Merge branch 'main' into chore/direct-links-announce

apps/marketing/content/blog/how-documenso-help-freelancers-close-more-clients-efficiently.mdx

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+---
+title: How Documenso Helps Freelancers Close More Clients Efficiently
+description: Reducing friction when sending proposals is critical to closing new clients. By using Documenso, freelancers can save time, enhance client interactions, and ultimately close more deals efficiently.
+authorName: 'Timur Ercan'
+authorImage: '/blog/blog-author-timur.jpeg'
+authorRole: 'Co-Founder'
+date: 2024-06-14
+tags:
+  - Freelancer
+  - Proposal
+  - Productivity
+---
+
+Getting new clients, or maybe even your first client, to sign with you is at the very core of freelance work. Whether you develop software, create designs, or market products, it all starts with a signature from you and your future customer. Closing a customer usually means agreeing on a proposal first and then signing a formal agreement afterward. Signing proposals and contracts is fast, easy, and painless with Documenso, so let's take a look.
+
+## Understanding Proposal and Contracts
+
+### 1. Initial Proposal
+> Agreeing on what needs to be done and terms for payment
+
+A proposal will include the scope of the work (what does the customer want done?), desired deliverables (documents, code, features, videos, etc.), timelines, payment terms (one-time, monthly, per hour), and prices (e.g. $60/ hour, $5k one-time). A proposal is important for both sides to be clear about the goal and the terms that apply. Customers usually decide based on the proposal if your offer is what they want.
+
+### 2. Formal Contract
+> After the client signs the proposal, a contract can be signed, formalizing the agreement and adding detailed legal terms.
+
+Once the terms are agreed upon, a more formal document should specify the terms of working together, especially legal details such as confidentiality, indemnification, governing law, etc. The contract provides clarity on legal details for both sides and formalizes their claims.
+
+Sending one or even multiple documents to a potential client and having them send them back signed (in the worst case, they send it via actual mail) is time-consuming for both sides. It also introduces friction at a time when making it as easy as possible for your potential client to say yes should be your number one goal.
+
+### **Digital Signatures for the Win**
+Signing documents digitally makes closing proposals and contracts faster and more secure. Each party can review and sign the documents in minutes instead of days (inserting the signatures manually via PDF editor) or even weeks (using conventional mail). Apart from the efficiency gains, signing digitally also increases trust by making the process more secure and auditable. Digitally signed documents can’t be changed after the fact, and every step of the process is logged.
+
+Documenso lets you reap these benefits by sending proposals and contracts with minimal effort. Being open source, the whole world can verify our product and how we deliver on these promises, which is why thousands of users already trust Documenso for their signing needs: [https://documen.so/open](https://documen.so/open).
+
+## Preparing the Proposal
+If you already have a proposal template, create a new version for your client and export it to PDF. If your tool doesn’t support that, your system's “PDF printer” lets you create a PDF from almost any tool by using the print function. If you do not have a template yet, you can find a lot of content and guides on the matter through a quick Google search. Here is a quick checklist of what your proposal should cover:
+
+- A clear and concise title
+- Your contact information
+- Date of the proposal/ validity period
+- Experience, qualifications, and prior relevant projects
+- A summary of the project
+- A detailed description of the project
+- Goals, outcomes, and deliverables
+- Tasks and activities to achieve the goals and outcomes
+- A timeline with milestones and deadlines
+- Pricing terms and payment schedule
+- Summary of major terms for the coming contract
+
+## Sending the Proposal
+If you don’t have a Documenso Account yet, you can [create one for free](https://documen.so/signup?utm_source=blog-freelancer-proposal). Once you sign up, you can upload your proposal PDF by simply dragging it into the upload area. Add your potential client as a recipient, add a signature field, and you are done! You can track the status of your proposal simply by clicking the Document in the overview. Documenso will also notify you once the proposal is signed.
+
+<video
+  id="vid"
+  width="100%"
+  src="https://github.com/documenso/design/assets/1309312/050a1501-b562-4b1e-97b5-a46fc0da8246"
+  autoPlay
+  loop
+  muted
+></video>
+
+### Conclusion
+Sending a proposal to potential clients using Documenso makes getting to the first “yes” fast and easy. Seeing if your proposal was signed or even read helps you to get a feel for where you are in the process. You can use the [Documenso Free Plan](https://app.documenso.com/signup?utm_source=blog-freelancer-proposal) to send 5 proposals per month. Digital Signing in 2024 is the best practice for all professionals looking for the most efficient way to get business done. 
+
+Please let us know what you think and what we can improve. Which field types are you missing? Connect with us on [Twitter / X](https://twitter.com/eltimuro) (DM open) or [Discord](https://documen.so/discord) if you have any questions or comments! We're always here and would love to hear from you :)
+
+Best from Hamburg\
+Timur
+

