How To Write a Winning Sales Proposal

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  travisvan07/15/08 Report as spam
  1

  what about referencing competitor products?

  I think it's interesting that you don't include referencing other competitor alternatives. What's the strategy on that? Do you make them aware of the inadequacies of the other approaches, or do you not even acknowledge the other products / services out there? I'm sure the answer is that it "depends on the situation." But I think that with tech products in particular, so much of the conversation with the customer ends up revolving as much around how you are different than alternatives x, y and z (and it's tough to know whether to initiate those conversations, or to respond to them after the customer initiates them).

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine07/15/08 Report as spam
  2

  Not the Right Place

  In most cases, sales proposals need to follow an outline provided by the customer. (One of the other posts mentions this fact.) It's always a big mistake to break that format, and there is seldom (i.e. never) a subject heading in a customer RFP entitled "Rubbish the Competition."
  
  Getting into a feature/function war probably not the best way to close a deal. Most high tech products are similar at the brochure level, so it's usually splitting hairs about stuff that the customer doesn't care all that much about.
  
  What the customer wants is to feel confident that you can get them where they want to go. Yes, it has to hang together technically, but the decision will be made based upon other factors.
  
  Raising alternative approaches is also risky because you may plant ideas in their minds. Best to focus on the results they'll get and how you'll get them those results.

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  travisvan07/15/08 Report as spam
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  good points

  Makes a lot of sense.

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  MeAndMyCat07/15/08 Report as spam
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  RE: How To Write a Winning Sales Proposal

  Is this adv for your book?

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine07/15/08 Report as spam
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  What book?

  You've got me there. Am I writing a book? Last time I looked this was a blog.

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  cityju@...07/15/08 Report as spam
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  RE: How To Write a Winning Sales Proposal

  Silly! If we know answers to quesions listed above, automatically business propsal will form and sales wll boom.meaningless article.

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  dhruvdp07/15/08 Report as spam
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  RE: How To Write a Winning Sales Proposal

  It is not always that they have a 'problem' or want to classify the issue as such.
  
  Also, so much information.. such a long proposal..no one reads it in this day and age..

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  Shahid Haq07/16/08 Report as spam
  8

  How to write a winning sales proposal

  The major points of the Sales Proposal are covered. However bosses typically will not read all this detail and bosses mostly set the "mood" The essence then has to be covered in a one page intro/summary which has to catch the eye and the interest of the boss
  
  Shahid Haq