Quote, close and kick off a project at your small agency

Who it is for

For creative agencies of one to ten people and freelancers who already have clients but lose time or money between the first email and the kickoff: quotes that do not close, proposals nobody reads and projects that start without access or a brief.

What you will have at the end

• A three-tier quote with a comparison table, terms and the email to send it.
• A one-page proposal, its cover email and answers to three questions you will be asked.
• The plan for the first two weeks with the client: welcome email, 12-question questionnaire and kickoff agenda.
• A simple client portal in the tool you already use.
• Ready-to-send replies for out-of-scope requests, a change order and a clause for your contracts.

Step by step

1. Step 1

   Have your numbers and the client's request at hand

   Before opening the first prompt, gather three things: the email or message where the client asked for the work, your estimated hours and your hourly cost. Without those numbers, any quote is a guess.

   Tip: If you do not know your hourly cost, divide your monthly expenses (your salary included) by the hours you actually bill, not the hours you work.

2. Step 2

   Quote in three tiers

   A single price forces the client to say yes or no. Three options get them choosing which one, and the middle one is the one you want to sell.

   CP-0251Three-tier quote for a creative projectProOpen prompt →

   What to fill in

   • Client and what they asked for.
   • What you think they really need.
   • Your estimated hours and hourly cost.
   • Budget the client mentioned, if any.
   • Date they need it by.

   What to expect

   Three named options, each with scope, what is not included, rounds of changes, timeline, price and the logic behind that price. A one-glance comparison table, terms (deposit, payment, out-of-scope changes and validity) and the email to send it in under 150 words.

   Tip: If the prompt says your numbers do not add up, listen: cut scope before you cut price.

3. Step 3

   Turn the recommended option into a one-page proposal

   Long proposals do not get read. This one fits on a page and gets the client deciding by a date.

   CW-0255One-page sales proposal for a new clientProOpen prompt →

   What to fill in

   • Client and their business.
   • What they asked for, in their words.
   • What you think they really need.
   • What you propose: use the scope, deliverables and timeline of the middle option from step 2.
   • Investment.

   What to expect

   The proposal in six blocks: what we understood, what we will achieve, how we do it in three or four dated stages, what is and is not included in two columns, investment and payment, and the next step with a decision deadline. Then the cover email in under 120 words and three questions the client will probably ask, with answers.

   Tip: Paste the client's exact words into "what they asked for". The first block works when the client recognizes themselves in it.

4. Step 4

   Design the first two weeks with the client

   They signed. What happens in the first ten business days decides whether the project runs or stalls waiting for access and answers.

   CP-0252New client onboarding at a small agency: the first two weeksProOpen prompt →

   What to fill in

   • Type of projects you do: branding, social media, website, campaigns.
   • Tools you use: Notion, Slack, WhatsApp, Drive, Figma.
   • Who is involved on your side.
   • Problems you have had at kickoff: late access, incomplete brief, unresponsive client.

   What to expect

   A day-by-day plan for ten business days with owner and deliverable, the welcome email, a 12-question questionnaire for before the kickoff, the agenda for a 60-minute kickoff meeting, the access and materials checklist by project type and how to close week two with a summary to the client.

   Tip: Save it as a template in Notion or Drive. With the next client you only change names and dates.

5. Step 5

   Build a client portal without coding

   If clients email you to ask how the project is going and where the files are, a simple portal gives you hours back every week.

   UX-0255Simple client portal for a small agency: screens and orderProOpen prompt →

   What to fill in

   • Type of projects: branding, web, monthly content.
   • How many active clients you have.
   • Tools you already use: Notion, Google Drive, Trello, ClickUp.
   • What they ask most: status, dates, files, invoices, changes.

   What to expect

   Five screens at most and what each one answers, what the client sees on arrival, how to request a change or approve a delivery step by step, the exact structure in your tool (databases, views and permissions), the message to introduce the portal to the client and what you need to update every week.

   Tip: Launch it with the client who emails you the most. If it works with that one, it works with everyone.

6. Step 6

   When they ask for something out of scope, reply without losing the client

   It will happen. Having the reply ready keeps you from giving it away out of awkwardness or charging for it the wrong way.

   CP-0253How to handle out-of-scope requests without losing the clientProOpen prompt →

   What to fill in

   • What was agreed: paste the scope from the step 3 proposal.
   • What they are asking for now.
   • How they asked and how urgent they think it is.
   • Your relationship with the client: new, recurring, important.
   • How much extra work it means.

   What to expect

   A diagnosis of whether it is truly out of scope or a gray area, three ways to reply (charge it, swap it for something in scope or do it as a one-time exception) with an email and a short WhatsApp version, a one-page change order template and a scope clause for your next contracts.

   Tip: Paste that clause into your next quote from step 2. That way the next change is covered from the start.