Who’s the greatest writer of all time? Most people would default to, say, Shakespeare, who very well may have been. Maybe some others might put up Stephen King, as he’s sold a lot of books (but then Creed sold a lot of albums; i.e., big sales numbers don’t always equal quality work).
So, for the sake of the argument this blog is trying to make, let’s say Shakespeare. Would you want the greatest writer of all time writing your sales proposals? Only if you want to confuse your prospect by, to quote the Bard, speaking “an infinite deal of nothing.”
If you’re generating a sales proposal — and don’t have A.I. writing software to do it for you — here are a few tips to create a killer RFP response.
Plagiarize!
That’s right: be a copycat. It’s ok. The teacher isn't looking. Pick out the last sales proposal that came your way, one that you thought was effective, and copy it. There’s no shame in imitation if it helps drive revenue.
Or follow the leaders, like Steve Jobs or Ron Popeil. Yes, that’s right: we’re lumping Mr. “set it and forget it” in with Mr. Jobs. Vastly different audiences, vastly different approaches, billions of dollars made all around.
And if neither of these gentlemen’s approaches appeals to you, you’re likely to find something in the middle that pumps up your proposals — there’s a wide-open playing field between Apple and Ronco. Remember: it’s less about what you like to hear and say, and more about what speaks to your customers.
Speak to the pain
Likely, before you’re using proposal generation software to create, send, and track RFP responses, you are using CPQ (configure, price, quote software), right? Using CPQ with CRM? Because if you’re sending sales proposals any other way, you may as well be using a beeper instead of an iPhone.
But we digress: by the time you’re sending a sales quote, you have likely spoken to the customer’s pain point and presented your products / services as the solution. However, it’s fair play to create a painful reminder within your quote, too, something that helps nudge the customer a little closer to your solution. Don’t go overboard, but a little, “As shown during discovery, company X has been struggling with problem Y… and the solution is right here in this proposal.”
You ain’t Shakespeare...
...and that’s ok. Matter of fact, that’s great. Effective sales writing is built on the simplest language. Whether you’re generating quotes for software companies or landscapers, there’s a simple, direct way to put things.
Stay away from polysyllabic words... like “polysyllabic.”
Keep sentences short.
Use bullets (see?).
Your customer already knows you’re smart enough to work with (otherwise you likely would not have made it to the proposal stage). So don’t show off by serving up a big, fancy word salad. Clean, short sentences project confidence and communicate directly.
One more tip: don’t get too jargony. The days of “incubating leading-edge initiatives” are over. Your sales proposal should be about solving problems, not inventing them.
Want some more tips on making RFP response writing easy? Check out this free whitepaper, not-so-coincidentally called, RFP responses made easy.
