraph to identify the problem or frustration that led the prospective client to offer the marketing project in the first place. Then use 3-4 bullet points to break down different services you’ll provide to help the client overcome that problem or frustration. Begin each bullet point with an "action word." Finally, use the paragraph after the bullet points to talk about the negative consequences that will happen if the client doesn’t fix the problem.
by media like never before, {client_name} needs to make strategic decisions
regarding how it presents itself in order for promotional messages to stand out
and reach prospects in a compelling way. {client_name} needs attentive, comprehensive
marketing services to:
Without putting a system
in place to assure it reaches new customers using every tool at its disposal,
{client_name} leaves its long-term profitability to chance in an overwhelmingly
competitive market.
Instructions: Use 3-4 bulleted sections to describe positive results your marketing plan will create for the client. Focus on results you think the client will value and will last after you finish providing your services. Spend a few lines after each result you list to 1) describe why the result is helpful to the client’s business; and 2) break down the actions you’ll take to create that result for the client.
To meet {client_name}’s needs, as described above, we recommend the following marketing services as part of this project:
Instructions: Use 3-4 bulleted sections to describe positive results your marketing plan will create for the client. Focus on results you think the client will value and will last after you finish providing your services. Spend a few lines after each result you list to 1) describe why the result is helpful to the client’s business; and 2) break down the actions you’ll take to create that result for the client.
Expanding Influence and Appeal Via Marketing
|
$23,000 |
We will manage and optimize 10 online ad campaigns of up to $20,000/month on FaceBook and Google AdWords. We will also provide detailed monthly reports on the first Monday of the month.
If {client_name} chooses {my_company} to provide the marketing consulting services described, our timeline would proceed as follows:
|
Phase |
Activities |
Completion |
|
Competitive Analysis |
Analysis of competitors’ marketing strategies to assess effectiveness of techniques and identify untapped opportunities. |
07/31/XX |
|
Brand Naming, Brand Design, and Logo Design |
Collaboration between {client_name} and {my_company}’s creative team, business experts, and graphic designers to craft a unique business identity. |
08/21/XX |
|
Promotional Strategy Development |
Preparation of a multi-platform promotional strategy by {my_company}, meetings with {client_name}’s team to discuss our recommendations on how to implement the strategy. |
09/21/XX |
|
New Product Ideation, Conception, and Development |
Regular meetings with {client_name} to brainstorm new products, tailor them to suit your target customers’ preferences, and to incorporate them within a broad promotional strategy. |
12/21/XX |
To take advantage of this proposal and proceed with the project as outlined, {client_name}’s next steps must be to:
Once completed, {my_company} will contact {client_name} to schedule a project launch meeting to make introductions and gather information before beginning the work.
We are happy to make changes to project scope on {client_name}’s request at any time, but may be subject to additional billing.
{client_name} needs to focus on the big picture of running its business. That’s why you want a company like {my_company} to worry about all the details of making a great impression with your customers.
Here are the people leading the effort:
And this is why we're able to meet your needs:
Once the project fee is paid in full to {my_company}, any elements of text, graphics, photos, contents, trademarks, or other artwork furnished to {client_name} for inclusion in the website are owned by {client_name}.
{my_company} assumes {client_name} has permission from the rightful owner to use any code, scripts, data, and reports provided by {client_name} for inclusion in its materials, and will hold harmless, protect, and defend {my_company} from any claim or suit arising from the use of such work.
{my_company} retains the right to display graphics and other web content elements as examples of their work in their portfolio and as content features in other projects.
This agreement becomes effective only when signed by agents of {client_name} and {my_company}. Regardless of the place of signing of this agreement, {client_name} agrees that for purposes of venue, this contract was entered into in [STATE] and any dispute will be litigated or arbitrated in [STATE].
The agreement contained in this contract constitutes the sole agreement between {client_name} and the {my_company} regarding all items included in this agreement.
General Instructions: Follow the italicized instructions for each section below to create your own persuasive retainer proposal. Do your best to limit your proposal to 4-5 pages or less, as this should be all you need to identify the client’s problem, propose your services as the solution to that problem, and help the client understand all the ways your services will benefit the client. The biggest hurdle to overcome with this type of proposal is showing the client what’s in it for them if they hire you on an ongoing basis instead of for a one-off project. Potential benefits could be a better understanding of a client’s goals, time to set up systems that make the client’s business more efficient and profitable, more personalized attention, and ongoing performance tracking to help the client reach their goals.
Instructions: Use the first paragraph to identify the problem or frustration that led the prospective client to offer the project in the first place. Then use 3-4 bullet points to break down different services you’ll provide to help the client overcome that problem or frustration. Begin each bullet point with an “action word.” Finally, use the paragraph after the bullet points to talk about the negative consequences that will happen if the client doesn’t fix the problem.
{client_name} needs to make ongoing, incremental changes in order to separate itself from its competitors and enjoy sustained success in the [INDUSTRY] market. The right marketing solution will:
If {client_name} doesn’t invest in online marketing services designed to suit its unique needs, inefficiencies and inconsistent messaging will cost it leads and customers. This could hurt {client_name}’s market share and slow its long-term growth.
