Every signer, then the first payment
The marketing lead and finance each sign from their own link, and the first month or the deposit is paid by card or PayPal on signing.
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In QuoteCloud every signer gets their own link and signature block, with no account needed, and you can see who has signed. On signing, the client pays the amount you set (a percentage, a fixed amount such as the first month plus onboarding, or the full amount) to your own Stripe or PayPal account, on Essentials and up.
A sample 12-month retainer from a fictional agency, Ambergrove Digital, for Kinroy Outdoor Co., open in the signing view on the agency's tablet, where Elena Marsh signs in person at the end of the pitch. The page scrolls through the monthly fees for SEO, social and paid search and social on Growth, email and content on Foundation and a monthly review call, $8,530 a month plus tax, then Elena signs in the sign bar and the button changes to Signed. Two notes beside it: both signers have signed (Elena in person, Daniel later from his own link), and $11,363.00 (the first month and onboarding, including tax) was paid on signing through Stripe.
The right first payment for every kind of work
A retainer, a freelancer's project and a fractional CMO's months each ask for something different on signing. You set it once per template: a percentage, a fixed amount or the full amount.
Your retainer
| Service | What's included each month | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fees · repeating for 12 months | ||
| SEOGrowth |
|
$2,600/mo |
| Social mediaGrowth |
|
$2,100/mo |
| Paid search & socialGrowth |
|
$1,600/mo |
| EmailFoundation |
|
$750/mo |
| ContentFoundation |
|
$1,100/mo |
| Add-ons Tick to add | ||
| $1,280/mo | ||
| $380/mo | ||
| $2,400 once | ||
| Once, at the start | ||
| Onboarding and strategy workshopQuestionnaire, half-day workshop, access and tracking set-up | $1,800 once | |
- Monthly fees
- $8,530.00/mo + tax
- Once, at the start
- $1,800.00 + tax
- First payment on signingA fixed amount: first month and one-offs, inc tax
- $11,363.00
- Over 12 months, ex tax
- $104,160
Monthly fees are repeating charges shown in the agreement. QuoteCloud takes the first payment on signing; later months are invoiced by your agency.
Accept and sign
2 of 2 signed
- Elena MarshHead of e-commerce Signed20 Oct 2026
- Daniel KwanFinance director Signed21 Oct 2026
Agreement summary
- Monthly fees
- $8,530 + tax
- Term
- 12 months, 1 Dec 2026 to 30 Nov 2027
- Paid on signing
- $11,363.00 via Stripe
- Ad spend
- Paid by Kinroy to the platforms
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
The first month and onboarding, paid as they sign
Kinroy's retainer asks for the first month of fees plus the onboarding fee, $11,363.00 including tax, set as a fixed amount. Both signers sign, the card is charged through the agency's own Stripe account, and the work starts.
- Monthly fees as repeating charges over 12 months
- Paid on signing to your Stripe or PayPal account
- Months two to twelve are your agency's own invoices
Quote
| Item | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website copy | $2,880 | ||
Page copyHome, about, services, three project pages · 2 rounds each
|
6 pages | $420 | $2,520.00 |
Page titles and meta descriptionsWritten with the page copy
|
6 pages | $60 | $360.00 |
| Add-ons Tick to add | |||
| 4 posts | $280 | $1,120.00 | |
- Subtotal
- $4,000.00
- Tax (not registered) (0%)
- $0.00
- Total
- $4,000.00
- Plus, monthly
- $0.00/mo
- Deposit on signing (50%)
- $2,000.00
Accept, sign and pay
Lucy Bramble · Principal designer
Signed online · Sat 17 Oct 2026
Deposit on signing (50%)
$2,000.00
Paid via PayPalPay with card or PayPal
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
Half up front, by PayPal, before the first draft
Mae Hollis quotes six pages of website copy with blog posts the client can add. Lucy ticked the posts, signed and paid half, $2,000.00, through PayPal. Mae isn't registered for tax, so the tax line is nil.
