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Many companies and theirdecision-makers require written proposals, and if you are like many salespeople, you probably shudder at the thought of this request. However, writing agood proposal doesn't have to be painful providing you keep a few points in mind.
First, recognize that closing thesale in a business proposal is a process, not an event. It doesn't occur justbecause you have asked for a commitment or because you have presented all the features and benefits of your product or service. When a customer or prospects agrees to do business with you after reviewing your proposal, it means that you haveaddressed their key issues and demonstrated exactly how your solution willbenefit their company. This requires a bit of strategic planning.
Unfortunately, too many sales peoplespend too much time talking about their company, product or service at thebeginning of the proposal. The drawback with this approach is thatdecision-makers are extremely busy which means they dont want to waste theirtime reading something that has little or no relevance to their situation.Salespeople will argue that this information is critical and that they need to present it in order to show how their solution is appropriate to the customer's situation. Whilethis is true, it is essential to direct your initial focus on the customer anddemonstrate that you have a good understanding of your prospect's issues andconcerns.
Great proposals often start with anexecutive summary which highlights the prospect's current situation or problem and how this issue is affecting the company. This means you need to ask your prospect key questions during your conversations. In the hundreds of sales training workshops Ihave conducted over the years, I have discovered that the vast majority ofsales people fail to ask their prospects sufficient insightful, thought-provoking questions. As a result, they fail to understand the negative impact of a particular problem on the company's business. However, stating the impact of the problem in your proposal can reinforce to the decision-maker, the importance of implementing a solution.
Closing the sale in a proposal means positioning your solution and demonstrating exactly how your prospect will benefit by using your product or service. Far too many sales people forget thiscritical element. They discuss many of the features and benefits of theirsolution but they fail to outline the impact of their solution on the prospect'sbusiness. The challenge is that the majority of sales people do not discussthis with their prospect. Therefore, they cannot address it in their proposal.
Reduce the prospect's risk. Manypeople would rather tolerate working with a vendor who is not performing wellrather than make a change because of their fear of the unknown or the pain thatis often associated with making a significant change. I once retained theservices of a particular individual even though I was not completely satisfiedwith his work simply because I dreaded the hassle of finding a new vendor. Ifthis is a potential concern of your prospects, then offer some type ofreassurance or guarantee to reduce or eliminate this fear.
Closing the sale in a proposal also requires some form of action or commitment. Ending your proposal with a feeblestatement such as, ''If you have any questions please let us know'' is noteffective. It is essential that you clearly outline the next step(s) you expectfrom your prospect along with a time frame.
Lastly, keep your proposal as brief as possible. Unless your solution is extremely complex, you need to keep itshort, clear and concise because executives simply dont have time to read afifty page document. Besides, short proposals are usually much easier to readand understand. I recall the very first proposal I was required to present. Because I didnt know any better, I only included information that I felt was relevantto my prospect and was able to outline a thirty thousand dollar project in just three pages. After we reached an agreement I asked what influenced their decisionand was told, ''Your proposal was easy to understand.
The bottom line? If you have askedyour prospect enough of the right questions and positioned your solution in amanner that demonstrates exactly how your solution is the best one for your prospect, and removed the risk, you increase your ability to close the sale.
2008 Kelley Robertson, All rightsreserved.
Kelley Robertson, author of TheSecrets of Power Selling helps sales professionals and businesses discovernew techniques to improve their sales and profits. Receivea FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribingto his free newsletter available at
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