In the world of business, a sales proposal is an important tool that sales professionals often use to get an idea in front of a

client for consideration. A sales proposal is a written sales pitch created by the sales professional that outlines the new
idea, service or product to educate the client and generate interest. The sales proposal may also be combined with a
demonstration of how the product or idea will benefit the client.

While a sales proposal is a carefully managed investment in both time and effort for the sales professional, it is often
worth the sacrifice in terms of getting new ideas across to the client. This effort makes the sales process clearer as the
client is allowed to see in black and white what is being presented. The sales proposal is often an introduction or the
starting point for a new business venture.

A well-written sales proposal combines three critical components. The first component is to educate the potential customer
about a new idea, product or service. The second component is to provide a convincing argument for why the customer
needs the product or service. The last, and often the most important component of the sales proposal process, is to
illustrate a reasonable return on investment for the client – also known as an ROI.

In the proposal process, a sales professional may be required to construct a bid proposal to an organization or company.
This process is often called an RFP, or Request for Proposal, as the organization accepts multiple bids from companies or
contractors for work or services to be provided. Once the bid acceptance period ends, the award for contract generally goes
to the company with the lowest bid or proposal.

When a marketing firm approaches a company with a new idea for an advertising or promotional campaign, the marketing
agency will often submit a marketing proposal to the company. The company then considers it for its value to the bottom
line and how it will best fit in with current marketing efforts. A marketing proposal can also be submitted along with a
sales contract, as a complimentary service

An effectively crafted sales or marketing proposal may increase the chances of achieving positive results. It is up to the
sales team to research and understand well the type of company being approached before the proposal can be written to
address the needs of the client. This effort enables the proposal to be more easily understood and recognized as a value to
the client.

First, it educates the prospective client about the full nature of his need. Often, a prospective client may be
aware of only a portion of his need. This may be a perfect opportunity for you to demonstrate your ability to see
"the forest from the trees" as an objective third-party expert.

Second, the proposal convinces the prospect that you have the competence to deliver what he needs, better
than he can himself.

Third, the proposal provides justification for the prospect's investment in terms that are useful and
understandable to the client.

However, to convince your client that you are the best person for the job, you must get him to read your
proposal. So how do you get this busy executive to lay aside other pressing issues and pick up your proposal?
The answer is to write a proposal that satisfies his needs, not one that sells your services. And to do that, you
must have a full understanding of the nature, scope and needs of the prospect and present your ideas in a
manner that convinces the prospect that your product or service represents the best way to handle his needs.

Keep In MindYou must convey the feeling that you are the expert to all who read the proposal.

The proposal must showcase your value to your prospect's organization. You have to convince your prospect
why he cannot fulfill his needs with resources internal to his organization.
You must differentiate your goods or services from the competition if you can first show your prospect that he
needs external resources to satisfy his needs, then you must convince him that you are the best choice for the
job.

The proposal offers value-added solutions. Organizations are not interested in novelty approaches. They have
problems that need solutionsquick! The winning proposal will outline how a client can solve his problems and
achieve his objectives, as well as look good to the rest of the organization especially his boss.