5 Tips – The Power of Weaving Your Story in Your Proposal
The Power of Weaving Your Story
How much do you sell? Is it a fair estimate? If the funding is extended, it’s fair enough. The problem is most people don’t stop to think about their product or their story until the last possible moment. Proposals are often the one chance anyone has. On a project like that there is not a lot of margin for error.
My motto is simply “Don’t stop until the business is in your hands”. I’ve invested hundreds of thousands of dollars developing clients, and I want every single one of them as customers. I believe that something is more valuable than anything else in most relationships. That is what propisal is all about “Trusting the Business”. Here are some tips that I share with my clients:
1. Don’t be afraid to let it out. People will feel comfortable around you if they know what you’re talking about. It’s OK to lose them. However, trust must be built. After all is said and done, remember to create a loyal customer.
2. Share your story EVERY chance you get.
Sure there are the times when you have to ” shut up” or have to pitch for fear of closing the deal. But I believe in the long run it will help you close more business, work less hours, and earn more money. Most of my clients that hire me tell me they get more out of me then they do from their old sales staff. OK, that means not going to work every day. That’s OK. It’s your decision on how much you want to work. I simply let them know that I will work for them before I am done.
3. We all want the business.
Sometimes you have to shut people up. Maybe you have to tell them, “No”, to push them out of the picture. Make a decision to take action. There is no point in “Showing them how great you and your business is”. That would be like telling your former spouse, “Honey I’m just not that great, you don’t love me, that won’t work out.” Now that is hardly a most honest way to tell your friends or partner that you quit. How can you after you’ve quit for the last 3 years of your life just to ruin your relationships? If the business does go as planned, what then? I don’t have a problem with marriage. It is after the honeymoon. If you get married and stay and I love you, I’m thrilled, but yes if you get down on yourself, you are setting yourself up for failure. You have to believe in yourself. I believe in treating people like dirt. The vast majority of customers that I deal with tell me that they don’t hire people who appear all nice to them. They just don’t care about their hair, their skin, or their breath. I simply call it a turn-off. To me there is no way you can buy someone that will truly be a asset to your company, your employees, or your customers.
That is how I deal with this. I am who I am. If someone is not who it appears to be, then it is difficult to trust this person to be part of your team. We have to be honest in this sort of situation. This is not about professional boundaries, only about personal boundaries.
4. Ask for the business.
I don’t care how many times a sales rep over promising “10 great deals”. They will do it, but with a factory 48 hours after the deal has been wrapped. They will 550 times fail to honor their promise. This is about their ability to sell, not just about their ability to deliver. Don’t work with people that refuse to walk their portion of the path.
5. Offer two buying options.
Ideally you want to provide different options that mean you can provide resources that are specific to each users needs. All you want to happen is, as in number 1, after you have fulfilled your promises, the customer determines which option is best for his/her needs. There are other options, but you should be prepared to offer two options. The key is the terminology. You should refer to each application individually instead of referring to them as one. Both can be funded. Either option that has been funded can be a “done deal”.
A well thought out proposal takes time, but can be done relatively quickly.