3/21/2024-Creating Proposals

Proposals don’t close business. Heck, you aren’t guaranteed the proposal will even get read after you send it. Help yourself by creating proposals that are flawless.

While it’s hard to make proposals "sound fun," per Sir Richard, the least you can do is to make your proposals brief, clear, and clean.

Would you take time to review a proposal that you created and delivered?

Double the time you spend on getting them out the door and you will discover many typos and unclear copy points that need editing.

The best litmus test is to read the proposal out loud – word for word, page by page – as if you’re presenting it personally to the buyer.

On your next proposal – maybe one you’re working on today – institute the following checklist to ensure quality:

1. Brevity: After completing v1, cut the proposal by 50%. Shorter is better. (Who has the time?)

2. Peer review. Enlist your enablement team to review the proposal after you touch it up. They’ll catch things you don’t see.

3. Manager review. Get her/him to look at it (if it’s a big enough proposal).

Spend the time on making it perfect, and you will.

You work hard to cultivate interest amongst all your prospects and strategically move them through the funnel, so keeping your intensity through the proposal phase makes sense. After all, you’re at the one-foot line, ready to take the ball across the goal.

And while proposals don’t close business, they can and DO help…but only if constructed with care and scrutiny.

The one thing you must commit to is time. You can’t rush proposal creation.

Whenever you pick it up and review it, you will find ways to improve it. The only way you know it’s ready for prime time is when you’re sick of reviewing and editing it.

Is the design sharp and enticing?

Is it easy to comprehend your points and summaries?

Is the proposal brief and clear?

If "YES" answers these questions, you have a fighting chance of delivering something that will get read….and considered.

You know when you nailed a proposal.

You exhausted your review protocol, which included proofing the proposal 513 times and correcting 62 typos and formatting issues. You may have even found a pricing problem that needed correcting.

Awesome.

There’s no better feeling than perfecting your craft….which is how the pros of this YT Short must feel. Tom Brady is one of those pros…but the other guy is better…check it out.