Should You Share Pricing Before the Proposal?

Yes. Give a prospect real numbers before you write the full proposal: a "starting at" range on your site, then a short private pricing page with two or three packages after the first call. The formal proposal then confirms scope and price instead of revealing it for the first time.

Why does saving the price for the proposal backfire?

Because the proposal is the most expensive place to find out you are not a fit. You have done discovery, written scope, built a timeline, and only then does the client see a number.

Agency owners argue about this a lot. In one r/agency thread, an owner who does not show pricing still admitted clients are "super annoyed by this 'book a strategy session' nonsense" (r/agency). Others in the same thread show a range with a note that bigger projects get a custom quote, which is the middle path this post recommends.

To be fair to the other side: some agencies close well by pricing only after a discovery call, and if every project you take is truly bespoke, an exact public price is not realistic. A range still is.

Should your agency put prices on its website?

Put a starting price or typical range on your site, with the assumptions written right under it. For example: "Marketing sites from $6,500. Includes up to 8 pages, CMS setup, and launch QA. Custom integrations quoted separately."

That filters out the worst budget mismatches without promising a fixed price for work you have not scoped. Several web designers in this r/webdesign thread describe doing exactly that.

What goes on a pre-proposal pricing page?

After the first call, send a short private page built for that one client. Keep it to:

• Two or three packages, each with what is included and what is not
• The two or three assumptions that move the price most (page count, integrations, content)
• A timeline range for each package
• An expiry date, so the numbers do not float around for months
• One next step: pick a package, or reply with questions

It is a "does this feel right?" check before you invest the hours.

What does that look like in practice?

Here is an example for a website redesign. The numbers are illustrative, not a rate card.

• Essential, $6,500: 5 pages, theme-based design, 4 weeks
• Growth, $9,800: 8 pages, CMS and content migration, analytics and launch QA, 5 to 6 weeks
• Premium, $14,200: Growth plus custom illustrations and a 60-day support window, 7 weeks

Price moves if: more than 8 pages, a store or booking system, or you need us to write the copy.

If the client picks Growth, your proposal now has one job: confirm Growth in detail. If they go quiet, you lost ten minutes, not a day.

How do you share pricing without it leaking or going stale?

Send a private link, not a public page and not a PDF that gets forwarded forever.

This is why we built client pricing hubs into ProposalKit. A hub is a private page at a URL like /hub/your-client. You can add a password, ask for the viewer's email before they see it, and turn on a countdown that locks the offer when it expires. You get an alert by email or Telegram when the client opens it, so you know when to follow up. Clients can play with a pricing calculator, and if they accept a package (name and email) and your Stripe account is connected, a first invoice is created for them.

A Google Doc works too. The difference is you will not know if it was opened, and it never expires.

When should the formal proposal come?

Right after the client reacts to a package. Now you write scope for one option, not three, and price is already agreed in principle. If you want the client to sign and pay in the same link, see how to get paid the moment a client signs.

Checklist: share pricing before the proposal

• Add a starting price and its assumptions to your services page
• After the first call, send a private pricing page within 24 hours
• Two or three packages, each with clear in and out
• Name what moves the price
• Set an expiry date
• Follow up when they open it, not on a random day three
• Write the full proposal only for the package they pick

FAQ

Won't competitors see my prices?

Only your public range. The detailed packages live on a private link. ProposalKit hubs and proposal links are not indexed by search engines, and you can password-protect a hub.

How many packages should I offer?

Two or three. One gives no choice, and five slows the decision. More on that in how to price agency projects with tiered packages.

What if they always pick the cheapest package?

Make the cheapest package honest but smaller, so it fits clients who really need less. If everyone picks it, your middle package may be missing something they value.

ProposalKit Basic is $24/month and includes one client pricing hub. Unlimited is $99/month with unlimited hubs. Build your first hub free.