April 30, 2008
The problem with the sales process…
… is that you never know where exactly it begins. In most cases if your work is good, you’re bound to sell your product or service right before you even talk to your new client.
Somebody or something sells before you do and it could be anything from a strong recommendation to a piece you wrote on your web site. It really begins in a place that you’re not aware of and probably you may never know.
So where does a quote come in? Or a proposal or anything of the sort? How do these instruments contribute towards the sale if they actually have no direct relation to the fact that someone is interested in your work and would like to hire your service?
Closing is a good answer. They all help in closing the deal. If done right, a one page quote, a detailed proposal and everything in between are designed to encourage decision makers to enter a contract. Some sales people prefer short quotes that are clear-cut and easy to understand, whereas some prefer detailed proposals that cover everything from top to bottom, giving a very precise description of all aspects of the project.
What format do we use? It’s the shorter one because we often do a quote very close to a sale. I’ve written detailed proposals in the past but I reckon that most people don’t have the time required to review one.
Then there’s another problem, as a writer do you have the stamina to produce a unique proposal for every project? A really focused, well researched, to the point and technically accurate one?
Unless your job is to produce quotes and proposals at your business, my answer is a big NO! Most often these documents are poorly drafted, lack details and are full of mistakes. While reading them you will suddenly realize that your corporate name has changed to another and that price you agreed to isn’t there anymore, there’s some other product that’s quoted for and the person who drafted it isn’t the one you were dealing with!
Oh, yes! Microsoft Word isn’t a miracle software and for that matter you really don’t do a great job when you hastily borrow another quote to fill in the gaps and send it over to your new prospect. Funny?
Quote or proposal, it’s not what sells for you. There’s another force doing the job.
Find what that is and you may hit a goldmine.
