How Pros Write Business Proposals To Win New Clients | Tutorial and Template

Summary

In this video, Jamal teaches how to craft a winning business proposal to secure new clients efficiently. He clarifies the difference between a business plan and a proposal, emphasizing the latter's customization to client needs. The script outlines key sections of a proposal, including an executive summary, problem identification, solution presentation, company background, pricing strategy, and a clear call to action. Tips are provided for each section to ensure the proposal resonates with prospects and closes deals effectively.

Takeaways

• 📈 A business proposal is distinct from a business plan; the former is aimed at securing a client's business, while the latter is used to attract investment.
• ⏰ Many sales professionals spend a significant amount of time on proposals, with 62% reporting up to 40 hours a week, highlighting the need for efficiency in this process.
• 📝 Customizing proposals to address each client's unique needs is crucial, as opposed to using generic templates.
• 📑 The executive summary, typically a one-page overview, should be written last to ensure it accurately reflects the proposal's content.
• 🔍 It's essential to understand and articulate the client's problem, making them feel understood and valued.
• 📊 Data-driven insights can be powerful in proposals, especially when identifying needs the client may not be aware of.
• 💡 When proposing a solution, focus on the process your company will use, avoiding premature commitment to specific ideas before the deal is secured.
• 📊 Clearly communicate the expected results without making hard numerical promises, using KPIs that indicate improvement.
• 🎨 Utilize visual aids like charts and infographics to make your solution more comprehensible and appealing.
• 🏢 Provide background information on your organization, including mission, vision, and case studies, to build credibility.
• 💼 When discussing pricing, frame it as an 'investment' rather than a cost, and consider offering a single solution to increase the likelihood of closing the deal.
• ⏱ Include a clear project timeline and payment schedule to set expectations and maintain momentum.
• 📣 End with a strong call to action to prompt the client to move forward with the deal.

Q & A

What is the main difference between a business proposal and a business plan?

A business plan is a documented strategy for a business highlighting its goals and plans for achieving them, primarily used when seeking investment. A business proposal, on the other hand, is a formal document provided to a prospect with the purpose of securing their business, and it needs to be customized to address the client's specific needs.

Why is it recommended to write the executive summary last in a business proposal?

Writing the executive summary last is recommended because it can be difficult to summarize a proposal before the entire document is written. The summary should encapsulate the whole proposal, so it's more effective to write it after the proposal's details are finalized.

How can a salesperson demonstrate understanding of a client's needs in a business proposal?

A salesperson can demonstrate understanding by identifying the client's pain points, ensuring the writing is customer-focused, and making the client feel understood better than by any competitors. This might involve discussing the client's situations, referencing an RFP if available, or using hard data to back up findings.

What is the purpose of the 'Understanding the Problem' section in a business proposal?

The 'Understanding the Problem' section aims to help the client identify their needs and offer the company as a solution. It's crucial to demonstrate an understanding of the client's pain points and to make the client feel that the company understands them better than competitors.

Why is it important to customize the solution section of a business proposal for each client?

Customizing the solution section ensures that the proposal addresses the client's specific issues, making it more relevant and appealing. It prevents the proposal from appearing as a generic copy-paste document and shows that the company has considered the unique needs of the client.

What are some tips for presenting a solution in a business proposal?

Tips include focusing on the process used to solve the client's problem, explicitly stating the expected results without promising hard numbers, and using visual aids like charts or infographics to illustrate the solution. Providing a features and benefits table can also be helpful.

How should a company present its background information in a business proposal?

A company should provide background information including its mission, vision, and any impactful details about the executive team. It can also include case studies to illustrate previous work, focusing on positive metrics and results achieved with past clients.

What is the recommended approach to pricing in a business proposal?

Pricing should be presented as an 'investment' or 'venture' rather than costs or fees. It's advised to offer a single solution rather than multiple options with upsells, and to set a clear payment schedule with milestones and dates.

Why is it beneficial to include a project timeline in a business proposal?

Including a project timeline sets expectations for the client and adds a sense of urgency for them to sign the deal. It helps manage client expectations regarding the duration and milestones of the project.

How should a business proposal end to encourage the client to take action?

