Who this is for: Anyone at the firm who sets prices on a proposal.
What you’ll learn: The four pricing models, how billing cadence works, when to use tiers or a deposit schedule, and how to quote one price for the whole relationship.
Before you begin
- You need permission to change proposal pricing. Staff without it can open the wizard but not edit what a proposal quotes.
- Pricing lives on each engagement card on Step 2 — Engagements of the proposal wizard. Add at least one card first.
- Every price is per billing period. A $600 monthly card means $600 each month, not $600 in total.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Pick a pricing model
Under PRICE on the engagement card, choose one of the four models:
- Flat fee — one figure for the work.
- Value based — one figure, framed as the value delivered. It must be greater than zero.
- Hourly — a rate multiplied by an estimate.
- Retainer — a recurring amount. It must be greater than zero and always bills monthly.
Switching models keeps the figure you already typed, so you can compare framings without retyping.
Step 2: Enter a flat fee
Type the amount in the Flat fee box. If you tick catalog items under SCOPE while this model is selected, their default rates are added to the fee — so check the number after you build the scope. A flat fee of $0 is allowed, for work you are comping.
Step 3: Or quote by the hour
Choose Hourly and fill in Hourly rate and Estimated hours. The card total becomes rate × hours and shows the working underneath, for example $250.00 × 6 hrs. Both fields must be greater than zero.
Step 4: Choose when it bills
Use the Bills selector at the top of the card. There are six cadences: Upfront, On completion and Custom for one-off work, and Monthly, Quarterly and Annual for ongoing work. Picking a recurring cadence makes the engagement recurring, and the amount you typed becomes the amount per period.
Step 5: Offer tiers instead of one price
Switch Single price to Offer tiers to let the client choose. You get two tiers to start; name them, price them, and use Add tier for more. Click the star on a row to mark it recommended — that tier is highlighted for the client and is the one used if they sign without picking. With tiers on, the tier amounts are the price and the single-figure box disappears.
Step 6: Control how invoices are raised
Under BILLING, First invoice decides whether a recurring engagement starts billing on its start date or when the proposal is signed. Turn Send automatically off to hold each invoice as a draft for you to check first. Charge saved method only becomes available when the proposal collects a payment method.
Step 7: Add a deposit schedule
Click Add deposit to add a row with a description, amount and due date — for example “50% deposit on signing”. Add a row per amount due before the work is finished. Deposit rows print on the engagement letter.
Step 8: Quote one price for everything
Scroll to the Pricing panel below the cards and turn on One price for everything. Enter the Price and choose when it Bills. The footer changes from a running total to ONE PRICE, each card is marked “Scope only” and shows Included instead of a fee, and the client is billed the single quoted figure.
What happens next
Step 3 of the wizard shows the exact split the client will see: a one-off amount and a recurring amount, side by side, never merged into one number. When the proposal is signed, each engagement is created with the price and cadence from its card. Upfront amounts are invoiced straight away, and recurring cadences get a billing schedule that raises invoices on the cycle you chose.
Troubleshooting
- “One price for everything” is greyed out. It cannot be combined with client choice. Turn tiers off on every card and mark every engagement as Required, then it becomes available.
- “Enter an amount greater than zero.” Value based and Retainer cards must carry a real figure. Only a flat fee is allowed to be $0.
- “Enter an hourly rate and estimated hours.” Hourly needs both fields filled in.
- The fee jumped when I ticked a service. That only happens on a Flat fee card, which adds the catalog item’s default rate. Overtype the total, or price the card with a different model.
- My retainer won’t bill quarterly. Retainers bill monthly by definition. Use a flat fee on a quarterly cadence instead.