How Pros Write Business Proposals To Win New Clients | Tutorial and Template
Summary
TLDRIn 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
📝 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.
🔍 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Business Proposal
💡Executive Summary
💡Problem Understanding
💡Customization
💡Sales Professionals
💡Template
💡Pricing
💡Call to Action (CTA)
💡Investment
💡Case Studies
💡Project Timeline
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]
where's the worst have
Pepsi most trms are a cobble together
mess but HubSpot is easy to adopt and
actually looks gorgeous I think I love
our new CRM our software is the best
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
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