Your sales proposal is customer-centered. It defines the business opportunity, current situation, financial impact, and the buyer's needs and objectives.

A compelling proposal results from a consultative sales process. Avoid "boilerplate" proposals or proposals that read like poorly written brochures.

Your sales proposal explains how your product or service will work in the buyer's business. By defining the application, you answer many questions for the buyer and provide the information needed to make an informed buying decision—a function of consultative selling.

Your proposal measures how your product or service will make or save money for each buyer—the financial benefits. This provides compelling financial reasons to make a change—another function of consultative selling.

Your proposal converts your product's benefits or service's capabilities into buyer-specific benefits. These are the benefits that are not easy measured in monetary terms—another function of consultative selling.

Be specific by including methodology, schedule, and the staff required to implement the solution. This reduces your buyer's perceived risk and answers How? How long? and Who?

Your sales proposal assures the buyer that your organization can deliver on the contract. It includes a company profile that differentiates your company from the competition.

Buyers make decisions on business information, so your proposal should not overwhelm readers with the technology. Your sales force understands that the buyer wants to know how the technology will improve his business not why your new widget will make his network run faster.

Develop proposal standards and models. Proposals that win the big deal do not read like a hodgepodge of ideas and writing styles. Proposal models reinforce your consultative sales process and help your sales professionals think and write clearly.

Understand that your sales proposal is a critical customer communication. Spend the time and effort needed on the content, design, and packaging to produce a "benchmark' proposal for your buyers.