If you provide professional services, you’re probably asked on a regular basis to present a proposal to a prospective client.
For those who much prefer doing the service, than pitching the service, this can be intimating and difficult. Today’s post is dedicated to improving the pitch.
* Focus on the prospect. What is their pain? What do they need? What do they want?
* Keep your part short. Try not to talk about yourself, your company, your services too much. I’ve seen eyes glaze over after about 5 minutes. If you have an hour meeting with the prospect, the vast majority should be spent on how you will help the prospect with their products, services and company. Don’t spend too much time talking about what you’ve done unless it directly relates to what you will do for them.
* Be prepared by writing, practicing and memorizing a mini-script so you can clearly and succinctly communicate the value of your services before they hit the glaze point. Go for one key phrase and how that benefits the prospect on each page.
Here are a few resources to improve your proposal and your presentation:
- From Ben Yoskovitz at the Instigator Blog: Top 10 Reasons Proposals Fail
- From Garr Reynolds at Presentation Zen: What is good PowerPoint design?
- Tips on Formatting your Proposal from CapturePlanning.com
