Advisory and virtual CFO proposals that sell the value
Cash-flow forecasts, budgets, business plans and a monthly CFO retainer, priced clearly, with discounts approved by a partner before the proposal goes out.
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QuoteCloud helps accounting firms sell advisory work: a virtual CFO retainer set out as repeating monthly charges, once-off budgets, forecasts and business plans as options, and the outcomes the client wants in their own words. A partner approves any discount first on the Business plan, and the client signs and pays on signing.
A fictional practice's virtual CFO proposal for Hearth Lane Bakery: the monthly retainer set out in the agreement (management report $650, 13-week cash-flow forecast $380, CFO meeting $720, bank and board reporting $200, $1,950 a month), with the approval panel in front: a 15% discount is In Review, approved by one partner and waiting for the second.
A CFO proposal, page by page
Hearth Lane Bakery wants a second store without straining cash. Here is how the fictional practice sells the plan and the retainer, in one document.
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Ledgerline AdvisoryAdvisory proposal LA-A-0188 Sample · fictional practice
Advisory proposal
Virtual CFO and a plan for the second store
You want to open a second store next year without straining cash. We'll build the plan and three-year budget the bank will ask for, then act as your part-time CFO each month: numbers, forecast and a meeting to decide what to do next.
The goal
The client's goal comes first
The proposal opens with what the owners want: a second store next year, with the cash to do it. The fees come after the value.
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Ledgerline AdvisoryAdvisory proposal LA-A-0188 Sample · fictional practice
Monthly CFO retainer in this agreement (ex tax)
Service How often Per month Management report and KPI pack Monthly $650.00 13-week rolling cash-flow forecast Updated monthly $380.00 CFO meeting, 90 minutes Monthly $720.00 Bank and board reporting Quarterly, spread monthly $200.00 - Monthly
- $1,950.00
- Term
- 12 months · $23,400
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
The retainer
The CFO retainer, month by month
Management reports, a rolling 13-week forecast, a monthly CFO meeting and bank reporting: $1,950 a month, set out for the year. The practice invoices it; QuoteCloud never bills it.
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Ledgerline AdvisoryAdvisory proposal LA-A-0188 Sample · fictional practice
Once-off: plan and budget
Item Qty Rate Amount Plan $3,230 Second-store business plan and 3-year budgetSales, staffing, fit-out and cash, with three scenarios1 lot $3,800 $3,800.00 Founding-client discount15% off the plan, first CFO client of the year1 lot -$570 -$570.00 Optional Tick to add 1 lot $1,500 $1,500.00 - Subtotal
- $3,230.00
- Tax (10%)
- $323.00
- Total
- $3,553.00
- Plus, monthly
- $0.00/mo
- Payment on signing (50%)
- $1,776.50
The plan
Once-off work, with an option
The plan and three-year budget the bank will ask for, a 15% founding-client discount, and a bank finance pack the owners can add themselves.
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Ledgerline AdvisoryAdvisory proposal LA-A-0188 Sample · fictional practice
Accept, sign and pay
Ana Ribeiro · Director
Signed online · 8 Jul, 12:30 pm
Payment on signing (50%)
$1,776.50
Paid via StripePay with card or PayPal
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
Activity
- Approved by Daniel OseiDiscount over 10%, Business plan
- Proposal openedAna Ribeiro
- SignedAna Ribeiro, Director
- Payment made$1,776.50 via Stripe
Agreed
Approved, signed and paid
Once both partners approve the discount, Ana signs and pays half the once-off work through Stripe, on the same page.
Payments on signing
Every advisory deliverable, priced the way it's delivered
Some advisory work is once-off, some is monthly. Each deliverable is a line with what the client gets written in its note.
Cash-flow forecasts
A rolling 13-week forecast as a monthly line, or a once-off 12-month forecast for a decision.
Budgets
An annual or three-year budget as a once-off line, with scenarios described in the note.
Business plans
A plan for a lender or an investor, priced on its value as a single line, with the bank pack as an option.
Management reports
A monthly KPI pack and commentary as a repeating charge in the agreement.
CFO meetings
A monthly or quarterly meeting with the owners, set out with its length and how often it happens.
Bank and board reporting
Quarterly reporting to the lender or the board, spread across the months of the retainer.
Options the owners choose, on a value line
Advisory is sold on the outcome. The plan is one line priced on its value, with what the owners get in the note: sales, staffing, fit-out and cash, in three scenarios.
Add work the client may want as an optional row. Here the bank finance pack is one tick away: the once-off total, the tax and the payment on signing all follow.
- Value pricing as a single line with the outcome in its note
- Optional rows the client ticks
- Payment on signing as a percentage of the once-off work
- AI Co-Worker can turn your meeting notes into a draft introduction you edit and accept (Business)
Price tables and payments: Essentials and up
The AI Co-Worker in QuoteCloudOnce-off: plan and budget
| Item | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan | $3,230 | ||
Second-store business plan and 3-year budgetSales, staffing, fit-out and cash, with three scenarios
|
1 lot | $3,800 | $3,800.00 |
Founding-client discount15% off the plan, first CFO client of the year
|
1 lot | -$570 | -$570.00 |
| Optional Tick to add | |||
| 1 lot | $1,500 | $1,500.00 | |
- Subtotal
- $3,230.00
- Tax (10%)
- $323.00
- Total
- $3,553.00
- Plus, monthly
- $0.00/mo
- Payment on signing (50%)
- $1,776.50
Accept, sign and pay
Ana Ribeiro · Director
Signed online · 8 Jul, 12:30 pm
Payment on signing (50%)
$1,776.50
Paid via StripePay with card or PayPal
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
Send your next advisory proposal from QuoteCloud
Free for 14 days, no credit card. Bring your CFO proposal and we'll convert one template for you during the trial.
