Have you ever felt overwhelmed when a client asks you to provide a proposal for your services?
I sure have.
As a creative entrepreneur, I love to be in the moment, creating, not in my head crunching numbers and selling my services. (Although I do love doing that stuff for my clients!) Starting my own business made me face the reality that I was going to have to stretch into this new realm in order to be a professional business person. One day, needing to create 3 new proposals, I started an internet search for proposal ideas. Guess what I found!
Bidsketch!
Bidsketch is a cool online application that makes proposal, or bid creation, super swift and easy. It’s set up so that you don’t even have to write the content! There are templates for common biz/tech industries like web design, marketing, social media management, content creation, etc. You can drag and drop all the different sections like “Social Media Challenges,” “Why work with us,” “Recommendations for your company,” “Delivering Content,” etc. There are various sections with the text already written out for these industries. You can edit any text you choose to use as you like.
You just enter your company info and info for your prospective clients. Then they plug it all into the proposal, with you picking the sections you want. They also keep your clients organized and provide a platform for your client to view, approve (with legally binding electronic signature), and write notes back and forth on your proposal. Alternatively, you can both also download pdfs. You can even track when your prospective client views and downloads pdfs of the proposal!
Best yet, they have the whole fee section all set up for you. You can enter initial one-time costs, monthly fees, hourly rates, optional fees, (think upgrades) and more. It manages the currency and does all the math for you. This section alone put my mind at ease and really held my hand so that I could complete real deal proposals.
The finished product looks slick with various styles to choose from, branded with your logo. (I wish the logo could play more into the proposal, like different sizes, on the bottom of each page, etc.) It also integrates with other cool apps like Basecamp and SalesForce.
I’m so grateful to Bidsketch for taking me through this totally intimidating process. I just got my first proposal win with a Bidsketch proposal. My new client said my proposal was so professional, to the point, and well thought out! She really appreciated how clear it was and how the fees were laid out. We just got off the phone and worked out final amendments and changes to some up with something we we’re both happy with.
Thanks, Bidsketch!!
Check them out here. They have various plans to suit your needs:
http://www.bidsketch.com
