Solutions
AGDA Practice Note Written Proposal Template
Written Proposals
We advise our members to always provide written proposals to your clients. While writing a proposal may seem like a challenging task, you will benefit from the exercise in many ways:
•
your clients will perceive you as professional – any client who wants to do business without something in writing should be informed it is standard professional practice, in keeping with the AGDA Code of Ethics
•
you will have legal protection in the event that there is a dispute between yourself and the client – it is not unlike backing up your files, ie. the first time you actually need it makes it all worthwhile
•
project management will be easier – because proposal template encourages you to identify and allocate time to each stage of the project, it will be easier to keep track of project progress
•
your verbal communication skills will improve – verbal communication is the way you communicate with your clients, so ‘practice makes perfect.’
How to use this template
1.
Read through the entire document carefully – in particular, spend time on the
Terms & Conditions as they reflect only one way of working. You need to think about your preferred working style and add/delete/change clauses to suit. Work in conjunction with a solicitor when you do this. Instruct them to stick to ‘plain
English’ so that you can explain the clauses to your clients easily.
2.
Decide which parts make sense for you to include in your own proposals
3.
Copy and modify the text from the sections you have decided to use, and then save your new document in ‘Stationery’ format.
5.
For each new project, open your Template, use ‘Find & Replace’ to insert your client's actual name everywhere exists. All template items that are formatted as should be replaced with the actual information.
Tip
Don' t be afraid to re-use previous proposals, especially if you are dealing with a
Written Proposals
We advise our members to always provide written proposals to your clients. While writing a proposal may seem like a challenging task, you will benefit from the exercise in many ways:
•
your clients will perceive you as professional – any client who wants to do business without something in writing should be informed it is standard professional practice, in keeping with the AGDA Code of Ethics
•
you will have legal protection in the event that there is a dispute between yourself and the client – it is not unlike backing up your files, ie. the first time you actually need it makes it all worthwhile
•
project management will be easier – because proposal template encourages you to identify and allocate time to each stage of the project, it will be easier to keep track of project progress
•
your verbal communication skills will improve – verbal communication is the way you communicate with your clients, so ‘practice makes perfect.’
How to use this template
1.
Read through the entire document carefully – in particular, spend time on the
Terms & Conditions as they reflect only one way of working. You need to think about your preferred working style and add/delete/change clauses to suit. Work in conjunction with a solicitor when you do this. Instruct them to stick to ‘plain
English’ so that you can explain the clauses to your clients easily.
2.
Decide which parts make sense for you to include in your own proposals
3.
Copy and modify the text from the sections you have decided to use, and then save your new document in ‘Stationery’ format.
5.
For each new project, open your Template, use ‘Find & Replace’ to insert your client's actual name everywhere exists. All template items that are formatted as should be replaced with the actual information.
Tip
Don' t be afraid to re-use previous proposals, especially if you are dealing with a