Fee value doesn't leave without a partner
Advisory fees are where discounts creep in. Set an approval rule on the discount percentage or the total value, and the proposal waits In Review until the partners you choose approve it.
Here a 15% founding-client discount sends the CFO proposal to both partners. Meg has approved; it can't be sent until Daniel does.
- Triggers on discount percentage or total value
- Approvers from a role, such as Partner
- Every step recorded in the workflow log
Approval workflow: Business plan
The approval workflowDocument workflow
In ReviewTriggered when Discount Percentage greater than 10%
- Meg HollisPartner, tax & advisoryApproved
- Daniel OseiPartnerWaiting
Must be approved by all approvers before it can be sent.
- Approval request sent by Chloe Tan
- Approved by Meg Hollis
Approval workflow · Business plan
Activity
- Approved by Daniel OseiDiscount over 10%, Business plan
- Proposal openedAna Ribeiro
- SignedAna Ribeiro, Director
- Payment made$1,776.50 via Stripe
Sample · fictional practice
A part-time CFO, agreed for the year
Reports, forecast, a monthly meeting and bank reporting for Hearth Lane Bakery, set out in the agreement. The practice invoices it each month.
The value story, from first meeting to retainer
How a practice sells advisory work with QuoteCloud, and what it sets up once so every adviser sells it the same way.
Write down the goal
Open the proposal with the owners' goal in their words. AI Co-Worker (Business) can draft it from your meeting notes for you to edit.
Show what they get
Deliverables as lines from your catalogue, the retainer as repeating charges and the once-off work beside it.
Let them choose
Extras such as a bank finance pack as optional rows the owners tick.
Approve the discount
A founding-client or loyalty discount waits In Review until a partner approves it (Business).
Signed and paid
The owners sign online and pay a share of the once-off work by card. The signature can create the client in Xero through Zapier.
Advisory and virtual CFO proposal questions, answered
Can a partner approve discounts on advisory proposals?
Yes, on the Business plan. An approval workflow can trigger on discount percentage or total value; the proposal waits In Review until the approvers you choose approve it, and only then can it be sent to the client.
Does QuoteCloud bill the monthly CFO retainer?
No. The retainer is set out in the agreement as repeating monthly charges, so the owners see the cost of the year before they sign. You invoice it from your accounting system. QuoteCloud can take one payment on signing, such as a share of the once-off work, through Stripe or PayPal.
Can we price advisory work on value instead of hours?
Yes. Put the deliverable as a single line priced on its value and describe the outcome in the line's note, beside hourly or monthly lines if you need them. Optional rows let the client add extras such as a bank finance pack.
Can AI write our advisory proposals?
AI Co-Worker, on the Business plan, helps your team inside the editor: it can draft an introduction from your meeting notes or rewrite content in a different tone. Nothing goes into the proposal until someone on your team inserts it, and you edit it like any other text.
Does QuoteCloud forecast cash flow or build budgets?
No. You build forecasts and budgets in your own tools. QuoteCloud is where you propose, price and agree that work, and where the client signs and pays on signing.
Is there an advisory proposal template?
Yes. The Financial Consulting Template is a real QuoteCloud template you can open, brand and edit with your own deliverables, retainer and terms.
More of QuoteCloud for accounting
Advisory often leads to structuring, a grant or a sale. Here is the rest of the practice.
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Structures, sales & successionCompany, trust and partnership set-ups, restructures, valuations, business sales and succession plans.Explore
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Fixed-fee packages & pricingGood, better, best packages, add-ons the client ticks and monthly fees set out in the agreement.Explore
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Government grant engagementsScope and price grant application work: fixed or success-fee options, a timetable and a signed engagement.Explore
- Engagement letters & terms of engagementScope, responsibilities, fees, limitation and privacy, from your template, signed by every director or trustee.
- Client onboarding & information requestsInformation requests with a Forms block and checklist, every director signing and an onboarding fee on signing.
- Annual re-engagementExpiry dates, the Expiring Soon filter and next year's letters sent in bulk and tracked until signed.
- Tax, bookkeeping & payrollTax returns, sales tax and VAT, financial statements, bookkeeping and payroll, quoted as clear fixed fees.
- Fund and compliance auditsAnnual fund engagements every trustee signs, and audit proposals with clear scope and independence.
- Grant application documentsInformation requests, budget schedules, milestones, risk and signed declarations, exported as a PDF for the funder's portal.
- R&D tax credits and incentivesRegistration and claim engagements with clear limits, and activity descriptions the client's team confirms.
- Xero, QuickBooks & practice integrationsSigned engagements to Xero or QuickBooks Online through Zapier, and practice tools through Zapier, Make or the API.
- Accounting templatesReal QuoteCloud templates for engagement letters, accounting proposals, bookkeeping, audit, grants and budgets.
- QuoteCloud implementation for practicesYour services price book, locked engagement terms, a template per service line, approvals and training.
- FAQAnswers to the questions accounting firms, bookkeepers and grant consultants ask most.
Sell the value, then agree the retainer
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