Another thing you have to do is part of the sales process is write proposals.

Not very easy thing to do especially if really

you're a designer or a developer at heart.

But it's really important is your opportunity to standout from the crowd,

it's your opportunity to grab the perspective client's attention.

The first thing to do before you even start writing a proposal,

is talk to the client, pick up the phone

and have a chat with him before putting pen to paper.

It's a chance to ask questions

and a chance to show your expertise and start a conversation.

It's a chance to build a relationship.

Just receiving a printed document through is one thing

but having a conversation with the client is quite another.

It changes the whole dynamic of the relationship

and increases the chances of you winning the work a hundredfold

because you show that you care about the project,

you ask intelligent questions, and you come across as the expert.

You build a relationship.

Don't be afraid to challenge the client when you have those conversations as well.

Clients actually want you to provide alternative approaches.

They don't want to spoon feed you. They want you to be the expert.

So it's perfectly okay to may be suggest the old alternative approach to things.

So, when it actually comes to writing the proposal,

how detailed should that proposal be?

Well the answer as with all things is it depends.

It depends on the size of the project for a start.

If it's a massive project, then they can expect the fairly detailed proposal.

If on the other hand it's small piece of work,

then really an email probably is enough.

It doesn't just depend on the size of the project, however,

it also depends on the depth of the brief that you've received.

If you received an invitation to tender or request a proposal,

whatever you want to call it and it's really detailed,

then probably your proposal should be very detailed as well.

If they've not included so much detail, then fine.

You don't respond with this much detail.

It's important to understand the aims of the proposal.

Why are you creating one?

Well, first is to demonstrate your expertise.

It's about giving a sense that you know what you're talking about

and a sense of what it would be like to work with you.

Ultimately, it's all about providing confidence.

A confidence to the client that you can deliver on their project.

So what goes into a proposal?

Well, there's so many things that could go into a proposal

but they don't only to go in there for single one.

Like I said, it depends but some other things would include

a summary of the tasks.

You need to write out what you're going to do for the client.

Fairly obvious. Isn't it really?

But you also need to cover your suitability.

What makes you the right choice for the client?

You need to talk about time scales. And don't be afraid to be honest here.

You're better off saying if you're going to go over that time set scales

rather making promises you can't keep.

Clients are often very grateful for the honesty in the documentation.

And if you are saying that it's going to take longer than your competitors,

then they might begin to wonder what the competitors are up to

but if you are going to go over on the time scale, you need to justify why that is,

otherwise, they're not going to believe you.

Then there is pricing. Of course, I've already mentioned that.

That needs to be in your proposal as well.

You also need to cover things like project management.

How often is the client going to hear from you?

How is the relationship going to work?

Is it going to be via email? Will there be meetings? What's going on there?

You need some back testing. What devices are you going to test on?

Set some kind of parameters there;

otherwise, they're going to be wondering why their website

isn't working in all sense.

Hosting, we need to talk about that as well. That's a really important thing.

Are they going to be hosting it or are you going to be doing that.

Who's going to be managing that process

and what costs that are associated with that?

Discuss technologies as well.

That's a really important area because you don't want to suggest the technology

that their hosting environment can't support.

Most proposals also should include references. That's a really important thing.

So that the client can go and talk to your existing customers

and find out whether you're really as good as you claim.

Finally, try and say a little bit about the team

that would be working on the project.

Why those people are suitable?

If it's you--Why you are a great web designer? What makes you different?

If it's with other people, make sure you show exactly

who's going to be working on the project.

Most of all, make sure your proposal is well written and visually engaging.

Put as much work into your proposals as you do into your website.

It is massively important that these documents are really, really good.

Get somebody else to check it as well because that makes a huge difference.

Ultimately, a proposal is your page.

It's how you're presenting yourself to the client.

So it needs a lot of time and lot of intention.