THE PERFECT

PROPOSAL
A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

Learn how to craft

effective, winning
proposals.
VERSION 1.6 WRITTEN BY:

JUNE 2019 BEN BURNS

NEW THINGS COMING

The Perfect Proposal

2.0 is on the way!
NEW COVER It’s been just over two years since I launched
Have you seen this cover the first version of the Perfect Proposal. It’s
online? Don’t worry, you
high time for a refresh.
have the most recent
version. But check back
soon for version 2.0. I want to talk about pricing tiers, how to put
together, a one-page proposal, and more. All of
this will be included in the new kit!

Some of you may have noticed the new cover

design on the sales page (seen left). This will be
©2019 BEN BURNS

the new design theme that I’ll be using for the

newest version.

You’ll all get version 2.0 for free, of course, as

part of the lifetime updates guarantee.
ABOUT PROPOSALS

ALL ABOUT PROPOSALS

©2019 BEN BURNS

03 WHAT ARE PROPOSALS? 08 HOW LONG?

04 WHY DO THEY ASK? 0 9 A R E YO U I N T H E K N OW ?

05 WHEN TO SEND? 10 A R E YO U A P RO ?

06 THE FIVE EXPECTATIONS 11 C A N Y O U O V E R C O M E ?

07 WHAT DOES THIS COST?

W H AT I S A P R O P O S A L , A N Y WAY ?

Proposals: written
offers from a seller
to a potential buyer.
IT IS NOT A CONTRACT IT IS NOT AN INTRO

A proposal’s job is to simplify Proposals are never the first

a complex engagement. Its step in the sales process. You
quest is to explain how much must have conversations prior
something costs and why. to sending your proposal.
 The four main
ABOUT PROPOSALS
reasons why
leads ask for
proposals
There are a ton of reasons why people
want to see a proposal from you. And
they aren’t all as honest as you’d think.
Before you invest the hours in crafting
your masterpiece of a proposal, make
©2019 BEN BURNS
sure you know why they want one.
REASON ONE
To find more information
Always have up-front conversations about
money, time, and project basic details.
This is how you avoid sending proposals
to people who don’t actually have work
for you - we call these people fishers.
REASON THREE
To compare your bid
Welcome to competition. You should
always strive to find out if other
companies will be bidding on this job.
If so, one company usually has their
foot in the door. Is it you?
REASON TWO
To get you off the phone
Saying no is hard. Saying no to desperate
designers is even harder. Asking for a
proposal can be an extremely polite way
to say no. Dig a little deeper to avoid
wasting time on a soft no.
REASON FOUR
They’re ready to hire you
The best case scenario! You’ve agreed on
an overall budget, timeline and project
scope, and the lead wants to start pouring
over the details. A verbal commitment is a
great sign that it’s time to send a proposal.
When
should the
001
Inquiry
Where an unknown person
becomes a known person.

proposal 002
Establish Need
Where a known person

be sent?
becomes a potential lead.

003
Qualify
Where a lead becomes a good
fit: budget, time and need.

Timing the proposal is a

powerful sales tactic. It should
never be the first thing, and we
004
Proposal
Where a qualified lead finally
reaches a decision.

hope it is not the last.

005
Contract
Where that qualified lead
becomes a client.
WHAT DO LEADS WANT TO KNOW?

There are five items

all potential clients
seek in a proposal.
THIS IS YOUR SHOT A LWAYS B E U N I Q U E

Your lead is excited to start All of your leads will have

working with you. But there different goals, budgets and
may be a few things holding objections - it’s your job to
them back. This is your customize each proposal to
chance to drive it home. uniquely address them.

