Plain English
A proposal is the document a client reviews and signs to formally accept an engagement with The North. It is not a sales document in the traditional sense. It is a diagnostic summary and a scope of work built directly from what you learned in discovery and confirmed through the audit. A proposal that does not connect back to the client's specific situation is just a price list. A proposal built on audit findings and discovery insight is a mirror: it shows the client their own problem clearly, quantifies it, and presents the specific solution.
The proposal is delivered through the app as a public link. The client can review it at any time without logging in. They can run their own revenue numbers inside the proposal using the same calculator from the audit. When they are ready, they accept directly on the proposal page by typing their name and clicking Accept.
Section 1: When to Build a Proposal
Do not build a proposal until all three of these conditions are true:
First, you have completed a discovery conversation and confirmed fit and budget. Building a proposal before confirming budget is wasted effort. If the client does not have the financial capacity to engage, a beautifully built proposal will not change that.
Second, you have run and completed the appropriate audit. The proposal is built from the audit findings. Without an audit, the proposal lacks the diagnostic evidence that makes your recommendations credible. There are rare exceptions where a client is already clear on exactly what they need and a quick audit is not necessary, but these are uncommon and should be discussed with your manager.
Third, you have a clear service recommendation and sequencing rationale. You know which services to recommend, in what order, and why. You can explain the sequencing logic to the client if they ask why you are not starting with what they initially requested.
Section 2: How to Create a Proposal in the App
Step 1: Navigate to Proposals by clicking "Clients" then "Proposals" in the sidebar. You will see all existing proposals with their title, company, status, date sent, and total value.
Step 2: Click "New Proposal" in the top right. The proposal editor opens.
Step 3: The fastest way to create a proposal is to generate it directly from an audit. In the company workspace, there is a "Generate Proposal" button that pre-populates the proposal with the audit findings, the revenue opportunity numbers, and a suggested service scope based on the audit gaps. This is the recommended starting point for most proposals.
Step 4: In the proposal editor, review and customize the following sections:
The "What we uncovered" section pulls the top gap findings directly from the audit. Review these and make sure they accurately represent the most important issues. Remove any gaps that are not directly related to the scope of work you are proposing.
The "What it could be worth" section pulls the revenue opportunity numbers from the audit calculator. Make sure the input numbers (monthly revenue, deal value, leads per month, conversion rate) are accurate. These numbers are visible to the client and they will scrutinize them.
The "Scope of work" section is where you add the specific services. Each service line has a name, a quantity, and a price. The total calculates automatically. Add the services in the sequencing order you would recommend delivering them, not by price. The sequence tells a story. The client should be able to read the scope list and understand why each service comes before the next.
The timeline section shows four steps: Kickoff, Foundations, First Wins, and First Results. These are pre-populated. Adjust the descriptions to match the specific engagement scope.
Step 5: Review the full proposal from the client's perspective before sending. The proposal page as the client sees it includes: a header section with the company name and a scrolling prompt, the Context section explaining why The North is there, the What We Uncovered section with the audit findings, the Opportunity section with the revenue numbers and interactive calculator, the Scope of Work with line items, the Timeline with four steps, the Why The North section explaining The North's differentiators, and the Accept section where the client signs and accepts.
Step 6: When you are satisfied with the proposal, change the status from Draft to Sent. This makes the proposal link live and sends a notification to the client. The public link follows the format: app.thenorth.consulting/p/[unique-id]. Send this link to the client personally with a message inviting them to review it.
Section 3: Following Up on a Sent Proposal
Sending the proposal is not the end of the process. It is the beginning of the close.
Within 24 hours of sending: Send a personal email or message to the primary contact with the proposal link and an invitation to hop on a 30-minute call to walk through it together. The proposal walkthrough call is where most proposals close. The client will have questions. The questions are your opportunity to address concerns and reinforce why the sequencing makes sense.
At 48 to 72 hours if no response: Follow up with a simple, direct message. Something like: "Wanted to make sure the proposal came through clearly. Happy to jump on a quick call to walk through any questions." Keep it brief. Do not re-pitch in the follow-up.
At 7 days if still no response: A second follow-up asking if timing or priorities have shifted. This is your final automated follow-up. If there is still no response after this, log a note, update the next action, and make a judgment call about whether to continue pursuing or to park the opportunity.
Proposals expire after a defined period (typically 30 days from the sent date). If a proposal expires, it can be reactivated, but the pricing may need to be reviewed depending on when the original proposal was built.
Section 4: When the Client Accepts
When a client clicks "Accept and start onboarding" on the proposal page, they type their full name and email and check the agreement box. This constitutes an electronic signature with the same legal effect as a handwritten signature.
The moment a proposal is accepted, the company moves to Won in your pipeline. You receive a notification in the app. Your next 24 hours are the most important in the entire client relationship. Refer to the Client Onboarding process page for what happens next.
Section 5: When a Client Declines or Goes Silent
If a client explicitly declines, thank them for their time, ask for the primary reason they decided not to proceed (this information is valuable), log the reason in the app, and move the company to Lost with the documented reason.
If a client goes silent after 3 follow-up attempts over 2 weeks, move the company to Lost with the reason "Non-responsive." Set a 90-day re-engagement follow-up task. Do not delete the company record or the proposal. Things change and companies that were not ready in the spring are often ready in the fall.