How visual content can boost your business proposal

Whether you’re working to change direction in your engagement with a partner company, or pitching your services to a new local business, you’ll need an outstanding proposal to make the sale. What resources do you have at your disposal to make your proposal stand out from the rest? One option that many companies overlook when crafting their B2B proposals is the use of pictures and other visual enhancements.

How can pictures make your proposal stand out? They can make your proposal clearer, more engaging, and bolster the concrete details of your plan. Much like in their use elsewhere on the web and beyond, effective image use will hold your readers’ attention as they work through your proposal. Images guide and clarify where words leave things up to the imagination.

It’s time to start writing better B2B proposals. Organize and communicate your ideas with images.

Informative Images

There are many different types of images that you might use in a business pitch, including photographs, diagrams, graphs, tables, and even infographics. In fact, when working with other businesses, you have more options than companies that sell to the general public since other professionals will have both the interest and understanding to engage with technical graphs in a way the general public may not.

Using a graph to break up long stretches of text is a great strategy for B2B proposals because it can keep the reader from skimming the text rapidly by offering a seeming diversion from your body paragraphs. In fact, they are absorbing at least as much information by reading your graph, but the change in visual modality and processing structure is valuable from an attention and comprehension standpoint.

Another reason graphs are great for business proposals is that they allow you to make projections. It’s one thing to say that a certain outcome is likely based on prior events – but no matter the factual support, readers may disregard the assertion. When reading a graph, however, extrapolation based on clear data points tends to be more convincing. Offering an image, then, does something you words may not do successfully.

High Speed Processing

Visual content can also be used in your B2B proposals to provide order and organization, such as by using diagrams that grow more complex as each new phase of an operation unfolds. You might offer these diagrams each with an explanation, or you can put them side by side and show the progression using only images.

Most people would think that using only the images would be the less effective communication strategy in a proposal, but studies have shown that visuals are processed many times more quickly than text. If your reader spends significantly less time on visuals, it isn’t because they aren’t paying attention – it’s because they already have read and understood what they say. This can have incredible results in terms of selling power.

Images sell because they stick in the mind and that’s what will help you grab clients. The more clients can remember about your proposal when they think back over the review process, the more likely they are to choose your business over your competition. A proposal that leaves them wondering about the details or execution, on the other hand, may get shuffled to the bottom of the pile. With images, there’s no wondering – the process or product is right there in the proposal.

The Comparison Factor

Another way you can use visuals in your business pitch is for cross-industry comparison. Is there a way you can visualize how you do business and the services you offer as they compare to the lesser services of others in the industry? Since any good pitch should offer an industry review, providing a visual guide to the benefits of your services is a great way to angle this review.

Infographics are a great visual method for presenting this industry review since they cull all of the key data and show the relationships between them. Your infographic can show everything from technical product improvements for a particular product to industry awards and reviews. Presenting this information as an infographic is significantly more interesting than doing a standard side-by-side comparison with a chart and the increased complexity indicates your commitment to a job well done.

The Key To Completion

Using images in your business pitches isn’t just about flash – it’s a serious part of how you choose to present your company. That makes it vital that you make sure all the details are complete. It’s easy to miss a few things when using visuals – numbering your tables, adding units to your graphs, or offering price quotes alongside your technical diagrams. A thorough pitch will include all of these things and missing them may lead intended clients to believe you’re sloppy.

For each visual you include, do a full review: is something being measured, is a cost or timeline needed to describe this, is it absolutely clear what the image is about and what it’s intended to do? Go through a complete evaluation and ask others to double-check your work.

One effective way to make sure your images aren’t missing anything important is by giving just the visual to your proofreader without the surrounding context. If they don’t know what they’re reading, you may have missed a few details. Back up, reevaluate, and make sure everything is expressed clearly.

Correct Quotes Quick

Need correct quotes to go with your diagrams or your service descriptions in that business pitch. Contact iQuoteXpress to streamline the process and measurably improve your sales success.

Every business wants to know what they’re committing to up-front. iQuoteXpress supports this process through our configure, price, quote (CPQ) software as well as our innovative Quotation & Relationship Management (QRM) software. By synchronizing many phases of the proposal process, we serve the software as a service industry, helping you do your work more effectively.

Now is the time to learn how CPQ and QRM software can work for you. We’ll walk you through how we’ve transformed industry relationships and how we can increase your efficiency and boost sales simultaneously. Proposal by proposal, we help you do business better.

Presidential Campaign Strategies applied to Business.

