Leave with a proposal structure with scope, responsibilities and decision requirements.
Start with a real buying situation
For the worked example, the audience is a hiring manager with a hard-to-fill role. Their problem is that interviewers assess different criteria and suitable candidates disengage. The desired practical outcome is a shared scorecard and a timely, clearly owned hiring process.
The example is deliberately bounded: compensation and interview availability need approval before outreach. That condition should influence the promise, scope and next step rather than disappear from the marketing copy.
| Illustrative offer | a specialist recruitment assignment |
|---|---|
| Buyer question | Which capability must the person demonstrate in the first three months? |
| Possible evidence | an anonymised candidate brief mapped to the agreed role criteria |
| Useful asset | a hiring intake and interview feedback template |
How to complete your proposal brief
- Restate the buyer’s verified problem and desired result.
- Specify deliverables, responsibilities and exclusions.
- Describe the sequence and required client inputs.
- Separate fees and third-party costs.
- List acceptance criteria, open questions and the approval process.
Worked example
These entries are illustrative planning material, not research findings or customer results. Keep the structure and replace the content with verified details.
| Problem and desired outcome | Problem: interviewers assess different criteria and suitable candidates disengage. Desired result: a shared scorecard and a timely, clearly owned hiring process. Confirm both with the buyer. |
|---|---|
| Deliverables and exclusions | a specialist recruitment assignment. Clarify exclusivity, fee triggers, replacement terms and candidate consent. List exclusions rather than relying on assumptions. |
| Responsibilities and dependencies | compensation and interview availability need approval before outreach. Name the client and supplier owners for each required input. |
| Fees and commercial assumptions | Use approved prices only. Clarify exclusivity, fee triggers, replacement terms and candidate consent. The worksheet deliberately contains no invented market rate. |
| Acceptance and approval | Agree how to review an anonymised candidate brief mapped to the agreed role criteria and time between candidate submission and a useful hiring decision. List open questions, approvers and the next decision. |
Review before using it
A useful operational measure in this example is time between candidate submission and a useful hiring decision. That does not automatically make it a marketing attribution metric. Define the source, period and owner before drawing conclusions.
- Could delivery begin from this document without relying on undocumented promises?
- Check the delivery assumptions: Clarify exclusivity, fee triggers, replacement terms and candidate consent.
- Use evidence rather than promises. Do not guarantee a hire or invent candidate availability.
- Discuss the draft with someone who understands the buying situation. Start with: “Which capability must the person demonstrate in the first three months?”
- If the next step is a trial, define its purpose. One possible starting point is to calibrate the role using an agreed scorecard and sample candidate profiles.
Common mistakes and a better review
Do not fill a missing fact with an impressive-sounding number. Mark it as an assumption, explain how you will check it and give that check an owner. A short, honest document is easier to use than an elaborate plan built on unknowns.
| Watch for | A persuasive proposal can still fail if nobody knows what is included. |
|---|---|
| A real buyer concern | Another recruiter charges a lower percentage. |
| Useful response direction | Let us compare the search scope, screening evidence and replacement terms before comparing fees alone. |
| Evidence to collect | The buyer’s own account, an anonymised candidate brief mapped to the agreed role criteria, and records relevant to time between candidate submission and a useful hiring decision. |
Your working sheet
Write your own version below. Notes are saved on this browser when local storage is available. Use Download to keep a separate copy; avoid adding confidential information on a shared device.
Example: Problem: interviewers assess different criteria and suitable candidates disengage. Desired result: a shared scorecard and a timely, clearly owned hiring process. Confirm both with the buyer.
Example: a specialist recruitment assignment. Clarify exclusivity, fee triggers, replacement terms and candidate consent. List exclusions rather than relying on assumptions.
Example: compensation and interview availability need approval before outreach. Name the client and supplier owners for each required input.
Example: Use approved prices only. Clarify exclusivity, fee triggers, replacement terms and candidate consent. The worksheet deliberately contains no invented market rate.
Example: Agree how to review an anonymised candidate brief mapped to the agreed role criteria and time between candidate submission and a useful hiring decision. List open questions, approvers and the next decision.
Review your work
Tick only what you can support with your answer or practice. This is a reflection checklist, not an automated assessment.
Questions about this resource
How do I adapt this for my recruitment agencies business?
Replace the audience, offer and evidence with your actual information. Begin with a recent buyer conversation about why interviewers assess different criteria and suitable candidates disengage, then check which assumptions match your business.
Is the filled example ready to publish?
No. It is a working example. Verify claims, permissions, prices, current capabilities and any customer information before using it externally. Do not guarantee a hire or invent candidate availability.
What should I do after completing the worksheet?
Use it to make one decision or have one focused conversation. The intended output is a proposal structure with scope, responsibilities and decision requirements. Set a review date and update it when the evidence changes.
Illustrative business worksheet. No customer results, market rates, traffic volumes or performance benchmarks are implied. About these resources.