WHAT DOES
THIS COST?
WHY THEY WANNA KNOW…
Sure, your lead wants to know
how much you’re going to
charge them - but they also
want to know why. They seek
justification for the price tag.
WHAT THEY WANT
The best proposals in the world walk a fine line
between giving too much information and not
enough. And this balance is incredibly
important when it comes to pricing.
Detailed price breakdowns can be disastrous
when faced with a budget-conscious client. We
have seen clients request to remove small pieces
of our process in exchange for a lower price–
this is exactly what you want to avoid.
Alternatively, a pricing structure that is too
basic can turn people away. A single lump sum
is great to talk about on the phone, but when
you craft a proposal, you’ll want to break that
number down into understandable segments.
©2019 BEN BURNS
The key is to strike a balance - give enough
information to justify the cost, but not enough
where someone can butcher your bid for parts.

HOW LONG
WILL IT BE?
WHY THEY WANNA KNOW…
Smart, sophisticated leads will
use your timeline to gauge your
abilities. Too long and you
won’t be a good fit. Too short
and it looks like you might not
understand their needs.
WHAT THEY WANT
This one is pretty self explanatory, but we are
surprised with how many proposals we see that
don’t have timelines.
In the business world, time is money. And
while many projects will arrive with tight
timelines, your leads will be analyzing your
timeline for feasibility. You’ll want to appear
like you can get it done in a reasonable amount
of time. Nailing the right timeline will speak to
your experience level. Don’t overpromise here.
It is also very important that you ask about the
project timeline before crafting the proposal–
it’s difficult to meet a deadline if you don’t
know what it is.
©2019 BEN BURNS
We have a specific structure we like to follow–
but be sure that your timeline layout is
complementary to your payment structure.
Indicate when each payment will be due as
well as the project progress.

ARE YOU IN
THE KNOW?
WHY THEY WANNA KNOW…
Your lead will look for a basic
understanding of their problem.
They are not looking for
solutions, they want to know
that they have been heard.
WHAT THEY WANT
I can tell you from experience that there is
nothing worse than receiving a proposal where
the sender obviously failed to understand my
problem. It feels like I wasted my time taking
the meetings, or that the sender didn’t care
enough to grasp what I needed.
Be absolutely sure you know what they are
asking for. When they say website - do they
really mean website? Or are they talking about
something deeper?
Pro tip: When you have conversations with
leads, jot down specific words or phrases that
they use to describe things. And if you
establish an inside joke, remember it. Use it in
your cover letter or email later on.
©2019 BEN BURNS
By using their own language in the proposal,
the message is loud and clear: You heard them.
 WHAT THEY WANT
ARE YOU A
This should go without saying, but I’m going
to say it anyway: proof-read your proposals!

The proposal is often the first impression your

REAL PRO?
lead will have of your working relationship. A
document that is rife with spelling errors will
communicate that you are sloppy, careless, too
busy, or all of the above.

One thing that is incredibly important is to

triple check your math on the pricing page(s).
There is nothing worse than adding things up
wrong and having to give a price cut because
you wrote the wrong number in the space.
WHY THEY WANNA KNOW…

If you can’t string together two We always cross-check our proposals with
someone else before it ships. Having that fresh

©2019 BEN BURNS

sentences without errors, your set of eyes drastically reduces simple errors.
professional capabilities are
called under question. Better
double-check everything.
 WHAT THEY WANT
CAN YOU
Potential clients manifest their fears in what we
call objections - reasons why they hesitate to
work with you. Here are the most common
objections we have seen in the past:

OVERCOME?
1. Your company is too small.
2. Your company is too expensive.
3. You don’t have experience in ___.
4. You have not worked with people who
they know and trust.
5. You will take too long to do the project.

WHY THEY WANNA KNOW… Your job? Craft the proposal to assure them
that their fears are unfounded.
Every lead has three reasons

©2019 BEN BURNS

If you’re interested in scripts that address each
why they won’t work with you. objection, check out our Selling Strategy &
They want you to address these Overcoming Objections Kit on thefutur.com.

objections early and completely.

