Every salesperson writes quotes. Actually, we'd rather not do it; we are usually stronger verbally than in writing. But it is a crucial part of the sales process. No matter how good your conversation was, if the quotation misses the mark, the deal can still be in jeopardy. Today we would like to share some practical tips for writing a striking, successful quotation.
Describe a solution
Put yourself in the customer's shoes. What does he or she want to see? No long story about why they should choose your company, what you offer and how much experience you have. However? The core of your quotation must be your solution. What concrete pragmatic solution(s) can you offer your customer for the defined problem statement or briefing?
Make your business case concrete
In addition to a solution, your customer also wants to know what his or her return on investment will be. In other words: what do you get for the price you charge? Include a short but powerful business case in your quotation, including the most important KPIs and a cost-benefit analysis.
Better short than long
We tend to make very long quotations, often with various appendices. We want to convince the customer and think we can do that by providing as many references as possible, describing services and stating arguments. However, in our view this only causes noise on the line. Stay short, a quote must be specific. Limit yourself to the solution offered, the business case, the method discussed, the quotation, and of course the call to action.
Prefer images rather than just text
Quotations are often long documents with large chunks of text. In an era where people think and work increasingly graphically, we must try to make our quotations as visually attractive as possible. Add a piece of graphic customization, for example by already visualizing what your offered solution could look like in practice for the customer. Also develop your reference case as graphically as possible.
Work with scenarios, if that is obvious
In the ideal situation, the customer already tells you what the budget is during the sales conversation. However, this is unfortunately more often than not the case. In many cases it is a major challenge for the salesperson to properly estimate what budget the customer has in mind. You can price yourself out of the market by being far too expensive or too cheap. In such cases it can be smart to work with a number of different scenarios. However, make sure that you clearly describe how the scenarios are structured, so that you can continue to manage expectations.
Don't forget the call to action It seems like a no-brainer, but we often forget it: the call to action. We sometimes go too far in preparing the most inspiring quotation possible. A beautiful slide deck is the result, but it does not always contain a concrete call to action. See your quotation more as a contract. Include a page for signature, preferably even at the beginning. For example, by working with a cover page in which you describe a summary of the quotation, including a call to action.
Write and the importance of succession
Many sales opportunities are lost, not due to a bad conversation, but due to inadequate follow-up. After a good conversation, the customer is enthusiastic, but that enthusiasm quickly fades if there is no follow-up. Fast, personal follow-up is therefore essential. Send a summary of the conversation and the agreed next steps within 24 hours.
Make follow-up a regular part of your work routine. Schedule it in your calendar, use a CRM system to maintain an overview, and ensure you keep every appointment. Reliability in follow-up is one of the strongest signals you can send to a client. It shows that you work professionally and that the client can count on you.
Would you like to learn more about this? At Kenneth Smit, we offer a training Expert in Sales Basics who helps you apply these principles in your own practice.