Cadet
Regular price$29$14.50 / month
Founding price for your first 12 months
1 seat included
- Public proposal approval & signing
- Deposit on acceptance
- Proposal-to-invoice conversion
- Billable time tracking
- Public intake forms
Proposals
Consulting proposal template: the sections that win the work.
A consulting proposal is not a brochure. It restates the client’s problem in their words, shows a clear path to the result, and makes saying yes easy. Use this outline, keep it short, and send it within a day or two of the discovery call.
Reviewed
In short
A consulting proposal should include a short cover note, the situation in the client’s words, the objectives and how success is measured, your approach, the deliverables, the timeline, the investment (ideally two or three options), assumptions and what is out of scope, and a clear next step to accept. Most strong consulting proposals are three to six pages.
Consulting proposal template: the nine sections
Copy this outline into your proposal and fill in each section:
- Cover note: two or three sentences thanking them and summarising what you propose
- Situation: the problem and its cost, written in the client’s own words from the discovery call
- Objectives: the outcomes the engagement will deliver and how you will measure them
- Approach: the phases or steps you will take, and why this order
- Deliverables: what the client receives at each phase (reports, workshops, plans, implementation)
- Timeline: start date, key milestones and the end date or review point
- Investment: the fee, payment schedule and what is included, ideally as two or three options
- Assumptions and exclusions: what you need from the client and what is not included
- Next steps: how to accept (sign or approve online), the deposit, and the kick-off date
Example wording
Situation: “Your sales team spends about a day a week updating three spreadsheets, and pipeline reports are a week out of date.” Objective: “Within 90 days, one CRM pipeline that the team updates daily and leadership reviews every Monday.” Investment: “Option A — audit and plan, $4,500. Option B — audit, set-up and training, $9,800. Option C — Option B plus three months of support, $13,400.” Adjust the figures to your own pricing.
Present pricing as options
Two or three options let the client choose how much help they want instead of deciding yes or no. Order them so the middle option is the one you recommend, and make each step up add clear value. Fixed fees per phase are usually easier to approve than open-ended hourly estimates; for ongoing advice, offer a monthly retainer with defined limits.
Mistakes that slow a yes
Avoid these common problems:
- Starting with your firm’s history instead of the client’s problem
- Listing activities without the outcomes they produce
- A single price with no context or options
- Vague scope with no assumptions or exclusions
- No clear way to accept, so the decision drifts
Send it so the client can approve online
A PDF attached to an email is easy to forget. In Workspace369, proposals are built from the client record, clients approve them online, and the deposit invoice and contract follow from the same record, so the time from “yes” to kick-off is short. If a proposal goes quiet, a follow-up after three to five working days is normal.
FAQ
Common questions
How long should a consulting proposal be?
Usually three to six pages. Long enough to show you understand the problem and have a credible plan, short enough that a busy decision maker reads it all. Put supporting detail, such as case studies, in an appendix.
Should a consulting proposal include pricing options?
Often, yes. Two or three options with clearly different scope give the client a choice about how much help to buy, rather than a yes-or-no decision. Recommend one option and explain why.
What is the difference between a consulting proposal and a statement of work?
The proposal persuades: it explains the problem, approach and options. The statement of work, often attached to the contract after the client agrees, defines the chosen scope, deliverables, timeline and acceptance in contractual detail.
How soon should I send a proposal after the discovery call?
Within one or two working days, while the conversation is fresh. Tell the client on the call when to expect it, and suggest a short call to walk through it together.
Plans for freelancers
Pick the plan your work needs today.
Client records, proposals, invoices, online payments, time tracking and intake forms are on every plan. Upgrade when your work needs calls, texts or more.Voyager
Regular price$74$37 / month
Founding price for your first 12 months
2 seats included
Everything in Cadet, plus
- SMS messaging
- Voice & voicemail
- Shared inbox
- Missed-call text back
- No-answer forwarding
Specialist
Regular price$149$74.50 / month
Founding price for your first 12 months
10 seats included
Everything in Voyager, plus
- Online booking
- Expense tracking
- Payment plans
- Inventory tracking
Founding member offer: 50% off your first 12 months, for the first 100 customers who join by Oct 31. 14-day trial with a card, USD monthly billing. Compare all plans.
Switch & Save
Free account setup & migration help
Our team sets up your workspace with you and helps move your clients and invoices from the tools you use now.
Export your data as a spreadsheet and AI Import maps the columns for you. Support can help with anything unusual.
Offer ends .
Start free trial
After signup, claim free setup in your workspace.
Ready when you are
See where Workspace369 fits into your client-work flow.
Start with the modules you need today, then turn on AI, automations, accounting, inventory, requests, and reporting as the operation grows.
