Creating More Effective Proposals

The need for good proposals - the business kind, not the marriage kind - struck me again a couple of days ago, when I received a poor proposal. I had talked on the phone with a sales rep, and then she followed up with a proposal.

You know what? Her proposal was even worse than her live sales pitch. It was a completely canned message, which wasted her time and mine. With that, some thoughts on creating effective proposals.

Let's start by dividing them into two categories: commodities proposals and differentiated (or value-added) proposals.

If you sell commodities, your proposals will be relatively straightforward, as you compete on issues like price, delivery, and product characteristics. The buyer makes a relatively objective decision, and all other things being equal, he takes the best offer.

That likely makes clarity your best proposal writing strategy. For example, if you have a significant advantage in one area, you might create a matrix showing the information in a table format for easy comparison.

Turning our attention to proposals for differentiated or value-added products, we immediately notice an important distinction. There are no easy comparisons among vendors, as there are with commodity sellers.

The buyer has to compare intangibles, which means subjective judgments. He can't compare one marketing consultant with another, for example, unless he hires both, which he's unlikely to do.

Since we're dealing with subjective judgments, it's good to ask, "What goes on in the minds of buyers?" Solving a problem or exploiting an opportunity probably tops the list for most buyers. While the solution may not be immediately obvious, the need likely is plain to the buyer.

And, that's why many experts suggest that proposals address at least three specific areas: the problem, the solution, and the process (by which the solution takes care of the problem).

It's important to note, too, that proposals for differentiated products or services should not focus on you or your organization. Leave the kudos about yourself until you've covered the problem, solution, and process. And, make the part about you shorter than the first part of the proposal.

Sophisticated proposal writers also know they can increase their chances of winning by carefully studying the buyer's problem. By showing the buyer they understand the problem better than competitors, they give themselves an advantage.

There's another important distinction between proposals for commodities and differentiated products. In the case of commodity purchases, the buyer may not be the user of the product or service, likely reinforcing the objectivity effect. On the other hand, buyers who purchase differentiated or value-added products may be the users as well.

In summary, be strategic when you write a proposal, thinking through what type of proposal you're creating, and by addressing issues in the prospect's mind.

Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott's Communication Letter. Learn how you can use communication to help achieve your goals, by reading articles or subscribing to this ad-supported newsletter. An excellent resource for leaders and managers, at: http://www.communication-newsletter.com

---

Buying Wholesale Mannequins

Many mannequin manufacturers sell their mannequins in wholesale. This means... Read More

A Look at Child Mannequins

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

Refining Your Telephone Prospecting Techniques To Be A Master Closer!

Let me create a picture for you. This is the... Read More

Selling Commodities

"How do you create a perceived value to differentiate yourself... Read More

Sales Training from the Ghostbusters

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

Before They buy What You Say - 10 Steps To Selling Yourself

You are the productWe're all in the selling business whether... Read More

Looong and Boooring Sales Letters

You have all seen them,the sales letters that never ends.... Read More

A Little Something Special Goes a Long Way

Keeping the 80/20 rule in mind; that is that 80%... Read More

Miracles are Your Responsibility!

John Di Lemme on "Miracles are your responsibility"Miracles are your... Read More

The Answers (1 - 5) Are Here !!! - Challenge Yourself - Evaluate Your Selling Skills

"THE ANSWERS (1 - 5) ARE HERE!!!"Question 1) List the... Read More

Build & Protect Your Confidence

I can remember the first time that I had to... Read More

How to Sell High Tech Solutions

Many companies are looking to improve upon the speed, security,... Read More

The Damaging Admission - A Persuasive Technique

We would all like to think that our product or... Read More

Three Ways to Increase Mortgage Applications

If you are in the mortgage business, the very first... Read More

Throw Out Your Selling Language - Unlock Your Natural Voice

I was sitting at my desk last week when my... Read More

10 Mistakes That Reduce Profitability

In my professional experience as a sales and marketing coach/consultant,... Read More

A Simple Truth - Authentic Sales Tip

A Simple TruthDo you have the right stuff?Are you consistent... Read More

Understanding The Corporate Buyer

Selling your services to corporations is an attractive proposition. The... Read More

Listen! How to Sell More by Listening More!

In my opinion, one of the biggest skills of being... Read More

Everything Follows the Pitch

If you asked me to point to the heart and... Read More

Before You Sell Do The Math

This is an important and potentially profitable piece of advice.... Read More

60 Ways to Increase Your Mail Order Catalog Sales

This article is meant to inform. Please don't construe this... Read More

6 Creative Questions To Move From HOW Are You To WHO Are You

Imagine you just met someone new. The formalities of names,... Read More

Grow Your Business By Increasing the Value of Each Sale - 29 Ideas to Spur Your Brain

There are 3 ways to grow any business:- Get more... Read More

How to Give Your Customers a Choice Between You and the Competition and Have Them Choose You

Instead of giving your customers or potential customers a choice... Read More

People Buy People So Sell On Relationships

(Objection handling tips excerpted from Objections! Objections! Objections!)People buy people.... Read More

Leads, Prospects, and the Huge Gap Between

The leads marketing delivers to the sales team never seem... Read More

10 Incredible Ways To Sell Your Products Now

1. Make your reader visualize they have already bought your... Read More

When Selling, Keep It Simple Stupid!

After our first half-hour telephone coaching session, when asked what... Read More

The Doors Of Opportunity

Alexander Graham Bell once said, "When one door closes another... Read More

Your Profit is in Your Follow-up: A System for Increased Sales Conversion

No matter what you sell--products, services, or causes--one of the... Read More

Pinging for Success: Creating Search Patterns

One of my first internship jobs as a college student... Read More

Why Are We All So Afraid?

What can strike terror into the heart of even the... Read More