They seek assurance.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

©2019 BEN BURNS

13 VO I C E A N D T O N E

14 H O W T O P L U G A N D P L AY

15 C O N S I D E R T H E F U T U R E

16 W H AT S O F T WA R E T O U S E

17 L O O K A N D F E E L
Write proposals in
the same voice as
your other material.
Fun, witty agencies with great messaging can become
boring business machines when it is time to write
proposals. Remember, a proposal isn’t a contract. Strive
for clarity, but do not abandon your brand voice.

THE PREVIEW EFFECT WORD GAMES

Your proposals are all part of this
phenomenon I like to call the preview
effect. Potential clients will view your
sales process as a preview of what it’s like
to work with you. If they are delighted
by your brand, you’ll want to carry that
delight through the proposal phase.
What words you choose to describe your
company, the services you offer and the
value you bring are important. Stay
away from jargon, be descriptive, and
choose meaningful, fun, witty words.
The gap between large and humungous
is, well, ginormous.
Plug and You can absolutely reuse
content that exists elsewhere in
play from the world, but watch out for
redundancies. For example,
existing your lead will not want to

assets, but
reread the same case study
from your website, especially if

try not to the two of you have already

spoken about it.
overdo it. Be original. If you have a case
study that isn’t on your site,
this is a great opportunity to
share it for the first time–to
tailor your content to the lead.
 Construct your
proposals with the
future in mind.
The first proposal is always the hardest. As you write your
case studies, company information and scope of work,
consider how you can use the copy in the future. And be
sure to save copies of every proposal you send for use later.

THE MASTER DECK A WORD OF CAUTION

At Blind, we maintain a master proposal
deck. Every time we write a new case
study, or a new description of a
deliverable, we add this information to
the master deck. This allows us to reuse
each section - we have affectionately
named this canned content.
When you reuse content over and over
again, there is a significant risk of
leaving behind a trail of old lead’s
information. Be sure to scrub your
canned content before you insert it into
the master deck - there is nothing worse
than getting someone’s name wrong!
PUTTING IT TOGETHER

HONESTLY, SOFTWARE DOESN’T MATTER

T H AT B E I N G S A I D , W E U S E K E Y N O T E . E V E RY. T I M E .
©2019 BEN BURNS

05 WHAT ARE PROPOSALS?

06 WHY DO THEY ASK?

07 WHEN TO SEND?

08 WHAT DO THEY EXPECT?

Design the Be consistent about your
brand’s visual language. Extend
proposal the brand into the proposal.

to match Don’t be afraid to break the

rules. Proposals don’t have to
your brand. be letter-sized.

But keep in mind: this is your

And design
chance–your one chance–to
completely control visual

it well. decisions with this client.

Make sure that you make a

good impression.
PROPOSAL BREAKDOWN

BREAKING A PROPOSAL DOWN

©2019 BEN BURNS

19 I N T RO D U C T I O N 24 TIMELINE

20 C APABILITIES 25 ADDITIONAL SERVICES

21 A B O U T U S 27 CASE STUDIES

22 RESPOND TO OBJECTIONS 27 TESTIMONIALS

23 PRICE AND SCOPE 2 8 T H A N K YO U

 SECTION ONE: INTRODUCTION
PROPOSAL BREAKDOWN
A unique
opportunity to
make a second
first impression.
Consider the first section of your
proposal not only as a chance to
reintroduce yourself well, but also to
©2019 BEN BURNS
continue the conversation naturally.
Use this section to identify, define and
remind them of who you are.
PAGE ONE
The Front Cover
There should be basic elements on your
proposal cover: project title, your
contact’s name, your business name, your
name, your contact information and the
date. Don’t miss anything here!
PAGE THREE
The Printable Version
This is huge. Recently, we found that
many potential clients will print out
copies of our larger proposals in order
to discuss at meetings. We suggest
having a clickable link to a simplified,
possibly black and white, version.
PAGE T WO
Introduction Letter
When you write an introduction letter,
you really want to speak directly to your
contact–whoever you spoke to directly.
This personal touch will go a long way to
creating your champion at the client.
PAGE FOUR
Table of Contents
This is the way you can time-box your
proposal. Give them the roadmap for the
proposal. We don’t always include this,
but it can be helpful for those clients who
have very little time, or already have a
good understanding of who you are.
SECTION T WO: SERVICES

