What should be in it
Named sequences. Not "email automation" — the actual sequences: enquiry follow-up, post-job, twelve-month reactivation, onboarding. Each is a specific deliverable.
Authentication setup. SPF, DKIM and DMARC on your domain. If it is not mentioned, ask — it is the most common reason good emails land in spam.
List management. Bounce removal, dormant pruning, complaint monitoring. Ongoing rather than one-time.
Who writes what. The substance of good local email comes from you. A proposal that does not say how it will get that material has not thought about it.
Platform and ownership. In your name, with your login, and exportable.
What is measured. Enquiries and bookings after sends, plus clicks and replies. If it is open rates, note that those have become unreliable since mail clients began pre-loading images.
The warning signs
A send count as the deliverable. "Four emails per month" tells you the volume and nothing about the purpose. For most local businesses four a month is too many anyway.
No mention of authentication. The single most consequential omission.
Open rate as the headline metric. Either they have not kept up, or they are choosing a number that is easy to make look good.
The list held in the agency's account. Your customer list is an asset and it must stay in your possession.
Buying or supplying a list. Ends the conversation. Bought lists contain spam traps and the reputation damage follows your domain.
Template design as a major line item. For local businesses a plain email from a named person outperforms a designed one.
The questions to ask
Which sequence do you think matters most for my business, and why? A good answer is specific to your trade and your customer cycle.
How often will we send, and what decides it? "When there is a reason" is a better answer than a fixed number.
What happens to my list if I leave? Exported, with consent records, in a usable format.
What do you need from me each month? If the answer is nothing, the emails will be generic.
The realistic scope
For a Houston service business: four sequences built once, four to eight seasonal broadcasts a year, deliverability set up properly, and the list kept clean.
That is the whole job, and it is what $650 a month covers at BayouEdge — system setup, welcome sequences, campaign support and list management.
Anything substantially larger should be explaining what the extra buys.
Getting one read
If you have a proposal in hand, call James on 832-338-2926 for a second opinion.
Frequently asked questions
What should an email proposal contain?
Named sequences rather than "email automation", authentication setup, ongoing list management, who supplies the substance, platform ownership in your name, and what will be measured.
What is the most consequential omission?
Authentication — SPF, DKIM and DMARC on your domain. It is the most common reason good emails land in spam, and a proposal that does not mention it has a real gap.
Why is a send count a warning sign?
Because it describes volume rather than purpose, and for most local businesses four emails a month is already too many. Sequences and seasonal sends beat a fixed schedule.
What is a realistic scope?
Four sequences built once, four to eight seasonal broadcasts a year, deliverability set up properly, and the list kept clean. Anything much larger should explain what the extra buys.