The Proposal Process That Actually Gets Paid 🔥

Duy Bui

🔥

20d • Business & Strategy 🧠

Sent my first proposal. Client said "looks great!" Then ghosted.

Changed ONE thing. Now 8/10 proposals close.

THE MISTAKE

I sent the proposal and waited. No follow-up plan. No urgency. No clear next steps.

Client got busy. Proposal got buried. Deal died.

MY WINNING PROPOSAL STRUCTURE

SECTION 1: Problem Statement (in THEIR words)

"You're currently spending 12 hours monthly manually entering invoice data. This takes time away from growing your business and creates error risk."

Use exact phrases from discovery call.

SECTION 2: Solution Overview (high-level)

"We'll build an automated workflow that reads invoice emails, extracts all data, validates accuracy, and posts directly to QuickBooks. You'll only review exceptions."

Not technical. Focus on outcome.

SECTION 3: Timeline & Deliverables

Week 1: Workflow build and testing

Week 2: Client review and adjustments

Week 3: Go-live and training

Be specific. No vague "2-3 weeks."

SECTION 4: Investment

Setup: $1,200 (one-time)

Monthly maintenance: $200

Tool costs included in maintenance

Payment structure:

50% ($600) deposit to start

50% ($600) on delivery

SECTION 5: Next Steps

"Reply to this email to confirm. I'll send invoice for deposit. We'll start building next Monday."

Crystal clear. No confusion.

THE FOLLOW-UP SEQUENCE

Send proposal: Friday 6pm

Follow-up email: Monday 2pm ("Just checking if you had questions")

Follow-up call: Wednesday ("Want to walk through anything?")

Final follow-up: Friday ("This timeline still work for you?")

Most closes happen on follow-up 2 or 3. Not the initial send.

HANDLING "I NEED TO THINK ABOUT IT"

Them: "I need to think about it."

Me: "Absolutely. What specifically do you need to think through? The timeline? The investment? How it would work with your team?"

Get specific. Address the real concern.

Often it's just: "I need to talk to my business partner." That's fine. "When are you two meeting? I can send some additional info that might help the conversation."

MY CLOSE RATE

First 3 proposals: 1 closed (33%)

New template and follow-up: 6/8 closed (75%)

Average proposal to deposit: 3 days

PAYMENT STRUCTURE

50% deposit to start (creates commitment)

50% on delivery (protects both sides)

Never lost a deposit once paid

Monthly maintenance starts after go-live

THE ONE THING THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

Adding "Next Steps" section. Removed all friction. Client knows exactly what to do to move forward.

What's your proposal close rate?