Have you ever wondered why your customer still has not read your proposal? Have you ever been frustrated because the customer has not yet decided, despite that you have sent an extensive and detailed proposal? Maybe your proposal is the problem.
In today’s world, time is money. Executives and entrepreneurs don’t have a lot of time, and they are always busy. But they have particular needs that need to be fulfilled. They want to grow their business, work more efficient, or want to cut costs. That’s why you as a salesperson has been invited to offer them a solution that could solve their challenges. But after your promising visit(s), it often happens that the opportunity seems to fly away. Do you recognize this?
The problem might be the length and complexity of your proposal. We often see that quotes contain too much text, too many details, and a complex pricing structure. We also see proposals with lots of annexes, too many options, and difficult terms and conditions. With that in mind, do you think that it’s easy for your customer to make a decision?
We give you five reasons to stop with long and complicated proposals.
It delays the decision process
Research shows that too much information overwhelms your brain. If you give too many options, information, and details, a customer often procrastinates his buying decision. Be concrete. Be concise.
You focus on the wrong things
If you send a proposal of 50 pages, how is the customer able to decide what’s essential? You often see customers jumping to the pricing page, and it’s easy for them to do the same with offers from your competitors. Your proposal might be abused to compare.
So challenge yourself to write a 1 or 2-page executive summary as a proposal, and only leave the crucial things in it. You then focus on the business objectives, return-on-investment (ROI), and specific pricing, instead of features and details.
It’s not customized
All customers know that a long proposal is not exclusively written for them. So as mentioned in the previous argument, they jump to the price and start negotiating. When you write a short proposal customized for their business, they value it much more. They see that you have understood their business objectives and that you took the time to customize the proposal. Your conversion will be much higher.
It will increase the number of stakeholders
The more information and details you send, the more people will be involved in a buying decision. If you send specific technical requirements with your proposal, it might be forwarded to IT. If you send not-relevant legal documents with your proposal, it might be forwarded to their legal counsel. Etcetera.
A recent study of Gartner shows that an average of 5.4 stakeholders is involved in a purchase decision. I am sure that you don’t want to increase the DMU further. The more people that got involved, the more difficult it will become to sign a deal. So, keep the information in your proposal to a minimum.
”I am sure that you don’t want to increase the DMU further”.
CEO of Sales
No one reads it
Last but not least, it’s a waste of time. Your customers prioritize their time, so you should need to do so too. Writing long proposals is not an efficient way to manage your time. If a customer would like to have more details or explanation, call him or send it afterward.
Do you have more reasons to stop writing long and complex proposals? Or do you disagree with this article? Let us know!
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