8 Tips to Write Proposals as a Freelancer
Freelance websites and other online platforms enable freelancers to find gigs easier and faster. According to an analysis report by The Balance Careers, 25% of freelancers can find freelance work in just 24 hours. That is why, as a freelancer, it is in your best interest to craft better proposals that increase your chances of getting hired.
8 Tips to Write Proposals as a Freelancer
Thanks to digital technology, you can now leverage the internet in marketing and boosting the promotion of your service and online reputation. With your freelance profile on online platforms, clients will be tracking you and will most likely contact you first. But that’s not the case every time. Sometimes, you may need to make the first move by sending a bid proposal to a prospective client. So, in this blog, we’ll share with you eight tips to write winning proposals to encourage clients to hire you.
Study the Client’s Needs
Before you start writing a proposal, you need to know all about your clients first, especially their needs concerning their projects. Try to understand the vision and business goals they want to achieve and develop a broader view of their possible demands. If they posted their projects’ descriptions on a job vacancy board, make sure to read them thoroughly.
By studying a client’s needs, you’ll be able to come up with solid ideas on how you should approach them. Plus, it’s impossible to write an enticing bid proposal if you don’t have a clear overview of your audience. This method of studying clients is also one way to establish a common ground with them. As you get to know clients, you’ll find some things about them that you can relate to, and that’s an essential step in forging a good relationship.
Know Your Strengths
Another thing you need to do before writing a single word on your proposal is assessing your competency level to work for a client. You need to know whether your strengths as a freelancer is enough to deliver quality output and meet the client’s expectations. To make things easier, go over a client’s job posting and see his or her project’s qualifications checklist.
If you find out that your skillset and tools match with a client’s requirements, you’ll have all the right reasons to pursue that client and make them a part of your clientele.
Begin with an Engaging Pitch
Keep in mind that other freelancers are pursuing the same client you’re targeting. In other words, you have competition. For that reason, starting with an engaging pitch on your proposal is vital. The first sentences and paragraphs of your proposal should be appealing and enticing. In that way, a client will likely consider your bid and invest time to read it.
Grab the client’s attention by writing a statement that sums up your capabilities and the success that you can deliver. In this situation, you have to exercise your marketing skills.
Make It More About the Project
Although writing a proposal is a way to sell yourself and earn more money, it doesn’t mean that it should be solely about yourself. Instead, a good proposal should focus more on the client’s project and their needs.
After all, you’re bidding to work on a client’s project. So it’s fitting to make set it as the main topic of your proposal. The client could get discouraged from reading your proposal if it barely talks about what you can offer for their projects. A proposal shouldn’t be a display of your professional background, but rather a preview of how you can help a client.
Present Solutions
Like we’ve said, a proposal should talk more about what you can offer. So when you write it, you have to present solutions to a client to solve his or her problems and make the project successful. By doing so, the client will certainly pay attention and will read the entirety of your proposal.
Show the client your game plan. Make the client understand how your set of solutions can fulfill his or her vision and expectations. For example, if you’re a social media consultant, you can present a client with various social media strategies to help him or her gain followers.
As a freelancer, you need to explain to clients how you’ll adjust your productivity and plot your schedule to work on their projects. You can also present a cost-effective budget estimate to inform a client that he or she doesn’t have to spend much. To sum it all up, the goal of offering solutions is to gain the trust of a client.
Show Your Credentials
We did emphasize that your proposal should be more about the client’s projects and needs. But, you still have to showcase your credentials on your proposal. They’re proof that you’re the right freelancer for the job.
On your proposal, you can talk briefly about your freelancing background, such as the number of projects you’ve completed and how often you receive referrals. However, the most important thing you need to show is your portfolio. Why? Well, that’s because the client will surely want to see concrete evidence of how good you are. In general, presenting a portfolio is among the crucial tips for freelance workers in attracting new clients.
State Your Rate
When freelancing, you need to receive payments from each of your clients to have a steady income. Money is a language that’s never out of the equation when talking about business. So, make sure to state your rate on your proposal.
This will give the client an idea of how your quotation will add up, which allows them to assess whether they can afford you or not. With that in mind, you need to ensure that your rate is reasonable and not too relatively expensive. Probably, no client will ever want to hire you if your price is too steep. Setting your price ranges too high may turn off prospective clients especially if they do not yet know how you work.
End with a Call to Action
After writing everything that you need to say, end your proposal with a call to action. Entice the client to give you a call or contact you via email at any hour in case he or she wants to hire you. That said, you need to state your contact details, particularly your phone number and email address. After that, make sure to thank the client for the time he or she spent reading your proposal. And lastly, before you send your proposal, take a few minutes to proofread it for typos and grammatical errors. A flawlessly written proposal creates a positive impression on the client.
In freelancing, meeting trusted clients, getting more work, and signing contracts is just one good proposal away. So, take note of everything that you’ve learned here. Execute them on every bid proposal you’ll write in your freelance career, and you’ll always get the best clients in the industry.
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