A proposal for a small service job should fit on one page and have six parts: the problem in the customer's words, the outcome you'll deliver, what's in scope and what isn't, the timeline, the price with a choice of two, and one next step. Plain text is fine. You can paste it into an email or save it as a PDF.

Most templates online are either blank forms with prompts or fourteen-page decks built for software deals. A plumber, a bookkeeper or a landscaper needs neither. Below is the blank version, then one filled in for a fictional bookkeeper, then notes on each section and a shorter version for small jobs.

The blank version, with six labeled sections

Copy this into a document and fill in the brackets. Keep each section to two to four lines.

Proposal for [Customer name], prepared [date], good through [date 14 days out]

1. THE PROBLEM
[What they told you, using their own words.]

2. THE OUTCOME
[What will be true when the work is done, with a number or a date.]

3. SCOPE
Included: [list]
Not included: [list]

4. TIMELINE
[Start date, key dates, finish date.]

5. PRICE
Option A: [name, what it covers, price]
Option B: [name, what it covers, price]
Payment: [deposit, schedule]

6. NEXT STEP
[One sentence: reply with A or B by a date, and what happens then.]

A filled-in one: Lindqvist Books and a four-chair salon

Mara Lindqvist runs a one-person bookkeeping practice in Duluth. She had a 30-minute call with Bianca Ferreira, who owns Copper Door Salon. Bianca said she does her books on Sunday nights, is about three months behind, and dreads sales tax. Here's the proposal Mara sent the next morning:

Proposal for Copper Door Salon, prepared October 14, good through October 28

1. THE PROBLEM
Bianca does the books herself on Sunday nights, they're about three months behind, and she's not sure the sales tax filings are right.

2. THE OUTCOME
All three months caught up within three weeks. After that, a monthly profit and loss report in your inbox by the 10th, and sales tax figures ready to file by the 20th.

3. SCOPE
Included: bank and card reconciliation, categorizing up to 200 transactions a month, monthly profit and loss, sales tax summary.
Not included: payroll, tax return preparation, and cleanup of anything before July.

4. TIMELINE
Start November 3. Catch-up finished by November 21. First monthly report December 10.

5. PRICE
Option A, Monthly: $325 a month, up to 100 transactions.
Option B, Monthly Plus: $425 a month, up to 200 transactions and a 20-minute quarterly review call.
One-time catch-up for July through September: $900, half due on signing.

6. NEXT STEP
Reply with A or B by October 28 and I'll send the agreement and the first invoice.

The math is easy to check. Option B plus the catch-up is $1,325 in the first month, with $450 of the catch-up due on signing. After that it's $425 a month. Bianca can see exactly what she's agreeing to.

Sections 1 and 2: the problem and the outcome

Section 1 is the cheapest persuasion you have. Use the customer's own sentences from your call: "Sunday nights," "three months behind," "not sure the sales tax is right." When they read their own words back, they know you listened, and they also know you understood the stakes. If you don't remember their words, you didn't ask enough on the call. Three questions to qualify a lead is a good starting list.

Section 2 should contain a number or a date, not an adjective. "Reliable monthly reporting" can't be checked. "A profit and loss by the 10th" can. A checkable outcome also protects you, because it defines when the job is done.

Sections 3 and 4: scope and timeline

Write the "not included" line first, even though it sits second. It's where most later disputes start. In Mara's proposal, payroll and anything before July are named outright. If Bianca asks for either later, that's a new conversation with a new price, not a favor Mara has to refuse. There's a longer treatment of this in a scope of work template for small service jobs.

For the timeline, give three dates: start, the first thing they'll see, and the finish. If you depend on something from them (bank access, a gate code, a signed form), say so in this section with a date: "I'll need bank access by November 3."

Sections 5 and 6: the price and the one next step

Offer two options, not one and not five. One option makes the customer ask "yes or no?" Two makes them ask "which one?" The cheaper option should be a real, smaller job, not a trap. If you're nervous about naming a number, the pricing conversation flinch covers why that's costing you.

Put the payment terms on the same page as the price. For custom or long jobs, a deposit is normal; how to ask for a deposit has the wording. End with a single next step and a date. "Let me know" is not a next step. "Reply with A or B by October 28" is. The expiry date does gentle work, too: it gives you a reason to follow up on day three without sounding pushy.

Sending it, and the message for day three

Send the proposal within 24 hours of the call, while the problem is fresh. Paste it into the email body and attach a PDF, so nobody has to open anything to read it. Subject line: "Proposal for Copper Door Salon." The cover message can be two lines: "Here's the proposal we talked about. If anything's unclear, call me at 555-0119."

If you haven't heard back by day three, send: "Bianca, did the proposal reach you? If Option B feels like too much, I can reshape it." The rest of the path, with email, text and phone wording, is in how to follow up on a quote.

A shorter version for jobs under $1,000

Not every job needs a document. For a small one, put the six parts in an email body of about 120 words:

Hi Tomas, here's what I heard: the back fence leans and two panels are rotted. I'll replace the two panels and reset the four posts so it stands straight. The price is $780 for pressure-treated pine, or $1,040 for cedar. I'm not including staining. I can start Thursday and finish in a day. Reply with "pine" or "cedar" by Tuesday and I'll hold the date.

It has the problem, the outcome, the scope, the timeline, two prices and one next step, in six sentences. Once a customer says yes, you may still need the scope in more detail, and the freelance version of that conversation is in how freelance consultants get clients.

A proposal is only worth sending to someone who is actually looking, and worth following up on after you send it. Rocketship finds the buyers, emails them from your own Gmail, follows up, and books the meeting on its own. Plans that get you customers start at $24.99 a month (Launch), and every monthly plan starts with a 7-day free trial, card required. See how the AI workers take over the follow-up once the proposal is out.