Start with the constraint
Describe the decision or bottleneck before writing a service brief. A business seeking a new distribution channel needs a different engagement from one with enough leads but weak qualification. The most useful partner should be able to explain how the proposed work connects to that constraint.
Make the economics visible
Agree on the relevant unit economics, capacity limits, and commercial baseline. Revenue, advertising efficiency, contribution margin, and qualified pipeline answer different questions. Choose the measure that reflects the business decision, and document where the data is incomplete.
Ask who owns execution
A proposal should identify the work, the person or team responsible, the approvals needed, and the dependencies on your organization. Clarify which capabilities are delivered directly and which involve specialist partners. An introduction, a recommendation, and an implemented workflow are different deliverables.
Separate evidence from estimates
Ask whether examples are actual engagements or illustrative scenarios. For reported results, request the starting point, time period, scope, measurement method, and permission to share. An anonymized example can be useful without revealing a client, but its limits should be clear.
Define the first decision point
A focused initial scope should produce enough evidence to decide whether to continue, change direction, or stop. Set that decision point before the work begins. This creates a more useful conversation than a broad promise to increase growth.