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Writing Advice for Sharp Sales Proposals
by Erin Flynn
Have you ever been embarrassed by a written proposal you handed a prospect? Ever notice errors in a document right before you meet with a potential customer? If so, it’s time for you to pay better attention to how you’re writing sales proposals. They may be costing you business.
At the sales training company I worked for, I saw a number of sales deals go disastrously wrong due to reps’ poor written presentations. One such representative, Alex, went on a sales call with his boss, the company president, to close a deal. Alex was very cocky and figured that the agreement was imminent based on two prior positive meetings with the person who could get the contract signed. Once John, the decision maker, read the proposal, he winced because his company’s name was misspelled throughout the 30-page document. Needless to say, John never inked the agreement.
I saw other deals fall through for even the most seasoned salespeople. Plenty of proposals were presented to prospects with dramatic misspellings, improper grammar, and sloppy formatting. I’ve found that reps can be skilled presenters, exceptional speakers and masterful negotiators ... but still lose business as a result of shoddy written presentations. Don’t let the same happen to you.
Four steps to writing clean, clear proposals:
1. Always proof your facts and spell check the document. Check the main facts you’ve laid out in the proposal. For example, confirm against your notes that the prospect’s budget is $150K, not $180K, and the unit has 27 salespeople representing five separate units. When summarizing what you’ve learned, it’s paramount that you get it right. Don’t allow the prospect to correct you during the presentation. Also, check a document’s spelling and grammar on your computer. It only takes a few minutes. Don’t close your file until you’re pretty sure everything is okay.
2. Read the proposal on paper. How often do you print out a proposal to review before making the final copies? Many salespeople I know fail to do this; they assume everything is all right since they’ve read it on the computer screen. I never send an article to an editor unless I’ve read it on paper first. Trust me, you’ll get a different perspective reading something that’s in your hand. Take out your pen and polish up the piece. Add stronger verbs, more descriptive adjectives—make sure the benefits of your products stand out.
3. Ask a trusted coworker or boss for a second opinion. Many salespeople like to work independently; they keep their deals secret from other reps. Proposals will be much more polished if you have someone else check them for clarity. Your boss should appreciate your commitment to producing better material.
4. Make final changes and evaluate key points. Correct the weak sentences. Input the wise suggestion your colleague made to address a past success story. Ask yourself, “Does this plan meet the prospect’s goals? Did I leave any important areas out? How would the prospect react to this information?”
Yes, everyone at some point has made mistakes in their writing. Even the star authors like Stephen King and John Grisham. Maybe you’ve had a tough travel schedule this week and can’t keep your eyes open. Or your two-year-old is not allowing you to get much shut-eye. Lack of sleep or stress will surely affect what you scroll on paper. But don’t hand anything over until you’re confident it is quality work and you’ve done the best you could.
Bottom line: Prospects make sales decisions based on your verbal communication skills as well as the written proposal you deliver.
About the Author: Erin Flynn is founder of Flynn Media, a New York-based communications firm that offers writing, editing and publicity services. Erin has been published in over ten sales publications and writes frequently on the topic of careers. She can be reached on the web at www.flynnmedia.com.
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