An agreement is a document that establishes the services you will provide. Agreements allow you to communicate expectations you want to set in writing. You may call these quotes, proposals, or contracts.

You can use an agreement as a marketing tool to show a potential client (e.g., prospect) what you could do if they hired you, but it's also commonly used as a tool to get the freelancer and a current client on the same page.

Documents with signatures and the terms within them are legally binding, thus protecting you and your business from undue liability.

But perhaps more importantly, a strong agreement will ensure the client feels that you understand their needs for the project and that the two of you are aligned on project execution, including agreed-upon goals and milestones.

Make agreements a habitual part of your process to protect you and your business from scope creep and set up professional boundaries from the beginning of your client relationships.

There are several steps covered in this tutorial:

Select the client that you want to send an agreement to or create a client. Once you have chosen the client or prospect that you are writing your agreement for, choose the "Agreements" tab of the client file. Click + New agreement or the blue + to create a new agreement.

Since you're reading this article, this is probably your first agreement (also, hi! Welcome. We're glad you're here). When you level up to the pro tier, you'll be able to save proposals that you use over and over again as templates for future use.

A quote contains project information and fees. To execute a quote, a client simply needs to click the "accept" button.
A proposal contains a statement of a client's pain points, your solution, project information and fees, and e-signatures.
A contract contains legal terms and e-signatures (and optionally everything else in proposals).

Customize the style of any proposal in the following ways:

Customize your font styles (both heading and text) by clicking on "@ Font settings." Select the desired fonts from the drop-down menus. Click "Save".

Click here for a helpful article on choosing font styles for your business proposals.

Give your agreement a name to make it easy to find later. If your cover image doesn't require heading text, you can opt to make the heading position hidden.

If you'd like to add a cover image, you can add a stock image, your own image file, or remove the cover image. Begin by clicking "Cover image" or using the edit pencil icon in the top right of the cover image itself. Search for a stock image or upload your own. If you prefer no image, choose "No image."

Remove the logo by opening the cover image editor and toggling "Show logo" near the bottom.

To adjust the font color scheme, click on the "Cover image" button. Select "Dark" or "Light" in the top right corner of the editor.

Edit any of the text by clicking into it's text box.

Some common blocks will be created by default. They are all fully editable. Other types of content blocks that can be added are:

Text block for static text information about you or your client.
File attachments used to attach any file type, with a size limit of 50mb.
Image with caption or Image centered

Contract terms that state your payment terms and can be edited to add legal terms that protect you.
Fee structure for the projects and tasks you will complete for your client. Once your proposal is signed, the selected package will be added to project management.

Edit, delete, or move default blocks by clicking them. Once you've clicked the block, you can edit the text. Use the arrows on the left to move the block up and down or the trash can icon to delete.

To add a content block, hover over the area where you'd like to add a content block and click "Insert block."

You can add one or more projects and their associated fees and tasks that you’ll provide the client. Once the contract is signed, this project and task will automatically be created in your client file. (You can adjust that feature in your account settings > preferences if you do not want to auto create projects.)

Hover over where you'd like to add the block and select "Insert block" and choose "+ Create new fee structure" or use your project templates (if you are on the pro tier). Update the default header to the project name.

Click "Set up fees" to set clear expectations up front for what it costs for your services. Choose hourly, fixed price, retainer, or per item. Be as specific as possible with hour estimates to be clear in your communication and avoid scope creep.

Set a fixed due date for your project completion or opt to set a due date at a set amount of time after the proposal has been signed.

Create multi-select project packages

Give your clients the option to choose one package, several options, or all options by adding multiple project blocks. Toggle this setting by clicking the blue text under the project block.

Notice that you only need to do this change to one project block and it will apply to all the boxes.

Adding terms is optional, but recommended. These terms are legally binding when signed, which helps protect you in case of non-payment or late payment from the client. It also sets clear expectations, so there’s no confusion for either you or the client.

Hover over where you'd like to include your terms and choose insert block. Choose "Contract terms." These terms will auto-populate if you have previously set up terms in your client file. To edit the terms, click in the box. Choose your payment terms. You can opt to include legal terms as well.

Note: The contract template provided by Hectic was drafted by an attorney based on common requirements for freelancers in the US, however, it is not a substitute for legal advice. If you have any questions regarding this contract template or your finished contract as it relates to your specific business, please contact your own lawyer.

If you’d like to include a contract terms section, but would prefer full control over the language included, you can choose to convert the terms to editable text.

Sign your proposal by clicking in your box under "Signatures." You can type or draw your signature. You can also add a title under your signature.

Send your proposal by using the "Share" button in the top right corner. You’ll be asked to finalize the proposal before you send it. Use this as an opportunity to make sure you are satisfied with the entire proposal, then click the "Finalize" button.

You can choose to send your proposal from a Hectic email (replies go to your account email), copy a link to send to the client manually, or print or download a PDF.

If you send through Hectic email, use the drop down box in the "To" field to choose or create a new contact. The subject line and message in the Hectic email is fully editable; just click to edit. Your proposal will also be available in your Client Portal.

Ideally, your client will sign the contract right away. However, some clients will have specific needs, and may ask for a proposal to be amended before they sign. If so, they can leave a comment on the proposal directly. This is what your client sees when you send your proposal.

If your client leaves a comment, you will receive an email notification as well as a notification in your homebase. In order to make changes to the proposal, you’ll need to unlock it by choosing "Edit agreement."

Once your agreement has been accepted or you have an e-signature, congratulations! You will receive a notification in your Hectic account. Invoices will automatically generate for your review (they have not been sent to your client until you review and send) per your proposal terms.

Projects that you created along with their associated tasks will be created. When you create an invoice, the fee structure you set up in your agreement will be honored automatically. Toggle these settings in by clicking your workspace icon in the lower left. Then click preferences > agreements.

A signed contract means it’s time for you to get to work, so you can deliver a high-quality, on-time project to the client. High five!