Writing detailed proposals takes time. Too often, we send proposals thinking it “moves the process forward.” We write proposals to “get stuff in the funnel” to justify our existence. We write and present proposals before we are truly ready to do so. Most often, we don’t have enough information to really build the proposal.

When we at the Partnership Group – Sponsorship Specialists™ work with our clients on proposal development, we basically set a standard. We encourage them “never to write or build a proposal until they know exactly what the sponsor needs that they have to offer, the budget, and the sponsor has said yes to the deal verbally or by email.” Then we let them write up the proposal… more often called a “contract.” This process saves time on both sides. It ensures their time is used productively as is the sponsor’s. It also ensures that, when they take the time to write that very detailed proposal, they know it is a “done deal.”

The other day, I was doing my daily reading/research on LinkedIn, and as always, learning a great deal from others. I got really excited when I saw this article from Geoffrey James @salessource! I thought, “That is what we preach. I am so glad that others are promoting this approach.” I want to share Geoffrey’s post called “The 1 Email That Every Salesperson Must Master.”

Here is Geoffrey’s post:

It is a simple template that can help you close millions of dollars of business deals throughout your career. A proposal email is different from the formal sales proposal written in response to an official request for proposal.

A proposal email is a summary of the discussions and dialogue that you’ve had with a potential customer and a written, explicit statement of the business arrangements you’ve discussed.

You write a proposal email after you’ve come to a basic agreement with the customer about what you’re providing and what the prospective customer will pay. The proposal email has the following structure:

1. Statement of gratitude  (one sentence)

2. Problem definition and financial impact (one or two sentences)

3. Desired outcome (one or two sentences)

4. Proposed solution (two to five sentences)

5. Proposed price (one sentences)

6. Risk reduction (one or two sentences)

7. Next step (one sentence)

For example:

John,

First off, I’d like to thank you for the time you’ve spent helping me understand your needs. (statement of gratitude)

As I understand it, your service technicians are spending several hours a day driving from job to job, which is costing your company $1 million in lost revenue. (problem definition and financial impact)

You would like to reduce driving time so that your staff of technicians can service more customers. (desired outcome)

As we discussed, our OptiRout system will generate a more efficient driving itinerary, resulting in an ability to service 10 to 20 percent more customers. (proposed solution)

As you know, the base price for our product is $10,000, with ongoing support costs of $1,000 a year. This includes customizing the system to match the driving conditions in your geographical area. (proposed price)

Because of the benefits of more efficient routing, you should achieve return on investment within one month of installation. (risk reduction)

We can begin work as soon as I receive your go-ahead via email. (next step)

Mary

For complex business arrangements, you may also need to create a “letter of agreement” that specifies detailed terms. If this is the case, the next step in the proposal email would be the go-ahead for you to create the letter of agreement.

As with all business emails, make every sentence as concise as possible. Avoid jargon and biz-blab. Do not provide additional information or attempt to sell something else that hasn’t been discussed. Remember: no surprises.

I’m going to repeat: no surprises. While your sales proposal email is technically a “sales document,” it’s not where you do the selling. You do that while you’re having a dialogue (either by telephone or email interchange) with the potential customer.

I’ve used this template to close the final deal for dozens of projects. It’s simple, straightforward, and most important, gets the job done. BTW, I discuss sales messages, emails, and scripts in my free weekly newsletter.

I encourage you to check out and sign up for Geoffrey’s email. In the meantime, email me or post your thoughts on the “proposal email.” Is this good, too abrupt, something you already do or perhaps cannot do? Let me know.

Thank you for reading and your feedback!