Drafting outstanding sales proposals is one of the best ways to win over new clients for your business. As a matter of fact, this holds true, regardless of which niche or industry you’re in. And while most business owners believe that there’s a unique trick to cracking the sales proposal code, the truth is, there’s only one trick to writing the perfect sales pitch. You should make the prospective customer feel like you’re the right person or company to do the job.
Besides having the latest business proposal template software to embrace a seamless sales cycle by drafting interactive and error-free proposals, we’ll explore and outline some of the critical stages, styles, and content that you should incorporate in your submissions to convince your clients that you’re the right person or company to solve their problem.
Without further ado, here’s how to draft outstanding sales proposals that win clients as incorporating the following concepts will help you produce stronger, more appealing sales pitches and help you seal more deals.
Use Positive, Engaging Words
The truth is that most sales proposals are incredibly dull for reading. Of course, most of them cover the scope of a project and deliverables, but what can make your sales proposal stand out and make the client sit up and take notice?
What if we tell you that it’s all about the words you use in your proposal. Think about what the prospective customer wants to achieve in general, and use positive and engaging words about how you can help them become or accomplish that.
Perhaps your solutions are “innovative” or “exclusive” rather than original and modern. Find the words that will spark your clients’ interest, and use them throughout your sales proposal.
In addition, make sure that you’re not wasting space with phrases and filler words like “very” or “in total.” Instead, stick to what you have to say, and always try to keep it simple.
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Always Keep It Short and Sweet
If you’re new to drafting sales proposals, you might feel like the longer the proposal, the bigger the likelihood that you’ll seal the deal. However, you should know if your sales proposal cannot be read in eight minutes or less and is longer than three standard pages; your sales submission is probably too long and boring to read.
After all, covering the basics like what the proposal is about, what you’re offering to deliver, financial and time estimates, and milestones shouldn’t take more than a couple of pages. For that reason, always keep it short and sweet, as longer proposals might make your audience glaze over while reading.
Shed Some Light on Your Process
It might be difficult to accept, but you’re far from the only person or company who can solve the client’s specific problem. Hence, your most significant competitive advantage is in how you can solve the problem and not the if. For that reason, outline your approach in the sales proposal so the client can understand why your proposal’s exclusive and why it’s the best choice for them.
In addition, if you have a highly-trained team by your side, outline their experience and expertise and why it’s beneficial for the prospective client. Finally, if you can turn work around lightning-fast, don’t forget to mention it in your proposal. The bottom line is that whatever it is that makes you stand out in your industry, that’s what really needs to be highlighted in your sales pitch.
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Always Be Realistic With Your Proposals
For example, if you say you can complete the work in a month, you better be able to do that. In addition, it’s always wise to give yourself and your team a time buffer if something comes up, as sometimes, even if it’s the client who causes the bottleneck, you’ll still get all the blame if you miss the set deadline.
For that reason, always put an extra few days in your proposal, and if you’re able to finish the work earlier, the customer will be surprised and delighted.
Detail All Costs
Finally, make sure to detail all costs of your proposal because many clients will balk when seeing prominent figures on the estimated expenses without a detailed explanation. So, if you say the entire project will cost $4,000, what does that price include, and how do the numbers break down?
If you’re estimating based on an assumed number of hours, state it in your proposal. If you have fixed costs like $1,500 for website design, $200 for a website template, etc., don’t forget to itemize them to clarify the pricing to your potential client.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know how to draft better sales proposals to win more clients for your business, it’s time to step up in your sales pitching efforts and create a proposal that converts. After all, a sales proposal is not a simple piece of writing.
Instead, it needs to follow the client’s desired format and structure, match evaluation criteria, answer specific questions, give details to help the client understand your proposal’s value and benefits, and help you differentiate your business from your competitors—all at the same time.
