It is important, before you even begin your first, draft proposal, to gain a proper understanding of the requirements, and values, of any prospective client. There are some basic techniques that you can employ to create a winning sales proposal, and get your business off to a flying start.

Target audience

Your first task in creating a successful sales proposal is be to assess the requirements of your potential customer. Are they, for example, looking for a product, or service, that is primarily cost effective, or are they considering only established, well-known businesses? Or are they, perhaps, seeking a provider who offers the latest technology? All these factors need to be taken into account and you may like to draw up a “wish list” for your potential client(s), and make this the basis for creating your proposal(s). If you can create a sales proposal that focuses on the needs of the customer, you are probably halfway to securing that new business.

Cover all the major points

Develop and present your sales argument with a coherent flow of ideas, arranged in a logical sequence. Make sure to cover all the important points concerning the products you are offering, how they apply to the specific needs of the customer, and what the customer stands to gain by using them. Your sales proposal should pre-empt any concerns, or questions, that your customer is likely to raise, and not leave room for any “grey” areas.

Use the active voice

Using the active, as opposed to the passive, voice, throughout your proposal has its own, specific, advantages. It serves to indicate an underlying strength of purpose and may indicate, for example, that you are committed to commencing, or concluding, work, on specific dates.

Organise your sales proposal

It is important to organise the sections of your sales proposal, so that it is easy both to read, and understand.

Executive Summary

The first and most important part of your sales proposal is the executive summary – this is the section that will capture, and hold, the attention of the key decision makers in your client's organisation. Senior executives are often hard pressed for time, so, in a few minutes' reading time, your sales proposal must convey all the important information.

The executive summary should provide an outline of your product(s), or service(s) and, if you have contacted the customer before, details of any earlier discussions. Many decision makers like to be presented with “solutions”, rather than just products, or services, so you should emphasise the larger benefits of your product, or service, particularly in relation to the competition.

Product or Service Description

In this section, you should explain, in detail, about your products and their specific applications. You can elaborate on the terms of the offer, highlight the intrinsic value to the customer, and include detailed, scope of work information, including timing and pricing. The use of tables, to display facts and, particularly figures, greatly simplifies the process of reading, and understanding.

Specific Benefits to Client

Your objective in writing the sales proposal is essentially to convince your prospective customer of the wisdom choosing your product. You should emphasise aspects of your product, or service that set it apart from others in the market. For instance, if yours is an established business, you could highlight the fact that you have more experience in the field than the competition. This can help clinch the deal, especially in cases where people are looking for expertise and reliability. If you are using the latest technology, or have a cost effective solution, make these your unique selling points – and make sure to include everything that makes your product superior to the competition.

Summarise

In summing up your sales proposal, you should highlight the salient terms of your offer and explain briefly the next steps that you propose towards finalising any deal. Your concluding remarks should demonstrate your interest in doing business with the client and your commitment to the mutual advantage of both parties in the venture.

Add visual appeal

Use a simple, and neat, format for your proposal. Graphic illustrations will make you proposal infinitely more interesting, and “digestible”, to prospective clients. The more complex the subject, often the lengthier the proposal, but do try to be concise, and poignant, wherever possible.

Use headings and sub-headings to organise your topics, so that they are easy to locate, and read. Bullet points are useful for listing key points – but try not to have too many.

Be brief, yet cover all the important points, and use only one or two font styles throughout, for a professional look.

Conclusion

When creating a sales proposal, bear in mind that is that the content must be focussed on, and relevant to, the customer. The proposal should use language that is simple and easy to read, and the terms of offer should be easy to understand and evaluate. A carefully drafted sales proposal can go a long way to helping you acquire new business from hitherto untapped markets.