Send me a proposal! Proposals are often the downfall of the sales cycle
Concrete Construction

For today's savvy owners or members of a design team, a firm handshake or a number scribbled on a napkin no longer suffices as a proposal. Today, beyond building relationships, you have to assemble a document that conveys your expertise, experience, and professionalism in a custom manner for each project. In fact, a recent survey of owners indicates that often at the proposal stage a sales process falls apart. It's no wonder that after you've worked hard for months to cultivate a particular lead, the magic phrase "send me a proposal" can elicit more panic and apprehension than joy. Many contractors haven't secured work that should rightfully be theirs based on expertise and experience because they have failed to assemble a suitable proposal. However, with some changes in process and organization, plus a little extra attention to the final product, you can increase your chance for success.

Where we fail

As an industry, we often spend months generating leads but fail to invest much effort during the homestretch--from prospect to contract. Often too much boilerplate information stitched together in an obviously rushed manner, or worse yet, documents that talk all about you and not about the prospect, are reasons that the sales process falls apart. Did you fail to answer a question in the RFP? Do the words we or us outnumber the times you mention your prospect?

Besides information that is too self-centered, proposals are often irrelevant, according to the study. Owners are becoming savvier, though. In the past, proposals may have been approved by your key contact; today they are commonly run through a committee of stakeholders that may or may not know anything about your company and experience, let alone the construction industry.