Quoting for Work That Does Not Exist Yet
August 28, 2026
A proposal for custom work asks a client to imagine the finished thing from a written scope, and then to pay for their own imagination.
The ones that get approved fastest are almost always the ones where the client could see something.
What you can show before building
- Something similar you built before, walked through as the shape of what they would get.
- A comparable product, if you have nothing yourself yet -- with the borrowing stated plainly.
- A rough prototype of the one screen that matters, if the deal justifies an hour.
- Your process, which is easier to show than to describe and reduces perceived risk.
Reuse rather than build per pitch
Building something bespoke for every proposal does not survive a busy month. One walkthrough of a previous project, reused with a changed opening line, does.
That is also the honest version: you are showing what you have done, not promising a specific screen you have not designed.
Do not let it become a commitment
Anything you show gets remembered as what was agreed. If you walk through a previous build, say clearly that it is an example of your work rather than a design for theirs.
A sentence of framing prevents the awkward conversation later where the client expects the screen they saw in the pitch.
It reduces the scope conversation too
Much of the back and forth on a proposal is the client discovering what they meant. Seeing something concrete surfaces that early, while it is still cheap.
Better to learn in the pitch that they imagined something different than in week three of the build.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I pitch work I have not built yet?
- Show something similar you have already built, walked through as the shape of what they would get. It is honest, it reuses across pitches, and clients approve things they can picture far faster than things described in a written scope.
- Should I build a prototype for every proposal?
- Not routinely -- it does not survive a busy month. One walkthrough of a previous project with a changed opening line covers most pitches; build something bespoke only when the deal size clearly justifies the hour.
- What is the risk of showing an example?
- Anything you show is remembered as what was agreed. Say plainly that it is an example of your work rather than a design for theirs, which avoids the week-three conversation where the client expects the screen from the pitch.
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