Instructions: Use 3-4 bulleted sections to describe positive results your marketing plan will create for the client. Focus on the strategy and results you think the client will value. Spend a few lines after each result you list to 1) describe why the result is helpful to the client’s business; and 2) break down the actions you’ll take to create that result for the client.
{my_company}’s online marketing services will create the following results for {client_name}:
Instructions: Use this section to talk about the specific combination of services you believe will solve the client’s problem. Under each recommendation, talk about: 1) what actions you will take to execute it; and 2) how those actions will benefit the client.
To meet {client_name}’s needs, as outlined above, we recommend the following services as part of this project:
{my_company} will engage in weekly strategy sessions with {client_name}'s team. Relying on its firsthand observations and outside perspective, {my_company} will identify potential areas where {client_name} could improve day-to-day operations and offer actionable advice to optimize {client_name}’s performance. {my_company} will also make itself available for two special sessions at {client_name}’s discretion to give input and offer advice on topics of {client_name}’s choosing.
{my_company} will manage {client_name}’s Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn platforms. {my_company} will keep these platforms updated with content tailored to appeal to {client_name}’s ideal customers. {my_company} will operate all social media platforms in a unified voice that reflects {client_name}’s unique brand, and will deliver a weekly performance report to {client_name} at the beginning of each consulting session.
{my_company} will work with {client_name} to develop a pay per click advertising strategy to fit {client_name}’s budget. {my_company} will handle keyword research, bid management, campaign launches, performance tracking, and ongoing optimization. {my_company} will deliver a weekly performance report to {client_name} and recommend new strategies to increase ROI at the beginning of each consulting session.
Instructions: Estimate the price for your service package and come up with a label for it that describes a clear benefit to the client. Breaking down your service package into 3 or 4 phases will help the client understand what will happen when, as well as make your solution appear valuable. But keep the breakdown at a high level and don’t break down your price; it’s crucial your price is easy to understand.
| Expanding Influence and Appeal Via Marketing Solution
|
$__,___/month |
Instructions: Use this section to talk about the special value you can add to the client’s business that no one else can. In the first paragraph, describe what the client will save or get (a system that brings in leads and customers, goal-setting and performance tracking, and a higher profile for their business are all good options) if they hire you. Break down your company’s most compelling assets into bullet points and emphasize why those assets are important for the client’s business.
The best use of {client_name}’s time is dedicated to aspects of its business it does best: giving customers what they want and delivering top-notch customer service. Hiring a company like {my_company} lets you focus on the big picture of running and expanding your business because we worry about the details and gradual improvements. Our expertise, resources, and deep commitment to our craft make us the ideal choice to meet {client_name}’s needs. We’ll bring the following strengths in our work for {client_name}:
Instructions: Use this chart to break down your services into phases. Describe what each phase entails in the “activities” section and give an estimated completion date for each phase. You can use this section to quantify just how much of each service you’ll deliver to the client on a monthly basis; it’s a great way to get them to grasp the full value of your offer.
Should {client_name} choose {my_company} to execute this solution as proposed, our timeline for this project is as follows:
| Phase | Activities | Completion |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Phase 1 description goes here. | 07/31/XX |
| Phase 2 | Phase 2 description goes here. | 09/31/XX |
| Phase 3 | Phase 3 description goes here. | 11/31/XX |
Instructions: This is your “call to action” section. Make a limited offer that expires on a certain date, which motivates the client to act. Use bullet points to specify exactly what the client has to do to accept your offer. Finally, tell the client what will happen immediately after they accept the offer to set expectations.
As outlined in the Investment section, our pricing is valid until [DATE]. To take advantage of this proposal and proceed with the project as outlined, {client_name}’s next steps must be to
Once completed, {my_company} will contact {client_name} to schedule a project launch meeting to make introductions and gather information before beginning the work.
We’re happy to make changes to project scope on {client_name}’s request at any time, but may be subject to additional billing.
Instructions: This section protects you from potential legal liability. Use it to talk about who owns your work product, whether you’ll be able to use portions of it on your website as examples, and how legal proceedings will go down if something goes wrong. Have an attorney look it over to give you guidance on how to apply it to your specific business.
Once project fee is paid in full to {my_company}, any elements of text, graphics, photos, contents, trademarks, or other artwork furnished to {client_name} for inclusion in website are owned by {client_name}.
{my_company} assumes {client_name} has permission from the rightful owner to use any code, scripts, data, and reports are provided by {client_name} for inclusion in its materials, and will hold harmless, protect, and defend {my_company} from any claim or suit arising from the use of such work.
{my_company} retains the right to display graphics and other web content elements as examples of their work in their portfolio and as content features in other projects.
This agreement becomes effective only when signed by agents of {client_name} and {my_company}. Regardless of the place of signing of this agreement, {client_name} agrees that for purposes of venue, this contract was entered into in [STATE] and any dispute will be litigated or arbitrated in [STATE].
The agreement contained in this contract constitutes the sole agreement between {client_name} and the {my_company} regarding all items included in this agreement.