What to Include in a Design Project Proposal 💡
If you’re a graphic designer, brand designer, web designer, interior designer, or even a fashion designer, WillowSpace is a fantastic CRM platform where you can create beautiful project proposals online.
So what goes into a good proposal? We’re going to outline what we have found works best to convert a lead into a paying client! 💸
What is a design proposal?
Ok, hold up. Let’s first make sure you know what we’re talking about when we say “design proposal”.
When someone reaches out to you to learn more about your services or to inquire about ways you can help them, you want to map out why you’re the best fit. This should be done in a project proposal!
When should you send a proposal?
A proposal can be sent at different stages of your process - it’s entirely up to you! Here’s how we make our decisions about when to send a proposal over at Function:
📬 When someone reaches out to us using our website form, we call them a Lead. If this Lead is reaching out, we will send them a general lookbook with more information about how we work with clients, our processes, services, general investment information, and timelines.
This is enough information to give the Lead a nudge towards booking a consultation with us where we can learn more about their business and how we can help.
If the Lead books a consultation, we will hop on a call and then send a proposal mapping out more detail specific to their needs.
📣 If we are the ones reaching out to a potential client or Lead, then we may opt to create a proposal ahead of time to show them why they should pay attention to what we can offer!
We’ll certainly put one together if we are responding to an RFP (request for proposals) or a job post as well.
How to create a design proposal?
It’s important that your proposal is well-designed. It might not seem like the most important part of getting a gig, but making your document legible, easy to read, easy to follow, consistent with your brand, and visually appealing will only help keep the Lead engaged and interested in reading further or taking the next step with you.
To help in making sure your proposal looks gorgeous, we recommend templates. Templates are your best friend. We LOVE templates. You can find some really great ones on Creative Market to get started! We have a proposal template we re-use to map out the following sections and then customize these to the Lead’s specific needs and project requirements.
What should you include in your project proposal?
Here are our favourite sections to highlight:
📝 Project Summary:
It’s best to start your proposal off with a brief summary including 1-3 main objectives for the project.
✅ Project Stages + Phases:
Break down the project scope into smaller milestones so your Lead can see the different stages. Within each stage, it’s great to include a list of tangible deliverables too so your Lead understands what’s involved in each part of the project.
🗓️ Project Timeline:
Make a visual timeline to show the specific milestones and projected due dates and deadlines. If you like to keep things flexible, you can simply list these using “Week 1, Week 2"…etc.
💵 Investment + Pay Schedule:
Map out the project investment in as little or as much detail as you are comfortable with. It’s also a good idea to outline the pay schedule for your Lead so that they can understand how much will be due, and when. Seeing $8,000.00 is one thing. Seeing 4 monthly payments of $2,000.00 is another!
📊 Project Benefits, Stats + ROI:
The proposal is a great spot to remind your Leads why investing with your business is best. We like to show stats on things like user attention spans and brand loyalty with our proposals at Function, and also like to outline how the Lead’s investment will give them a solid return on investment in the near future!
🖋️ Relevant Case Studies or Projects:
Show 1-3 projects you’ve completed in the past that are relevant or similar to the Lead’s project scope. This is the spot to show your talent and the results you’ve had with other projects! Share some testimonials or social proof here as well.
📢 About Your Business:
Finally, share why you’re the very best fit for this project. Give some insight into your processes, a bio, your team, your approach, your philosophies, and really focus on the personal connection with your Lead. Oh, and don’t be afraid to brag a little!
Create beautiful proposals that convert right in WillowSpace or upload your own.
Once a Lead gets your proposal, you’ll be able to see when they’ve viewed it, and they will be able to accept or decline (and provide a reason - invaluable insights!)
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