A business proposal should end with a clear call to action, preferably providing a direct link for the client to make a payment or sign off on the deal. This approach is proven to increase sales across many industries.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Crafting a Winning Business Proposal

Jamal introduces a video tutorial on crafting an effective business proposal to secure new clients and close deals efficiently. He emphasizes the distinction between a business proposal and a business plan, clarifying that the former is meant to secure client business by addressing their specific needs. Jamal advises against using generic templates and stresses the importance of customization. He also highlights the common issue of sales professionals spending excessive time on proposals, suggesting a more efficient approach. The video promises a detailed breakdown of a business proposal template, starting with the executive summary, which should be written last to ensure accuracy and relevance. The tutorial aims to help sales teams save time and focus on sales activities.

05:02

🔍 Understanding Client Needs and Presenting Solutions

The second paragraph delves into the importance of understanding the client's problems and presenting tailored solutions. Jamal explains that a business proposal should start by identifying the client's needs, which may involve meeting with the client or analyzing their situation, such as in SEO where providers identify website issues before approaching the client. He cautions against making assumptions and emphasizes the need for data-backed insights. The section also covers how to propose solutions, suggesting that while solutions might be similar across clients, they should be personalized to address specific issues. Jamal provides tips on focusing on the process, setting clear expectations, and using visuals to effectively communicate the proposed solution.

Keywords

💡Business Proposal

A business proposal is a formal document designed to persuade a potential client to engage your services or buy your product. In the video, it is emphasized that a business proposal is distinct from a business plan, with the former being used to secure a client's business by addressing their specific needs. The script explains that a well-crafted proposal can help close deals and win clients by being customized to the client's requirements.

💡Executive Summary

The executive summary is a concise section at the beginning of a business proposal that provides an overview of the entire proposal. It is meant to be a quick read for the prospect to grasp the essence of what is being proposed. The video script suggests that while it is the first section, it should be written last, after the entire proposal has been fleshed out, to ensure it accurately reflects the content.

💡Problem Understanding

Understanding the problem refers to the process of identifying and articulating the client's needs or issues that your business solution aims to address. The video stresses the importance of demonstrating a deep understanding of the client's pain points to make the proposal relevant and compelling. It is a critical step in the proposal writing process, as it lays the groundwork for presenting your solution.

💡Customization

Customization in the context of a business proposal means tailoring the document to the specific needs and circumstances of the client. The video highlights that because every client's needs are unique, a one-size-fits-all approach does not work. Customization is key to showing the client that you understand their situation and are offering a solution that is targeted to their specific requirements.

💡Sales Professionals

Sales professionals are individuals who sell goods or services, often on behalf of a company. The video script mentions that 62% of sales professionals reportedly spend up to 40 hours a week on proposals, which underscores the importance of efficient proposal writing in their work. The video aims to provide strategies to reduce this time commitment while still creating effective proposals.

💡Template

A template in this context refers to a pre-designed framework or outline that can be used as a starting point for creating a business proposal. The video suggests that using a template can save time and energy, allowing sales teams to focus on selling and approaching more prospects. The template helps organize the proposal into logical sections, ensuring that all necessary information is included.

💡Pricing

Pricing in a business proposal refers to the section where the costs of the services or products being offered are detailed. The video discusses the challenges of pricing, such as finding the right balance to secure the deal without undervaluing the services. It also suggests using terms like 'investment' instead of 'costs' to frame the pricing in a more positive light.

💡Call to Action (CTA)

A call to action is a prompt encouraging the reader of the proposal to take a specific step, such as signing a contract or making a payment. The video emphasizes the importance of ending the proposal with a clear CTA to facilitate the client's decision-making process and to expedite the closing of the deal.

💡Investment

In the video, 'investment' is used as a preferred term over 'costs' or 'fees' when discussing the financial aspect of the proposal. This terminology shift is strategic, positioning the client's expenditure as an investment that will yield returns, rather than a mere expense. This framing can make the proposal more appealing to the client.

💡Case Studies

Case studies are detailed narratives of past projects or engagements that demonstrate a company's capabilities and the effectiveness of its solutions. The video suggests including case studies in the proposal to provide concrete examples of how the company has addressed similar problems for other clients, thereby building credibility and trust with the prospect.

