Writing Proposals That Get Clients Excited

Architects: Stop treating proposals like contracts. The fastest ways to lose a client? Send them a 15-page proposal packed with legal terms before they’ve even said “yes.” I used to do this. I thought if I sent a comprehensive document upfront, it would show how professional I was. It didn’t. It overwhelmed people. It gave them more to question. Your proposal should be used as a selling tool, not a legal document. It should do two things: 01 // Get the client excited 02 // Make it easy to say “yes” That’s it. Keep it simple: - A short summary of outcomes - Proof you can do it - Options for working with you - An invitation to move forward That’s it. You can send the formal contract after they’ve agreed to move ahead.

Here’s the proposal template that helped me close over $100 million in enterprise sales: It’s also helped my clients close more than 50% of their deals when they use it. And until now, I’ve never shared it publicly. Most sellers are great at pitching features. But the ones who consistently win big deals? They know how to tell a great story. The truth is, executives don’t buy products - they buy confidence. They buy vision. They buy a story they want to be part of. If you want to sell like a top 1% seller, you need a proposal that doesn’t just inform… it moves people. Here’s how I do it 👇 The Story Mountain Framework for Sales Proposals: 1. Exposition – Introduce the characters and setting. Start with them: → “You’re trying to expand into new markets… to grow revenue… to unify your tech stack…” Set the vision. Make them the hero. 2. Rising Action – Lay out the challenges and obstacles. → “But growth stalled. Competitors moved faster. Customer churn increased.” Quote discovery calls. Surface real pain. Build emotional tension. 3. Climax – Introduce your solution. → “Then you found a better way…” Now show how your solution helps them overcome the exact obstacles you outlined. 4. Falling Action – Ease the tension. → “Here’s our implementation plan. Here’s the ROI. Here’s how others in your industry succeeded.” Give them confidence that this won’t just work—it will work for them. 5. Resolution – End with clarity. → “Here’s our mutual action plan. Let’s get started.” Lock in buy-in, next steps, and forward momentum. This structure has helped me close some of the biggest deals of my career—including an $8-figure enterprise deal at Salesforce where I used this exact approach. I broke it all down in this week’s training—and for the first time ever, I show you the actual proposal I used AND tell you how to access my Killer Proposal Template for free. 👀 Watch the full training here: https://lnkd.in/gPY_cvv5 No more boring product pitches. No more ghosting after the readout. Just proposals that close.

"You can't pitch in the passive voice!" That's the first rule of advocating for your ideas and the final bit of guidance I offer students as they get to work on a proposal to prospective clients, the last assignment in my brand-driven content strategy course. It's a lesson for all of us, outside of consulting too. 💡 This week, I wrapped up my 10th year teaching a graduate-level course in brand-driven content strategy. It was my eighth year teaching in #contentgraz at FH Joanneum, a remote program based in Graz, Austria, that attracts an international student body working in advertising, design, journalism, and other areas. They come from agencies and corporations where they're challenged to sell their ideas, advocate for budget, and clarify project responsibilities. And year after year, I've seen them make the same mistake: they don't communicate responsibility when they describe work they want to win and intend to do. Too often, those of us far outside the classroom don't do it either. 😬 For the final assignment, students craft proposals for brand-driven content strategy initiatives and present to their prospective clients. They know the activities to include in the scope. ✅ They've learned how to communicate their value. 💪 They have to take responsibility and say WHO will do this work--and somehow, that's where it gets scary. 😱 Are we afraid of pushback? Of overcommitting? Of being held accountable to the activities and budget we propose? If you're pitching work you want to win, don't shy away in passive voice. Now is the time to speak decisively and power forward. Wield your active voice like an unforgiving broadsword! (Sorry, I've been playing a lot of HeroQuest.) I left them with this post in our Slack channel: --- As you're writing your proposal, pay attention to detail, especially the key element of professional writing that's vital to proposals: you can't propose to do work in passive voice. Passive voice doesn't indicate ownership, or who will do the work:  "An audit will be performed" 🤮  "A message architecture exercise will be conducted" 🤮 Active voice says who will take responsibility:  "Together we'll identify communication goals" 😍  "I recommend we speak with stakeholders" 😍  "I will create a style guide" 😍 --- Clear communication empowers people with information to help them trust themselves and make good decisions. Don't miss out on the work you want to do by failing to communicate that you're the right person to do that work. #contentstrategy #designeducation