8 Ways to Convert Your Proposal into a Long-Term Business Contract
If you want to turn an abstract idea into an actual business, there are eight key actions to follow to ensure you’re setting yourself up for success.
You’ve written up a proposal for a client, and they’ve given you the green light to create a project plan. Now what?
At this point in the game, the best thing you can do for yourself is to build a solid relationship with the customer and prove to them that you know what you’re doing.
If you’ve done your homework and prepared for the conversation, it will be easier for you to close the deal when it comes. This can save you both time and money.
Your proposal is a critical piece of your business plan.
It tells others precisely what you can do for them and, in return, what they’re getting.
That’s why you must understand how proposals work and how you can convert them into a long-term business project.
In this post, I’ll walk you through the 8 best ways to make a proposal more effective.
You’ll learn how to sell yourself to potential clients and close the sale effectively.
You’ll see why some proposals get a “No thanks” and others land an exciting contract.
This post will help you improve your proposal writing skills and boost your chances of securing a long-term client.
1) Make it Easier for Prospects to Accept Your Proposal
It would be best if you first won their trust to get a prospective client to accept your proposal. But how can you accomplish that when they haven’t even seen the proposal yet?
“You only have to do a few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong.” — Warren Buffett
Here are five ways to make it easier for prospective clients to accept your proposal, even if you’re still crafting it.
i. Create a landing page.
A landing page is a single web page designed to promote an offer or encourage visitors to subscribe to a newsletter.
Landing pages have their URL and can contain images, text, and forms. When you create a landing page, you give your prospects a reason to visit your website. They can use the landing page to learn more about you, see who else is working with you, and discover how your services can benefit them.
ii. Create an explainer video.
An explainer video is an animated video that takes viewers on a guided tour through your company, product, or service.
While explainer videos are typically used to highlight an existing product, they can also serve to introduce you and your company. A high-quality explainer video can generate leads.
iii. Create a free email course.
A free email course is a series of emails that introduces your prospect to you and your services. The idea is to get the potential client to understand you, learn more about your services, and understand why they should work with you.
iv. Create a sales page.
A sales page is a single web page containing all the information you’re offering and instructions on purchasing it.
While sales pages are sometimes used to sell physical products, they can also sell digital products, such as eBooks, courses, or white papers.
v. Provide an interactive demonstration.
An interactive demo is a web-based tool that lets a visitor interact with your product or service.
An interactive demo is a great way to present your solution to a potential customer, whether they’re at your office or across the globe.
2) Build Rapport by Using the 8-step Client Journey
There’s no doubt that clients come in many shapes and sizes. Some have specific requirements, while others are more free-form and more focused on how you work.
As a freelancer, this is how I’d describe a client’s journey:
1. Initial meeting
2. Request for info
3. Project approval
4. Briefing
5. Project planning
6. On-time deliverables
7. Implementation
8. Post-delivery
As you can see, this is not an exact science. You often won’t find a clear cut-off point between each stage. Instead, you must adapt your approach and follow the flow based on the client’s situation.
3) Tell your story to Spark Interest
Every business has a story.
“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston Churchill
People always look for ways to improve their businesses, and that includes the people who are working with them.
Your company’s story is your window into the world. If you’re not telling your story, someone else will be.
It’s also what your customers, potential employees, investors, and suppliers will see when they look at you.
When it comes to convincing people to trust you, your story is what matters.
For example, if you’re developing a website from scratch, include links to other websites you have worked on. Include the name of a client or industry that you’ve worked on similar projects.
This kind of information shows your knowledge and experience. It also gives your client a sense of comfort. They’re more likely to sign when they feel comfortable with you.
4) Build Credibility
It will help if you start by taking control of the relationship. Be honest, kind, and open about your plans and goals. Let the customer know you’re a team player and willing to listen to their suggestions.
Make sure you have the proper customer references. Contact past clients to find out what they liked about working with you if you can. You can also ask a few “leading questions” on social media to see if they’re happy with the service.
1. Show you know what you’re doing
2. Show you can solve problems
3. Show you can stay on top of things
4. Keep your promises
5) Create value
You’ve already built a rapport with the client, but that doesn’t mean you can stop now. You still have to convince them to spend more money.
You’ve already created value for the client, so the key is to find more value for them. This could be by improving their website’s conversion rate, providing a better service, or a more effective solution.
You’re a web developer who designed a client’s website.
The client has put a lot of work into designing the site, but you’re sure they could have done a better job.
Ask yourself, “What can I do to improve their site?”
You’ve already convinced the client that you know your stuff, so they should trust you to improve their site.
It’s a win-win situation.
6) Create Demand
The best way to create demand is to show potential clients what they would miss out on if they didn’t hire you.
Don’t just make your proposal look good. Show them how it would benefit them.
For example, if you’re designing a website for a hotel, instead of listing off all the features they would benefit from, including a section that shows exactly how the website would save them money.
Prove to them that you know what they are looking for and how you can help them achieve their goals.
7) Find and Convert Objections
It’s no secret that some clients are hard to close, but it’s even harder to convince them that you’re the right choice. To turn a challenging prospect into a happy client, you must look for and resolve their objections.
When you return to the drawing board, your goal should be to eliminate any objections the prospect has. If they say, “I don’t like the idea of hiring you,” you’ll need to find out why they’ll benefit from working with you.
After that, you’ll need to convert the objection into a solution. For example, if a prospect says they aren’t interested in working with freelancers, you can try to convert this to “We can help you with all your work, including your content.”
Once you have eliminated all objections and converted them into solutions, you’ll have a much easier time closing the deal.
8) Close the Deal
The client will be more than happy to sign a contract if they know you’re committed to completing the work. It’s up to you to make sure they feel the same way.
In my experience, I’ve found that a combination of hard work and a little “soft” negotiation is often enough to get a contract signed.
To do that, you must get your foot in the door early by providing quality service. This means you should provide your client with a detailed project plan.
Then, keep them on their toes by following up with “status updates” and “check-ins.” Don’t just sit around and wait for a response.
I’ve had clients who were initially happy with the result, but then I kept them waiting for months before I sent anything.
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