When To Send A Proposal?

When should you send a prospect a proposal? Is there an ideal time to send a proposal? When is it appropriate and when isn't it? Ben Burns walks you through the ins and outs of proposals.
Check out the Perfect Proposal here: thefutur.com/c...
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Host: Ben Burns
Producer: Mark Contreras
Cinematographers/Editors: Jona Garcia
Social Team: Elle Money, Alex Burlui
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Typefaces: Futura, DIN, Helvetica Now, Calibre, Knockout, Champion Gothic

[@thefutur]

Check out the Perfect Proposal here: thefutur.com/course/perfect-proposal

[@badgersack5303]

Listening to Ben makes me think about the capability deck he mentioned in another video, is that within this package?

[@kabeperry6774]

Can you guys make a contract template

[@Jowyerv]

I really like Mr Ben Burns, the way he talks is gentle, clear pronunciation and the words he uses are easy to understand. and he started his career from the bottom, which I found he's very relatable.

[@mrbenburns]

Aw thanks so much!!

[@thefutur]

this is true.

[@ThugLifeModafocah]

Just sent a proposal today and now I'll look into all those contract details you listed. Thank you.

[@adamdavis582]

I would love to have the ability to watch a video from you guys going through the details of how to draw up a great contract. A lot of what you detailed in terms of the many sections of a contract I've spoken about with clients, but never put it down on paper. Having that as a resource would be extremely helpful to me & I'm sure to others. I own the proposal asset, would even pay for a contract asset! Love your videos y'all.

[@B-Moye]

Really great stuff here! Always leave out something throughout this timeline, but it's good to ensure that everything gets discussed or at least acknowledged before getting in deep with a project.

[@mrbenburns]

Thanks B!

[@baobabmultimedia5221]

Thank you so much Ben

[@MichaelDeVowe]

So good. I used a very similar sales process to win a $6,400 video production project with a manufacturing company. Finished the shoot last week. Keep up the great content!

[@sankritk2609]

A detailed video on CONTRACTS please! Much love!

[@ASKKPRODUCTIONS1038]

Would love to see content on different types of licensing/distribution and what is best to aim for

[@thecalabiyaumanifold]

Could you please do a deep dive on the contract. Thank you!

[@TheAGArtStudio]

250K for a logo design. Sign me up! Great content, always detailed advices... Thank you!

[@mrbenburns]

Just a small flex there no worries 💪😆

[@revolvency]

I'm glad I renegotiated the "right to reproduce" term with my client, they are big client, and would be massive loss for me if I can't put that work in portfolios. Thanks Ben!

[@ibrahimal-khalaf8008]

Fantastic value delivered here. Thanks for sharing!

[@joshcollins9125]

Where’s the “before you send a proposal” video. I think you called them capability packs

[@1.5Koreans0.5American]

Great topic. Exactly what I wanted.

[@mrbenburns]

Thanks Jade!

[@victoramona9190]

Me too

[@Balsalmo]

Succinctly put! The Futur gang is a treasure!

[@EhteshamShahzad]

Ben Burns: use keynotes instead of powerpoint. Keynote is better. Also Ben Burns *uses keynotes as I use powerpoint* Edit: still love the video and this channel.

[@JoeyHillenbrand]

This video really made me see the importance of contracts. I've never used one with clients before, but now I'm seeing why I should. If thefutur released a contract template, I'd be willing to pay for something like that.

[@moyounesii7876]

Like Button Demolished!

[@mrbenburns]

You are awesome.

[@swetabhushan798]

@@mrbenburns so are you Mr. Ben Burns. Fell in love with the way you and Matthew Encina deliver a video especially after watching the 'Building a Brand' series. Wish to see more of such series if it's possible for you all. Also, I check with many of your videos when in doubt or when I want to learn something new. It's such a pleasure watching any of your videos (and Matthew Encina's too). Thanks a million ton for the content you bring forth for all of us.

[@victorhime-flutumusic8342]

Such a great content!

[@filmkreation]

Hit the 1000th like :) Thank you for all the value you guys bring to the community!

[@brendanwhipple6787]

Weird question for the group: Does anyone know what "genre" (for lack of a better term) you might call the music he's using in the background? I've been wanted to look up that kind of music for my teams internal training videos and for ambient working music during my day. But I can't find it or any sort of label to speed up the search. I feel like this style is used everywhere and I really like it, but I've had no luck so far.

