Sales
proposal (also called as sales offer, Quotation,
Commercial offer) is one of the most complex form
of business communication. Persuading & educating
the buyer in today's competitive market requires
clear, concise, and compelling business writing
and a persuasive value proposition.
Let’s
look at 9 basic guidelines while preparing a “Proposal”.
1. Never title your proposal "Proposal "
(or
sales offer, Quotation, Commercial offer). It
doesn't say anything which buyer can figure out!
Its like giving title of a book "Book".
Instead, write a title that indicates a benefit
to the buyer.
2.
Focus on your clients' business needs or problem
areas first.
State what you have heard from them before offering
a solution. It indicates what they care about
the most, and it shows you've listened and understood
their interests and are not offering a “template”
approach.
3.
Avoid lengthy corporate histories.
Believe me nobody's interested!
4.
Eliminate jargon. Even
if person you’ve met at clients’ organization
understands all of your jargon, don’t assume
it is true with the other decision makers. Instead
use the customer’s language. Remember each
customer has different language/jargon for communication
even if it’s English!
5.
Keep your proposal as short as possible. It's
always tempting to add pages that might be of
interest, but in reality the decision makers may
not read it. At best, they'll skim through your
document. A short proposal is likely to be looked
at first.
6.
Highlight the key points.
Note the comment about skimming in the previous
tip: Decision makers skim. You can make your document
more "readable" by highlighting the
main ideas. Use bullets, headings and subheadings
(& many other tools!) that make key points
highly visible.
7.
Quantify your benefits and payback.
E.g. show the decision maker how much he will
save (by implementing your solution), or lose
(due delay!) or how much more productive the organization
will be. A convincing calculation of your client's
investment is compelling than a slogan or cliché.
8.
“Don’t let buyer compare apple with
oranges”! If
you know who you are competing against, raise
issues in your proposal that strike at their weak
points. You need not mention them by name.
9.
Ask for their business.
Don’t be passive, it doesn't work. One has
to ask!
