The Proposal Problem Most Agencies Create for Themselves

Let's talk about proposals.

You'd be amazed how many agencies I speak to that just send their proposals to clients and don't present them.

If you simply send the document over, most clients will do exactly the same thing… scroll straight to the budget. Which means they never hear your thinking. Your rationale. The strategy behind the recommendation.

When you present it live, you control the narrative. You give the flavour, the context, and you can answer questions in the moment.

Your proposal then doesn't need to be War and Peace, but if the client wants a more detailed version, send that after your presentation so they can circulate internally.

It starts with the brief

Before we even get to presenting the proposal, we need to make sure what we're proposing is right.

And that starts with the brief.

If the brief isn't clear, you end up guessing. Guessing the priorities. Guessing the budget. Guessing what success actually looks like for the client's business.

And when you guess, one of two things usually happens. You either miss the mark completely, or you spend the next three weeks going back and forth trying to reshape the proposal into something that works.

Neither is a great experience for you or the client.

A strong proposal always starts with a strong brief.

Answer the brief, and bring more

Here's another thing I see agencies get wrong.

They focus so heavily on answering the brief (which is fundamental) that they forget something important: you can still bring additional thinking.

Yes, answer the brief. That's non-negotiable.

But if you see an opportunity the client hasn't considered yet, add it. Show them you're thinking commercially about their business, not just mechanically responding to questions.

That's often where the real value appears.

Set realistic expectations

One of the fastest ways to damage a new relationship is to overpromise in a proposal. It's tempting, especially when you're trying to win the work. But agreeing to things without realistic budgets, timelines or resources almost always leads to disappointment later.

Clients don't lose trust because something went wrong.

They lose trust when what was promised doesn't match what was delivered.

So be clear. Be realistic. Set boundaries early.

Before your next proposal

• Do we actually have enough information to respond properly?
• Do we understand how the client will measure success inside their business?
• Do we know the budget range we're working within, or are we guessing?
• Have we clarified the timelines and expectations?
• And are we being realistic about what can actually be delivered within those constraints?

Because the quality of your proposal will only ever be as good as the brief you start with. And getting that right saves everyone a lot of time later.

Jo x