How to write a proposal: nine steps, with text to copy

A good proposal answers one question for the reader: should I hire this person for this job? Work through the nine steps below in order. Each step ends with a sentence you can copy, with [BRACKETED] items to replace.

Nine steps

Step 1. Clarify the request Before writing, confirm the goal, deadline and budget range in a call or message. Copy: Before I write this up, can I check that the goal is [GOAL] and the deadline is [DATE]?
Step 2. Open with the client's problem Start with their situation, not your biography. Copy: You want [OUTCOME] because [REASON], and the main obstacle today is [OBSTACLE].
Step 3. Propose a clear solution Say what you will do in three steps or fewer. Copy: I suggest [STEP 1], then [STEP 2], then [STEP 3], so that [CLIENT NAME] ends up with [RESULT].
Step 4. Define the scope List what is included and, just as important, what is not. Copy: This includes [ITEMS]. It does not include [EXCLUSIONS], which I can quote separately.
Step 5. Show the timeline Give dates and name the client's tasks. Copy: I start on [DATE] and deliver on [DATE], provided I receive [MATERIALS] by [DATE].
Step 6. State the fee plainly One number or one rate, with the payment schedule. Copy: The fee is [FEE], paid as [SCHEDULE]. Work outside this scope is quoted before it starts.
Step 7. Add brief proof Only real, shareable evidence: a relevant past project type, your years in the field, a named tool. Copy: I have done [KIND OF WORK] for [KIND OF CLIENT] since [YEAR].
Step 8. Ask for one next step Make acceptance easy. Copy: To go ahead, reply by [DATE] and I will send [AGREEMENT OR INVOICE] the same day.
Step 9. Edit and format Cut every sentence the client does not need to decide. Use short headings, one idea per paragraph and your client's name, not a generic greeting.

Worked example (invented, for illustration)

Dana, a freelance bookkeeper, receives a message from a landscaping business asking for monthly bookkeeping. After a short call, Dana opens the proposal with: You want clear monthly figures so you can stop sorting receipts at night.

The solution is three steps: set up the accounts, catch up the last quarter, then reconcile monthly. The scope lists bank reconciliation and a monthly summary, and lists payroll as not included. The proposal asks the client to confirm the bookkeeping software access by 8 October.

It closes with one action: reply by 12 October and Dana sends the agreement that day. The whole document fits on two pages.

Checklist before you send

The first paragraph is about the client, not about you.
You can state the offer in two sentences.
Scope, timeline and fee do not contradict each other.
Proof is real and you are allowed to show it.
Exclusions are written down.
There is a date the offer stays open.
One clear next step is at the end.
Spelling, names and dates are correct and no [BRACKETS] remain.

Reuse your best version as a base, but rewrite the first two sections for every client. That is the part readers notice.

Proposal decks by profession

If you would rather start from a finished 12-slide deck written for your trade, see these:

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Template only, not legal, tax or professional advice.