If you have a creative, service based business and are ambitious and wish to grow, creating brilliant proposals is one of the most important skills to master. It took me a while to design the perfect proposal layout and process, but when I did, it directly helped me to secure my dream clients and work on bigger and better projects, which in turn created a successful business and vibrant work/life balance.

How though do you create the perfect proposal?  What are the skills involved? What questions should you ask? And what are the long-term benefits of a brilliant proposal?

the benefits

Brilliant proposals will enable you to secure the projects you really want to work on, increase your communication and develop trust with your clients, help you to reach bold financial targets, and in turn open up a whole new world.

My proposals enabled me to secure the projects that had bigger budgets, which offered enormous creative freedom. They helped me to raise my profile within both my industry and beyond – bigger projects meant incredible photos, social media buzz, editorial features and inspiring collaborations.

They offered me huge opportunities to expand my world, collaborating with brilliantly creative people and enabling me to positively challenge my skills and develop new ideas - both within my design work and business as a whole.

And finally, they enabled me to grow my business and profitability to a stage where I could choose which projects to work on, and politely decline others. Through my proposals, I also finally gained financial independence a healthy and vibrant work/life balance. And I believe whole heartedly that all of this is possible for you …

WHERE TO START

The very first step is to be meeting/speaking with your ideal client. Creating these opportunities takes time and effort, but is ENTIRELY possible. Note that I have focussed on the proactive here - almost every significant project I have ever worked on, has almost always come from being proactive, and still today, rarely do incredible projects simply arrive in my inbox! Setting goals for yourself will help you to be ‘proposal ready’ – here are my top tips:

1. WEBSITE/LANDING PAGE - to perfectly reflect you and your brand. It needs to have beautiful, clear photography, considered words and a superb layout. You don’t need a website with 20 pages, one perfect, considered page is much more valuable than 20 which are crowded, confusing and put together in haste.

2. PORTFOLIO – again less is more. Your best work, beautifully photographed and presented within a portfolio/online gallery, that is tasteful and perfectly represents your brand and style. This need not be endless designs/projects, it can simply be a few very carefully selected images, close ups and full shots, of one design that perfectly depicts your style and brand.

3. BE PROACTIVE - compile a list of your dream clients - whether these are venues, brands, agencies, other designers - introduce yourself, share your portfolio, ask questions and find out what they look for in a supplier. Be enthusiastic, professional, polite and approachable, without being pushy.

4. TALK OPENLY - openly share and tell people the types of projects you would love to work on. Word of mouth and asking for help is exceptionally powerful. Say it out loud, exactly what you are aiming for, and you might well be amazed the direction this takes you in.

When all of these steps lead to an initial request from your dream client, you are ready for your first meeting …

THE FIRST MEETING

It is hugely important to listen. When I started my first role, fresh from university and full of excitement and chatter(!), my manager at the time calmly said that I had two ears and one mouth, and suggested that I use them in that proportion; kind and incredibly helpful words that I have never forgotten!

When meeting a potential client, always prepare your questions in advance (I will talk more about this next week) and then listen intently, absorb as much information as you can; this is crucial to enable you to create a winning proposal.

As creatives, often we can hide a little from self-promotion. However, if you really want to work with your dream clients and grow your business, you have to learn to sell with confidence and authenticity. You needn’t be pushy at all, in fact, I actively discourage this, instead, simply focus on your natural skills … through your high levels of empathy (chances are, this will be a natural skill of yours), you will become the most phenomenal, gentle sales person.

When you are face to face with a client, this is the time to listen, to really understand who they are and their vision, and in turn, when you come to create your proposal, you will be so confident that you know exactly what it is they are looking for, that you can align your ideas and suggestions perfectly.

And, it is hugely important to be exactly yourself in these meetings. You want to connect and develop trust with your dream clients, and that will come from being authentically you.

A WINNING PROPOSAL CREATES:

1. TRUST - Your proposals will show your client that you have truly listened to what they want and that you can perfectly meet their brief, with ideas that are aligned with their vision and budget. This will build trust. Your client knows that you listened, that you understood and that you care, and in turn, they will know that they are in safe and capable hands.

2. GOOD COMMUNICATION - Your proposals provide a platform for you to share your ideas, creativity and brand in a way that is completely within your control. A thoughtful, considered proposal will leave your client in no doubt who you are and what you can do for them. And if your meeting is hugely positive, your proposal will reaffirm to them that you are the perfect person for their project.

3. GENTLE SALES TOOL - Your proposals are perfect, gentle sales tools; they share details of your brand, your skills, your knowledge, understanding and level of professionalism, and that you listen and can be trusted. You can easily and gently promote yourself, aligning your suggestions with exactly what your clients are looking for.

HOW TO CREATE A WINNING PROPOSAL

1. CREATE A TEMPLATE – No one has time to create something from scratch every time you need to put a proposal together. Spend time on an initial base design, one that perfectly represents you and your brand, and that you can reuse and edit again and again.

2. PREPARE YOUR QUESTIONS - In advance, prepare all the main questions, use these as key pointers to help you gather all the answers to, to be able to suggest perfect ideas. And be ready to adapt and take your questions further, depending on the brief.

3. IDENTIFY YOUR DREAM PROJECT - Think carefully and really know what your dream project would look like and who your dream clients will be. As you become more intentional and proactive, you will be more focussed and aware of potential, aligned opportunities as they come up. Without this clarity, it is very easy to miss potential opportunities.

A great proposal will not only reflect your client’s vision, it will also sell you authentically, in a wholly gentle and positive way, a way you will feel very happy and comfortable with! It will directly boost your confidence, help you reach your financial targets and move towards a vibrant and healthy work/life balance.