Crafting Marketing Proposals for Startups

Checklist: 𝗗𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿. --- ➤ 1. Your “Why Now” must punch hard. If you can’t prove market timing urgency, you’re just another startup. Ask: Why is this the only moment my idea can win? --- ➤ 2. Problem clarity. One crisp sentence. No jargon. If your grandma wouldn’t get it, investors won’t either. --- ➤ 3. Traction slide is not “vanity.” Number of users is vanity. Retention, revenue, usage growth → that’s traction. Show momentum, not just existence. --- ➤ 4. Competition honesty. If you say “no competition,” you’re done. Every good idea replaces something. Acknowledge alternatives. Show why you’re 10x better. --- ➤ 5. Business model realism. Unit economics matter early. Even if you’re pre-revenue, show logic: CAC, LTV, payback. Numbers don’t have to be perfect, but they must be thought through. --- ➤ 6. Team credibility. Highlight why this team is uniquely positioned. Not “we’re passionate.” Show unfair advantages. Domain expertise. Network. Technical depth. --- ➤ 7. Clean design. Investors skim decks in under 3 minutes. Ugly, text-heavy decks die instantly. Every slide must be scannable. --- ➤ 8. Ask clarity. How much are you raising? On what instrument? For what runway? If you don’t ask clearly, you look amateur. --- ➤ 9. Storyline flow. Your deck should feel like a movie trailer, not a scattered blog post. Setup → Conflict → Resolution → Future. --- ➤ 10. External feedback. If no founder or operator friend has torn your deck apart, you’re not ready. Never send raw drafts to investors. --- Founders forget: An investor meeting isn’t where you “fix” your pitch. That’s where you perform it. Your deck is your opening move. If it doesn’t hook in 180 seconds, it’s dead. If you’re raising now, pause. Run this checklist. Tighten your deck. Because first impressions with investors don’t reset. --- Want brutal clarity on your startup? Skip years of wasted effort and stop making expensive mistakes. Get direct advice on your deck, fundraising, GTM, or founder challenges. Book a no-BS 1:1 call with me here: https://lnkd.in/gWV8DT56 💬 Drop your most burning question in the comments. ♻ Repost to save another founder from blowing their investor chances. 🔔 Follow Anshuman Sinha for more Startup insights. #Startups #VentureCapital #Entrepreneurship #AngelInvesting #Innovation

On average over 1,000 pitch decks are created worldwide daily. It’s easy to get lost in the crowd. With years of experience as a startup founder and scout, I've learned that a successful pitch deck is more than just pretty slides - it’s about delivering precise answers to key questions, both for investors and your own clarity as a startup. Here’s how to craft a pitch deck that gets noticed: 1. Vision Keep it short and sharp. Describe how you see the industry evolving over the next few years from your startup’s perspective. 2. Problem & Target Audience Summarize the problem or pain point in one sentence, backed by numbers. For example, highlighting the shortage of workers in a certain industry and quantifying the financial losses that companies are experiencing due to this problem. 3. Solution In one sentence, explain what you do and what your product is - a platform, marketplace, productized service, or app. 4. How It Works Break down the user experience into 3-4 clear steps. For example, in a media monitoring system, you might explain how users input keywords, select a timeframe, choose specific media, and then generate a report. 5. Value Specify what your solution delivers in terms of money or time saved, with 1-3 concrete figures. For instance, if you boost sales or conversion, by how much? 6. Business Model Present your revenue model on one slide, ideally including CAC and LTV. If your data isn’t available yet, use industry benchmarks from public sources. 7. Go-To-Market Plan Detail your market entry strategy and customer acquisition channels. For example: 1. Build a recruiter database; 2. Test customer acquisition channels; 3. Close X vacancies; 4. Scale operations. Be clear on your approach. 8. Competitors Clearly differentiate your offering from competitors. 9. Team Highlight why your team is capable of delivering this product. Emphasize complementary skills, industry experience, previous business-building experience, and any prior collaborations. 10. Traction Show specific results achieved so far, such as first sales, number of demos, or customer calls. Demonstrate progress. 11. Market Calculate the market size yourself using both top-down and bottom-up approaches. Assess the potential reach within your target audience, the percentage of the total market, and how much they are willing to pay for a solution like yours. 12. Investments Be specific about the amount of funding you seek and its purpose. For example, you might need $1 million to reach $2 million ARR. 13. Thank You Slide This slide stays on the screen the longest during Q&A. It’s a good idea to repeat key information about your solution and include contact details. Investors seek potential, confidence, and clarity. Be reasonably ambitious.

