• About Us
  • Write for Us
  • Paid Content Solutions
  • Contact Us
ExpertHub
  • HOME
  • LAUNCH
  • BUSINESS
  • LEADERSHIP
  • MONEY
  • SUCCESS
  • NEWS
    • All
    • Company Posts
    • ExpertHub Today
    Transunion Global Capability Centres Boom

    Global Capability Centres Boom As They Move Up The Value Chain

    Global Tech companies

    Global Tech Companies Are Turning To South Africa For Media And Marketing Expertise

    Innovation Summit

    Innovation Summit 2021 Showcases SA’s Top Tech Entrepreneurs

    Three customer experience strategies you’re missing-23Sep21

    Three Customer Experience Strategies You’re Missing

    Embracing digital 1st world, SMBs confid. to thrive-23Sep21

    Embracing A Digital-First World, SMBs Can Have The Confidence To Thrive

    SAB Foundation Calling All Entrepreneurs Tholoana Entps. Prog.

    Applications for SAB Foundation Are Now Open

    Trending Tags

    • About Us
      • Write for Us
      • Paid Content Services
      • Contact Us
    No Result
    View All Result
    • HOME
    • LAUNCH
    • BUSINESS
    • LEADERSHIP
    • MONEY
    • SUCCESS
    • NEWS
      • All
      • Company Posts
      • ExpertHub Today
      Transunion Global Capability Centres Boom

      Global Capability Centres Boom As They Move Up The Value Chain

      Global Tech companies

      Global Tech Companies Are Turning To South Africa For Media And Marketing Expertise

      Innovation Summit

      Innovation Summit 2021 Showcases SA’s Top Tech Entrepreneurs

      Three customer experience strategies you’re missing-23Sep21

      Three Customer Experience Strategies You’re Missing

      Embracing digital 1st world, SMBs confid. to thrive-23Sep21

      Embracing A Digital-First World, SMBs Can Have The Confidence To Thrive

      SAB Foundation Calling All Entrepreneurs Tholoana Entps. Prog.

      Applications for SAB Foundation Are Now Open

      Trending Tags

      • About Us
        • Write for Us
        • Paid Content Services
        • Contact Us
      No Result
      View All Result
      ExpertHub
      No Result
      View All Result
      Home BUSINESS Sales How to Guides

      How to Write the Perfect Sales Proposal

      ExpertHub Staff by ExpertHub Staff
      Mar 29, 2010
      in How to Guides
      117
      How to Write the Perfect Sales Proposal
      Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedIn

      RelatedTopics

      Attention Startups: How to Get Those First 20 Customers

      When Do You Know It’s Time To Sell Your Business

      Selling Your Business? How To Exit In Style

      The Groundwork

      The starting point of any proposal is research. Find out as much as you can about the prospect’s business, business model, competitors, organisational structure, and buying behaviour. This way you will understand what the customer’s real concerns are and know how to address the value system of decision-makers.

      In many companies, the decision-makers wear different hats. This mix of decision-makers requires a proposal that appeals to different sets of disciplines. For a decision maker to read the proposal you need to have visibility in the marketplace.

      This is established through meetings, emails and phone calls. Bigger companies create visibility through advertising, sponsorships, websites and newsletters.

      Telling the right story

      Start by getting your team together and brainstorm. Generate as many ideas as you can, discuss them, and then prioritise the best ones. Merge these ideas into themes and then write the story of the business. Stick to these rules:

      • Keep it simple – focus on the most important issue you want the prospect to remember.
      • Have a story line – create the proposal around the prospect’s situation
      • It must be memorable – draw a vivid picture of the fantastic outcome you can offer the prospect.

      The executive summary is a sales tool

      The word “summary” makes us think that an executive summary must summarise the proposal, but a proposal is much more of a tool if it summarises the reasons why the customer should buy from you. The focus must be on the prospect. The name of the prospect should appear as frequently as the name of the vendor.

      According to Tom Sant, America’s foremost proposal writer, a proposal should be divided into four parts.