[@thefutur]

Can someone help?

[@nb08]

First😄

[@mrbenburns]

🏆

[@michaelg424]

Long-time subscriber, first-time commenter. This is exactly what I have been looking for (for what seems like forever), but have either been unable to find it or it hasn't been explained half as well as you have done in this video. Great job Ben. Thanks as always for the invaluable content that you provide!

[@thefutur]

Awesome!!

[@mrbenburns]

Michael thanks so much for the note, and thanks for breaking the silence!

[@adamnigro9182]

Great timing on this video. Going through this process right now. Can a proposal sometimes act as a contract, specifically for smaller projects under 2k? I did this on my last project and put in the proposal that a 50% non-refundable deposit is needed before work can commence. By them depositing the money to me, doesn't that signify acceptance of the terms outlined in the proposal?

[@mrbenburns]

I’ve done it in the past and it’s turned out just fine. At the very minimum, make sure you’re at least talking with the client about the stuff I listed in the contract section above. Make sure that the scope is well defined and that you both have an understanding on who owns what. There really isn’t a budget limit when it comes to contracts, so follow your best judgement

[@adamnigro9182]

@@mrbenburns Thanks man! Keep the great content coming!

[@napostrophen]

I think this was very informative. As a student graduating within a year and not knowing a whole lot about proposal/contracts, I enjoyed the video.

[@mrbenburns]

Thanks!

[@HaiderDesigns]

Loved it.

[@andomaker]

Hi Futur, I'm interested in starting to work as a freelancer and I need to create my own legal documents. Is "The Legal Kit" aimed at USA residents or are the contracts designed to work anywhere around the world? I'm from Australia so I'm not sure whether I should buy the kit or not. If you/anyone who has purchased this themselves could let me know, that'd be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[@littleoceandrop]

Why separate the Proposal from the Contract? Why not have Proposal/Contract in one doc?

[@BolinasFrank]

I remember trade shows ... thank you so much for this useful information!

[@mrbenburns]

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...

[@rahulvikhe]

Second

[@ck-dm7bt]

Exactly what I did in my last project. Exactly the same step by step. This helped me actually to look more professional then we have the legal bindings. This is also a good tool to track the process. I actually charged them more than I ever charged a client. Possibly 3 times my previous year price.

[@mrbenburns]

Congrats, Shouvik! I hope you celebrated the win :)

[@ck-dm7bt]

@@mrbenburns yes sir!

[@ck-dm7bt]

@Ida Eriksson, Folkmusiker 🙌

[@surajbk5230]

did you send them a contract?

[@ck-dm7bt]

@@surajbk5230 Yes I did send them a contract. If you want a copy of it. Please share you email I'd. 😊

[@hegoathome7251]

One thing I'd say about the Perfect Proposal it's in the name. It really is the perfect proposal.

[@mrbenburns]

Hehe thank you 😊

[@zohaibmalik819]

Really great information. Hoping such more video in "Futur". 👍

[@xpez9694]

good stuff!

[@morganfreedude3004]

Loved it!

[@jeielsanusi4747]

Pls what do you mean by "Process Snapshot"? Could you talk about that briefly?

[@laparmoron]

These are topics that most designers is struggling with..thank you for bringing these up

[@anilkenth75]

4th

4:45 I’m here at this step ready to send a proposal for a very small project. $1000 to $3000 budget range. What is should next Mr.Ben Burns ?

[@awaisabbasi9284]

Love it♥️

[@homebusinessdad]

Excellent video Q. When meeting with a prospect, after intro (hello etc), when does one ask about budget? Should this be the first question? I usually have a discovery form, which has a question about their budget, and this is SENT to them before the first phone call. But what I've found, is they put a lower amount on the form, than what they are really willing to pay for, AFTER they've spoken to me...lol

[@mgurney88]

You created this video two years ago and the value is still just as relevant for today. I've purchased the perfect proposal and it's great!

[@thefutur]

Thank you

[@TheSlateAcademy]

I have a small teaching business. We offer private tuitions for IGCSE and A levels students. My question is, does this proposal step apply to us. We have an admission form which is rough equivalent of a contract. Having heard Chris often talk about proposal I was wondering if it's relevant to small businesses such as us.

