Proposal questions that show why clients sign, renew or walk away
Ask prospects what a proposal missed and why a pitch went elsewhere, and ask clients what would make a renewal easy. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What proposal and renewal survey questions tell you
Proposal feedback and renewal survey questions ask the people who decide whether to hire or keep you: how clear the proposal was, what drives their decision, what was missing, why another agency won and what would make a renewal an easy yes. Lost pitches and quiet renewals both teach you something, and clients rarely volunteer the reason.
Build three short surveys from this list. Send the proposal questions a few days after the proposal, the lost pitch questions within a week of the decision, and the renewal questions six to eight weeks before the retainer ends. Three to five questions each is enough, by email or by link.
Each written answer gets a category, a theme and a sentiment, so the reasons behind lost pitches add up across the year. Give each response an owner in the inbox, and a workflow can send answers on to HubSpot.
- Questions
- 13
- Best asked
- After a proposal, or before a retainer ends
- Industry
- Agencies
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 13 proposals and renewals questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
The proposal itself
Ask prospects how the proposal read and what weighs on their decision, then let them accept it with a signature in the same survey.
- 01Stars
How clear was our proposal?
A star rating for how clear the proposal was. Ask it a few days after sending, and read low scores with the question on what was missing.
- 02Multiple choice
What was missing from the proposal?
Names the one thing a prospect wanted and didn't find, from pricing detail to the team. A growing share for one option tells you what to add to your proposal template.
- 03Points allocation
Split 100 points across what drives your decision
Asks the prospect to split 100 points across price, team, approach, track record and timeline. Results shows the average points per item, which tells you what to lead with next time.
- 11Dropdown
What is your budget range for this work?
A rough budget band for the work. Use it to size the proposal, and leave it out when the budget is already in the brief.
- 13Signature
Sign to accept the proposal
Collects a signature to accept the proposal, so acceptance and feedback arrive together in the inbox. Put it last. Signature is on every plan, 1 per survey on Free.
When a pitch is lost
Ask within a week of the decision, briefly and kindly, so the prospect still remembers the reasons and the door stays open.
- 08Multiple choice
Why did we lose the pitch?
The main reason a pitch went elsewhere, from price and experience to chemistry and timing. Over a year, the shares show whether you tend to lose on price or on fit.
- 12Text
What did the winning agency do better?
Asks a lost prospect what the winner did better. Read these answers together, by theme, before your next pitch to see whether the same strength keeps winning.
- 09Matrix
Compared with other agencies, rate us on
Rates you against other agencies on price, creativity, reliability and expertise. The heat map shows where you stand out and where you trail, from people who compared you directly.
- 10Yes / No
Would you invite us to pitch again?
A plain yes or no that keeps the relationship open. Keep the prospects who answer Yes on a list for the next brief in their area.
Renewal and billing
Ask existing clients before the retainer ends what would make renewal easy, and check that invoices and payment aren't getting in the way.
- 04Big scale
How likely are you to renew the retainer?
How likely the client is to renew, on a scale of 1 to 10. Ask it six to eight weeks before the retainer ends, so a low score leaves time to change things.
- 05Text
What would make renewal an easy yes?
The open question for renewal. Each answer comes with a theme, such as pricing or the team, so you can bring the right change to the renewal meeting.
- 06Yes / No
Was the invoice clear?
A yes or no on the latest invoice. Follow up on each No with a breakdown of the hours or line items in question, before the client has to ask.
- 07Customer effort
How easy is it to pay us?
A customer effort score for paying you. Results shows the share who found it easy; a low share points to payment methods, purchase orders or invoice details to fix.
Tips for asking about proposals and renewals
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask lost prospects within a week
A short, polite survey soon after the decision gets honest answers. Wait a month and the reasons blur.
- 02
Keep each survey short
Use three to five questions per moment. A prospect who chose another agency owes you nothing, so respect their time.
- 03
Start renewal talks with answers
Send the renewal questions six to eight weeks before the retainer ends, and bring what you hear to the renewal meeting.
- 04
Read lost reasons across the year
One lost pitch tells a story and ten show a pattern. Select a reason in Results to see how those prospects rated you in the grid.
Add these questions to a survey
From the library to the first answers.
- 1
Open the library
In the Usertick survey editor, choose From library, filter by industry and topic, and add several questions at once.
- 2
Or paste your own list
Paste questions reads up to 10 questions from any text on Free, 100 on Starter and 200 on Pro and above, keeps your wording and picks an answer type for each.
- 3
Choose where it runs
Show the survey on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.
- 4
Read the answers
Results counts every score and choice, and Usertick reads each written answer and files it by topic, on every plan.
Templates and more questions about proposals and renewals
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
Within a week of their decision. Send a short survey by email or put the link in your reply to their decision, and keep it to three or four questions.
Six to eight weeks before the retainer ends, so there is time to act on what you hear. Usertick can schedule the send up to 30 days ahead.
Yes, on every plan. Add the signature question (1 per survey on Free) at the end, and the signature arrives with the answers in the inbox.
Only before the proposal is written. Once you have sent a price, ask what drives the decision instead.
Yes. The question library comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.
Yes. Once a question is in your survey, reword it, change its options or its answer type, and add logic to skip it for some answers.
Yes. The library is translated into Usertick's built-in languages, and in any other language it shows in English for you to translate.
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