Workflow: New Business
From a blank page to a proposal you can pitch
The New Business & Proposal workflow takes you from a prospect's name to a pitch narrative in six steps. You answer one question at a time, and each answer feeds the next section.
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Who it is for
Agency owners, account directors, and freelancers who pitch for new clients and lose time to the first draft.
The 6 steps
- 01
Prospect and opportunity assessment
Give it the prospect's name and industry. It searches for current public information, summarizes recent news and their media presence, and flags questions to settle before the pitch.
- 02
Your differentiation and positioning
You describe your experience and approach, and it turns that into positioning tied to this prospect's situation, in place of generic agency claims.
- 03
Proposed strategy outline
A sample strategy with a timeline, angles, and target press, grounded in current research. It is concrete enough to show strategic thinking and stops short of giving away the full plan.
- 04
Proof points and case studies
You list past wins. It selects the ones that matter most to this prospect and draws a line from each to their situation.
- 05
Pitch narrative and deck talking points
An opening hook, the arc of the story, and talking points you can use in a deck or on a call.
- 06
Follow-up plan
A thank-you touchpoint, a timeline for next steps, and what to do if the prospect goes quiet.
Example
An example, start to finish
Harbor Coffee is a made-up client, and the agency and its past results are made up too. This sample shows the shape of what three of the steps return, written from the brief below. A real run researches your own prospect and links its sources.
The brief you type in
Harbor Coffee is a brand-new specialty coffee company in Melbourne, founded this year by two former head baristas. They roast their own beans and are opening their first cafe in Fitzroy in March, with a wholesale range for other cafes launching alongside it. They have no media profile yet, no in-house PR person, and a launch budget of about $6,000 a month. They want to be known for sustainably sourced single-origin beans with clear traceability.
Step 1
Questions to settle before any pitch goes out
- •Settle what the traceability mechanism is. A QR code on the bag, a named importer or farm visits by the founders each give a journalist something specific to print.
- •Name the two founders, with the cafes they worked in and any competition results, so a general claim becomes a founder profile.
- •Define the wholesale offer: minimum order, roasting capacity and a target number of cafes for year one.
- •Fix the opening date. The Melbourne International Coffee Expo runs 4 to 6 March 2027, so the date decides how the launch is timed around it.
- •Split the $6,000 monthly budget between outreach time, press materials and a launch event, which all draw on the same amount.
Step 4
Proof points matched to the prospect
| Past result | What it shows Harbor Coffee | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Collingwood cafe opening: 14 pieces of coverage in the first month, including two city food guides | Awareness can be built before the doors open | Pre-opening plan |
| Cold brew launch for a small roaster: two trade features and 9 new wholesale accounts | Trade coverage can lead to wholesale orders | Wholesale pitch |
| Founder profile for a hospitality group: a weekend newspaper feature | The founders' story can set the brand apart | Founder interview |
Step 5
A 20-minute pitch, slide by slide
| Slide | Minutes | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Title | 1 | Harbor Coffee, Fitzroy, March, and the 90 days before doors open |
| 2. The sourcing story | 2 | What makes the traceability claim specific enough for a journalist to use |
| 3. Timing | 2 | How the opening date sits against the Melbourne International Coffee Expo, 4 to 6 March 2027 |
| 4. The 90-day plan | 3 | Three phases: build the materials, secure one first-look outlet, run opening week |
| 5. Wholesale | 2 | Trade coverage and the 9 wholesale accounts from the cold brew launch |
| 6. Why this studio | 2 | Twelve years of food and drink experience, in one sector only |
| 7. Investment | 2 | Where the $6,000 a month goes, phase by phase |
| 8. The ask | 2 | Three things the studio needs from the founders to start on Monday |
That is 16 minutes of slides and 4 minutes for the founders' questions.
What you end up with
- A researched read on the prospect
- Positioning written for this specific client
- A sample strategy outline
- Proof points matched to their situation
- A pitch narrative with talking points
- A follow-up plan
Tips for running it
- Use a real prospect name. The research step looks up public information about them.
- The strategy outline is a preview by design. Keep your full playbook for after the win.
- The follow-up plan carries forward what the prospect cares about from the earlier steps.
Run this workflow on your next project
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