Nowhere is the saying ‘first impressions count’ more relevant than when a proposal drops on a prospect’s desk.
There is a brief window of opportunity to entice the prospect to read your proposal rather than file it in the ‘I will read that later, much later’ pile.
What can you do to entice the prospect to read your proposal?
Too many proposals I am asked to critique have bland cover pages such as:
- A Business proposal for Company x
- A Sponsorship proposal for Company x
- A Training proposal for Company X
- An Event proposal for Company x
They’re OK, but do they really entice the prospect to drop what they are doing and read on?
Focus on their need
People don’t need business, sponsorship, training or events proposals, they need to solve their problems and achieve their goals. The key is to talk about the outcome from implementing your proposal, for example
- Launching the new Audi in the London market
- Engaging communities in Regional Australia
- Driving sales of product x amongst an AB demographic
- Bringing your brand to life for your key clients
- Creating lasting relationships with your key prospects
A recent experience
One of my clients recently commented on how I had used ‘Enhancing the business development capability of organisation x’ as the wording on the front page of my proposal instead of ‘training proposal for organisation x’ “You understood what we really needed. That’s why we went with you” they said.
Your next proposal
To find the wording for the front cover of your next proposal, consider what need your proposal will address and what outcome it will deliver if the prospect were to implement it.