The Real Cost of Typos in Client Proposals
A single typo in a proposal can cost you the project. Here’s the data and a system to prevent it.
In a 2023 survey of 200 hiring managers, 78% said they would reject a proposal if they found a typo. Even if the work was excellent. That’s harsh, but it’s reality. Clients see typos as a sign of carelessness — if you can’t proofread your proposal, why trust you with their brand?
I once lost a $5,000 project because I wrote “their” instead of “there.” The client didn’t even tell me; I found out through a mutual contact. That hurt. So I built a system.
Now, every proposal goes through three checks: 1) spell-check software, 2) a human reader (my partner, who isn’t a writer), and 3) a final listen using text-to-speech. The text-to-speech catches awkward phrases and missing words that my eyes skip. It takes 15 minutes extra. Worth every second.
Our proposal proofreading checklist includes these steps. You can download it as a PDF and keep it next to your desk. Because one typo shouldn’t cost you thousands.