apps/marketing/content/blog/sunsetting-early-adopters.mdx

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+---
+title: Sunsetting the Early Adopters Plan
+description: We reached or Early Adopter cap and not transition to our regular pricing 🎉
+authorName: 'Timur Ercan'
+authorImage: '/blog/blog-author-timur.jpeg'
+authorRole: 'Co-Founder'
+date: 2024-06-12
+tags:
+  - Early Adopters
+  - Pricing 
+  - Open Startup
+---
+
+<figure>
+  <MdxNextImage
+    src="/blog/sunset.jpg"
+    width="1260"
+    height="630"
+    alt="A beautiful sunset as a metaphor for the Early Adopter phase ending"
+  />
+
+  <figcaption className="text-center">
+    "Being early is, uh, good." -Unknown
+  </figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+> TLDR; The Early Adopters Plan ended, and we have a new pricing. If you are an Early Adopter, reach out for a Discord community badge 🏅
+
+# The End of the Beginning
+12 months, 13 releases, and 344 merged pull requests after announcing the Early Adopter plan in our first-ever launch week, and we hit the cap of 100. Documenso has changed and grown a lot since then. For us, this is a great milestone towards our broader mission of bringing open signing to the world since now we are joined by a community consisting of contributors and early customers all around the world. 
+
+# The New Plans
+Starting today, we are sunsetting the Early Adopter Plan in favor of our new, more nuanced pricing model. The Early Adopter plan will succeeded by the **Individual plan**, which is still priced at $30/mo. The Individual plans will still include unlimited signatures and recipients since this aligns with our core belief of empowering our users wherever possible. If you managed to grab an Early Adopter plan, reach out on X or Discord to receive a special community badge. Early Adopters are meant to get preferential treatment where possible.
+
+Previously soft-launched as part of Early Adopters, we are officially introducing the **Team Plan** to our pricing for customers requiring multi-user accounts. Priced at $50/ mo. for 5 users, this plan offers unlimited signature volume as well. Additional users can be added for $10/mo. as needed. We have carefully crafted the billing of teams to ensure that dynamic changes are accurately reflected at the end of each billing cycle, providing you with a fair-value pricing structure.
+
+Our **Free Plan** stays unchanged, offering coverage to casual users and an easy way to try out Documenso or start developing.
+
+Check out our [new pricing page here](https://documen.so/pricing). We also updated our [open page](https://documen.so/open) to reflect the end of Early Adopters. The metric now counts active subscriptions from Individuals and Teams.
+
+# API Access
+All plans include access to the API as per our philosophy, making Documenso an open platform, and allowing everyone to build on it, no matter how big or small. Besides the Free Plan's 5 signatures per month limit, the API does not have access restrictions. Even the free plan can keep using the API after using its signature volume for non-signing operations like reading, editing, and even creating documents. Since the individual plan technically allows for running a Fortune 500 company for $30/ mo., plan we are adding a fair use clause here: You are free to use the API "a lot" if you are a big organization trying to stay on the Individual Plan we will ask to have a word about upgrading (which might make sense anyway considering your requirements). Fair use excludes Early Adopters, which we consider limitless by any measure. If you need clarification on whether your case is covered under fair use, you can contact us on Discord or support@documenso.com. It's probably fine, though.
+
+We also have a lot in the pipeline, and we are excited to share everything with you soon. A Big Shoutout to all Early Adopters. We salute you, and you will receive the preferred treatment where possible.
+
+If you have any questions or comments, please reach out on [Twitter / X](https://twitter.com/eltimuro) (DM open) or [Discord](https://documen.so/discord).
+
+Best from Hamburg\
+Timur