This year’s Presidential campaign season has already been full of surprises and twists, and it’s bound to get even more intense as the months roll on. It’s very early, yet candidates are trying their hardest to prove that they’re the best, most experienced, most appropriate leaders for the nation – and, regardless of your political affiliations or personal investments in the outcome of the election, you have to be impressed with the tactics they use to promote themselves.

While the analogy isn’t obvious at first glance, this process of political positioning has a lot to teach us about the best way to structure and write a proposal in a professional environment. Think about your goals as a proposal writer: you’re competing against a group of peers, you have to convince the reviewer that you’re the most authoritative and valuable candidate, and you only get a finite amount of space to pack in all of your persuasive arguments.

Let’s dig into the specifics of how political tactics can help you shape better proposals:

Have a Slogan

Politics and marketing have a lot in common. Perhaps most importantly, you need to be able to communicate large amounts of meaning in a targeted, effective way. This is best demonstrated by the political slogan, a short snippet of text designed to “stick” in a voter’s mind and accurately, concisely sum up the entirety of a candidate’s political platform. For politicians, this might be a value statement or a snappy rebuttal to an opponent’s vision for the future of the country.

For you, this is an opening statement or summary page, where you’ll boil down your main points to only those that are most relevant. If you’re successful here, your arguments are going to “stick” in your readers’ minds, and long after they’ve given the proposals a once-over, yours is the one that’s going to come to mind first. It also serves as an effective summary page: since it’s rare that companies will review entire proposals multiple times over, your summary statements are the best tool that you have to earn bonus points during further reviews.

Create a Plan

There’s something to be said for the value of rational appeal, and there’s no greater rational appeal than a point-by-point plan. For politicians, this means turning a general statement like “improve education” into a series of realistic, actionable items (which is often easier said than done). This must be grounded and convincing, or else nobody will find the plan persuasive.

Proposal writing is no different, except that you have different general statements to flesh out, and you’ll be in complete control of how you eventually execute the steps to get there. For example, you might have a statement like, “We’ll help you to increase your marketing ROI,” but that doesn’t say much unless you have a well-researched, well-documented plan on how you’re going to pull that off. It’s important to back up your plans with research and insights; otherwise, your plan steps will seem as hollow or unimpressive as your general statements. Be specific here!

Ask for Help

It’s almost impossible to create and manage a political campaign on your own. Most modern political candidates have entire teams of people behind the scenes, posting on their behalf on social media, answering press inquiries, scheduling events, and getting them ready for significant turns. The politician may be a visionary for the campaign, but the grunt work is done by, well, grunts.

As a proposal writer, you may have access to your own team, but sometimes even that isn’t enough to get your proposal written in time (or in a proper format). That’s why tools like iQuoteXpress exist – too help you get your proposals written faster and easier without sacrificing the quality of your finished piece. Think of your proposal writing software as a campaign manager, helping you keep everything in order.

Prove That You’re More Than Just Empty Promises

One of the biggest problems politicians face in the modern era is earning voter trust. All of their plans may sound good, and their rhetoric may be persuasive, but what does that actually mean? It doesn’t matter that you have a four-year plan to improve healthcare coverage if, when you get into office, you immediately abandon that plan. Accordingly, politicians are forced to prove that they’re more than just empty promises.

You’ve guessed it already: you do too. Most proposal submitters will talk a big game, so to differentiate yourself, you have to prove that you can back up those words. Some of the most effective ways to do this are through case studies and former client testimonials; show that you’ve done it before! Otherwise, you can show off measurable metrics and your company history (including team member expertise) to close the deal.

Be Unique

To many voters, all candidates look alike. The frontrunners are the ones who’ve managed to stand out from the crowd. In this year’s election, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders – candidates on both sides of the aisle – have emerged as major contenders because of their unconventional approaches (and, in the former’s case, debatable aptitude). This isn’t to say that standing out instantly makes you a better candidate, but it does get you more attention – and attention is always the first step. Put this to good use in your proposal writing endeavors by including a unique format or position. Break away from the norm!

If you can use these tactics effectively for your proposal, you’ll have a far better chance at standing out among the crowd. Remember, one of the most important elements to successful integration is subtlety: if a voter suspects a politician of being subversive or manipulative, the politician will lose his/her vote. Similarly, if you try too hard to manipulate your readers, your proposal will come off as sales-y and impersonal. Instead, strive to incorporate these means of persuasion without losing the human approachability of your voice. 

The 10 Elements That Make a Successful Sales Proposal.

If you’ve ever been in a sales or marketing position, or if you’ve ever been an entrepreneur, you know what it’s like to lose a bid. You put hours of work into a sales proposal, including everything you’d want (if you were in the buyer’s shoes), and you still came up short of the win. Was it because you forgot to include something? Did a competitor undercut you on price? These questions are hard to answer, and can be maddening for those new to the industry.

