Updated September 11, 2026 · USI Digital Marketing
Make the proposal specific before you sign off.
A proposal should turn a sales conversation into clear responsibilities. For each item below, ask for an answer in writing and note who will handle any follow-up.
If you are still defining the full plan, begin with our RV dealership marketing services overview before comparing individual proposals.
1. The business goal
Name the inventory category, market or visibility problem the work will address. “More traffic” is too broad to guide useful decisions.
2. Included services
Separate Google Ads management, SEO, strategy advice and website implementation. Identify recurring work and one-time tasks.
3. Media spend and fees
List the advertising budget separately from management fees and any setup or third-party costs. Confirm how budget changes are approved.
4. Account access
Document ownership, administrator access and how your dealership obtains its data. Do the same for analytics and website accounts.
5. Inventory updates
Establish how sold units, incoming stock and promotion changes reach the marketing team. Assign a dealership contact.
6. Website responsibilities
Clarify who edits landing pages, fixes broken links and installs tracking. Include your current website provider where needed.
7. Conversion definitions
Ask whether reports count phone clicks, completed forms or qualified leads. These actions describe different stages in the sales process.
8. Review schedule
Confirm when you receive reports and how questions or lead-quality feedback are handled.
9. Evidence behind claims
Request dates, spend context and metric definitions for performance examples. Confirm current credentials directly rather than relying on an old logo or badge.
10. Cancellation and handoff
Understand notice requirements, final billing, access transfer and what happens to campaign assets. Resolve uncertainty before work starts.
Work through the budget instead of comparing the headline price
Suppose two fictional proposals both quote $3,000 per month. Proposal A includes $2,400 in media and $600 in management. Proposal B includes $2,000 in media, $700 in management and a $300 measurement service. These figures are examples, not USI prices or recommended budgets.
The matching totals conceal different allocations. Before deciding which is better, determine what the management includes, why the measurement service is needed and whether the dealership already has that capability. More media is not automatically better if essential implementation is missing. A larger fee is not automatically justified by a longer feature list.
Ask how invoices and platform spending will be reconciled. If a quoted amount includes media, can the provider show the corresponding advertising cost separately? If the platform spends less than expected, what happens to the unused amount under the proposed arrangement? Get a specific answer rather than assuming every provider handles the situation alike.
Replace ambiguous scope with an observable deliverable
Broad phrases can describe useful work, but they do not establish who will complete it. Translate the important promises into a deliverable, the information needed to produce it and a way to verify completion.
| Proposal wording | Clarification to request |
|---|---|
| “Landing-page optimization” | Which pages, what implementation is included, who approves changes and whether the website provider charges separately. |
| “Advanced reporting” | The reporting period, outcome definitions, included accounts and who explains the findings. |
| “SEO content” | The intended buyer question, destination page, subject-matter review and publishing responsibility. |
| “Campaign management” | The included channels, inventory-update process, review responsibilities and escalation route. |
Do not convert every activity into a rigid quota. The right number of campaign changes depends on what the evidence shows. Requiring a fixed number of edits can reward unnecessary activity. Define the responsibility to investigate, explain and act on relevant findings instead.
Find dependencies that could delay the work
A proposed improvement may require access or implementation by another provider. For example, the advertising manager may recommend a more relevant inventory page while the dealership’s website company controls that page. If the proposal does not assign the implementation, the recommendation can remain unfinished even though both providers consider their own work complete.
List these dependencies before launch. For each, identify who can approve access, who implements the change and who checks the result. Ask which tasks can start immediately and which depend on that handoff. A realistic launch plan distinguishes preparation from a campaign that is actually ready to receive visitors.
Include measurement in this discussion. A form submission should reach the correct dealership contact, and the recorded event should represent the intended action. Testing delivery and testing analytics are separate checks. The proposal should make clear who handles each one.
Read performance promises as statements to verify
If a proposal predicts a particular result, ask what assumptions support the estimate. Which inventory, market, budget and outcome definition does it use? Is it an illustrative forecast or an enforceable commercial promise? Avoid treating an attractive forecast as a verified fact about your dealership.
Historical examples require their own context. A traffic increase may reflect higher spending, a different channel mix or a change in measurement. Confidentiality can prevent sharing client accounts; in that case, ask for an explanation of the evaluation method and a clearly labeled fictional example. Do not request another dealership’s private data as a condition of hearing the team’s reasoning.
Leave the review with a short decision record
Mark each material item as confirmed, unresolved or dependent on another party. Resolve spending, scope, access and operational responsibilities before treating the proposal as ready. Keep preferences separate from prerequisites: you may prefer a particular report format, while working conversion measurement is a prerequisite for the evaluation you intend to make.
Record the chosen objective and the first review decision. For example, the review might determine whether the initial inventory campaign is attracting suitable inquiries or whether destination problems need attention first. That gives both parties a practical starting point and connects the proposal to the work that follows.
USI’s starting terms.
USI provides monthly in-depth reporting and does not hold customers to a contract. We ask for one month’s notice to cancel. We discuss scope, costs and responsibilities with you before work begins.
For help comparing options, explore marketing strategy consulting. If you are still building your shortlist, read how to choose an RV marketing team.
Put the next step into practice.
USI helps RV, boat and powersports dealerships nationwide with Google Ads, SEO and marketing strategy consulting. Talk with a USI strategist about your goals, or browse more dealership marketing guides.