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I used to write 3 page proposals until a client told me they only read the first paragraph | Talking to Clients - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals

adam414•2mo ago

I used to write 3 page proposals until a client told me they only read the first paragraph

For like 2 years straight I thought clients wanted all the details upfront. Scope, deliverables, timelines, backup plans, everything. Then last September a guy I was pitching to just flat out said "dude I only skimmed the first bit." That hit me hard because I spent 4 hours on that document. Now I keep proposals to under 10 bullet points. Anyone else find that shorter proposals actually close more deals?

4 comments

4 Comments

kim_mason552mo ago

Haha yeah that's basically what happened to me too! I started doing the same thing - just a quick paragraph first and most clients say that's plenty.

evan_grant702mo ago

12 times I've done a 2-page proposal and watched a client skip to the last page for the price. The one time I wrote a 3-sentence thing with a bullet point list they actually read it out loud to me over the phone. I swear clients can smell effort and run the other way. Now I just send a text message with the title and the number and wait for them to ask questions.

charlieh742mo ago

Wait hold on, that's not quite right actually. I mean the idea is good but saying "10 bullet points" still feels like too many. I tried the bullet point route too and found that even 10 points makes clients zone out. What really worked for me was cutting it down to 3 things max: what they asked for, what I'd do, and the price. Everything else is just noise to them. Also "scope, deliverables, timelines, backup plans" is way more than what any normal person wants to read in one go. Break those up into separate conversations. Save the backup plans for when they actually ask about risks. That way you're not dumping info on them all at once and they actually remember what you said.

the_robin2mo ago

Yeah "I only skimmed the first bit" hits different when you've put hours into a doc. What got me is that the short proposals actually made me think harder about what the client actually needs. I started sending like a 2 sentence version first, then asking if they want more detail. Half the time they say no.