Recently, The Grow Show turned its focus to acquiring new customers. This is more important than ever as the industry works to rebound from some hard hits over the past two years. Basic to gaining new customers is preparing great proposals.
This segment of the Grow Show, from The Harvest Group will share specific tips to writing great proposals that win you the job. This is the first of a two-part series. Part two will focus on things to avoid so your proposals don’t fail you.
Listen to the podcast here and follow along with the outline below.
Why write a great proposal?
- It differentiates you from the competition
- It helps appeal to the buyer’s emotion and intellect
- It serves as a tool for your customer to help sell others i.e., HOA, building owners, corporate headquarters etc.
- It sells to your indirect contacts
It’s an important touch point with your customers
- It will show them what you are about. It sets the tone
- If your proposal isn’t great, what will they think your service will be like?
- It truly represents your company's quality standards
- It conveys your expertise
What is the purpose of a proposal?
- It helps identify and educate the customer about their needs. (There may be more needs than they imagined.)
- It convinces the customer that you have the competence to solve their needs better than anyone else
- It offers solutions to the customers’ needs
- It provides justification for them to choose you
Key tips for building a great proposal
1. Focus on the Customer
Your sales proposal is customer-centered. It defines their business, their current situation, the financial impact of the proposal and, most importantly, their needs and objectives. Go deep on them.
2. Learn Their Needs – Practice Consultative Sales
A compelling proposal results from a consultative sales process. Avoid "boilerplate" proposals, or proposals that read like poorly written brochures. Ask lots of great questions to discover or uncover their needs. Address their needs in your proposal.
Develop a list of 10 questions that gets to the heart of their challenges, and what is important to them in the service provider/customer relationship.
3. Explain How you will Solve their Needs (implementation)
Be specific by including methodology, scheduling and the staffing required to implement the solution. This reduces your buyer's perceived risk and answers what you will be doing. How will you do it? How long will it take? Who will be performing?
Your proposal should explain how your service will work to help with their business.
The secret of successful proposals is to focus on what the prospect wants to hear.
4. Show them the Financial Benefits
Your proposal measures how your service will make or save money for each buyer. They want to know the financial benefits to them. This provides compelling financial reasons to make a change.
5. Show them Non-Financial Benefits
Your proposal converts your service's capabilities into buyer-specific benefits. These are the benefits that are not easy measured in monetary terms. Things like saving them time and anguish, making their life easier, making them look good, etc.
6. Include Pertinent Information
Your sales proposal assures the buyer that your organization can deliver on the contract. It includes a company profile that differentiates your company from the competition. It details your certifications, awards, community giving/participation programs, etc. Whatever helps differentiate your company.
Proposal Format – start with a title page or traditional proposal cover. A picture of the job site, or their logo along with your logo is always a nice touch.
1. The Cover Letter
Confirm your interest in the project. Thank them for the opportunity to bid on the job. Include an overview of the process and why they are important to you.
2. Customer Background and Needs Identification
Include a review of their business. Identify and address their main challenges and needs. Identify their top three to five needs, challenges or pain points.
3. The Proposed Solution and Implementation Process
Without being too specific, provide detailed schedules on how you plan to solve their problems. Provide dates, times, people profiles, etc. Be specific to their job. Reiterate your understanding of the prospect’s requirements, and make sure your proposal clarifies how your solution will help them. Remember, they want solutions to their problems
4. Your Profile
Include a brief overview of your company, your history, your awards, community involvement, association memberships, etc. No more than one page. This should verify with them that you have the ability to make them happy.
5. Summary Pricing
Summarize the scope of the job, detail the benefits to their property, provide the price and explain what it does and doesn’t include. They want to be convinced that you understand what they need and that you can solve their needs. Include a call to action.
The next Grow Show will cover Part Two of Great Proposals – Avoiding Common Mistakes. Contact The Harvest Group, www.harvestlandscapeconsulting.com if you have any questions with regard to proposal writing or any issue.