A proposal has two jobs. Most only do one.
Job one: get the numbers right. What you're building, what it costs, what's included. Most contractors do this well.
Job two: answer what the customer is really deciding. Should I hand a stranger a lot of money for something that doesn't exist yet? A price list says nothing about that.
A proposal that only does job one is a price with a logo on it. It gets compared to the other two on price. Nothing else.
What goes in
The four questions every homeowner is asking.
Answer them in this order. The job before the money. The money before who you are.
01
What are you building?
Say the job back to them before any price. It proves you understood, and lets them fix a mistake while fixing it is free.
The job, in their words
Plain words, no takeoff.
What is included, by trade
So the number has a shape, not just a size.
What's not included
Written to help, not to cover yourself.
What you assumed
Site conditions, permits, what the plans showed.
02
What does it cost, and what could change it?
The fear isn't the change. It's the surprise. Say how the price can move and how they pay, before they ask.
Allowances, with your markup
What each one covers and what you charge if they go over.
How changes work
How they get priced and approved when they happen.
When they pay
Tied to milestones, not dates.
03
Who are you, and can I trust you?
Every homeowner wonders. Almost none ask. Answer it on the page, with things they can check.
Who will be on the job
Names. Who runs it, who they call, which subs you use.
Past jobs like theirs
Not your six best. The ones closest to their job.
License, bond, insurance, warranty
Numbers, not claims.
What other customers said
Two or three, on work like theirs, with names.
04
What happens next?
End on what they do now, not on a signature line.
The schedule, and what can move it
A range is fine. Say what could push it.
How to say yes
What happens the first week after, and how to reach you.
Leave out
Three things that make a proposal worse
Your company philosophy. Nobody hires a contractor for a mission statement.
Stock photos. A homeowner can tell. Then they wonder what else isn't yours.
Legal language where plain words would do. Write the clause. Then say what it means underneath.
Check yours
Three questions about the last proposal you sent
Could they read the job section and correct you on it?
Does it say what happens when something changes?
Are the past jobs like the job you're quoting, or just the ones you're proudest of?
Most proposals miss at least two. Not because the contractor doesn't know the answers. They say all of this on the walk-through. It just never makes it onto the page.
Doing all of this on every bid
It's a lot. That's why most proposals are a price and a page of terms. The hard part isn't knowing what goes in. It's doing it on every bid, in the same week you're running three jobs.
That is what Finishwork does. You send the estimate. It builds the rest.