Winning Sales Proposals

Your proposal is selling for you when you're not there, so it must reflect your standards of professionalism.

Like it or not, sales proposals are a tool of the trade, and writing a well-crafted proposal can mean the difference between winning and losing a client's business, especially if you are selling to major accounts. Decisions can take months. Multitudes of people at different levels in the customer's organization have input and influence. Even in less complex selling situations, the buyer may request a proposal.

In the audio book, "Sound Advice on Sales Strategies," Tom Snyder of Huthwaite, the creators of SPIN Selling says that when it comes to sales proposals, "It's important to keep in mind that a proposal must sway key decision makers and influencers you haven't met, not just the ones you have."

"Consider how you will ensure that these people actually read your document," says Snyder. That means making it as easy as possible for people to read, and focusing the document on the client and their needs. "Build a strong business case that justifies the cost and addresses the client's business issues," says Snyder. "Show how your solution meets the needs and delivers benefits." And, he adds, don't pile all of the technical detail into the body of the proposal.

Decision makers weigh all of the risks before bringing a new solution into their organization, and won't purchase until those are resolved. Face it head-on. "Assess the risk inherent in the decision," says Snyder. "Show how your solution will minimize those risks." For example, the risk of implementation is always a primary concern. Your sales proposal should provide clear implementation plans that show how obstacles will be overcome.

You may need to work through a number of iterations when writing a sales proposal. "Make sure you're hitting the mark," says Snyder. "Check your draft proposal with your sponsor ? your internal champion ? before submitting the final version. "

Finally, when it comes to winning sales proposals, Snyder says it's helpful to remember an old adage, "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. Your proposal is selling for you when you can't be there, so it has to reflect your standards of professionalism."

Tom Snyder offers advice on planning and executing sales strategies each week in the free audio-newsletter from What's Working in Biz, http://www.whatsworking.biz/full_story.asp?ArtID=92

About The Author

Richard Cunningham is a principal of What's Working in Biz, http://www.whatsworking.biz, a publisher of business audiobooks and online audio programs on marketing, sales, and small business strategies.

---

Sales Training from the Ghostbusters

Picture this scene from the 1984 smash comedy movie from... Read More

Everything in Life is Selling

Robert Louis Stevenson said 'Everything in Life is Selling' and... Read More

Top 10 Ways to Maximize Your Approachability

After reading and researching thousands of books, articles and other... Read More

Future Business Key Element In Sales

A challenge facing many businesses is how to maintain a... Read More

Closing Sales Is Not A Problem, It?s A Process

In my opinion, the most overrated topic in sales training... Read More

The Never Ending Sale

Once you have added a new customer to your book... Read More

Sell YOU With Your Small Talk (Yes You Can)

Want to build a relationship -- sell yourself for a... Read More

How to Generate Leads on the Internet

In the last decade, the Internet has become a major... Read More

Top 10 Ways to Sell your Product or Service While you Sleep - Part 1

Have you wasted valuable time and money on promotion that... Read More

Doomed Before You Dial?

Several weeks ago, I conducted a "Mastering the Cold Call"... Read More

Why Arent They Buying?

You've polished your sales page over and over againuntil it's... Read More

Connecting with Customers

I just got off the phone with a friend of... Read More

5 Ideas for Writing Effective Sales Letters

Sales letters, sent via e-mail or snail mail, are an... Read More

Selling: an art of a skill?

Selling is as much an art as it is a... Read More

A Look at Child Mannequins

Not all mannequins are made to look like full-grown adults.... Read More

12 Handy Tips for Generating Leads through Cold-Calling

Cold calling can be a great way to generate quality... Read More

Selling Services

Selling a service isn't the same as selling a product.... Read More

Top Seven Ways to Write An Order-Pulling Sales Letter

Ready to put your Web pages up? Ready to sell... Read More

Your Voice is Your Instrument

On an introductory call, your voice is your instrument. During... Read More

Getting Past the Gate Guard

Over the years, many prospects have hidden behind their well-trained... Read More

Business Lessons Learned At The Mall

Normally in this column I dispense highly-intelligent small business advice... Read More

Selling Abilities - Part 1

Selling "-abilities": Reliability (Part 1 of 4) Most salespeople... Read More

Using Emotion for Persuasion

The other day, I received the last issue of a... Read More

The Force That Drives Buying Decisions

What do people buy? They don't buy your wonderful presentation.... Read More

Caring - The Secret Sales Strategy

Sales information resource Just Sell, calls caring "sales love". Here's... Read More

Voice Mail That Sells

As a business owner, I receive my share of sales... Read More

6 Steps on How to Install Confidence Into Your Clients

What methods can we use to install confidence into your... Read More

Letting Them Use Plastic

Obtaining merchant status will help to increase your sales. Consumers... Read More

What Do Mobile Auto Detailers Clean When it Rains?

A mobile auto detailer and their profits are tied to... Read More

Persuading Learners to Buy: 7 Groups

There are seven major reasons why adults continue their pursuit... Read More

How to Make Sure You Sell More!

Make sure you target women. It's true for almost anything... Read More

Gic Number For Writing Sales Letters

When I write sales letters for my clients, one rule... Read More

Planning to Realize Your Goals

Recently, I wrote about about creating specific, compelling goals that... Read More