Once the prospection and eligibility phases are finished, the next stage in your sales system is to customise your business proposal.
Drafting a customised business proposal is important if you want to increase the chances of converting a prospect into a client. This document may even be circulated within the company, to other intermediaries.
To draft a business proposal that brings in turnover, you need to:
Include the essential components expected in a professional proposal;
Incorporate the words and observations raised by the prospects;
Ask for the sale to be closed, once the proposal has been sent.
Master a proposal's essential components
The business proposal is a document that will reassure the prospect and enable a decision to be taken. It must be well drafted. This is not about your offer, nor a schedule of rates, but a culmination of all your conversations with the client to make them understand that their needs have been identified and that your solutions are relevant.
The business proposal must:
Analyse the clients’ needs;
Propose a suitable solution;
List your undertakings with regard to your solutions (what you will contribute thanks to your services);
Show the price of your services;
Introduce you, recalling your career and your strengths.
It can be summed up by the following structure:
A cover page with, if possible, an attempt at graphic presentation; |
This business proposal may possibly be compared with other offers and with competitors, freelancers or not.
If you work in a sector with strong competition, it can be useful to spend time researching your strengths, using an analysis according to the SWOT matrix: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats.
| Positive (to achieve the goal) | Negative (to achieve the goal) |
Internal origin (from the freelancer) | Strengths: your resources that give you a competitive advantage | Weaknesses: what you lack in relation to the competition |
External Origin (from the economic environment) | Opportunities: the potential offered by the market | Threats: changes that could have an impact on your business |
Let’s go back to the example of Louis, an independent English > French translator specialising in the video games industry, producing a business proposal for the MégaJeux Company.
Here is Louise's SWOT matrix:
| Positive (to achieve the goal) | Negative (to achieve the goal) |
Internal origin (from the freelancer) | Strengths:
| Weaknesses:
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External Origin (from the economic environment) | Opportunities:
| Threats:
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Here’s the business proposal resulting from that:
The description page of Louise's business proposal:
Description of project: The MegaGames company is an independent studio that publishes video games of superior quality. It has recently procured funds for developing in the continental European market. For the time being, the company's five games exist only in English, and all of its communication is also target to an English-speaking audience. The company has very limited time to:
The new investors wish to launch this international expansion within the next six months, including jumpstarting the project on social networks as soon as possible. The company is based in Bristol, where it has proven difficult to find a Franco-English profile able to adapt the cultural references of the game from English to French.
Solutions:
Offer:
Who is Louise? I am passionate about video games and foreign languages. Having come from a Franco-English family, I have complete mastery of English and French languages. Thanks to my knowledge of both cultures, I am able to offer a fluid, high-quality adaptation while preserving the spirit of your product. As a full-time freelancer, I am available for long-term projects, as well as urgent and unexpected needs. |
The official quotation from Louise's business proposal:
Attention: Lowell Doe President MegaGames Company 123, Centre Street Bristol Date: 9/10/2018
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Title of project: International Expansion Support Description: Translation and adaptation of video games and elements of communication Quotation # 12 Quotation valid 30 days
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Description | Quantity | Fee | Cost |
Translation of video games per word | 32000 | £0.15 | £4800 |
Translation of webpages | 10 | £280 | £2800 |
Monthly accompaniment | 6 | £1200 | £7200 |
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| Sub-total | £14800 |
| VAT | 0,00% | £0 |
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| Total | £14800 |
Complete and final delivery in 6 months. The client accepts the general sales conditions indicated on my website: www.louisetranslation.co.uk In case of agreement, please return this quotation signed. Sincerely, Louise École |
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Personalise the proposal
The business proposal must be personalised because its goal is to demonstrate to the prospects that their needs have been well understood.
For this purpose, note the keywords used by the potential clients during conversations, in particular during the discovery interview.
You can then reuse these words in formulating the client’s problem and in your proposal.
Dare to ask for the sale
The goal of your sales system (shown as a funnel) is to gradually lead the prospect towards signing and, thus, to transforming them into a client.
To this end, you need to ask for the sale, that’s to say ask the prospect whether they want to purchase or sign. Marketing people use the verb “to close” to designate this stage.
When to close a sale?
The ideal moment is when the client has no further objections, and when their needs have been well understood.
You must ask, or you risk the possibility of never getting a signature. You can use sentences such as “Shall we go ahead?” or even “When shall we start?” to assess your prospect’s intent to purchase.
Finally, remember that listening is the marketing person’s chief virtue. Once your business proposal has been sent, schedule a telephone meeting to discuss it, and ask the client what they think of your proposal.
Above all, remain silent. People don’t generally appreciate the value of silence during a conversation. It creates space for your clients, who can tell you their final objections, or even their doubts and fears.
Let's recap!
You've prepared an essential document for turning prospects into clients, but what about vocally selling your services? For that, you'll need to prepare an effective sales pitch!