💡Project Timeline

A project timeline is a schedule that outlines the expected duration and key milestones of the project. The video mentions the importance of including a project timeline in the proposal to set clear expectations for the client regarding the project's duration and to create a sense of urgency for them to proceed with the deal.

Highlights

A winning business proposal can help secure new clients and close deals efficiently.

62% of sales professionals reportedly spend 40 hours a week on proposals, highlighting a need for a more efficient approach.

A business proposal is distinct from a business plan, serving to secure a client's business rather than attract investors.

Customizing proposals to address each client's unique needs is crucial for success.

Using a template can save time and energy, allowing the sales team to approach more prospects.

The executive summary, though the first page, should be written last to ensure it accurately reflects the proposal's content.

Understanding and addressing the client's problem is a key part of a business proposal.

Proposals should demonstrate a deep understanding of the client's pain points to stand out from competitors.

Including hard data to back up findings can strengthen a proposal's credibility.

Solutions offered in a proposal should be tailored to the client's specific issues.

Focusing on the process rather than the final solution can prevent misunderstandings and align client expectations.

Clearly defining the expected results without making hard promises is essential for managing client expectations.

Visual aids like charts and infographics can significantly improve a proposal's effectiveness.

Providing background information on the organization can help build trust with the client.

Case studies showcasing past successes can be a powerful tool in a proposal.

Pricing should be presented as an investment, and a single solution is often more effective than multiple options.

Including a clear payment schedule and project timeline in the proposal can prevent delays and misunderstandings.

Ending the proposal with a call to action can prompt the client to take the desired next step.

A free business proposal template is available for download to assist in creating effective proposals.

Transcripts

what's up it's Jamal and welcome back to

the channel in this video I'm going to

show you how to write a winning business

proposal so that you can get new clients

and close deals while spending less time

doing it to follow along on this video

make sure to click the link in the

description to download our free

business proposal PDF here's what's

crazy 62 of sales professionals report

spending 40 hours a week on proposals

when you think about it you're like

isn't that your whole work week when do

you do sales

doesn't make any sense there's got to be

a better way to do this and the absolute

first thing that you need to know about

a business proposal is that it is not

the same as a business plan this comes

up over and over again online so let me

clear it up for you HubSpot defines a

business plan as a documented strategy

for a business that highlights its goals

and its plans for achieving them it's

primarily used when seeking an investor

to put money into your business a

business proposal is a formal document

provided to a prospect with the purpose

of securing their business in other

words you write a business proposal to

get clients and because every client's

needs are different your business

proposal needs to be customized to

address those needs that's why working

off a template can save a lot of time

and energy freeing up your sales team to

approach more prospects every business

cycle and actually do what they need to

do which is uh you know sell some stuff

you know what I'm saying so let's break

down each section of the template to

make sure you understand what's needed

most specific proposals start out with

an executive summary this is a one-page

document that a prospect can skim over

to get a gist of what you're proposing

and why but just because it's the first

page that doesn't mean it's the first

thing you want to write in fact it can

be very difficult to write a summary of

a proposal before you've written out the

whole thing sure we all remember in

college trying to write the intro of our

essay right at the beginning and then we

actually write the paper and we're like

well that intro was useless because that

has nothing to do with ultimately what I

ended up talking about so you have to go

back

don't waste that time up front do it at

the end all right instead move directly

into part two of a business proposal

which is understanding the problem

your job as a salesperson is to help

your client identify their needs and

then offer your company as a solution

sometimes this is easy especially if

you've already met with a client and

discussed their situations maybe the

client even sent you an RFP which stands

for a request for proposal in which they

Define the problem they're trying to

solve but no matter how much information

you're starting with the goal is to

demonstrate your understanding of the

client's pain points so make sure your

writing is always customer focused make

the client feel like you understand them

better than any of the other competitors

now in some cases you might not get the

opportunity to discuss a client's

problems before creating your proposal

some businesses thrive on identifying a

client's needs before the client even

knows there's a problem this is very

common in the SEO game where

optimization providers can run in-depth

analysis of a website and identify its

shortcomings before approaching the

prospect you can do this but you also

want to be careful you're not making too

many assumptions about a potential

client's needs

if you have hard data to back up your

findings don't be shy about presenting

it to your prospect whether they ask for

it or not now that you've carefully

defined the client's problem The Next

Step naturally is to propose to solve it

if you did a good job in the previous

section the prospect will be eager to

hear the solution your company can offer

odds are that the solutions you offer to

clients are similar which makes the

section of the prozal easier to write

that said you still want to make sure

that you're addressing the client's

specific issues so be sure to include

some direct references to the client so

the proposal doesn't look copy and paste

[Music]

