Writing a great proposal is about more than just writing and design. It's about making sure you address the needs and concerns of the person you're looking to sell to. Let me just make this one statement and then everything else can flow from here: The proposal is just a presentation of what you've discovered. If you don't do any discovery with the client, then what on earth are you putting in your proposal?
There was a digital agency who wanted the client to type in the number of websites they wanted to buy in the proposal. When asked why he didn't know, he said the client never specified. How can he not know?! He just sat with the guy and had coffee or took him through his questions on a discovery call, right? Nope. This guy had done zero discovery work, so there wasn't any point sending the proposal because he'd lost the job already.
Here are 5 reasons people lose the job before they've even written a word of the proposal.
1. Not doing a discovery session
This is simply non-negotiable. You absolutely must be doing some sort of discovery session with your client. It can be coffee, it can be a 30-minute call, it could even be them filling in a form, but you need to get information from them somehow.
A good approach is to have a super quick and easy to complete form which would let you know if they have a budget, they're serious, and on a basic level, it's the kind of work you do. From there, set up a call. Allow an hour and at this point work through it naturally if you're experienced in the field.
It might be better if you're fairly new to work from a pre-written set of questions. This keeps everything uniform, all deals are being evaluated the same way, and you can compare one to the other.
Only when you've done this discovery work do you actually know what the proposal needs to consist of.
That's where Wonit's knowledge-based proposals come in handy. You can add details about your company by importing your company documents, website link, or even your CRM data. This acts as your knowledge-base. Then when you want to create a new proposal, you provide specific info about the prospect and let AI create a beautiful and fully-personalized web proposal that closes leads faster.
2. Not asking the right questions
Doing the discovery session is the first step, but once you're doing it you need to make sure you ask the right questions or you're simply wasting everyone's time.
If you're doing discovery with a potential client about rebuilding their website, asking them what other sites they like is a waste of time. Asking the conversion rate of the existing site is a good question.
You need to reverse engineer the information you need to write the proposal. And if you're going to make a compelling business case for someone to invest their hard-earned money in your service, you better make sure you have all the info you need.
Don't be afraid to ask why.
Why did you make that decision?
Why did you go in that direction?
Why do you do it like that?
Asking why is an open-ended question. Ask it and shut up. Let them talk. Don't be tempted to "help them out" by asking why, then giving them a set of multiple choice answers. Just ask the question then let them talk and talk. That's where the gold is.
Once you have all this information, you can use Wonit's CRM integration to pull client details and create personalized proposals in seconds. You could ask AI like "Hey, create a proposal for @hubspot:DealName" and the app will create a highly personalized proposal for that deal by fetching all important info and interactions from your CRM.
3. Not having any examples or proof
This will come with time, but you need to make sure your work speaks for itself. Make sure you have an up-to-date portfolio and it's available on your website. You should have a comment from every single client on there. You should be building up a library of case studies.
It's not enough to show what you can do, it's about showing that your work generates results.
Case studies are the way forward and should be told more like stories to keep them interesting. With Wonit, you can easily add testimonials and case studies as pre-built professional blocks to your proposals. The drag-and-drop builder makes it simple to showcase your best work without any design skills needed.
If you don't have examples or any real evidence that you can get results, you are going to seriously struggle. You'll have to do something else to balance the risk like offer a guarantee, do results in advance, or break down the project into smaller tasks first to prove your worth.
4. Personal presentation, in person and online
It's a shame that in this day and age we can't be ourselves, express who we are, and have people accept that some of us are different and have different opinions. That said, if you're quite outspoken, find a way to tone it down on Facebook.
It's being used more and more as an online networking tool these days, so make sure your profile is up to scratch, is somewhat tidy, and has clear links to your website. Get good photos and make sure it passes the professional test. Ask yourself: would you hire someone based on what you see?
In-person presentation matters
Assuming that's all good and you get in front of your potential client, it doesn't matter what line of work you're in, look sharp. There's no scenario where turning up looking anything other than your best will help you. It's simply non-negotiable. Even if you're creative, not turning up looking your best, being well-groomed, with a well-fitted suit is just going to let you down.
In the creative space, there seems to be this idea that people will buy from you because of your work, not because of how you present yourself. This is simply not the case.
If you showed up on a first date looking great and the guy turned up in a hoodie, joggers, and trainers, you might like him but it would be hard to understand why he didn't make an effort.
Your proposals are part of your presentation
It's the same thing here. You are selling more than simply an end product, you're selling an experience and that experience includes how you present yourself. And that extends to your proposals too. They need to look professional, polished, and mobile-responsive. Wonit's auto-layout intelligence makes sure your proposals look perfect on any device automatically.
5. Reputation
Your reputation is something that is built over many years. It's not something you can quickly fix, but it's something that can be quickly destroyed. You've only got to look at the media scandals that drag people through the mud.
Look at Tony Robbins, arguably the most respected man in his field. Yet with one misplaced, but not entirely wrong comment about the MeToo movement, he found himself in a huge amount of trouble. Did he have a point? Yes, he did. But in an unusual moment for Tony, he presented his argument badly and got himself in trouble. Is he going to lose his business or trust overnight? No, not at all. But it's amazing how one careless comment can almost undo years of hard work.
Protecting your reputation
So be careful, behave, and remember that in close circles in business, networking, and in communities, people will talk a lot more about you than they will to you.
A few little things to keep in mind:
If you can't say anything nice, don't say it at all. I know you want to be honest, but seriously, it's not worth it.
Be really careful on Facebook comments. What you say online stays online.
Try to always help people. Generosity builds reputation faster than anything else.
Sandwich criticism with positivity so it doesn't come across harsh. In general, women are much better at this than guys.
Think about what you want to be known for. Think what someone might read out about you at your funeral. "He was a bit of a jerk but at least he was honest" probably isn't great.
If you want to be known as helpful, help people. Set aside hours each week to just help people with nothing in return.
If you want to be known as well-connected, make connections. Spend several hours a week connecting people and introducing contacts you think would benefit from knowing each other.
Remember: Your reputation is who you are when you're not there to defend yourself.
Conclusion
Losing deals before you send a proposal happens more often than you think. The key is to do the groundwork first, discovery, asking the right questions, building proof, presenting yourself well, and protecting your reputation. With tools like Wonit, you can speed up the proposal creation process once you've done the hard work of discovery. But remember, no tool can replace the human connection and effort you put into understanding your client's needs. Do the discovery. Ask the right questions. Show your proof. Present yourself well. Protect your reputation. That's how you win deals.
Get early access at wonit.ai and turn your proposal writing from a multi-hour headache into a five-minute conversation.