Your business proposal can be one of the most valuable assets to help you get deals over the line. But even at this late stage in the sales cycle, you’re probably not the only one competing for your prospect’s business. If you want to stand out in a crowded business deal, your proposal needs to shine. These data-backed proposal best practices will help take yours from average to ace.
Your CRM is one of the most powerful sales tools in your tech stack. Whether you use HubSpot, Salesforce, or any other platform, popular or niche, it’s your sales team's single source of truth and numero uno for managing customer information and deal stages. With so many potential applications, it’s no wonder over 91% of companies with 10+ employees now use a CRM. But as powerful as it may be, it becomes even more impactful when you bring other tools, like proposal software, into the mix.
In the world of sales, there are few things more scary than the word “burnout.” We've all seen it. Reps struggling to get through each day, showing up exhausted, and unmotivated -- or not showing up at all. Whatever the underlying cause may be, it’s your job as a leader to help them get back on their feet.
But what about you?
On top of the pressure you receive from above, the constant focus on hitting metrics, and your ongoing drive to break sales records, you’re tasked with keeping your reps on track. It all adds up, and sometimes it can be too much. Sales burnout is a real problem, and it affects everyone on the sales team, including sales leaders.
As a salesperson, you need to be convincing in order to win prospects over. While this might sound like an opportunity to flaunt your knowledge and expertise, sales aren’t made by showing your prospect how smart you are. In fact, using too much jargon or technical language can actually have the opposite effect.
If you’re in any way involved in the sales process, you already know how big of a deal proposals are. They’re your best—if not your only—shot at convincing prospects to choose your product over the competition. And yet, they’re still treated as an afterthought.
Like it or not, Microsoft Word isn’t meant for designing proposals, and combing through multiple versions of each sales document isn’t exactly efficient. Enough is enough. It’s 2021 and the world’s gone digital, so it’s about time you drop those archaic proposal practices and start using proposal management software to take back control of your sales process.
As a sales rep, your work week is jam-packed with various sales activities. Finding time to prospect new leads, complete follow-up tasks, hit your sales targets, and plan ahead for your next week can sometimes feel impossible. If you feel like you need more time in your week but you can’t seem to find it, there’s a good chance it has to do with your sales productivity. With a few pointers on how to stop wasting time and start increasing sales productivity, you’ll be crushing sales in no time.
Alright, so you already know how to write a winning business proposal, you use proposal software to streamline your sales process, and you’ve mastered the art of proposal design. Now what?
As important as these proposal pillars may be, it’s often the little details that matter most. The use of proper grammar in your proposals will highlight your attention to detail and help you set yourself apart from your competition. So next time you’re preparing that picture-perfect proposal, take a step back to proofread before you send it off. Then, check out these 10 essential grammar tips for better proposal writing.
Sales teams are at the core of almost every organization. From prospecting to sending, their efforts throughout the sales cycle are crucial in generating revenue and business growth. But to prevent costly errors from popping up, their work often hinges on sign offs from various stakeholders along the way. While approvals are great for compliance, they can cause major bottlenecks that can doom deals. In an environment where speed and time are of the essence, a smooth approval workflow process is invaluable. Here’s how to create one.
We've said it before but we'll say it again: The executive summary isn't a summary of your whole business proposal, it's a summary of why your solution is the best one. It’s your opportunity to sell your prospect on why they should choose your company over the competition. And done right, it can give you the ability to win over your prospect before they even reach the pricing section. But before you pop the champagne, you’ll need to learn how to craft the perfect executive summary. To get you started, we’ve come up with three executive summary examples you can use as a guideline.
The janitorial industry is full of companies who compete primarily on price, with little regard for quality. Companies swoop in with promises of being the best / the greenest / the fastest, then underbid on the contract and underperform on the job.
Cleaning services companies like yours — the ones who work hard, pay their employees well, and keep happy customers — need to find other ways to stand out.
Get started with a free Proposify 14-day trial. No credit card required. Just more closed deals.