PROPOSAL BREAKDOWN
It is likely that
they do not
know what you
are capable of.
This is vital: be sure you have at least
one page in your proposal that has an
easy-to-read list of all your services and

©2019 BEN BURNS

capabilities. A lead looking for logo
design may also be looking for a new
brochure. Help them connect the dots.
 SECTION THREE: ABOUT US
PROPOSAL BREAKDOWN

Learn how to
PART ONE PART T WO

Our Approach Our Strength

tell your story There are hundreds of thousands of

design studios and creative agencies in the
At Blind, we have an incredible office
space. While our team is strong in design

effectively.
world. What makes you stand out? Why and other skills, our space itself is visually
are you the best choice? Answer this stunning. I always include a picture of the
question by explaining your approach. space–it helps to paint the picture of us.

It is time to talk about you. PART THREE PART FOUR

The Team Recognition

Do not dismiss this section - writing it There is no better way to say, “I am we,” If you have won awards for your work,
than including team headshots and this is the place for them. All those
is not as easy at it looks.
biographies. Pictures of your team will trophies on your shelves should shine
humanize an otherwise business-y brightly from this page. But don’t
Not only does your story have to be
©2019 BEN BURNS

document. It is much harder to say no dedicate more than a page here–you

to someone’s face than a piece of paper. don’t want to be that guy.
unique enough to stand out from the
rest of the proposals, it also needs to
educate without seeming too boastful.
 SECTION FOUR: OBJECTIONS

Find their top three

objections, embrace
them, and pivot.
If you don’t have a signed contract yet, always assume that
there is something holding your lead back. Find what it
is. Your proposal is a great place to respond to objections,
even ones you have already covered in the sales cycle.

BEING BLUNT IS OK P I VO T G R AC E F U L LY

I wrote a proposal that literally read, I pivoted our lack of experience by

“We have no experience working with explaining how we embraced a learning
your industry.” It was big, bold, and culture that was so creative, we could
caught their eye. The lead appreciated bring completely new ideas to the table,
the honesty. We got the job. not just ones that are “tried and true.”
 SECTION FIVE: PRICING
PROPOSAL BREAKDOWN
Explain why
you are so
expensive.
The pricing section is the most
important piece of the proposal.
The way your pricing and statement of
work is structured will determine the
©2019 BEN BURNS
outcome of your new relationship.
Success is achieved by walking a fine
line between vague and detailed info.
01 THE INTRODUCTION
Put the lump sum up front
We recommend opening the pricing
section with a paragraph explaining that
the project will cost between X and Y,
with a brief overview that explains how
the payments will be structured.
03 THE WORDS
Describe, don’t oversell
If you find yourselves using adjectives
like “fantastic” or “great,” hit the pause
button. This is a place for facts.
Communicate clearly. Explain what is
included in each deliverable. Answer
questions about revision or page
quantities, delivery options, and hours
before they are asked. Speak human.
02 THE GRID
Follow with details
For those who want to dig a little deeper,
provide a grid that explains each
deliverable. Do not get too granular with
your price breakdown - one number per
deliverable is a great rule of thumb.
04 THE NUMBERS
Price strategically
Picking specific numbers for your bid is
an art form. Nice, round numbers are
great for conversations, but they may
appear fabricated on a proposal. We
recommend using numbers that detailed
to the tens or hundreds, depending on
your proposed budget (e.g. Use $2,380
instead of $2,500).
SECTION SIX: TIMELINE

PROPOSAL BREAKDOWN
Write your
timeline with
detail and
flexibility.
We use a graphical interface indicating
the number of weeks we believe each
deliverable in a project will take, on a

©2019 BEN BURNS

sliding scale. This visual structure helps
people understand the imperative
nature of quick approvals, and how
quickly a project can be delayed.
 SECTION SEVEN: OTHER RATES

Add a rate sheet

for things they
didn’t ask for. Yet.
Let them shop! If your company is positioned correctly,
the lead sourced you for a specific job, or even better, a
specific part of a job. They probably don’t know you can
do other things. This is where you let them know.

