Proposals that Close Deals

Any time you have to put a proposal together, remember to write it for the reader. We all want to sell our products or ourselves to our clients; we want to present all the wonderful things we do; and we want to get paid handsomely! But you have to ask yourself: If I were the buyer, would I think this proposal was presented to me to be a benefit to my business or a benefit to the guy who wants to do business with me?

When you write your proposal, base it on what you’ve heard your customer talk about. That’s right…listen to your customer…talk less and really take the time to learn about your customer’s business. Every customer has complaints and they will tell you want their main issues are if you will just “listen between the lines” and look behind the obvious.

Know something about your customer and its industry. What is your customer facing on a daily basis that you can help with? What’s happening in the customer’s economic environment? Your customer will trust you more when you demonstrate that you really care. So give your customer what it needs, not what you have to sell.