From the World of Proposal Management - Does a “Good” Proposal always win an order?
“Most deals are won before the proposal is submitted” , “Most proposals are a mere formality in the buying life cycle and have little or no influence on actual outcome”. As sales people, we probably have all come across such comments. Which leads us to the question - Why is writing a good proposal such a big deal? The reason is simple and stems out of the following:
- A customer buys a product or service to solve a pain point in his business or life
- To understand a customer’s pain points one needs to spend enough time with the customer
- A good proposal articulates pain points and the possible solutions to those pain points - articulating that the seller understands the buyer and his problems and has effective solutions to his or her problems
These points emphasize that a good proposal is a manifestation of the fact the proposer (seller) is the ideal choice to supply the solution that the customer is seeking. Hence it can be emphasized that while proposals alone cannot win orders, a good proposal is an great tool which can be effectively used in overall sales cycle.
Remember, while a good proposal cannot win an order on its own, a bad proposal can make you lose an otherwise nicely built sales case. Hence do put in the extra effort and tolerate the pain that goes into building a powerful and compelling proposal!