The 1-Page Proposal Format That Closes 60% of Deals

Nobody reads 10-page proposals.

I know because I used to send them. Detailed scope. Background research. Methodology explanations. Case studies. Team bios.

The price was buried on page 8.

Then I started asking clients what happened to my proposals. The answer was always the same: "I skimmed it and sent it to procurement."

Now I use a 1-page format. Close rate went from 35% to 60%.

The One-Page Proposal

[Client Logo]                    [Your Logo]

PROJECT: [Name]

THE PROBLEM:
[2 sentences about what's broken]

THE FIX:
• [What you're doing — 3 bullets]
• [Timeline]
• [Key deliverables]

THE INVESTMENT:
$[Amount]
[Payment terms: 50% upfront, 50% on completion]

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT:
1. You approve this (sign below)
2. We start [Date]
3. You get [Deliverable] by [Date]

________________________          ________________________
[Your signature]                  [Client signature]

That's it.

Why This Works

Clients can read it in 60 seconds. They understand exactly what they're buying. Price is visible immediately.

No confusion = faster decisions.

The 10-page proposal? They forward it to someone else because they don't have time to read it. That person doesn't have context. The deal stalls.

The Voice Note Trick

Don't type this. Record yourself explaining the project for 2 minutes.

"We're building [X] for [Client]. Their problem is [Y]. We're fixing it by doing [Z]. Timeline is [T]. Cost is [C]. They'll have it by [Date]."

Transcribe that. Format it into the one-page template.

StatusDraft does this automatically—upload your voice note and it generates the proposal card.

When to Use Long Proposals

Enterprise deals with formal procurement. Government contracts. When they explicitly ask for more detail.

For everything else? One page closes faster.

Numbers From Agencies Using This

• Time per proposal: 15 minutes (down from 2 hours)
• Close rate: 55-65% (up from 35-40%)
• Client response time: 1-2 days (down from 5-7 days)

Short proposals get faster answers.