Tips for Writing Great Proposals

Drawing up successful sales proposals requires a clear understanding of your client’s needs.
Aug 7, 2008

By Kelley Robertson

Many companies and their decision-makers require written proposals, and many salespeople shudder at the thought of writing one. However, writing a good proposal doesn't have to be painful, providing you keep a few points in mind.

Planning Your Proposal
First, recognize that closing the sale in a business proposal is a process, not an event. It doesn't occur just because you ask for a commitment or because you present all the features and benefits of your product or service. When customers or prospects agree to do business with you after reviewing your proposal, it means that you addressed their key issues and demonstrated exactly how your solution benefits their company. This requires a bit of strategic planning.

Unfortunately, many salespeople spend too much time talking about their company, product or service at the beginning of the proposal. The drawback with this approach is that decision-makers are extremely busy and don't want to waste time reading something that has little or no relevance to their situation. Salespeople will argue that this information is critical and needs to be presented to show how their solution is appropriate to the situation. While argument may have merit, you must direct the proposal’s initial focus on the customer in order to demonstrate a good understanding of your prospect's issues and concerns.

Start with an Executive Summary
Great proposals often start with an executive summary that highlights how a prospect's current situation affects his company. Collect the information for that summary by asking your prospect key questions during initial meetings or conversations. In the hundreds of sales training workshops I have conducted over the years, I have discovered that the vast majority of salespeople fail to ask their prospects enough insightful, thought-provoking questions. As a result, they fail to understand the negative impact of a particular problem on the potential client’s business. Summarizing the impact of the problem at the top of your proposal can reinforce the importance of implementing a solution to the decision-maker.

Sealing the Deal
Closing the sale in a proposal means positioning your solution and demonstrating exactly how your prospect benefits by using your product or service. Far too many salespeople forget this critical element. They discuss many features and benefits of the solution, but fail to outline its impact on the prospect's business. If salespeople don’t discuss the impact with their prospect, they cannot address it in the proposal.

To be successful, salespeople must also reduce the prospect's risk. Many people would rather tolerate working with an underperforming vendor than make a change because they fear the unknown or lack motivation. I once retained the services of a particular individual even though I was not completely satisfied with his work simply because I dreaded the hassle of finding a new vendor. If this is a potential concern for your prospects, offer some type of reassurance or guarantee to reduce or eliminate this fear.

Closing the sale in a proposal also requires some form of call to action or commitment. Ending your proposal with a feeble statement such as, "If you have any questions, please let me know" is not effective. It is essential that you clearly outline the next step(s) you expect from your prospect, along with a time frame.

Lastly, keep your proposal as brief as possible. Unless your solution is extremely complex, keep it short, clear and concise because executives simply don't have time to read a 50-page document. Also, short proposals usually are much easier to read and understand. I recall the very first proposal I presented. Because I didn't know any better, I only included information that I felt was relevant to my prospect and outlined a $30,000 project in just three pages. After we reached an agreement, I asked what influenced the company’s decision. They said, "Your proposal was easy to understand."

The bottom line? If you ask your prospect the right questions, position your solution to demonstrate exactly how it is the best choice for your prospect and remove the risk, you greatly increase your ability to close the sale.

Kelley Robertson, author of The Secrets of Power Selling helps sales professionals and businesses pinpoint what they need to do differently to improve their sales. Receive a copy of "100 Ways to Increase Your Sales" by subscribing to his free newsletter available at kelleyrobertson.com. Robertson conducts workshops and speaks regularly at sales meetings and conferences. For information on his programs, contact him at (905) 633-7750 or Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com.

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