[@michaelfrancisragragio9813]

Thank you for the details. Very helpful.

[@michaelfrymus]

No samples of the proposal? Because after much searching I can't find anything good that relates to my field of photography. Should you always be sending a proposal? Or is it fine to just skip it and send the invoice/contract?

[@thedisciplinedstrategist5925]

How can you lay out a specific scope without strategy first? So how can you onboard a client without knowing what you're gonna do and for what price (cause you didn't do strategy yet)?

[@vboytyagi]

I have a question regarding the logo identity design projects. How do we guarantee that the logo being designed will not have any trademark disputes? Do we include the trademark clause in the contract? If we get the logo trademarked for the client, do we need a legal consultant for the same? And how do we propose the price of this activity?

[@sfnick92]

Really great stuff. I saw the perfect proposal on the website, but what about the contract? Would be super helpful to see.

[@shawnfrank5303]

I keep coming back to this video but I feel the bit of information I am looking for is probably not in this video. There are those clients which are not completely sure what they want or are fishing for a price and I remember one video where you send the client an average rate card of how much projects with you could cost so they know if they qualify themselves. I'm not sure if this is in another video or this is a document part of the perfect proposal package ?

[@JDubeta]

Thanks so much @Ben Burns and @TheFutur! Really valuable guidance and insights. Between inputs from you and @Ran Segall, I took notes and created my first proposal, and it turned out great! Will let you guys know if I got the bid! Cheers!

[@jibranelbazi]

Great video! Only thing I didn’t like was the background music (too loud).

[@annadrawsnow]

Wow so helpful- many insights ! Thank you Ben 💫

[@alwayjohnrallos7359]

Pleaaase, make a detailed or example video on the "Contract" you mentioned. Thanks to The Futur

[@pascalrunkarhanu2672]

i really appreciate, thank you for this video

[@ngwayibrianngwani8587]

Thanks

[@VisualAnthony]

If we purchased the Perfect Proposal in the past, do we get the updates for free?

[@thefutur]

Yes

[@mrbenburns]

🎶 always and forever...

[@VisualAnthony]

MrBenBurns sir, you are the man! Keep it up.

[@pjow3054]

Third

[@johnmathewrosario4625]

Thank you. I gained so much clarity about what I'm doing. Someone told me that proposal is actually unnecessary and you can go putting things into contract or agreement immediately. I disagree, though. Proposal has its purpose that can't be done by rushing your client to commit immediately. Since then, I was nailed into thinking if I should do one or not--and now I (still) will make proposals. Thank you so much, again.

[@nemanjaantonijevic2436]

Really valuable stuff! Thanks for this! I'm not sure if everything can be implied to a blind pitch tho? Or is it quite the same?

[@mrbenburns]

Blind pitches are very different - check out Matthews content about pitching. I’ve avoided these my entire career ;)

[@nemanjaantonijevic2436]

Haha, as honest as it gets! I'll definitely check it out. Thanks Ben!

[@yassinekaissi2701]

I will definitely implement these tips into my business. Thank you so much Ben! And The Team.

[@nomannoorali]

Hey guys long time no see ben

[@mrbenburns]

👋

[@tribalmediahouse3560]

This was great Mr Burns

[@alistairholmes3825]

Awesome stuff! just in time as i just got an inquiry

[@Smart-Alex]

Tell us more about the 250K logo :)

[@cosmicklutz1675]

This is such an important video.

[@mrbenburns]

Thanks 🙏

[@ingelegenial]

You guys are true professionals

[@imjavierpalma]

Keep it going, guys. Big fan, cheers!

[@jirachi93124]

That is great! I believe this will help me out when I start off with my own website. As far as the contracts go I have nearly all of thos epoints covered in my TOS. Does that work just fine?

[@mrbenburns]

It depends how your transactions are processed. If you’re invoicing clients, without a contract in place it will be considered work for hire (in the US) and you likely give up the rights to any ownership in the work. And normally your scope is different between jobs, so the website TOS most likely will not be enough to cover the variations. Also, remember contracts are truly for having these conversations with the client, which I doubt you’d do over a TOS Just my $.02

[@jirachi93124]

@@mrbenburns Alright thank you. I am from Germany but I will likely also work with clients from the US. I am from the translation sector actually and there all of the rights of ownership usually go to the client! However I figured that the advice from the channel can be very useful for me as well!