- Deposit as a percentage of the total
- Follows the extras the client ticks
- PayPal or Stripe, whichever you connect
Monthly fees
| Service | Visits | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Fractional CMO, 6 days a month | Monthly | $8,700.00 |
| Board pack, quarterly (spread monthly) | Monthly | $400.00 |
- Monthly
- $9,100.00
- Term
- 6 months · $54,600
- N
- D
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
Accept and sign
Arjun Mehra · Chief executive, Tessel Robotics
Signed online · Thu 15 Oct 2026
Agreement summary
- Monthly fees
- $9,100 + tax
- Term
- 6 months from 2 Nov 2026
- Paid on signing
- First month, $10,010.00
- Later months
- Invoiced by Jo Varley
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
Six months agreed, the first one paid
Jo Varley's agreement shows six days a month and a quarterly board pack as repeating charges, with a summary beside the signature: $10,010.00 paid on signing for the first month, later months invoiced by Jo.
- Agreement summary beside the signature
- A fixed amount on signing
- Nothing billed by QuoteCloud after that
What to take on signing, by job
Common choices for agencies, studios and freelancers. Whatever you choose, it's paid once, when the client signs; anything after that is your own invoice.
Retainer
The first month plus onboarding, set as a fixed amount. Later months are invoiced by your agency.
Brand or website project
A deposit as a percentage of the project, such as 40%. It follows any optional phase the client ticks.
Launch campaign
Half your fees before creative starts. The client's ad spend is never part of it.
PR retainer
The set-up fee in full on signing, with the monthly retainer shown as a repeating charge.
Freelance job
Half up front, or the full amount for a small job, by card or PayPal.
Fractional CMO or adviser
The first month as a fixed amount, with the term and later invoicing stated in the agreement summary.
Grace has signed. Tom signs from his own link.
Orchard Lane Wines has two owners, so the rebrand proposal has two signature blocks. Each owner gets their own link, signs without creating an account, and you can see who has signed and who hasn't.
Until the deposit is paid, the proposal shows it as due, with card and PayPal buttons for the client. Signers aren't numbered: each signs when they're ready.
- Several signers, each with their own block
- Optional one-time passcode by email before signing
- Sign in person on your device, for example at the pitch
- Certificate of authenticity and audit trail on every signed document
Accept, sign and pay
1 of 2 signed
- Grace KirkbyOwner & winemaker Signed16 Oct 2026
- Tom KirkbyOwner Awaiting signature
Deposit on signing (40%)
$11,836.00
Paid via StripePay with card or PayPal
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
Get signed and paid in one step
Free for 14 days, no credit card required. Connect Stripe or PayPal and set the first payment in your templates.
Signed and paid, and the rest of your systems know
The activity on Kinroy's retainer shows every step: sent, opened, an add-on chosen, the questionnaire submitted, both signatures and the first payment. Your team gets QuoteCloud's tracking notifications as it happens.
Zapier triggers such as Recipient Signed Document and Document Payment Event can move the deal in your CRM or tell finance to set up the next invoice. Xero and QuickBooks connect natively on Business, or through Zapier.
- Triggers: Recipient Signed Document, Document Payment Event
- Zapier on Essentials and up; the Zap's actions are your own set-up
- Pipedrive connects directly on Business
Activity
- Proposal sent to Elena and DanielEmail link · AD-R-2207
- Opened by ElenaTue 20 Oct, 2:48 pm
- Monthly review call added+$380 a month
- Onboarding questionnaire submittedForms block · 4 answers
- Signed by Elena MarshTue 20 Oct, 4:12 pm
- Signed by Daniel KwanWed 21 Oct, 9:05 am
- First payment received$11,363.00 via Stripe
Paid on signing · sample retainer
The first month in, before the kickoff call
Kinroy's first month and onboarding fee, including tax, paid by card through Stripe when Daniel signed. The other eleven months are Ambergrove's own invoices.
Set up the first payment in five steps
Once per template, then every proposal asks for the right amount.