B E S P E C I F I C A L LY B ROA D P L AY T H E GA M E

Be detailed enough to position your
pricing in a certain bracket, without
being too specific. Leave room for scope.
For example, do you sell websites for
$5k-$10k? Or $50k-$100k?
Use these ranges to help the lead feel like
they’re getting a deal. For example, if
you are proposing $20k for discovery, be
sure your discovery range on your rate
sheet reads something like $20k-$50k.
 SECTION SEVEN: THE PROOF
PROPOSAL BREAKDOWN

Case studies are

meant to prove
you can walk
the walk.
Be sure to structure your case studies
like a story: describe the problem, your
journey to the solution, and the result.
©2019 BEN BURNS

Include case studies that your lead is

interested in, or ones that closely mirror
the needs of the new project.
 SECTION EIGHT: TESTIFY

Share your favorite

clients’ love, praise
and adoration.
Good testimonials are powerful tools in a sales process.
It is due to a psychological phenomenon known in the
marketing world called social proof (worth a Google).
Include about five of them after your pricing section.

B U T I D O N ’ T H AV E A N Y… CAN THEY REACH OUT?

Write your own. Seriously! Reach out
to a past client and ask them to write a
review for you, and include your version
as an option for them to use. They will
jump at simply using the one you wrote.
One of the most fantastic things I have
seen on a vendor’s proposal is a list of
references with contact information. I
talked to two of them who raved about
their experiences. My opinion? Worth it.
 SECTION NINE: THANK YOU
PROPOSAL BREAKDOWN

Communicate
value, from
page one to
thank you.
The thank you page is an oft-
overlooked page. Be sure to put a
unique spin on your proposal by
©2019 BEN BURNS

closing with value. Include a quote,

or a personalized signature, or your
cell phone number–something that
the other guys won’t think of.
IN CLOSING…

LET’S WRAP THIS UP

©2019 BEN BURNS

30 DELIVER THE GOODS

31 F O L L O W U P

32 FINAL THOUGHTS

33 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

34 SPECIAL THANKS
 HERE I AM, BABY

Proposal: signed,
sealed, delivered,
I’m yours!
Delivery is your opportunity to stand out. If you have
the means and ability to send a physical copy of your
proposal, do so. Especially if you can package it well.
Otherwise, make digital copies easy to manage.

T H E WAY W E RO L L PRINTABLE VERSION

Typically, our proposals are beastly. So
instead of bogging down our potential
client’s inboxes, we send a nicely written
email with a Dropbox link to the PDF
file. This goes over swimmingly.
We said this before, but it’s worth
reiterating. Inside your document, we
recommend including a link to a letter-
sized printable version of the proposal.
This will make it easy to distribute.
IN CLOSING…

BE HELPFUL, NOT ANNOYING.

F O L L O W U P F R E Q U E N T LY, B U T B E C O U R T E O U S . I T ’ S A B I G D E C I S I O N .
©2019 BEN BURNS

05 WHAT ARE PROPOSALS?

06 WHY DO THEY ASK?

07 WHEN TO SEND?

08 WHAT DO THEY EXPECT?

BEFORE YOU GO…

IN CLOSING…
JUST A FEW
Remember, your proposal is just the physical
representation of the deal you want to make. It
is not going to make a sale that was never
destined to happen. This is why I’ve stressed

FINAL
over and again to only send proposals when
you’re sure you have the deal in the bag.

