I found the above video to also be helpful in providing me with inspiration in how to approach various aspects of my proposal. The video also covers information I have already covered in a previous post such as always speaking to your client before sending a proposal. However, there were also a few additional points made here that I felt would be helpful if I were to begin freelancing in future such as being aware of time wasters, e.g. someone that doesn’t actually have a job for you. You should verify and enquiry before sending out a proposal so that you’re not wasting your time. Another tip provided here is to make sure the project is important to your client as it will be very difficult to charge premium or even fair rates if they are not invested.

Outlined in the above video that there are four things clients are searching for in their project proposal. There are:

• How much does it cost?
• How long will it take?
• Do you really understand them?
• Can you really help them?

An important tip in the, how much does it cost?  section is that your costs should be broken down to justify the overall price but not too much so that the client can begin to ask you to remove certain portions from the design work to reduce cost.

I have covered how long will it take in my pricing as I am charging by the hour and have been transparent about this displaying the estimated hours and price allocated. I have also attempted to answer the do you really understand them? questions in my Project Overview. As this document is not the first point of contact a clear brief will have been delivered to me with project goals. I have attempted to present what I imagine the specific goals of this project might be and the problems the client is trying to address. It is also important to use the client’s vocabulary here which I have attempted to do using the project brief. I have addressed the can you really help them? question by incorporating how I plan to address these goals in my brief section and in my experience section as well by backing up my expertise in the area through stating my experience.

Another helpful tip was to include past work. As I develop in my design career I believe this will be very helpful and something I would definitely consider particularly if I have worked on similar successful projects in the past.