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HubSpot grow better here are three

additional tips for writing a solution

that will impress prospects focus on the

process your company uses to solve the

client's problem

a lot of teams fall into the Trap of

pitching ideas to the client before the

deal is done you know it's kind of like

if you're trying to shoot free throws

with a blindfold on it's like I mean you

could do that but also

why would you do that which is to say

that you're probably gonna be missing

and even worse the client could be

turned off if you get the solution wrong

or even worse than that the client could

like your solution then execute it

themselves or with another Vendor by

focusing on the process you give the

client a detailed explanation of how you

will solve their problem without

actually doing the work before the check

clears another important tip when

crafting a solution is to explicitly

spell out the results a client can

expect if they work with you you wanted

to find clear kpis that should improve

after your solution is implemented but

you don't ever want to make promises in

terms of hard numbers so if your

solution will improve efficiency you can

say something like you streamline the

process resulting in fewer hours spent

on a task you don't want to say decrease

time spent by 30 unless you're actually

guaranteeing that result and the final

tip I have for you is don't say it show

it with Graphics humans can comprehend

something much more easily if they

visualize it so take time to create

charts infographics or any other visual

asset to help illustrate Your solution

check out this example taken from a

proposal by a web development agency to

be honest with you don't even understand

the difference between traditional web

design and growth driven design but I

know that the growth driven line looks

better to me if there's nothing to

illustrate you can at least include a

features and benefits table you'll find

this including the business proposal

template that you can download in the

video description below now so far your

business proposal has focused on the

client but now it's time to show them

what you got by giving some background

info on your organization there are a

lot of ways you can go about trying to

impress your prospect but here are a few

General items to include in the section

give some background information on the

organization as a whole and include the

mission and vision of your company if

it's impactful you can also provide some

info about your executive team as well

as any individuals who will be working

directly with the client and use case

studies as a way to illustrate the work

you do remember when I said you

shouldn't include actual numbers when

talking about results for the client

well case studies are all about numbers

so don't be shy about including some

positive metrics that you've had when

with previous clients so go ahead Flex a

little bit like this

there you have it once you have the

clients thinking you're amazing it's the

perfect time to hit them with your

pricing a lot of organizations find

pricing to be the hardest particularly

if the service you offer varies

depending on the client ask for too much

and you might blow up the deal ask for

too little and you can end up losing

money in the long run you might even

have to go back to your client and ask

for more money which is an awful

position to be in I could do a whole

video on pricing and if you'd like to

see that actually let me know in the

comments the one thing I want to tell

you about pricing is you should never

call it pricing or costs or fees Instead

try calling it investment or venture or

asset another tip there can be the

tendency to offer an array of solutions

or even small medium large set of

solutions with lots of upsells but

research shows that offering a single

solution secures more deals and you can

always upsell the client on additional

Services as the work goes along you also

want to be sure to set a payment

schedule with clear milestones and dates

otherwise you can end up waiting forever

to get paid if the work slows due to

roadblock on the client's end also since

we're speaking of schedules be sure to

include a total project timeline in your

business proposal this sets expectations

for the client while also adding a sense

of urgency for them to sign the deal and

finally you want to end every business

proposal with a call to action that lets

the client sign off on the deal so you

can get started working even better give

them a direct link to make a payment

this is proven to increase sales in many

Industries and there you have it those

are the tips on how to write a business

proposal and how to secure client deals

if you have any questions be sure to

leave them in the comments below and

while you're down there be sure to like

the video hit the Subscribe button and

ding that notification Bell so you never

miss a video and if you haven't already

make sure you download the free business

proposal template so you can start

closing more deals because if you win I

win we're in this together we're a

community all right

and thanks for watching I'll see you

next time

this is very common in the SEO game

where SMS

whoops I'm ordering my hands down