For those of you attending the March 2, 2005, joint ISES - ABC meeting in Madison, NJ, the text statement that you would want to put on the front of every proposal that you write is:
This custom created proposal for: (client name) of (client address) is for the (wedding, party, special event) on (date) at the venue of (insert site name), it represents the design efforts of (your name) of (your company). Based on the information that you have provided to me, I am submitting this specific proposal for your review. Please know that this proposal represents (# of hours) hours of creation time, that includes research, phone calls and Internet searching for finding the sources and materials that you have stated you would prefer for your (wedding, party, special event) decor. This proposal is valued at $______ for (# of hours) hours at a design rate of ($ per hour). As this proposal is considered intellectual property of (your company name) and notice is given that it is a copy-written document. It will be in violation of the current US Copyright Laws to take this proposal and show the specific creation design work to a competing planner, vender or supplier.
This proposal is available for purchase by You for your personal/corporate use for the fee of $_______. There is no purchase fee by contracting for our services.
In the event you do purchase this proposal and later elect to engage the services of my/our company , credit of the payment fee will be applied to the execution of this proposal.
Please sign that you have read and understand the above statement:________________________________________________ Date:_________________________
Print name:_________________________________________ Address:____________________________________________
Signed by the proposal creator:_____________________________________________________________________________ Date:_________________________
For the Company of:______________________________________________________________________________________
You can now explain that if the client doesn't use your services, but uses specific details that you have given exacting details of, you have the option of billing the client for the use of your design/decor ideas. This is especially easy to prove by visiting the venue site and taking photos. We want to work with you as a client and if the proposal is of a higher dollar amount than you are prepared to invest, please allow me to rewrite the proposal to scale down, change and revise the design elements to fit your revised budget. Kindly DO NOT take this proposal and "shop it around"! That would be completely unfair to me for you to show my creative ideas to someone else to bid against. They don't have to spent the time that I did for developing this proposal, but just look at the dollar amounts and make it less costly for you. Please remember what your mother always told you, "you only get what you pay for!"
Remember "win-win"!
Get the event, once the contract is signed, please ask if they have a photographer.
I would be very happy to hear from you and your client!
s/ G. Gregory Geiger