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Less is More: Why Piling on Options is Costing You Clients

Apr 25, 2025

3 mins

too many optional items costing you deals featured image

Let's say it's a hot summer day and you're in the mood for some ice cream. You walk into a shop, but instead of the usual handful of flavors, you’re staring at 30 options. You overthink it, hesitate, and eventually leave without buying anything.

This is a classic example of analysis paralysis - and it's exactly what happens when you give clients too many options in a proposal. You think you’re giving them flexibility, but you're really just giving them a reason to freeze up and walk away.

Clients want solutions, not a catalogue of everything you can sell them

We've seen data from thousands of proposals. Every day, businesses try to upsell by including shopping lists of options in their pricing tables. It doesn't work.

Research has backed this time and again - the more options you offer, the less likely you are to make the sale. From the client's point of view, the process becomes more about avoiding the wrong option than it is about choosing the right one. As a result, they end up either postponing the decision or not making one at all.

Stop throwing spaghetti at the wall

Clients come to you so you can tell them how you're going to solve their problem. Pushing too many options doesn't make you look like an expert guiding them to the right solution. It makes you look like:

You're guessing
You're desperate to make a sale
You're trying to squeeze as much as possible from their wallet

Does that mean you shouldn't offer any options?

No. But you do have to go about it in a smarter way and focus on what truly matters to the client. To do that, you need to:

Nail the discovery call. This is where you need to ask the right questions and listen. Find out as much as you can about your client’s pain points and goals.

Focus on adding value. Which optional items can you offer to complement the base service? For example, if you’re offering marketing services, you can suggest social media management if the client mentioned wanting a better online presence.

Limit the options. Include only up to three options that will make the most difference based on what you know about the client's goals.

Be transparent. Make sure the client sees the value of each option and understands the price. When the benefits are clear, they’ll be more likely to say yes.

Keep it simple, close more deals

The perfect combination for closing more deals? A buying decision that's easy to make and an offer that's easy to accept.

Better Proposals helps with both. Try it out today and see for yourself.

FAQs on offering options in proposals

Why do too many optional items in proposals overwhelm clients?

With too many options, the decision-making process shifts from choosing the best option to just trying to avoid picking the wrong one. This results in clients putting off or completely avoiding making a choice, which means lost opportunities for you.

Is trying to upsell in a proposal always a bad idea?

Not at all! There's nothing inherently bad about upselling. It’s about how you do it. Instead of trying to upsell for the sake of it, focus on presenting additional options that genuinely add value based on the client’s needs. If your upsell helps solve a bigger problem or complements the base service, it can make the proposal more attractive. The key is to keep it relevant and clear.

How can I make my upsells more effective?

Simple - tailor them to your client’s unique needs. Use the discovery call to understand their goals and pain points. Then, present upsell options that support what they're trying to achieve.

How do I know which options to include in my proposal?

Listen closely to your client’s needs during the discovery phase. Once you understand what they want to achieve, you can select options that directly support those goals. Focus on offering just a few (ideally, no more than three) that will have the most impact on their success.

Patricija Šobak

Patricija Šobak puts her talent in spotting questionable grammar and shady syntax to good use by writing about various business-related topics. Besides advocating the use of the Oxford comma, she also likes coffee, dogs, and video games. People find her ability to name classic rock songs only from the intro both shocking and impressive.