It’s rare that one factor makes or breaks a proposal. For example, if you’re high on price, you can make up for it by showcasing your value, or if you don’t have a lot of experience, you can make up for it by offering additional benefits or a guarantee. Some buyers may even make decisions based on a gut feeling or preexisting relationship, which is totally beyond your control.

For now, let’s focus on the factors you can control. There are certain elements that every proposal needs if it’s going to stand a chance of winning, and you have the power to include them in every quote you send.

1. An aesthetically pleasing format.

First impressions are critically important, and the first thing people are going to notice about your proposal is its aesthetic value. This is somewhat subjective, but you don’t need to get fancy here. Properly aligned boxes, a unique (but legible) font, colors that match your brand, and ample white space are all fundamentals that can help your proposal be better received immediately. Consistency is also important here—don’t jump back and forth between styles.

2. A strong, concise opening.

Your opening—whether that’s a cover letter, a headline, or a statement of work—needs to be powerful. It’s going to be the first thing your buyer reads, finalizing their first impressions, and what they refer back to when they need a summary or reminder of your proposal. Make it as compelling as possible, avoiding buzzwords or jargon, and keep it concise. Spend some time polishing this.

3. A detailed scope of work.

Don’t just list your products; explain what they are, why they’re important, and what value they hold. Don’t just list your services; explain how you’re going to approach this specific client and propose a timeline for completion. Be as detailed as possible in your scope of work, highlighting exactly what your company plans to do and leaving no room for miscommunication or subjective interpretation. It shows you’ve thought far ahead (and reduces the potential for disagreements later on, assuming you win the bid).

4. A unique value proposition.

Assume you’re going up against several competitors who are offering nearly identical products and services for a nearly identical price structure. Why are you any different? Don’t go for obvious, generic choices like “we’ll work really hard” or “our products are top-of-the-line.” Be specific about what truly sets you apart from the competition—any differentiating factor here can be good.

5. A personal view.

While your proposal exists as a message from one company to another, ultimately your proposal is going to be read and considered by people. Accordingly, a personal appeal is necessary to help you close the deal. Introduce some of the most important members of your team (especially your account manager or customer service rep), and explain who they are, what their experience is, and how they’re going to make this deal favorable for the buyer. A little personality goes a long way.

6. References or testimonials.

You probably talk a big game and clearly explain why your business is a good one—but everybody does. If you want to stand out, include third party reviews, references, and testimonials that objectively highlight your abilities and past performance record. If you’re relatively new, this could be hard to find, so favor quality over quantity here.

7. Itemized, detailed pricing.

What you charge in a proposal doesn’t matter quite as much as your justification for charging it. For example, if you’re proposing a new web design and your pricing page is simply the number $10,000, you won’t attract nearly as much favor as a page that breaks down the phases of work, estimated hours to be spent, and individual services rendered, eventually totaling $10,000. Explain why you’re charging what you’re charging, and break out every line item you can.

8. A return on investment statement.

Proposals are about more than just an item and a cost. They’re about why an item, at a certain cost, is beneficial to the buyer. If the buyer goes through with this deal, how will they ultimately benefit? How are they going to make money, save money, or reduce risk by following through with this deal? Consider this a return on investment (ROI) statement, and include one as a follow-up to every pricing page you create.

9. A call for next steps.

Let’s say your buyer is interested in moving forward. What happens next? Your proposal should clearly articulate the next steps of the process, including whether you need more details, how soon you could be ready to begin work, and how to contact you when the buyer is ready to make a decision. It’s also a good idea to have a formalized plan or timetable (though you might have already included this in your scope of work section).

10. A thank you.

We live in an advanced age, but simple etiquette is still important. Be sure to include a dedicated thank you page with all your proposals, thanking your prospective buyer for the opportunity and their time in reviewing your bid. It could make the difference.

You owe it to yourself—and your business—to include these elements in every proposal you send. To make things easier, consider adopting a CPQ (Configure Price Quote) software platform—it will help you ensure the consistency, proper formatting, aesthetic value, and accuracy of all your quotes (no matter who’s doing the creating). If you’re interested in learning more, iQuoteXpress is currently offering a free demo of its CPQ software—sign up and find out how it can help you win more bids.

Rejected Again? How to Fix a Bad Business Proposal.

Business proposals are tricky to get right. As with any application or pitch, it takes some finesse to create a proposal that will interest the receiving party. Even if you follow all the requirements, a poorly written proposal is unlikely to be taken seriously – let alone accepted.

