Monday, September 23, 2013

Creating Customer Value In Your Proposals

By Daniel Carlson


If you've ever read a book on sales or proposal writing, or attended a sales training course you will have heard this before. Even if that is the case, it cannot hurt to hear again. One of the first subjects that is always covered is features, advantages and benefits. In the final analysis any suggestion whether verbal or written has to encourage somebody to take an action. This is performed by demonstrating the advantages of taking that course of action. Obviously communicating what those benefits are will decide whether or not your offer will be received.

On a smaller sale, particularly with products, it is frequently easy to list benefits, but with larger proposals you will have to search harder to comprehend the client's business problem and explain the advantages of your solution - that is, how efficiently and effectively your solution disentangles their business problem.

Your solution should demonstrate not only worth in price, but in the services that you offer. Value is the balance of cost versus benefit, so you need to be explicit in highlighting the benefits to the customer. The 1st rule of sales is commonly offering value to your clients, rather more than they'd expect. To explain, you do not have to be the cheapest proposal provided you are offering more than what others are providing.

Frequently when a contract has been lost, the customer will tell you that you were too expensive - but nobody ever gets told that they won because they were the cheapest. It is the best solution that often wins, the one that offers the best benefits. This could be the costliest solution, but it still may offer the best value.

So how do you create client value? First you want to take time to understand the customer's requirements. When you receive an Invite to Tender, get back to the customer right away with questions. Call them. Ask for a meeting. You will have had involvement with the customer pre-tender and have a understanding of their business.

You must be able to demonstrate an experience of their business need to demonstrate that your solution will deliver the necessary benefits. You must also understand their business if you hope to be in a position to supply a valuable service to them. WIthout understanding what they want you'll have a hard time determining what to supply that may convince them that your solution is the most appropriate one for their business.

When writing your offer, use content tailored toward the client and their business problem. We all copy re-usable text, or boilerplate in offers, but customize it to the client. Include their name, particularly in the executive summary. Make them aware that the offer is about them, not about you.

Directly address your customer's issues and offer persuasive ideas with distinct solution benefits and support your arguments with proof. When have you delivered a similar service or solution during the past? How did that customer benefit? Demonstrate your ability to deliver on your promise.

Make sure a value offer is clearly laid out and straightforward to understand. Can you include a return on investment model for the client? If so do it you are showing the client you understand how to save their business money. Ultimately , the best proposal is not the most cost-effective, but the one which offers the most benefit to the shopper for the pricetag that they're is paying. If you can do that consistently, you will always have lots of business.




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