[@xenoaurora]

Great topic!

[@mrbenburns]

Thanks Travis!

[@kylapek]

Great content! Love you too!!!

[@ExecutionerO]

Love the video!!! Thank you

[@LarsWagner]

would you say meet with leads in person or first have a phone call even if they are close !? so qualify leads by phone first or also qualify them in person

[@thefutur]

yeah. if that's an option

[@LarsWagner]

@@thefutur so when i start a cold Call session (30 Calls) you would say, try to meet them to qualify or directly qualify them by phone. You get me here? could be a lot of time wasted here with people who just want to drink a coffee and talk bla bla with no actual need of my services

[@danielchan7135]

This was great! I look for to a comprehensive talk on CONTRACTS. In particular, what to do when the client offers their standard form and it doesn't have all the provisions for creatives, like right to reproduce. What "dance" should we expect or endure that'll lead to amicable agreement?

[@dichieespejo3831]

wow, this is a lot to take hahahah

[@kabeperry6774]

Can you go over NDAs

[@haroldfoster9909]

I love this Content!!

[@ayelajulius]

Feels Good to be Back on the Channel........how y'all doing?

[@thefutur]

hanging in there.

[@himanshuahuja1316]

Thank you Ben for complete information. You guy’s rock.... Lots of respect and love from India.

[@kenny_orlando]

Just what I need it! 🔥

[@mrbenburns]

Right on Kenny!

[@hukhozokezonaga7987]

This is great!! Thank you

[@mrbenburns]

Thanks :)

[@tioluwanielesho1448]

Extremelyyyy helpful, thank you very much @MrBenBurns. Please I have a question. Where does an invoice come in? Is it part of the proposal?

[@mystiquemage8814]

Re-entering the design world here, finding some really valuable industry tips. Thanks guys! I would love to understand more on colours, specifically: - how to decide which colour tones to use for logo (I know the general colour psychology, but say I'm designing a logo for a healthcare brand, which specific pantone of blue should I decide to use? bright/dark etc?) - how to (and should you) use more than 3 colours for a logo, or gradient colour? who can get away with gradient colours (are they large corporations with larger budget, vs medium sized cafe business?) - how to present coloured logos to clients, what would the pitch deck look like, especially for gradient colours? Keep up the good work y'all! :D

[@tayyubahmed1646]

Would love to see a video on "How to understand what your client wants (specifically logo design)' Thanks

[@barbarakaucher]

Such a great video, so useful! Thank you for this! I feel a lot of people fear contracts, but they are a protection for both sides of the project.😊

[@nasro665]

Great topic

[@Kat-mi1dm]

Thank you!

[@PrakashGD]

very detailed and informative. Thanks for the video,

[@fredricklee]

Great presentation. I purchased a copy and updated “Perfect Proposal” and it is great material for my companies. Also, this covers a lot of the concepts seen in government proposals. However, many of those vendors should purchase this course.

[@jaykingman641]

Bought this when it first came out and it’s a game changer! Didn’t know it had been updated, I need to go and check this out! Thanks Ben!

[@katarineinis9882]

Perfect timing, Ben! Thanks. ♡

[@ajsuk0]

Would be interested in proposal and contract kits for use in the UK if you get around to it

[@thefutur]

Proposals work anywhere. Working on localized versions of legal kit.

[@ajsuk0]

The Futur great stuff 👍🏻

[@lesedimahlangu1199]

Very near and clear. Thank you for opening my eyes Mr Berns

[@TiagoDanielM]

I really would like to know if there is someone who can help me draw a follow up email. I think I could potentially double my sales if I had a good follow up email. Can someone help me?

[@thefutur]

There are people who specialize on this.

[@TiagoDanielM]

@@thefutur can you name who?

[@UncleNabs]

What was the beginning of this video lmao! I love it

[@theleilakitty]

how can I like this more than once? XD

[@brunopereira-cc8fg]

i just love this channel.

[@BehindTheKitOfficial]

I’m not worried about proposals, I need to get my hands on a good contract

[@thefutur]

We have the legal kit for that reason.

[@garima8881]

This was so helpful!