State the requested decision at the beginning
Explain whether the reviewer is choosing a direction, approving products, confirming quantities or accepting a final quotation. Include constraints that materially affect that decision, such as the occasion, branding requirements and handover approach. Do not hide an important condition in a small note under a crowded page. For missing information, identify its owner and when it is needed. A clearly conditional proposal is easier to assess than a supposedly final number built on undisclosed assumptions.
Make the alternatives distinct and comparable
A simple practical option, a coordinated set and a custom concept can provide useful choices when their different purposes and scopes are explained. Use consistent quantities and pricing assumptions where possible, or identify the differences. A custom concept should not be presented as equivalent to a ready catalogue product. Development, materials, sampling and manufacturing may remain unconfirmed. The reviewer needs to know which elements can be compared directly and which require more information before a commercial decision.
Separate product costs from additional work
Show unit prices, quantities and known totals, then distinguish packaging, printing, personalisation and services that still require pricing. Never convert an unknown cost into zero to make a proposal look complete. If presentation product prices are adjusted, record the adjustment and its scope, check the resulting arithmetic and keep underlying catalogue prices distinct. The option summary should reconcile with its detailed lines rather than containing a manually typed total with no dependable source.
A hypothetical two-stage approval
Imagine a team choosing client gifts while a custom box specification remains unresolved. It first presents two product directions and a packaging concept clearly labelled as requiring cost confirmation. Management chooses the product direction, and the team returns with an updated proposal after completing the packaging specification. This does not authorise production without approval. It separates a selection decision from a commercial commitment and prevents an early preference from being treated as acceptance of details not yet known.
Keep the reviewed decision version
Use a clear title, date and version reference, and retain the comments that explain subsequent revisions. Brandkom’s free Studio can organise catalogue options, custom ideas and mockups, create a PDF and support a shared preview. When the project changes, ensure management reviews the intended version; an already downloaded PDF does not update itself. Final availability, specifications, prices and production arrangements are confirmed through the paid order once its scope is complete.
Before you move forward
- One clear approval request.
- Comparable assumptions.
- Separate known and pending costs.
- A retained approval version.
Common questions
Does a proposal always need three options?
No. Offer the number that explains a meaningful trade-off. Two distinct options are more useful than many nearly identical alternatives that make the decision harder.
How should an unpriced item be shown?
Mark it pending and identify the information needed to price it. Present the known amount without implying that it is the final set cost or assigning zero to the unknown item.
Ready to turn the brief into a shortlist? Explore the catalogue or start a project in Brandkom’s free Gift Design Studio.