Presenting Your Proposal
Your proposal is a valuable document. In some cases, presentation of your proposal will be limited to giving it to a delivery service or submitting it online. In others, you may be able to offer the written proposal in a meeting with decision makers. If that's an option, take it.
Presentation is important. Make sure that your proposal package is easy to read. Avoid fancy bindings that can make disassembly and copying difficult. Also, verify how many copies of the proposal are requested and make sure that you meet that requirement. Some buyers prefer to make and distribute their own copies from a master, while others want you to make the required copies.
Proposals are often intended to take subjective feelings out of the buying process. The decision to buy should be based on facts only. However, buyers are human. Meeting the proposal's author or representative can help buyers add an otherwise unseen dimension that can help you — or hurt you — at decision time.
Prepare for the meeting as you would any sales call (see Chapter 14) just in case you are given an opportunity to influence the decision. However, be cautious, as some buyers may dock you points for any contacts that seem like a sales call. If in doubt, ask your sales manager how best to deliver a proposal and offer further assistance.
