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18 July 2010
Posted in
Project Planning & Management
One of my least favorite things to do over the course of my 15 years as a web developer has been writing proposals. I am not 100% sure why because proposals equal money and are usually the last step before you win work. Maybe I have a fear of commitment and am leery of promising what I cannot delivery. Or, maybe it's because many web site projects are scant on scope or direction and I am afraid I will omit something critical Whatever, the cause, I am sure many of you are in the same boat.
One of the most common things I hear from designers who are beginning to sell web work is “How should I structure my proposals?”
In this article, I will share what I believe to be a good proposal format and give some tips as to how you should craft each section. So, let's just jump in by starting with some overall thoughts on web site proposals.
Length
One thing I have found is that clients don't read proposals or contracts. There is a real customer service issue for me related to clients who fail to read a contract and then feel cheated when they realize what they agreed to much later. So, when you are talking about proposals, the shorter the better.
My proposals in the past have run anywhere from 2 to 5 pages depending upon the level of detail I am able to guess at from what the client has told me.
A one page proposal is too short in my opinion. Years ago, one of my clients agreed to a $30K contract with a 3rd party vendor that was based on 3 paragraphs of proposal. I told him that if I had known it was that easy to get his money, I would have done the same. (BTW – the vendor never delivered what was needed and the client was out $30K).
Format
I have always delivered a proposal that is also a contract, so sending this as a Word Document is good if the client wants to make revisions. However, PDF is fine as well. Printed is OK, but come on, this 2010!
Also, I know you are designers, but let's keep it clean and simple. A masthead is fine, but let's not go nuts. Yes, I understand that it is important to show off how creative you are in your proposals, but the client is most likely going to go straight to the page with the cost estimate and throw it away or file it, so let's make it easy on them.
Structure
This is where I start to talk about what to put in there, so pay attention...
Background
In many cases, the proposal is going to be plopped on the desk of upper management for approval with limited explanation. You should include who requested the work, when, why and with whom they spoke. Also, give some information about (high level) about the site objectives. No great detail here, just some short bullet points: “Cross reference new item parts with used items”, “Call attention to new products”,”address repetitive questions with ordering that are normally handled by the help desk”. This section should only be one to two paragraphs.
Scope
Not to be too cute, but “scope” can be a slippery slope. In this section, you are describing the types of work that will be performed by your team. You are not describing the actual deliverables. In this section, you should describe what you will be doing for the client. Here are some examples:
- Planning – My Great Design Firm will consult with client to identify the main sections of the web site and will deliver a site map of all site pages and navigation. We will also work with client to assemble site content and assets.
- Mock-Ups – My Great Design Firm will create mock-ups of each key page to be built. These will be very basic schematics that will be used to identify page components and layout.
- Site Design – My Great Design Firm will produce two design concepts for client review. Each concept will consist of one home page layout and one interior page. We will then refine these two into a single final design concept.
- Development – The site will be developed using the Joomla content management system and will be developed, tested and delivered for review.
As you can see, this section does not describe the actual pages to be built or what color or size the site will be. It is designed to make clear to the client the types of work you are being contracted to perform.
Site Outline / Deliverables
This is where you break it down. In our web designer certification program, we describe the process of creating a site outline as part of the initial consultation with a client. The site out is the one part of a web project in which you must “invest” your time (read as give away).
You are going to need to put some thought into this and the net results should be a fairly detailed outline of what the clients is seeking.
For example:
- Home page – rotating banner images. Each image will be one main product from each category.
- About Us – main page show mission
- team – one page with head shots, bios and email addresses
- contact – phone and main email plus form and embedded map
- Products Main page will show 6 categories
- 6 product category pages – each page will show 10 products per page and each product will have a buy now link as well as a link to more detail
- Product detail page – this page will contact a long description, possible PDF downloads and a link to view a larger image.
Of course there is a distinct possibility for the deliverables and site function or features to change as the project progresses. However, in doing this work, you demonstrate to the client that you understand what they want and that you are going to deliver something that is pretty close to the final design.
A word of caution: the client may want to make changes here. They may want to make a lot of changes here. Obviously, adding to this is good because it means more money. Detracting is OK, because it saves the client money. By tweaking and refining the detail of each item is called “consulting” and it is the part you are supposed to be getting paid for. Do not let a client go down this path. Explain to them that this is an estimate of both content and cost and that refining the specific is part of the project.
Estimated Cost
This is usually the section to which the client jumps directly, so why not put it first. Well, for us, putting it behind the the other two leaves the client in a place where they have to admin they skipped over (or read) the other two sections to get here. So, it is a fairly ok C.Y.A. tool.
The cost section should break out the project by scope item as described above. Many designers argue that it can be difficult to get a client to commit to paying for the planning and other activities that do not produce a super finite or tangible results. For those clients, I would say “OK, I will take off the planning phase and you can just call me when you have all that done.”
The final cost section will have line item break downs of each scope item and then a final price.
The other item that is important here is to establish that this is only an estimated cost and that the final cost is based on what it takes to do the work. You can explain that this is the work that you can do for this price, but if they change the work substantially or if they add to the work (for example, 4 design concepts with 6 rounds of revision), it will cost more. We have found that 20% is a pretty safe bet for changed scope or revised deliverables, so we use a clause that tells the client to prepare themselves for this in the final billing. This way, we do not have to kill ourselves with change orders every time they make a small change and they do not feel that they are being nickel-and-dimed to death.
Terms
Explain when and how much they pay. This can be whatever you want. If you are working with The Dev Department, we do 40% up-front, 30% when you deliver the site to your client and 30% when we are done.
We also include terms for when each invoice is due as well as terms for what happens when they pay late.
Timeline
This is the hardest to write and hardest to sell. The reality is that everything must be done yesterday and I think there is some article out there that is hidden from the design and development world instructing end clients that pushing for an unreasonable deadline is the only way to get the job done. What is so funny about time-lines is that the delay is almost always caused on the client end. So, you have to be very frank in this section. Standard (5 to 20 page) website projects take 8 to 12 weeks to complete. This seems long, but it is what it is.
This section can list out each phase and put a reasonable time-frame. You can include dates, but I would not recommend that. The client will only look at the dates as your responsibility.
Finally, make very clear that this is estimated and is based on your having what you need when you need it.
Legal Ease and Details, Details...
The items described above are what I consider to be the critical elements, but there are lots of other things you can include in your proposal:
- Intellectual Property Ownership
- Hosting and Technical Requirements
- Change order process
- Dispute resolution
- Warranties and Maintenance
There are lots of other things that could be included, but remember to keep it clear, concise and as brief as possible.
Delivering the Proposal
This is always tense. When you send a proposal to a client, you never know how they will react. However, it is really recommended that you go over this line by line. If you prefer to email it first, that is fine, but prior to closing the contract with them, you really should read over it with them so that you can be certain that they have actually paid attention to the contents.
A meeting is not a legal agreement
Once you have reviewed this with them. Get a signed copy. Simply showing them the proposal is not enough. In most cases, you will be fine, but you will ultimately get burned if you do not get it in writing. A signed contract also makes everyone take things more seriously.
In Summary
- Website proposals should be short – 2 to 5 pages
- You should include at least background, scope, deliverables, cost, timeline and terms
- Always review the whole thing before signing off
- Get a signed contract
Want to Know More?
We offer our certified web designers one-on-one help with writing proposals and estimating. We even have a sample proposal we can share. So, go get certified now!
Do you have a favorite way of proposing? Something we missed or did wrong? Tell us about it...
