Top 3 Sales Proposal Myths, Busted

1. The Economic Buyer Is Very Busy

You might think the executive who can approve your proposal is really busy, with barely enough time to read your proposal, let alone understand it, but nothing could be further from the truth. The modern executive spends most of his or her day on the golf course, mixing martinis, or wondering what to do after beating Flappy Bird. You can show your concern for their boredom by making your proposals as long and complex as possible, giving them the chance to read and re-read. Even better, have a few sloppy copy & paste errors in your proposals, to give executives something to hunt.

2. Higher Prices Show Confidence and Reduce the Perception of Risk

When one of these bored executives is trying to select a vendor, one way you can impress is by lowering your price. If you’re going in for heart surgery, nothing promises good results like asking for the cheapest option, right? Likewise, if someone wants to do a major surgery on their business, you want to be the cheapest option. That’s the way to make sure everyone knows your solution is the lowest risk and most likely to be successful.

3. Buyers Want to Hear about How You Will Solve Their Problems, Not About How Great You Are

They already know the issues. They know the solution. The just want to hear why your company is so great, why your products are really innovative, when your company was founded, and so on. The more arcane, the better. (Remember, they’re bored.) So don’t talk too much about the problems or the solution. Talk about your company, your products, and best of all, you. (Include a glamour shot for bonus points.)

Don’t let these myths hold back your sales!

 

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