Connect your gateway
Connect your agency's own Stripe or PayPal account. Payments are on Essentials and up.
Choose the amount
In the template, set the payment on signing as a percentage, a fixed amount or the full amount.
Add every signer
Add the marketing lead, finance or both owners, each with their own signature block.
Send the proposal
Each signer gets their own link. Add a one-time passcode by email if you want one.
Invoice the rest yourself
The first payment lands on signing. Later months and balances are your own invoices, from your accounting software.
Signing and payment questions, answered
Can two people sign a marketing proposal?
Yes. Add as many signers as the client needs, such as the marketing lead and the finance director, or both owners. Each gets their own link and signature block, no account is needed to sign, and you can see who has signed and who is still to sign. Signers aren't numbered; each signs when they're ready.
Can the client pay the first month when they sign?
Yes, on Essentials and up. Set the payment on signing as a fixed amount, such as the first month of fees plus onboarding, a percentage of the total, or the full amount. The client pays by card through Stripe or by PayPal, into the account your agency connects. Later months are invoiced by your agency, not by QuoteCloud.
Does QuoteCloud bill the rest of the retainer?
No. Monthly fees appear in the agreement as repeating charges with the term, so the client sees what they're signing for, but QuoteCloud takes only the payment on signing. QuoteCloud doesn't run instalments, recurring billing or payment reminders. You invoice months two onwards from your own accounting software, such as Xero or QuickBooks.
Which payment gateways can I use?
Stripe or PayPal. You connect your agency's own account, and payments made on signing go to it. A gateway has to be connected before a proposal can take a payment. Freelancers often use PayPal; agencies taking larger first payments by card often use Stripe. Payments on signing are included from the Essentials plan.
Can a client sign in person at the pitch meeting?
Yes. A client can sign in person on your device, for example on a tablet at the end of the pitch, as well as from their own link by email. You can also ask signers for a one-time passcode sent by email before they sign. Every signed document carries a certificate of authenticity and an audit trail.
Is the client's ad spend included in the payment on signing?
No. Ad spend is the client's own estimate of what they'll pay the ad platforms directly, shown in its own box outside every total. The payment on signing covers only your fees, such as the first month and onboarding. QuoteCloud doesn't collect ad spend or connect to any ad platform.
More for marketing agencies
Every page of the QuoteCloud marketing services microsite.
-
Retainer proposals & scope tiersSEO, social, paid, email and content as good, better and best tiers, with add-ons the client ticks and monthly fees shown in the agreement.Explore
-
Brand, website & campaign project proposalsRebrands, website content and launch campaigns as phases with a Gantt, a moodboard and a deposit on signing.Explore
-
Ad spend estimates & management feesThe client's media budget shown as their own estimate, apart from your management fee, so nobody mistakes one for the other.Explore
- SEO, social, paid, email & content scopesWhat each channel includes at each tier, written once as reusable scope blocks and dropped into every proposal.
- Case studies, team bios & AI-drafted summariesCase studies, bios and your method as library blocks, and an executive summary the AI Co-Worker helps draft for you to accept.
- Scope of work, deliverables & revision roundsDeliverables, revision rounds and what's out of scope as locked terms, and changes as a revised version the client signs.
- Onboarding questionnaires & client briefsThe brand questionnaire inside the proposal, so the brief arrives with the signature instead of three weeks later.
- Retainer renewals & annual reviewsExpiry dates you see coming, the annual review as a revised proposal, and renewal offers bulk-sent to retainer clients.
- CRM & integrations for agenciesPipedrive direct, HubSpot through Zapier, Make and the API, and Xero or QuickBooks for the invoices you send.
- Marketing proposal templatesReal QuoteCloud templates for agency, SEO, social media, digital marketing, PR, copywriting and logo design proposals.
- QuoteCloud implementation for agenciesYour proposal converted, channel tiers in the catalogue, case studies in the library and the team trained.
- FAQAnswers to the questions agencies, studios, PR firms and freelancers ask most.
Signed by everyone, first month paid
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