Welcome to Manager List: Revolutionizing How Freelancers Close Deals
Discover how Manager List transforms freelancer client calls into professional proposals. Learn the story behind the platform and why it matters.
Introduction
If you're a freelancer, you know the drill. You hop on a discovery call with a potential client, furiously scribble notes, nod along to their requirements, and then... spend the next two hours trying to piece together a professional proposal from your chicken-scratch notes. By the time you send it over, you've forgotten half of what was discussed, and the client has already moved on to get additional quotes from others who respond faster.
Manager List exists to solve this exact problem.
This isn't just another project management tool or proposal generator. It's a purpose-built platform designed specifically for the unique workflow of freelancers who need to turn client conversations into polished, professional deliverables, fast.
In this comprehensive guide, I'll walk you through what Manager List is, who it's built for, the problems it solves, and share some personal insights into why I built it. Whether you're a solo consultant, creative professional, or technical freelancer, this platform was designed with your workflow in mind.
The Freelancer's Dilemma: Why Client Calls Are Broken
Every freelancer has experienced the chaos of client calls. You're trying to be present, build rapport, understand requirements, and simultaneously document everything being discussed. It's an impossible juggling act that leads to:
Lost Information
By the time you sit down to write that proposal, you've forgotten critical details. Was the budget $5,000 or $50,000? Did they want the project completed in 6 weeks or 6 months? These gaps lead to awkward follow-up emails and lost opportunities.
Slow Turnaround
The longer it takes to send a proposal after a call, the colder the lead becomes. Research shows that responding within the first hour increases your chances of winning the deal by 7x. Yet most freelancers take days to craft their proposals.
Inconsistent Presentation
Without a system, every proposal looks different. Sometimes you include case studies, sometimes you don't. Pricing formats vary. The result? An unprofessional impression that undermines your expertise.
Manual Repetition
How many times have you typed the same service descriptions, the same terms and conditions, the same pricing structures? This repetitive work drains your energy and steals time from billable activities.
"The best freelancers aren't necessarily the most talented—they're the ones who can close deals fastest while maintaining quality."
Who Manager List Is Built For
Manager List was designed with specific freelancer archetypes in mind. While the platform works for any independent professional, these groups will find the most immediate value:
Creative & Visual Professionals
Videographers, photographers, graphic designers, motion artists, video editors, photo retouchers, and content creators—your work is visual, but your proposals need to speak the language of business value. Manager List helps you translate creative deliverables into structured project scopes that clients can understand and approve.
Common challenges solved:
- Presenting revision rounds and approval workflows clearly
- Structuring creative phases (pre-production, production, post-production, delivery)
- Communicating the value of creative work to clients who think in spreadsheets
- Packaging editing rates (per video, per hour, per project) in digestible formats
Sales & Marketing Specialists
From SEO consultants and paid media managers to sales coaches and growth strategists, marketing freelancers sell outcomes that take time to materialize. Manager List helps you structure retainer agreements, project-based campaigns, and performance-based engagements with clear deliverables and expectations.
Common challenges solved:
- Presenting monthly retainer deliverables with measurable KPIs
- Including performance metrics, reporting schedules, and success criteria
- Structuring tiered service packages (starter, growth, scale)
- Communicating ROI timelines for strategies that take months to compound
Writing & Translation
Copywriters, content strategists, technical writers, translators, and localization specialists—your deliverables are words, but scoping them is complex. Manager List helps structure content projects from single blog posts to comprehensive multi-language content strategies with clear word counts, revision rounds, and delivery schedules.
Common challenges solved:
- Breaking down content calendars and deliverable schedules by asset type
- Presenting different content formats (long-form, short-form, scripts, documentation)
- Structuring ongoing content retainers with clear monthly deliverables
- Scoping translation projects with word counts, language pairs, and turnaround times
Development & IT
Software developers, DevOps engineers, IT consultants, system architects, and technical auditors—your proposals need to convey both technical competence and business value. Manager List helps you structure complex technical scopes into client-friendly deliverables without dumbing down the work.
Common challenges solved:
- Breaking down technical requirements into understandable milestones
- Presenting fixed-price vs. time-and-materials options clearly
- Including technical specifications without overwhelming non-technical stakeholders
- Structuring maintenance retainers and ongoing support agreements
How Manager List Transforms Your Workflow
The platform is built around a simple but powerful workflow that mirrors how freelancers actually work:
Step 1: Capture During the Call
Instead of scrambling to take notes, use Manager List's structured input system to capture key information as the conversation flows. The interface is designed for quick data entry without disrupting your attention.
Step 2: Build from Templates
Leverage your pre-built library of services, packages, and pricing structures. No more copying and pasting from old proposals. Your entire service catalog is at your fingertips, ready to be customized for each client.
Step 3: Generate and Customize
With a few clicks, transform your captured information into a polished proposal. The platform automatically structures your content, applies consistent formatting, and generates professional documentation.
Step 4: Share Instantly
Send your proposal via a unique link immediately after the call ends. No PDFs to attach, no formatting issues across devices. Clients get a beautiful, interactive experience that reflects your professionalism.
Step 5: Track and Follow Up
Know when clients view your proposals, which sections they spend time on, and when they're ready to move forward. This intelligence helps you follow up at the right moment with the right message.
Insights from the Author
I'm Mike Tu, Founder of Affirmy and Manager List. I was a Product Manager at Bank of America and Director of Engineering at Obsess (acquired by Napster), and from that experience I learned one thing clearly: great conversations don't automatically become great documentation.
Across every role—whether managing stakeholders at a Fortune 500 or leading engineering at a fast-moving startup—the same problem kept appearing. Meetings would go well, ideas would flow, decisions would be made... and then days would pass trying to formalize what was discussed. Notes scattered. Context lost. Follow-ups delayed.
I tried every tool available:
- Generic proposal software felt too corporate and lacked workflow flexibility
- Project management tools were designed for ongoing work, not for capturing and converting conversations
- Document editors required too much manual formatting and offered no workflow intelligence
Freelancers face this challenge in its purest form—every missed follow-up is lost revenue. Their livelihood depends on closing the gap between "interested" and "signed."
Manager List is the tool I wish I had in every role I've held. Now it exists.
"Manager List exists because I've lived the frustration of lost notes, slow follow-ups, and proposals that take forever to write."
Getting Started with Manager List
Ready to transform your freelance workflow? Here's how to get started:
1. Sign Up and Set Up Your Profile
Create your account and configure your business information. This data flows into all your proposals, ensuring consistent branding across every client interaction.
2. Build Your Service Library
Create templates for the services you offer regularly. Include descriptions, typical pricing, and common variations. This library becomes your secret weapon for fast proposal generation.
3. Connect Your First Client
After your next discovery call, use Manager List to capture the discussion and generate a proposal. Experience the difference of sending a polished proposal within minutes of hanging up.
4. Iterate and Improve
Use the insights from client interactions to refine your templates, adjust your pricing, and improve your close rate over time.
Conclusion
Manager List represents a new approach to freelance client management—one built specifically for the unique workflow of independent professionals. By streamlining the journey from client call to signed proposal, it helps freelancers:
- Close deals faster by sending proposals immediately after calls
- Present more professionally with consistent, polished documentation
- Work more efficiently by eliminating repetitive manual tasks
- Win more business through better follow-up and client intelligence
The platform was born from real experience with the universal challenge of turning conversations into action—and built with modern technology to ensure it's fast, reliable, and genuinely useful.
Whether you're a software developer, designer, consultant, or creative professional, Manager List is designed to help you focus on what you do best—your craft—while we handle the business of closing deals.
Welcome to Manager List. Let's transform how you work.