Pricing & proposals
Quoting, scoping and talking about money without flinching. Filter by role, or search for the conversation you are about to have.
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I'm a…
Lead with the outcome, then the number. Never the number alone.
Subject: Quote for [project]
Hi [Name], Thanks for the detail on [project]. Here's what I'd suggest: **What you get:** [deliverable], [deliverable], [deliverable] **Timeline:** [x weeks] from [start date] **Investment:** [amount] That covers [what's included]. Anything outside it we'd agree separately before I start. Happy to walk through it if that's easier. [Your name]
Turns 'yes or no' into 'which one' — usually lifts the average deal.
Subject: Three ways we could do this
Hi [Name], Three ways to approach [project]: **[Option A] — [amount].** [What it covers.] Best if [situation]. **[Option B] — [amount].** Everything in A, plus [additions]. Best if [situation]. **[Option C] — [amount].** The full piece: [additions]. Best if [situation]. Most people in your position go with [B] — happy to explain why. [Your name]
Give at least a month's notice. Don't apologise or over-explain.
Subject: My rates from [month]
Hi [Name], A heads-up that my rate moves to [new rate] from [date]. It's the first change since [when], and it reflects [demand / scope / experience]. Everything already booked stays at the current rate. I've valued working on [project] and hope we keep going. Any questions, just ask. [Your name]
Say it in writing before work begins. It prevents most disputes.
Subject: Getting [project] started
Hi [Name], Delighted to be working on this. Before I start, the practical bits: • [X]% deposit ([amount]) to hold the [start date] slot • Balance due within [x] days of delivery • [X] rounds of revisions included I'll send the invoice today and get going as soon as it clears. [Your name]
When they've asked 'why so much?' — answer with scope, not defensiveness.
Subject: Re: the quote
Hi [Name], Fair question. Here's where the [amount] goes: • [Phase] — [x days] • [Phase] — [x days] • [Phase] — [x days] That's roughly [x] days of work. I could bring it down by dropping [element], which would take it to [amount] — the trade-off is [honest consequence]. Which would you prefer? [Your name]
After two or three successful one-off projects.
Subject: A steadier way to work together
Hi [Name], We've done [number] projects together now, and each one starts from scratch — briefing, scheduling, invoicing. An alternative: [amount] a month for [what's included]. You get [benefit: priority, faster turnaround, no re-briefing], I get a predictable schedule. Worth trying for three months to see how it feels? [Your name]
Ask early. It saves both of you writing a proposal that dies.
Subject: Re: [project]
Hi [Name], This sounds like a good fit. One question before I put anything together. Projects like this usually land somewhere between [low] and [high], depending on [what drives it]. Does that line up with what you had in mind? If it does, I'll send a proper proposal. If it doesn't, I'll tell you honestly whether there's a smaller version worth doing. [Your name]
The moment it changes. Not at the end, with the invoice.
Subject: [Project] — revised scope
Hi [Name], Happy to take on [the new request] — flagging that it sits outside what we agreed. Original scope: [summary] — [amount] Added: [new work] — [additional amount] Revised total: [amount], and delivery moves to [date] Confirm and I'll fold it in. [Your name]
Trade the discount for something. Never just hand it over.
Subject: Re: budget
Hi [Name], I can get to [reduced amount], but I'd want something in return so it's fair both ways: • [Paying in full up front], or • [A longer commitment], or • [A case study and a testimonial] Any of those work and we've got a deal. [Your name]
The note matters more than the attachment. Say the point up front.
Subject: Proposal — [project]
Hi [Name], Proposal attached. The short version: You want [their goal]. The blocker is [problem]. I'd fix it by [approach], over [timeframe], for [amount]. Everything else in the document is detail. If the short version works, we can skip straight to a start date. [Your name]
Nothing matches that
Try a plainer word, or clear the filters above.
A price presented on its own invites comparison with nothing. A price presented after what it produces invites comparison with the value of that outcome, which is the frame you want.
Every quoting template here follows the same order: what they get, when they get it, then the figure. That sequence matters more than the words around it. It also forces you to be specific about deliverables, which is what prevents the argument three weeks later about whether something was included. If you cannot list what the money buys in three lines, the scope is not yet clear enough to quote.
A single price turns the conversation into yes or no. Three turns it into which one, which is a far easier question for a buyer to answer and typically lifts the average value of the work.
The structure that works is a lean option that solves the core problem, a middle option most people choose, and a larger one that makes the middle look reasonable. Say which one you would recommend and why, because an unguided choice creates hesitation rather than confidence. Do not manufacture a fake premium tier; each option should be something you would happily deliver.
Asking early saves both sides from writing and reading a proposal that was never affordable. The way to do it without it feeling like an interrogation is to give the range first.
Saying that projects like this usually land between two figures depending on what drives the cost, then asking whether that lines up, is a normal professional question. It also demonstrates that your pricing has structure rather than being invented per client. If the answer is far below, you can say honestly whether a smaller version is worth doing, which is more useful to them than a polite refusal.
Discounting on request teaches the client that the original number was arbitrary, and it will be tested again on the next project. The alternative is to keep the rate and move the scope.
For your budget I would deliver this smaller piece is a constructive answer that keeps your rate intact and gives them a real choice. If you do discount, trade it for something concrete: payment in full up front, a longer commitment, a case study, or a flexible timeline that lets you slot the work into a quiet period. A discount exchanged for nothing is simply a price cut.
Rate increases are uncomfortable mostly because they are delivered apologetically. Announced plainly, with reasonable notice, they are usually accepted without much comment.
Give at least a month, state the new figure, and honour existing bookings at the old rate. One sentence of reason is enough and none is acceptable. Avoid over-explaining, because a long justification invites negotiation and suggests you are unsure. Expect to lose a small number of clients, and note that the ones who leave over a modest increase are frequently the ones who took the most managing.
Most proposals are too long and buried. The covering note matters more than the document, because it is what gets read, and it should contain the whole argument in four lines: what they want, what is blocking it, how you would fix it, and what it costs.
Everything in the attached document is detail for the people who need detail. Structuring it this way also gives your contact something they can forward or paraphrase to whoever approves the spend, which is usually not the person you have been talking to.
A good rate with terms that leave you unpaid for ninety days is not a good deal. Agree the mechanics before starting: deposit, milestones, the payment window, and what happens if it is missed.
Ask specifically whether a purchase order is required and who invoices should go to, because in larger organisations an invoice without a valid purchase order number can sit indefinitely with nobody telling you why. Five minutes of these questions at the quoting stage prevents the majority of payment problems, and asking them reads as organised rather than distrustful.
