Write client proposals with Claude

What you'll make

A professional client proposal — scope of work, deliverables, timeline, price and terms — generated from your notes after a client call or message exchange. Ready to send as a PDF or email.

What you need

• A Claude account
• Notes from a client conversation (what they want, what problems they mentioned, budget hints, deadlines)
• Your pricing (hourly rate or project rate)
• 30 minutes

Steps

1. Paste your conversation notes into Claude and ask for a structured proposal:

I had a conversation with a potential client. Here are my notes:

Client: [business name, what they do]
What they want: [e.g. a new website, a redesign, a landing page for a specific campaign]
Problems they mentioned: [e.g. current site is slow, no mobile version, can't update content themselves]
Budget hint: [e.g. they said "around [amount]", or "not sure yet", or nothing]
Deadline: [e.g. "before the holidays", "no rush", "end of month"]

Write a proposal with these sections:
1. Summary — what the client wants, in their words (2–3 sentences)
2. Scope of work — bullet list of what I'll deliver
3. What's not included — 2–3 things that are out of scope (to prevent scope creep)
4. Timeline — phased with dates or durations
5. Price — total cost, with a note about what happens if scope changes
6. Next steps — what I need from them to start

Keep the tone professional but warm. No jargon they wouldn't understand.

2. Add your pricing details so the price section is realistic:

My pricing for this project:
- [If project rate]: Total project price is [amount]. 50% deposit to start, 50% on completion.
- [If hourly]: Estimated [X] hours at [rate]/hour. I'll track hours and bill monthly. Cap at [amount] unless we agree otherwise in writing.

Write the price section using these details. Include a line about what happens if they ask for work outside the scope (charged separately at [rate]/hour, agreed in advance).

3. Ask Claude for a shorter email version:

Now write a shorter version of this proposal as an email I can send to the client. Keep it under 200 words. Include:
- One sentence summarising what we discussed
- The scope (condensed to 3–4 bullets)
- The price and timeline (one line each)
- A question to move things forward

The full proposal will be attached as a PDF — this email is the cover note.

4. Review the proposal. Check that:

• The scope matches what the client actually asked for (not what you think they should have)
• The "not included" section covers things they might assume are included
• The price reflects the real effort — if Claude's estimate seems low, adjust it

5. Save the proposal as a PDF (paste into Google Docs or any editor, export as PDF) and send with the email.

Check your result

• The summary uses the client's words, not your interpretation of what they need
• The scope is specific enough that you could point to each deliverable and say "that's done" or "that's not done"
• The "not included" section prevents at least one likely scope-creep scenario
• The price and payment terms are clear and include what happens if scope changes
• The email version is short enough to read without scrolling

If the proposal feels too long or formal for the client, ask Claude for a casual version: "Rewrite this proposal as a simple email — no sections, no headers, just a friendly message that covers what I'll do, when, and how much." Small business owners often prefer a plain email over a formal document.