As you send more proposals, you will want to

keep track of how many of them succeed. This

THOUGHTS
is what we call our close rate–the percentage of
sales attempts that lead to a contract.

A good rule of thumb is if you are hitting a

50% close rate or above, you’re doing great.
Anything less, and you have a few tweaks to
make. Many times, this is an indicator of
sending proposals too early, poor positioning,

©2019 BEN BURNS

You made it! Before you crush or simply not listening well to your leads.

your next proposal, I have a few Track your progress, celebrate your successes
final thoughts for you. and learn from your failures. You got this!
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS?

Ben Burns: designer,

creative director,
father of the year.
WHAT BEN IS UP TO KEEP IN TOUCH

Professionally, Ben is the @MrBenBurns @MrBenBurns

Digital Director of both @MrBenBurns @MrBenBurns
Blind and The Futur. @MrBenBurns_ @MrBenBurns
He loves speaking, writing,
@MrBenBurns @MrBenBurns
making videos, and growth-
@MrBenBurns ben@thefutur.com
hacking businesses.
IF YOU LIKED THIS…

You will love

my new course
on project
management
Matthew Encina and I collaborated on
this exhaustive video course about how
we manage projects successfully. If you

©2019 BEN BURNS

haven’t seen it yet… do so!

CHECK IT OUT HERE

 SPECIAL THANKS
As much as
I would like,
I cannot take
all the credit.
Special thanks to the entire team at
Blind for building this proposal over
the past twenty-odd years. Trial and
©2019 BEN BURNS
error has been flame in the forge,
creating a deck that has won literally
millions of dollars. Thanks guys.
O H , A N D BY T H E WAY, DUDE… WTF?
The beautiful photos! About this deck
Most of the photography in this deck was
drawn from Unsplash–be sure to check it out!
The Futur is comprised of a slew of
collaborators who contribute to The
Pg 003 ………… Photo by rawpixel.com Futur’s overall success. Each product has
Pg 005 ………… Photo by Redd Angelo its own author, and each author has their
Pg 006 ………… Photo by Helloquence own style. While the brand platform is
Pg 007 ………… Photo by Fabian Blank
Pg 008 ………… Photo by Uros Jovicic
consistently branded under The Futur, we
encourage each of our authors to design
Pg 009 ………… Photo by Nik MacMillan their products the way they desire.
Pg 010 ………… Photo by Ayobade Adebayo
Pg 011 ………… Photo by Josh Felise That’s why this is different. Deal with it.
Pg 013 ………… Photo by Glenn Peters
Pg 014 ………… Photo by Vadim Sherbakov
A N D F I N A L LY… YO U
Pg 015 ………… Photo by Roman Bozhko
Pg 017 ………… Photo by Allef Vinicius You rock. Seriously.
Pg 020 ………… Photo by Jamie Street
By purchasing this product, not only are
Pg 022 ………… Photo by Tanner Larson
you investing in your own growth and
Pg 024 ………… Photo by Brooke Lark
prosperity, but you are also helping The
Pg 025 ………… Photo by rawpixel.com
Futur accomplish our mission: to help
Pg 026 ………… Photo by rawpixel.com
creatives worldwide learn business.
Pg 027 ………… Photo by Jacob Culp
Pg 028 ………… Photo by Matt Jones
Sincerely, thank you!
Pg 030 ………… Photo by Japheth Mast
Pg 032 ………… Photo by rawpixel.com
IN CLOSING…

WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO FOR YOU?

S E R I O U S LY - H I T U S U P. W E WA N T T O S E E YO U G U YS G R O W.
©2019 BEN BURNS

05 WHAT ARE PROPOSALS?

06 WHY DO THEY ASK?

07 WHEN TO SEND?

08 WHAT DO THEY EXPECT?

©2019 BEN BURNS K AY BY E !

THANK YOU