Client Proposal Generator
What You Get
A prompt that takes your discovery call notes and turns them into a structured proposal — problem statement, scope, deliverables, timeline, pricing, and terms. No fluff. No corporate jargon. Just a proposal that mirrors their problem back to them and shows exactly what you’ll do to solve it.
The Prompt
Copy this into Claude. Fill in the bracketed sections with your notes from the call.
You are a freelance proposal writer. Write a professional, one-page proposal based on these discovery call notes.
Client information:
- Client name: [Name]
- Their business: [What they do / industry]
- Client contact: [Name and title]
What they told you on the call:
- Their main problem or frustration: [What they said, in their words]
- What they're trying to achieve: [Their goal or desired outcome]
- What they've already tried (if anything): [What's failed or what they've done]
- Their timeline or deadline: [When they need help]
- Budget or constraints they mentioned: [Any budget signals or constraints]
What you're proposing to do:
- Core deliverables: [List what you'll actually produce/deliver]
- Why this approach works for them: [Why this solves their specific problem]
- What success looks like to them: [How they'll know it worked]
Your pricing:
- Model (hourly/project/retainer): [Specify]
- Total investment: [Amount]
- Payment terms: [Net 30, 50% upfront, etc.]
Timeline:
- Start date: [When]
- Key milestones: [Dates and what happens then]
- Completion date: [When it ends]
Terms or conditions:
- What's included: [What they get]
- What's not included: [What's out of scope]
- Any other terms: [Payment schedule, revision limits, etc.]
Write the proposal as follows:
1. Problem Statement (2-3 sentences): Reflect their problem back to them using their exact language. Don't soften it. If they said "our email is a disaster," say that. Show you listened.
2. Proposed Solution (3-4 sentences): What you'll do and why it works for them specifically. Connect it to their goal.
3. Scope & Deliverables (numbered list): List exactly what they're getting. Be specific. "Marketing strategy" is vague. "12 Instagram posts, 4 weeks of captions, 1 content calendar" is clear.
4. Timeline (with milestones): Show the journey. When do they get updates? When's the first deliverable? When's it done?
5. Investment (with breakdown if needed): State your price clearly. No apologies. Include payment terms.
6. What's Included / What's Not: Make this explicit so there's no scope creep later.
7. Next Steps: How do they move forward? (Sign and send back, schedule a kickoff call, etc.)
8. Basic Terms: Keep it simple. Mention revisions included, cancellation policy if you have one, or anything else that matters.
Tone:
- Write like a confident professional, not a desperate freelancer.
- Lead with their problem, not your bio.
- Use their language, not marketing jargon.
- Short sentences. Active voice.
- Keep it under 2 pages.
- End with clear next steps.How to Use It
Step 1: Capture your notes. Right after the discovery call (or within a few hours), open the prompt above and fill in the bracketed sections with what you learned. Be specific. Write down their exact words when they describe the problem.
Step 2: Paste into Claude. Dump your notes into Claude (or use this as a skill in your Claude setup). Hit send.
Step 3: Edit and send. Claude will spit out a draft. Read it. Make sure the problem statement uses their language. Tweak pricing or timeline if needed. Then send it within 24 hours while you’re fresh in their mind.
The magic happens in step 1. The best proposals mirror the client’s own language back to them. If they said “our social media is a mess,” your proposal should say “your social media is a mess” — not “we’ll optimize your social media presence.” Same problem, their words. That’s what makes them feel heard.
Example Output
Here’s what a real proposal looks like using this method. (Local restaurant, email marketing + social media project.)
PROPOSAL: Email & Social Strategy for Rosemary + Thyme
Problem Statement
Your email list is sitting there doing nothing, and your Instagram looks like it hasn’t been updated in three months. You’re losing repeat customers because they don’t hear from you between visits, and new people have no idea what makes you special.
Proposed Solution
We’ll build an email and social strategy that keeps your best customers coming back and turns new people into regulars. You’ll have a weekly email that actually gets opened, consistent Instagram posts that show your food and personality, and a calendar you can hand off to whoever’s running social next month.
Scope & Deliverables
- Email strategy audit + list segmentation (by customer type: regulars, occasional, lapsed)
- 8 email templates ready to send (welcome series, weekly specials, post-visit follow-up)
- 12 weeks of Instagram content (captions, posting schedule, hashtag strategy)
- 1 content calendar (editable, yours to keep)
- Setup and training on your email platform (MailerLite or Klaviyo, your choice)
- 2 revision rounds included
Timeline
- Week 1: Strategy audit + setup. You’ll get the email templates and content calendar draft.
- Week 2: Revisions based on your feedback.
- Week 3: Setup + training call. Your team learns how to send emails and post.
- Weeks 4–15: You own it. We’re on Slack if you hit snags.
Investment
$2,500 total. 50% deposit to start, 50% on delivery. This includes everything above.
What’s Included / What’s Not
Included: Strategy, templates, calendar, training, 2 revision rounds, 30 days of Slack support.
Not included: Ongoing email sends, monthly social management, copywriting beyond the templates, paid ads setup.
Next Steps
If this feels right, let’s move forward. Reply with:
- Your preferred email platform (MailerLite, Klaviyo, or Mailchimp)
- A signature on the attached agreement
- Your best email for the kickoff call invite
We’ll start the week after we get your signature.
Terms
50% deposit is non-refundable after Week 1. Invoices due net 30. You own all deliverables. If you want to pause or cancel before Week 2, we’ll refund your deposit minus 10%. After Week 2, the deposit’s locked in.
That’s it. Simple. Clear. No fluff.
Tips
Send it fast. You have 24 hours after the call. Ideally, 4 hours. The longer you wait, the more they start shopping around.
Use their exact language. If they said “we’re losing customers because they don’t know what we do,” write that sentence back to them in the problem statement. Don’t translate it into marketing speak.
Always include “What’s Not Included.” This is how you prevent scope creep. If it’s not on the list, you don’t do it. Period.
Price like you mean it. If you’re not a little uncomfortable with your price, it’s too low. You should feel a tiny bit of resistance when you hit send. That’s the right signal.
CTA
Want help building yours? Book a Build Session — $350 for a 90-minute working session where we build your proposal template, pricing structure, and client onboarding workflow.
Built with Claude. Every prompt in this playbook library has been tested in the latest Claude model.