My 'eureka' moment; what was yours?

Many years ago I did an independent debrief on behalf of ComputerLand (a UK computer services company) following their successful sales campaign to win a major contract with a large City Council.  To win they had to beat the incumbent (a company 20 times their size) and another company the same size as the incumbent.

At the end of the highly informative debrief the sole female member of the awarding panel said "I think the reason I voted for ComputerLand was that the proposal felt like it was written for us".  The rest of the panel agreed.

To me this was a 'eureka' moment, as it crystallised everything I believe a proposal (or presentation) should be, not the usual corporate history lesson (read bulls**t) I was, and still am so used to seeing.

So, the next time you start writing a customer proposal (or even a short letter), try to visualise the customer saying to someone that the reason they chose you was that "the proposal felt like it was written for us".

What was your 'eureka' moment?

Comments

[Skip Anderson]

"The proposal felt like it was written for us."

Great line.

As a sales trainer, I work with companies and individuals that sell to consumers. Proposals are usually a little different in B2C selling than B2B, but some B2C salespeople present proposals to their prospects (for instance, for a home improvement project).

I found your post to be valuable for these salespeople, too. And for me, it all comes back to understanding the prospect and understanding the prospects' needs (both stated and unstated) so this information can then be reflected in the proposal or bid.

[Ian Brodie]

Hi Chris,

What do you feel the key things that make a proposal feel "written for us"? Obviously intent is important - but are there any specific areas or ways of doing the tailoring that work better than others?

Ian

[Karl Goldfield]

Chris, so right you are. I spend several hours convincing the executives I work with to ditch the "who we are slides" in the beginning of their demonstrations and proposals. Frankly, this is not nearly as important as "how we can make a difference" for you.

[Tim J.M. Rohrer]

Well done, Chris! Customers hate cookie cutter "solutions" - especially after we've promised to listen to their needs and solve their problems.

[Brad]

Great post Chris!

For me when selling I always try to remember habit 5 from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Seek first to understand then be understood. I think following this advise throughout the sales process will help you to develop better client relationships, more productive meetings, and proposals that turn into contracts.

To me what you were saying is understand the client and writhe the proposal from their point of view... not yours.

Thanks Chris!

[Colin Wilson]

Chris

My 'eureka' moment was understanding that binary forecasting delivered far better results than factored forecasting... the reason... it puts the responsibility squarely with the sales rep to close it... they have to close it because it's forecast to close... unlike factoring where nothing is forecast apart from a percentage of a deal... and how many of you have won 30%, 60%, 90% of a deal... it's 0% or 100%.

If you forecast it, then you better put a plan together on how you are going to win it... and as Churchill once said..."Those who plan do better than those who do not plan even though they rarely stick to their plan".

[Nathan Poling]

Interesting Point! I think the difficulty all salespeople face is, if you do a large volume of business, it is hard to find the time to personalize each proposal so that the customer feels that it was written for them. Any suggestions?