Sales and Onboarding
Proposal Template SOP
A written proposal sent after every discovery call that converts a qualified prospect. The proposal is not a brochure — it is a mirror. It reflects back what the prospect told you, shows you understood their situation, and presents one clear recommended path forward.
Rules before you send:
- Send within 48 hours of the discovery call — urgency decays fast.
- Pre-schedule the kickoff call before sending the proposal. Include the date in Section 6.
- Enable read receipts on the email (or use a tool like HubSpot, Proposify, or your CRM’s email tracking).
- If no open in 48 hours, follow up by phone — not email.
Who Owns It
Section titled “Who Owns It”Account Executive / Owner — writes or reviews every proposal. Templates can be filled by a VA for repeat situations, but the owner must review before sending.
How to Build the Proposal
Section titled “How to Build the Proposal”Use this 6-section structure in order. Each section should be short and readable — no walls of text. Bullet points over paragraphs. The prospect should be able to read the full proposal in under 5 minutes.
Section 1 — Situation
Section titled “Section 1 — Situation”Purpose: Demonstrate that you listened. This earns trust faster than any case study.
Write 3–5 bullet points that mirror exactly what the prospect told you on the discovery call:
- Their current revenue range and business stage
- How they currently get customers (and any gaps)
- What they’ve tried before and what didn’t work
- Their biggest frustration or constraint right now
- The specific 12-month goal they described
Example:
- Currently generating approximately $X/year, primarily from referrals and repeat customers
- Limited Google presence — GBP not fully optimized, no paid search running
- Tried running Facebook ads internally 18 months ago — didn’t generate quality leads and stopped after 3 months
- Main constraint: inconsistent lead flow in Q1 and Q4
- 12-month goal: steady pipeline of 15+ new qualified jobs per month so you can hire a second crew
Do not add information they didn’t tell you. Do not make assumptions. Use their words when possible.
Section 2 — Desired Outcome
Section titled “Section 2 — Desired Outcome”Purpose: Anchor the investment to a real outcome, not a list of services.
State specifically what success looks like 90 days from engagement start. Be concrete.
Example:
By the end of Month 3, our shared goal is:
- Your Google Business Profile appearing in the top 3 map results for [primary service keyword] in [city]
- A minimum of [X] inbound leads per month tracked to our campaigns
- Google Ads running profitably at a cost per lead under [$X]
- A review generation system in place with at least [X] new reviews collected
These numbers should be realistic and tied to what you discussed on the call — not inflated to impress. Under-promise here, over-deliver in execution.
Section 3 — Our Approach
Section titled “Section 3 — Our Approach”Purpose: Explain what you’ll actually do and why it fits their specific situation.
List the services included in your recommendation with a one-line “why this” explanation for each.
Example:
| Service | Why It Fits |
|---|---|
| Google Business Profile Optimization | Your GBP is incomplete — this is the fastest win available |
| Local SEO (on-page + citations) | You have referral traffic but no organic search presence |
| Google Ads (search campaigns) | Fastest way to generate leads while SEO builds |
| Review Generation System | You have happy customers but no systematic ask process |
| Monthly Reporting + Strategy Call | You mentioned past agencies went dark — we fix that |
Do not pad this section with services they don’t need to make the proposal look more impressive. Relevance beats volume.
Section 4 — Investment
Section titled “Section 4 — Investment”Purpose: Present the pricing clearly, without hiding the numbers.
Recommended tier: [TIER NAME]
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Monthly retainer | [$Y]/month |
| One-time setup fee | [$X] |
| Ad spend (managed separately, paid to platforms) | [$Z]/month recommended |
| Contract term | [X months — or month-to-month after initial term] |
| Billing date | 1st of each month (or on contract signing date) |
| Payment method | ACH or credit card via [payment platform] |
Payment terms:
- First month’s retainer + setup fee due on signing
- Monthly retainer auto-billed on the same day each month
- Ad spend billed directly to client’s card on file with the ad platforms — never flows through our account
What happens if we don’t hit the 90-day goals? State your policy clearly here. Example: “If we haven’t hit the lead volume targets in Section 2 by Day 90, we will extend services at no charge for one additional month while we diagnose and fix.”
Section 5 — What We Need From You
Section titled “Section 5 — What We Need From You”Purpose: Set expectations before signing. Surprises during onboarding destroy trust.
Access we’ll need in the first 7 days:
- Google Ads — admin access added to [your agency Google Ads account]
- Google Analytics 4 — admin access
- Google Search Console — owner access
- Google Business Profile — manager access
- Meta Business Manager — admin on ad account and page (if applicable)
- Website CMS — admin login
- Domain registrar — access for DNS changes (if applicable)
Your responsibilities in the first 30 days:
- Respond to requests for access within 24 hours (delays delay results)
- Approve ad creative and copy within 48 hours of submission
- Complete the onboarding intake questionnaire by [date]
- Attend the kickoff call on [pre-scheduled date]
- Designate one primary point of contact on your team
What we never need:
- Your personal passwords. We will always request access through official platform sharing features.
- You to manage anything we’re handling. That’s what you’re paying us for.
Section 6 — Next Step
Section titled “Section 6 — Next Step”Purpose: Remove friction from the decision. Everything is already scheduled.
Sign the proposal: [e-signature link — DocuSign / PandaDoc / HelloSign]
Your kickoff call is already on the calendar: [Day, Date, Time, Timezone] — [video call link]
Once you sign, you’ll receive a welcome email with the onboarding checklist and a short video from your account manager. We start work within 24 hours of receiving all platform access.
Questions before signing? Call [name] directly at [phone number].
Follow-Up Sequence If No Response
Section titled “Follow-Up Sequence If No Response”| Day | Action |
|---|---|
| Day 0 | Proposal sent + read receipt enabled |
| Day 2 | If not opened: phone call — “Just wanted to make sure it landed.” |
| Day 2 | If opened but no reply: email — “Any questions I can answer?” |
| Day 5 | Phone call — check in, ask if they want to talk through anything |
| Day 10 | Final email — “I want to make sure I’m not holding a spot open if the timing isn’t right.” |
| Day 14 | Mark as cold in CRM, move to nurture sequence |
Never drop the price unsolicited during follow-up. If they raise budget concerns, address them — don’t preemptively discount.
Definition of Done
Section titled “Definition of Done”- Proposal sent within 48 hours of discovery call
- Kickoff call date included in Section 6 (already pre-booked)
- Read receipt or open-tracking enabled on proposal email
- Follow-up task created in [YOUR CRM] for Day 2 if no open
- Proposal stage updated in CRM pipeline