      • Part 1: Explains that the proposal writer understands the prospects business.
      • Part 2: Describes the potential impact on the customer’s organisation if the problem is solved, if the need is fulfilled, or the goal is achieved.
      • Part 3: This section must be written in non-technical language. Each element of the solution should tie into the customer’s problems or needs.
      • Part 4: Again write this section as simply as possible. In this section ask for the business, which can be done by just saying, “We are very exciting about working with you”. Include one or two key points that differentiate you and that prove that you are the right company for the client to choose.

      Target your audience in the body of the proposal

      The body of the proposal is about your business. Make sure that the information flows logically. Explain solutions you offer, your experience, and your capabilities. They need to see details of how you work and what you provide. Include proof of your financial stability and competency.

      Every industry has its own particular “language” such as words, terms and expressions. However, these terms are foreign to people from other industries. Avoid the use of jargon, or if you must use it, explain it. Define what makes you different from your competition and how you can reduce the prospects overall costs.

      Be fastidious about checking your proposal

      Your proposal will be competing with proposals prepared by professional writers and designers. You may not have those resources at your disposal, but you can be fastidious about checking for typing, spelling and grammatical errors. Ask someone else to check your document for errors before you submit it, it takes a fresh eye to spot the typos.

      Many proposals have been thrown out because the proposal-writer left the name of one of the prospect’s competitors in a paragraph copied from an old proposal. Avoid any language that is considered offensive – including women, men, persons with disabilities, persons belonging to visible minorities, senior citizens, and so on.

      Personally present your proposal

      Research has proved that proposals that are presented personally have a 50% higher chance of winning over those who do not present personally. Face-to-face time with the prospect is the best way to secure a deal.

      ExpertHub Staff

      ExpertHub Staff

      ExpertHub’s award-winning team of Staff Writers deliver unique, insightful and curated content from successful business leaders, authors and subject matter experts. This highly-experienced team understands the information that business readers are looking for, what’s unique and impactful, and how to distil key ideas into actionable insights.

      Quick Links

      • Business Plan Advice
      • Business Plan Format Guide
      • Business Plan Format
      • Sample Business Plans

      NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP

      Sign-up for Weekly ExpertHub Updates

      * indicates required




      EXPERT INSIGHTS

      Mo Rafi - 4 Banking Secrets

      4 Banking Secrets That Most People Don’t Know About

      by Mo Rafi

      Mo Rafi founded Rafi Credit Consulting Inc, a private consulting firm based in Toronto, Canada.

      RevenuePartners Time Management for Sales Teams

      Advice from RevenuePartners to hack sales team productivity

      by Andrew Honey

      Time management is one of the costliest challenges in business today. Here are 6 hacks from RevenuePartners to help you...

      Top Reasons Why You Should Study Business Administration

      Top Reasons Why You Should Study Business Administration

      by Adrian Lomezzo

      Administration course, these reasons should help you make the right choice

      Effective Video Strategies For Your Online Store

      Effective Video Strategies For Your Online Store

      by Frank Hamilton

      Video marketing is an incredibly powerful digital marketing technique. Here’s how you can use it for e-commerce to promote your...

      • HOME
      • LAUNCH
      • BUSINESS
      • LEADERSHIP
      • MONEY
      • SUCCESS
      • NEWS
      • About Us
        • Write for Us
        • Paid Content Services
        • Contact Us
      • About Us
      • Write for Us
      • Paid Content Services
      • Contact Us
      • Terms & Conditions
      • Data Privacy Policy
      • Privacy Policy
      • Sitemap

      Copyright © 2022 ExpertHub.info
      Revenue Growth Experts

      No Result
      View All Result
      • HOME
      • LAUNCH
      • BUSINESS
      • LEADERSHIP
      • MONEY
      • SUCCESS
      • NEWS
      • About Us
        • Write for Us
        • Paid Content Services
        • Contact Us

      Copyright © 2022 ExpertHub.info
      Revenue Growth Experts

      Login to your account below

      Forgotten Password?

      Fill the forms bellow to register

      All fields are required. Log In

      Retrieve your password

      Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

      Log In