Client Proposal Generator for Marketing Services

Skill Purpose

Generate a professional, client-ready marketing services proposal. This skill produces a complete proposal document that positions the agency/consultant as the clear choice, frames pricing with anchoring and tiered options, and includes ROI projections to justify the investment.

When to Use

• User wants to create a proposal for a prospective marketing client
• User has completed a discovery call and needs to formalize the engagement
• User wants a template for their marketing agency's proposals
• Triggered by /market proposal or /market proposal <client name>

How to Execute

Step 1: Gather Proposal Inputs

Collect these details from the user (ask if not provided):

About the Client:

1. Client name and company
2. Industry and business model
3. Current marketing situation (what they're doing now)
4. Primary pain points or challenges
5. Goals (revenue, growth, leads, brand awareness)
6. Budget range (if known)
7. Decision timeline
8. Key stakeholders and decision-makers

About the Services:

1. What services are you proposing? (SEO, paid ads, content, social, email, full-stack)
2. Engagement model (retainer, project, performance-based)
3. Proposed timeline
4. Your relevant case studies or results

If audit data exists: Check for any previous /market audit results. If found, automatically incorporate the findings into the Situation Analysis section for a data-backed proposal.

Step 2: Discovery Call Question Framework

If the user hasn't had the discovery call yet, provide these 10 essential questions:

Business Understanding:

1. "Walk me through your business model. How do you make money?"
2. "Who is your ideal customer? Describe them in detail."
3. "What does your sales process look like from first touch to closed deal?"

Current Marketing: 4. "What marketing are you doing today, and what's working or not working?" 5. "What's your current monthly marketing spend, and what's the ROI?" 6. "What tools and platforms are you using?"

Goals and Expectations: 7. "If we're wildly successful, what does that look like in 6 months? 12 months?" 8. "What specific numbers are you trying to hit? (Revenue, leads, traffic)" 9. "What's the lifetime value of a customer for you?"

Decision and Process: 10. "Who else is involved in this decision, and what's your timeline for choosing a partner?"

Bonus Questions:

• "What's your biggest frustration with marketing right now?"
• "Have you worked with agencies or consultants before? What went well or poorly?"
• "Is there anything that would make you say 'no' to working together?"

Step 3: Build the Proposal Document

Section 1: Cover Page

[Your Company Logo]

Marketing Strategy Proposal
Prepared for: [Client Name]
Prepared by: [Your Name / Agency]
Date: [Date]
Valid until: [Date + 30 days]

CONFIDENTIAL

Section 2: Executive Summary (1 page max)

Write a concise summary that:

• Acknowledges the client's situation and goals
• States the core problem you will solve
• Previews your recommended approach
• Hints at the expected outcome
• Creates urgency to act

Template:

[Client Name] is at an inflection point. With [current situation -- e.g., strong product-market fit but inconsistent lead generation], there's a significant opportunity to [desired outcome -- e.g., scale customer acquisition to support your growth targets].

Based on our analysis of [what you reviewed -- their website, ads, competitors, etc.], we've identified [X] key areas where strategic improvements could drive [specific result -- e.g., a 40-60% increase in qualified leads within 6 months].

This proposal outlines a [timeframe] engagement focused on [primary service areas], designed to [primary outcome]. Our approach is built on [your differentiator -- e.g., data-driven methodology, industry expertise, proven frameworks].

We recommend beginning with [first phase] to establish baselines and quick wins, then scaling efforts based on performance data.

Section 3: Situation Analysis (2-3 pages)

Present your analysis of the client's current marketing. This is where audit data from /market audit is invaluable.

Structure:

1. Current State Overview -- What they're doing now and how it's performing
2. Opportunities Identified -- Specific areas where improvement is possible
3. Competitive Landscape -- How they compare to competitors (from /market competitors if available)
4. Key Challenges -- Obstacles that need to be addressed
5. Market Context -- Industry trends and benchmarks

Important: Frame everything as opportunities, not failures. The client should feel understood, not criticized.

Good: "Your website converts at approximately 1.8%, which is below the industry benchmark of 3.2%. We see a clear path to close this gap through targeted CRO initiatives."

Bad: "Your website has a terrible conversion rate and needs a complete overhaul."

Section 4: Strategy and Approach (2-3 pages)

Present your recommended strategy. Be specific enough to demonstrate expertise but not so detailed that they could execute it without you.

Structure:

1. Strategic Framework -- Your overall approach and methodology
2. Phase 1: Foundation (Month 1-2) -- Setup, audits, baselines, quick wins
3. Phase 2: Growth (Month 3-4) -- Core campaign execution, optimization
4. Phase 3: Scale (Month 5-6) -- Expand what works, cut what doesn't, increase investment in winners
5. Ongoing: Optimize -- Continuous improvement, reporting, strategy refinement

For each phase, include:

• Specific activities and deliverables
• Expected outcomes
• How success will be measured

Section 5: Scope of Work (1-2 pages)

Detail exactly what is included (and what is not).

Include:

• Specific deliverables with quantities (e.g., "8 blog posts per month, 1,500-2,000 words each")
• Meeting cadence (e.g., "Bi-weekly strategy calls, monthly reporting")
• Response time commitments (e.g., "24-hour response on business days")
• Tools and platforms included
• Reporting format and frequency

Explicitly Exclude:

• Items outside scope to prevent scope creep
• Additional costs (ad spend, software, stock photos)
• Assumptions about client responsibilities

Client Responsibilities Section: List what you need from the client to be successful:

• Timely feedback and approvals (specify SLA)
• Access to accounts, tools, and data
• Designated point of contact
• Content approvals within X business days
• Ad budget (separate from management fees)

Section 6: Timeline (1 page)

Visual timeline showing phases, milestones, and deliverables.

Month 1    | Month 2    | Month 3    | Month 4    | Month 5    | Month 6
-----------|------------|------------|------------|------------|----------
FOUNDATION | FOUNDATION | GROWTH     | GROWTH     | SCALE      | SCALE
Audit &    | Quick wins | Campaign   | Optimize   | Expand     | Full
Setup      | & baselines| Launch     | & iterate  | winners    | throttle

Key Milestones:
- Week 2: Complete audit and strategy document
- Week 4: First campaigns live
- Month 2: First performance report
- Month 3: Optimization recommendations
- Month 6: Comprehensive review and strategy refresh

Section 7: Investment (1-2 pages)

Present pricing using the Good-Better-Best tier structure.

Three-Tier Pricing Model: