Proposal Writing

Overview

A proposal is not a quote. A quote is a price list. A proposal is a persuasion document that makes the client feel confident, understood, and excited about working with you — and then makes paying feel like the obvious next step. This playbook builds proposals that win, structured around how buyers actually make decisions.

Step 1: Before You Write Anything — The Discovery Checklist

A great proposal is 80% listening and 20% writing. Before drafting, confirm you have answers to every one of these from your discovery conversation:

DISCOVERY CHECKLIST
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- [ ] What specific problem is the client trying to solve?
- [ ] What outcome do they want? (Be specific — not "better results")
- [ ] What have they already tried? What didn't work and why?
- [ ] What is the cost of NOT solving this? (In time, money, missed opportunity)
- [ ] What is their timeline / deadline? Is there urgency?