How to send a proposal clients accept and sign

Proposals stall in predictable places: the client isn't sure what's included, the decision maker never saw it, signing means printing something, or nobody followed up. Each step below closes one of those gaps.

Proposal, contract or both?

A proposal is the offer: what you'll do, when and for how much. A contract covers what happens when things change: ownership, termination, liability, late payment. For a small job, a proposal with clear terms that the client accepts in writing may be all you need. For larger or longer work, send the proposal first, then a contract for signature once they say yes. Some freelancers combine them into one signed document; that works if the legal terms don't bury the offer. Our guide to independent contractor agreements lists what the contract should cover.

Why proposals stall

• The person you talked to isn't the one who approves the budget, and your proposal doesn't explain itself to someone who wasn't on the call.
• The price is a single number with no breakdown, so the only possible reaction is yes, no or "can you do it for less?"
• Signing takes effort: print, sign, scan, email back.
• There's no deadline, so it waits behind everything that has one.
• Nobody follows up, and the client assumes you've moved on.

What the proposal needs

1. The client's goal in their own words, in two or three sentences.
2. Scope as a list of deliverables with limits: pages, revision rounds, hours.
3. What's not included, if anything came up on the call that you're leaving out.
4. Timeline as a range from kickoff, and what it depends on.
5. A pricing table, one line per phase, ideally with two or three options.
6. Terms: deposit, payment schedule, due dates, late fee, how changes are quoted.
7. An expiration date, so the price doesn't stay open indefinitely.
8. One clear next step: "Accept below and I'll send the agreement and deposit invoice."

The freelance proposal template has these sections ready to copy, and how to write a freelance proposal goes deeper on scope and pricing.

Give the client options

A proposal with two or three options turns "should we hire them?" into "which version do we want?". Keep the options close: the same core work, with fewer or more pages, revision rounds or months of support. Put the one you recommend in the middle and say why in one sentence. If the client picks the smallest option, you still have a signed project and a natural upsell later.

Send it as a link, not only an attachment

A link lets the client read on a phone, accept with one click and forward it to whoever approves the budget. It also tells you when it was opened, which tells you when to follow up. Attach a PDF too if the client's procurement team needs one for its files.

Are e-signatures binding?

For most business contracts in the US, yes. The federal ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. § 7001) says a signature, contract or record in interstate or foreign commerce can't be denied legal effect just because it's electronic. It defines an electronic signature broadly: a sound, symbol or process attached to a record and adopted by someone with intent to sign. Every state except New York has adopted the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (Washington in 2020 and Illinois in 2021 were the most recent), and New York has its own electronic signature law. Exceptions include wills, family law matters and court documents.

What makes an e-signature hold up is the evidence around it: that the client agreed to sign electronically, that the signature can be tied to them (the email the link went to, IP address, time) and that the document hasn't changed since. A good e-signature tool records all of that in an audit trail. More detail in are electronic signatures legal?.

If a client sends you a PDF to sign and has no e-signature tool, the free signature generator makes a signature image you can place on it.

Follow up without nagging

1. Day 0: send the proposal with a short email: what it covers, the price range and the next step.
2. Day 2 or 3: if it's been opened but not accepted, ask if they have questions or want a quick call.
3. Day 7: offer to adjust scope if budget is the issue.
4. A few days before it expires: one last note with the date.

Subject: Questions about the website proposal?

Hi Sam,

Checking in on the proposal I sent Monday. If anything in the scope or timeline doesn't fit, I'm happy to adjust it. The Standard option needs about 6 weeks, so a decision by the 24th keeps the November launch.

Accept here when you're ready: [link]

Jordan

After they sign

1. Send the deposit invoice the same day, with a card payment link.
2. Share a booking link for the kickoff call.
3. Store the signed PDF and its certificate with the client's records.
4. Start the onboarding checklist: access, content, contacts. See the client onboarding checklist.

Doing it in SoloWOS

Proposals start from a template with a pricing table that totals itself and a "valid until" date. You share a link, see when it's first opened and how often, and the client accepts online with their name. A built-in automation can follow up a few days after sending and skip it if they already answered. When a proposal is accepted, SoloWOS can create a signature request for your contract automatically. In E-Signatures signers sign in order on any device without an account, every view, consent and signature is logged with time, IP and device, and the certificate records SHA-256 fingerprints of the original and final PDF. From the accepted proposal you can also create an invoice with the line items filled in. Solo includes 20 proposals and 15 signature requests a month.

SoloWOS provides simple electronic signatures, not notarization, qualified signatures or ID verification. This guide is general information, not legal advice.