This is how you write a winning offer

Why devote an entire blog to an offer? It’s not that hard to make one, is it? We initially asked ourselves this question too.

But after a brief brainstorming session, writing a blog about how to write a winning quote turned out to be interesting, because a bad quote can have a big impact on your story.

That is why it is so remarkable that the offers of many companies – unlike their websites – do not fit in with their corporate story at all.

Your quotation is a crucial part of your sales process. So ask yourself how your offer feels when it arrives.

Smart and inspiring? Distant and dry? Or even worse: a big turn-off?

A celebration of recognition

A good offer is based on the story that you have discussed with your potential customer.

In addition to the terms of your agreement, there should be nothing new in it.

In other words: your quotation must be a celebration of recognition. A representation of who you are as a company, because you are as good as your last offer.

Content: your quote is a story

How is a good offer structured? Here are some pointers that we have learned through our own experience.

1. Your quote tells a story

Remove your standard Excel sheets. It is not for nothing that the person to whom you send a quote asks you to put the discussed story on paper.

It can be difficult to articulate previous conversations, but it is worth investing time in this.

The quotation must show that you understand each other. Your contact person often has to sell your story internally.

If your quotation summarises all your conversations well into a beautiful, coherent story, then it is a lot easier for them.

2. Your quotation must match who you are

What have you so far shown of yourself to your potential customer? Make sure your offer communication matches this so that the receiving party immediately recognises it.

At Make Marketing Magic, we also had to rediscover this component. We found that answering the following question is a constant challenge: how can we tell our story so that everyone understands it?

3. Your quote must be understandable

Of course you must put all sorts of legal points and facts in your offer.

But try to give an inspiring twist to this. Don’t just fill your quote with jargon. Make sure that someone understands what you are offering in addition to the ‘difficult’ part.

Your potential customer can only make decisions if he or she understands the content of your quotation.

4. Use images and video to bring the offer alive

The presentation of your quote is at least as important as its content. Always try to use images.

Make Marketing Magic, for example, once made a short animation video and sent the contract as an attachment. We told the story in the video, but the contractual facts were on paper!

Practical tips

Do you want to get started quickly with drawing up good offers? Here are some practical tips:

• Start with a good summary of who you are, what you do and why you do what you do. This way your potential customer understands what you stand for and what you believe in;
• Explain what you have discussed, what you are going to do for your potential customer and how much the costs are;
• If your quotation consists of several parts, describe the importance of each part separately;
• Find a suitable image for your quote, showing your product or your employees, for example.

And last but not least…

An offer is meant to help your customer make a decision. And of course, we mean the decision to agree.

If you want your client to be able to decide positively, it is extremely important that he or she understands what decision they are taking.

Be as clear as possible and make the decision inspiring and attractive.

There are so many ways you can tell a story. It is wise to view by product and customer which method is best for your quotation.

At least ask yourself the following question: who is my client and what does he or she need to make a decision?

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