In theory, a quote should be enough. After all, if you’re trying to land a client, what matters more to them than how much the project costs? As it turns out, a lot matters. Read on to learn more about how you can correct some of the biggest blunders proposal writers commit.

The Problem: Bad Proposals (and What Happens to Them)

Think about your proposal as a product. With this frame of mind, it doesn’t matter what you sell – whether it’s lawn mowers or lab equipment – because the customer always knows what they’re paying for prior to making the purchase. This is especially true in the brick-and-mortar retail world, where customers have the chance to window-shop, compare prices, try on clothes, and taste product samples.

Unfortunately, when a client invests in a service, they don’t have the same opportunities for browsing and perusing. Instead, they have to choose what to buy based on their own research in addition to the (sometimes blind) faith that the business in question will provide it.

You could have a flawless record, excellent samples, a stellar web and social media presence, and tons of positive referrals and testimonials – but that’s not enough. Simply put, your proposal is what’s going to turn them from an interested party into a buyer.

Your proposal isn’t a formality; it’s a sales presentation. If what you send isn’t good enough, the client’s not going to read it – instead, it’s going out with the recycling.

So what should you do instead? Read on for some ways to turn a bad business proposal into something worth reading.

Mistake #1: Failing to Understand the Customer

In a case like this, failure doesn’t come from simple ignorance; it’s a product of failing to do your due diligence and key into the prospect’s precise needs. In writing a business proposal, the first thing you should ask yourself – and your team – is, “Who’s our client?” The second question is, “What does my client want to buy?”

What to do instead:

You already know your company (or, at least, you should). You know your staff, your products, and your business interests. But the purpose of sales is not to show your chops as a great salesperson or to convey the excellence of your product. While those are components of making a sale, it’s up to you to focus – above all else – on the client.

Mistake #2: Rambling On (and On and On and On…)

A business proposal should be concise and to the point. Your company is wonderful, and you do wonderful work, and you’re the best in your industry. But there’s only so much writing about your specifications and accolades a client can read before their eyes glaze over – and they toss your proposal out with tomorrow’s trash.

What to do instead:

Get to the point. Of course you want to set yourself apart from the rest. But, again, the way to do that is to center the client. It’s not about how great you are; it’s about how your business will meet a client’s need – and do so better than your competitors could. Outline the benefits of your service and show what makes you valuable – but keep it down to two pages or less.

Certainly, take a little time to introduce your team and their roles – and include headshots, since these can be a good way to break up large blocks of text in the business proposal. They’re also a way to make your proposal more personal. Make sure everyone smiles!

Don’t get into the gratuitous details, though – like the professional associations that include your teammates as members, for example. This is especially true if you’ve paid to join these associations. These are unlikely to impress the client. The focus should always be on previous projects and accomplishments.

If you’re sending a web-based proposal, don’t write pages and pages about everything you’ve achieved as a company. Instead, insert hyperlinks to preexisting information, so they can see for themselves what you’re capable of. If your submitted proposal is printed, attach that information as an appendix and not in the body of the text.

Mistake #3: Failing the “So What?” Test

Your proposal shouldn’t read like the “About Us” page on your website. Again, you’re not giving a history of your business or explaining; you’re presenting your business as a solution to a problem. Capture Planning calls this the “So What?” test.

When the customer reads your proposal, what are they getting out of it? If you can’t answer this before you send it, you’ve got a problem. You’ve got even more of a problem when the customer doesn’t even know what you’re proposing.

What to do instead:

Literally, ask yourself – “So what?” What are you proposing, and why should they care? The person reading your proposal likely has countless competing proposals, and their job is to select the best one. Yours should express your specific solution and why it’s better than all the others. We already know what you stand to gain from this deal, but what does the customer stand to gain? Include enough information for the customer to make an informed decision – and make it enticing. Do away with everything else.

Contact iQuoteXpress Today

Having great content for your business proposal is just the first step. At iQuoteXpress, we’ve developed software designed to help businesses just like yours deal with the proposal process. Using our software, you can store critical information – such as client data and proposal requirements – to facilitate the process of writing and submitting proposals.

Interested in learning more about how we can help? Contact iQuoteXpress today for more information and to download a free demo of our software - no contract or obligation required. We’re excited to see what we can do for you.

10 Things Your Boss Will Look for on Your Business Proposal.

Being able to write a business proposal is a basic skill every entrepreneur should have.

Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. There’s a lot that goes into drafting an excellent proposal, and your boss likely won’t take the time to outline what that is for you. If you’re tired of having your business proposals rejected, there are some things you should know.

