Want to write better proposals? Or do you especially want to deliver them faster? Or maybe even both. Better bids are primarily about increasing the probability of winning<\/strong> across the content axis. With faster, you are primarily concerned with keeping the momentum with the customer and being able to deliver more quotes in the same amount of time, ultimately bringing in more revenue.<\/p>\n In the five-step plan below, we explain how to make better proposals. By following the steps, you can work<\/strong> on your offers to make them better and increase your chances of winning.<\/p>\n Need help with 1 of the steps? Then contact one of Stryfes’ Sales Strategists to help you.<\/p>\n What can I help you with?<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Using the eight rules for a good proposal<\/span><\/a>, determine which parts in your standard quotation are not good.<\/p>\n Make sure everyone on your sales team makes the exact offers. Do you currently have a standard<\/strong> proposal? Or does each vendor have their template? Or maybe your salespeople start with a blank page every time. The latter two, of course, are far from ideal. You know that, too. Anyway, many vendors have a doc on their desktop. This one should disappear first. Provide a central location that everyone can easily access.<\/p>\n<\/div> A good quotation is about 6 to 10 pages<\/strong>, including the cover page. Keep six pages for more minor contracts (those your contact may sign for themselves) and 10 for large contracts at the core of your client’s business process.<\/p>\n A good structure is:<\/p>\n Some parts of the quote are always the same. For example, explain how you provide your services (Service Level Agreement). Or how quickly you deliver something and the process of that. Other things are customer specific. You don’t create standard texts for that; you give the writer tips on how they build that text.<\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n Tip 1:<\/strong> Tip 2:<\/strong> Tip 3:<\/strong> By adding these tips to your standard quotation template, you give your Sales staff room to write a powerful first chapter at their discretion, which the customer recognizes. You can already add some examples if you have many clients from the same industry with the same problems. If you include these tips in the “sales conversation,” your Sales employee can already ask the customer about them. This will increase recognition when the customer sees the proposal.<\/p>\n<\/div> Now that all the text has been written and it is clear how the quotation is structured, it is time to tackle the formatting. This is where it doesn’t hurt to hire a designer<\/strong> to help you. But don’t give this designer a free hand! Because there are rules for quotation formatting. This has to do with readability. Standing out is excellent; a customer who reads your quote from front to back is better.<\/p>\n These are the rules for good readability:<\/p>\n Within these rules, a designer still has a lot of freedom to get to work. In design, it is also essential for the customer to recognize themselves.<\/p>\n<\/div> Now that the quotation is ready, the sales staff gets to work on it. Take the time to explain the new offer to your Sales Team. How it works. Which texts are essential, and where is the poetic freedom<\/strong>? Why were confident choices made, etc… By including them in why you made confident choices, which is going to lead to higher odds of winning, they are more likely to use the new offer. And finally, make the new offer part of the Sales process.<\/p>\n To know how to implement a standard quotation properly, read How to ensure a fast quotation process<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> What can I help you with?<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> It is straightforward to create quotations faster: Work with a tool<\/strong>. A Word template containing fixed fields that you fill in only once, such as a company name, already saves time. But a tool where fields are automatically populated from your CRM is, of course, even better. And such Proposal Tools provide more uniformity in the quotations issued. But can create customer-specific recognition without taking extra time.<\/p>\n So that saves time and increases the chances of winning. So that’s two birds with one stone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> Not every sale is good at writing recruiting copy<\/strong>. That’s okay. Writing training always helps, but you’ll already take a big step forward with these seven tips for quote writing:<\/p>\n Or give your team a book. Our book tip is Making Smarter Proposals<\/a> by Saskia Kerkhof<\/a>. In it, use some neuropsychological facts and tips data to make your offers convert better into orders.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> For a winning proposal, getting better and faster is essential. Using several practical tips, we have given you the tools to start working on your quotations immediately. And perhaps some of the tips are pretty open doors => Do a spell check!!! Is the honest answer that many proposals still contain spelling errors? Usually, the spell check cannot be turned on due to various IT dependencies, or the autocorrect is too active.<\/p>\n Would you prefer help to make your quotations better? If so, please contact one of our Sales Strategists<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div> Want to read more about good quotations? Here are a few articles:<\/p>\n But even you know: the battle to win the hearts of your customers happens in the digital field these days. Do you know who wins that battle?<\/span> <\/strong><\/em>The companies that use tech and tools to do their marketing and sales. These are 5x as successful as their analog competitors. No Joke, 5x<\/em>.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Want to win?<\/span><\/strong> <\/em>We all do.<\/p>\n\n
Better Proposals:<\/h2><\/div>
\u21d3<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
![](\"https:\/\/stryfes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Hanneke-Vogels-Sales-Strategist.jpg\" "\\"Hanneke")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>Sales Strategist<\/h4><\/div>
Step 1: Identity what needs improvement<\/h3><\/div>
Step 2: Draft the essential document<\/h3><\/div>
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Step 3: Writing the standard texts<\/h3><\/div>
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\nDescribe the client’s industry and the client’s role in that industry.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\nWhat is the customer’s strategy, and what is stopping them from coming here<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\nWhat problem is the client looking for a solution to outside his own company?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nStep 4: Make it visual<\/h3><\/div>
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![](\"https:\/\/stryfes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Pro-tip-Proposal-winnende-offertes-2.jpg\" "\\"Pro")
<\/span><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/stryfes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Pro-tip-Proposal-winnende-offertes-mobile.jpg\" "\\"Pro")
<\/span><\/div>Step 5: Implement & explain<\/h3><\/div>
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>Sales Strategist<\/h4><\/div>
Making quotes faster<\/h2><\/div>
Help my team is not good at writing<\/h3><\/div>
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Conclusion<\/h3><\/div>
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you are not a techie. Right?
\nSales leader \u2013 that\u2019s you<\/h2><\/div>