Why the timing beats the pitch
Selling anything extra after a project starts means interrupting work to talk about money, which nobody enjoys on either side. The same item offered inside the original quote is not a pitch at all — it is a menu, and the client is already reading the menu.
It also changes who is doing the deciding. A quote with three optional lines reads as thorough: you thought about what else this job might need. A follow-up email offering the same three things reads as a company trying to grow an invoice.
What makes a good optional line
- Genuinely optional. If the project fails without it, it is not optional, it is scope you left out to make the headline number look smaller. Clients notice, usually at the worst moment.
- Priced to be said yes to. The useful range is roughly 8–20% of the main total. Below that it is not worth the line; above it, it becomes a second decision requiring a second approval.
- Described by outcome. Two extra logo formats for social profiles tells the client what they get. Additional deliverables tells them nothing and gets unticked.
- Independent. Each one has to make sense on its own, because the client will pick some and not others.
A worked example
A brand identity project quoted at €4,800, with three optional lines:
| Line | Amount | Share of base |
|---|---|---|
| Brand identity — logo, palette, type, guidelines | €4,800 | — |
| Optional: social profile kit, six formats | €480 | 10% |
| Optional: one-page brand guidelines PDF for suppliers | €640 | 13% |
| Optional: two additional revision rounds | €720 | 15% |
If the client takes one of the three, the job is €5,440 instead of €4,800 — 13% more revenue for work you had already scoped. If they take none, you have lost nothing and the quote still reads as considered. There is no version of this where you are worse off.
The mistake that makes it look like padding
Six optional lines. At three, a client is choosing. At six, a client is being sold to, and the honest reaction is to wonder whether the base price was inflated to leave room. Two or three, priced clearly, is the whole technique.
The second mistake is burying the base total. The client must be able to see, at a glance, what the project costs with nothing ticked. If your quote only shows the everything-included figure, the optional items stop being optional in the reader's mind — they are just a bigger price.
How the client picks
In Flowzivo an optional line is a checkbox on the line, and the acceptance page the client opens carries the same checkboxes with the total updating live as they tick. What they accepted — base plus whichever options — is what comes back to you, and what converts into the invoice.
Write the quote instead of reading about it
The demo is the real product with example data in it. No account, nothing to install, and anything you add you can keep when you sign up.
No account to look around. Example data, and anything you add is yours to keep.
Questions
Should optional items be included in the headline total?
No. Show the base total as the price of the project, and the options as additions. A client who sees one big number has to work out what they can remove, which is a worse starting position than deciding what to add.
How many optional lines is too many?
Three is comfortable, four is the practical limit, and beyond that the quote reads as a catalogue. If you have more than four genuinely useful additions, the project probably wants to be scoped as two projects.
What if the client wants an optional item after accepting?
Invoice it separately with a line referencing the original quote, or issue a short additional quote. Do not reopen the accepted document — the accepted version is your record of what was agreed.
Does VAT work the same on optional lines?
Yes. Each line carries its own VAT treatment, so an optional item is taxed like any other line on the document. If the client's treatment is reverse charge, it applies to the options too.