1. You must understand the client.

There’s no way you can help to outline a solution to a problem if you don’t have a clear understanding of the client’s problem and what they want from a good business proposal. It’s rare that you’ll know exactly what the client wants right away if you’ve never worked for them before, but as you continue to draft your proposal, you’ll begin to gain a clearer idea of who they are and what they want.

The best way to come to an understanding of a client and their needs is through conversation. Talk to them about their concerns, operating policies, management philosophies, and anything else that’s relevant to your project. If there have been previous attempts to reach the goal you’re working towards, you can use that information to shape your proposal into something they need before they even realize it.

2. Clearly outlining the solution is the most important part.

The purpose of writing a proposal is to outline a solution to a specific problem. It’s as simple as that, but it’s surprising how much attention is placed on other parts of the proposal, detracting from the solution.

The solution should be clearly stated. It should begin with a concise statement that says what should be done and provide an easy-to-follow plan for accomplishing it. By the end of this section, the client and the stakeholders should have no questions about how the changes will alleviate their problems.

3. Never forget the header testimonial.

This might seem like an extra, but it’s actually a very important part of making a good impression on your clients. Your header testimonial is typically comprised of a quote from a past or existing client who has worked with you and your products and services before. The quote comes near the beginning of the proposal and supports your ability to get the job done, and it functions to grab the attention of your prospects in order to entice them to continue reading.

When it comes to getting good testimonials, Alex Turnbull, CEO of Groove says, “Good testimonials aren’t fluffy; they communicate very specifically the type of person the testimonial writer is and the type of problem they’ve been able to overcome. This helps readers put themselves in the storyteller’s shoes.” This kind of testimonial is exactly what proposals need to get off the ground running.

4. Make sure the scope of work is accurate, even if it’s not impressive.

Every proposal includes a section about the scope of work, namely the time frame it will take to get your solution underway. One mistake many proposal writers make is underestimating the time frame in order to make the proposal look more impressive. They will soon realize that your time frame is off when it takes longer than the stated amount, which won’t impress your client in the least.

Always be realistic about the time frame, even if it looks unimpressive. As long as you thoroughly describe the reasons behind the extended time frame, and the reasons make sense, it will make an impact on your client.

5. Outline the investment for the sake of the stakeholders.

If investors have read through your proposal up to this point, it means you’ve gotten their attention, so it’s now time to give them the details of your business model. They want to make sure the investment they’re about to make is a wise one. Details should include a description of product sales, licensing, services, advertising, salaries, rent, inventory, maintenance, and anything else that applies to your business model. Assumptions should be listed and justifications given.

All in all, these investors want to know how much they stand to make through your proposal and when the money will start. Their biggest concern is going to be cost, so make sure you’ve detailed this section of the proposal very well.

6. It’s a competition.

You’re likely not the only company presenting a proposal. Keep in mind that it’s a competition, and you should treat it as such, particularly if you’re the underdog. “If your competition is a company that is much larger than yours, then you've got to show your strengths,” says Shervin Freed in his book Writing Winning Business Proposals. “Maybe you specialize in the client's field or can focus intensely on solving their problem.” Either way, keeping this perspective in mind is essential to outshining your competitors and securing the deal.

7. Play up the benefits.

Of course, you must outline the weaknesses of your proposal to keep it realistic, but that doesn’t mean you should state the weaknesses only. As a general rule, make the benefits look much stronger than the weaknesses. You can’t hope to win over the client if your proposal makes it sound like the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages.

8. The opening statement is like a first impression at a job interview.

Treat the opening statement as you would the first sentence spoken in a job interview. It should be courteous, intelligent, and show your enthusiasm for working with the client. Take the opportunity to thank the prospect for the opportunity and show your vast interest in providing a solution for their need. It should be concise, polished, and clearly represent what your company does.

9. You need to be qualified to write the proposal and be able to show it.

At some point, your qualifications are going to come up, and you need to be able to show that your company is the best for the job. This should be based on your competitive strengths and the past experiences you’ve had. Highlight your talents, experiences, and other qualifications throughout the proposal so the prospect has no reason to doubt your credibility.

10. Make it shine.

Once the entire report is compiled, it should be polished in order to remove any errors. It should also be attractively formatted with a professional edge for excellent presentation. For every grammar and formatting error the reader finds, you’ll lose points as far as credibility and competency go.

Contact iQuoteXpress for a Free Software Demo

There’s a lot that goes into writing a successful proposal, and it’s not always easy to handle the process on your own. If you start to feel overwhelmed with your responsibilities, it might be time to look into using software that will automate some of your processes. The software at iQuoteXpress can help you automate processes like financial estimations and data collection. Our software can help make proposals hassle-free. Contact us today if you’re interested in more information and a no-obligation, free, online demo of our specialized software.