How I landed a new client with a killer proposal: When I first started freelancing, I had no idea that I had to send out proposals. Let alone what a proposal entailed. Now I’m landing clients thanks to loads of research and doing courses like Eman Ismail’s Like a Boss. A proposal is all about creating a document that sells you. If you’re winging it (like I was) or relying on your natural charm, let me save you some time (and potential lost clients). 𝟭. 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 You’re not just listing services. You’re selling yourself and addressing every potential objection before it even comes up. Think of it as your highlight reel: 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗢 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮: • 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗻: What’s the client struggling with? • 𝗔𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Why does it matter? • 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: How you’ll fix it. • 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲: What success looks like. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲: • Introduction (brief but punchy: who are you and why should they care?) • Project scope (clear deliverables = no future headaches) • Your process (show them you’ve got a plan) • Client expectations (set boundaries kindly, but firmly) • Timeline (when you’ll deliver, and when they need to deliver their part) • Pricing and options (tiers and upsells. Make it hard for them to say no) • Guarantees (if you offer one, flaunt it) • Next steps (e.g., “Sign here, pay the invoice, and we’re off!”) 𝟮. 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Even if you’ve already had a great chat with the client, write the proposal assuming they’ll forward it to someone who knows nothing about you. This keeps it simple, clear, and persuasive for any decision-maker. • Sprinkle in testimonials or a mini case study for credibility. • Offer 2-3 pricing tiers so their options are between you, you, and you. • Build a reusable template you can tweak for future proposals. Efficiency is your friend. 𝟯. 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 A good proposal doesn’t just sell, it also creates urgency. Keep the momentum going with these steps: • 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆: Tell your prospect when they’ll receive the proposal and stick to it. • 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗶𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: I recommend 7 days. Mention it in the proposal and your follow-ups. Urgency drives action. • 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆: As the expiry date nears, send polite but confident reminders, such as: “Hey, just a heads-up, this offer expires in two days!” • 𝗝𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹: Clarify any in-depth questions on a call to avoid playing email tag. A killer proposal is part strategy, part psychology, and part presentation. Once you nail all three, you’ll be landing the kind of clients you’re actually excited to work with. 

Proposals to do work for a company would be more successful if the company bidding on them viewed them as akin to marriage proposals. Hang with me on this. Goal 1: When one proposes, one hopes (I assume) that the person to whom they're proposing will stay with them long-term. The same should be true of a client; as we all know, it's much less expensive to keep current clients than obtain new ones. Goal 2: Ensure the person to whom you're proposing thinks you're the greatest thing since sliced bread. Goal 3: Show (not tell) that person how much you care. Let's unpack these goals. Goal 1: How do you ensure someone stays with you long-term? Solution: Focus on their issues, instead of focusing on yourself and/or your organization.   In terms of proposals, I've seen thousands fail, often because the focus is wrong. Let's be honest: people care about themselves, not you or your organization. The truth: Nobody cares about you and your organization. What can you do or say that will put the focus on the reader? >> Goal 2: Ensure the person to whom you're proposing thinks you're the greatest thing since sliced bread. This may sound contradictory to goal 1, but hear me out: I can make you believe that I'm greatest thing since sliced bread IF and only IF I focus on your issues AND how I can solve them. Solution: Present your solution as a partner in terms of providing a solution, rather than as a vendor or someone who's primary goal is to get them to buy.   If you start with a memoir, your proposal's going in the trash.   >> Goal 3: Show, don't tell.   Yes, you can tell your beloved you cherish them, you love them, blah, blah, blah. But showing them is a different story. Whether it's flowers for no reason, cleaning the house or doing the laundry without being asked, that's showing. Yet, many proposals simply list off achievements without showing *WHY* the information matters. Consider this: "We saved Company X $15,000." Here's the issue: maybe $15,000 is a lot to that company or maybe it's not. What did the $15,000 savings allow them to do? Could they reallocate the money to more profitable endeavors?   And while it might look impressive, it's not enough.   >> Solution: Be specific and provide the "why" it matters.   What will resonate instead is detail: - What steps did you take to solve the problem? - How does that relate to your potential client's situation? - What does that say about your problem-solving process?   If you've researched your potential client, you should have a good sense of the details they'll care about. Make sure you include them.   The common thread among these 3 problems:   Your proposal isn't meeting your reader's needs –   Which is no way to win their confidence.   Or their business.   P.S. What's the hardest part of writing proposals for you?   Tell me in the comments – I bet I can help.