Quote & Proposal Drafting for Agencies

Draft a retainer SOW from the discovery call notes and standard service modules.

INPUTS:
- Prospect: [name, company, stage, industry]
- Goals discussed: [from discovery]
- Pain points: [from discovery]
- Services requested: [matched to your module library]
- Budget band mentioned: [from discovery]
- Timeline / start date target: [from discovery]

STRUCTURE:

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (3–4 sentences)
   - Their goal, our approach, expected outcome

2. SCOPE OF WORK
   - Monthly deliverables (quantified: '4 blog posts at 1,200–1,800 words each,' '2 landing pages per quarter,' etc.)
   - Cadence (weekly status, monthly strategy call, quarterly QBR)
   - Team (who works on the account, hours allocated)

3. TIMELINE
   - Onboarding: weeks 1–2
   - First deliverable: week 3
   - Steady state: month 2 onward

4. FEES
   - Monthly retainer: $[X]
   - One-time onboarding: $[Y] (optional)
   - Change order rate: $[Z]/hour for out-of-scope

5. TERMS
   - 30-day notice to cancel
   - Retainer invoiced 1st of month, net 15
   - Scope changes via written change order only

6. EXCLUSIONS (always include)
   - Paid media spend (client's card, pass-through)
   - Third-party software subscriptions
   - Usage rights on talent / stock (billed separately)
   - Travel

ENFORCE: retainer minimum $[X]. If below, flag 'BELOW MINIMUM — principal decision needed.'

For every qualified prospect, generate three tiers:

ESSENTIALS — $[X]/month
- [Core deliverable]: [quantity]
- [Core deliverable]: [quantity]
- Monthly status call
- Ideal for: early-stage, clear single-channel focus

STANDARD (recommended) — $[1.8X]/month
- Everything in Essentials
- Added deliverable: [X]
- Added deliverable: [X]
- Weekly status + monthly strategy call
- Ideal for: scaling brands ready for integrated approach

PREMIUM — $[2.8X]/month
- Everything in Standard
- Added: dedicated senior strategist, custom dashboard, quarterly QBR
- Priority support
- Ideal for: brands with aggressive growth targets or complex stacks

CLOSE: 'Most of our clients choose Standard because [reason]. We're happy to build a custom blend if none of these fit exactly — reply with what's missing.'

Standard exclusions on every SOW:

1. Paid media spend — pass-through on client's card, not part of retainer fee
2. Third-party software / tool subscriptions (HubSpot, Webflow, Figma pro seats, etc.)
3. Stock photo / music / font licensing
4. Talent fees for models, voiceover, influencers
5. Printing, production, and fulfillment costs
6. Travel and per diem
7. Legal review of campaigns / creative
8. PR / media buys outside our stated channel mix
9. Custom dev outside the stated CMS/platform
10. Data migrations / integrations with new systems
11. Translation / localization
12. Crisis comms / emergency response outside business hours
13. Work performed on holidays or with <72 hours' notice (rush rate applies)

Any of the above can be added via change order at $[X]/hour (time + materials) or fixed-fee scope.

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT: Every proposal includes: 'Outside-scope strategic work (additional channel launches, new service lines, major creative overhauls) is billed as a separate engagement — quoted before work begins.'

You are a professional proposal writer for [Business Type]. Using the following client intake information, write a professional service proposal.

Client: [Name/Company]
Service needed: [Service]
Scope: [Scope details]
Timeline: [Timeline]
Budget indication: [Budget]

The proposal should include:
1. Executive summary (2-3 sentences)
2. Understanding of the client's need
3. Proposed approach/scope of work
4. Deliverables
5. Investment (use placeholder: [PRICE])
6. Next steps

Tone: Professional but approachable. Clear and direct. No jargon.

Subject: Following up on your proposal — [Company Name]

Hi [First Name],

I wanted to follow up on the proposal I sent over on [Date]. Have you had a chance to review it?

Happy to jump on a quick call to answer any questions or walk through the details. What does your schedule look like this week?

Best,
[Your Name]