all, the quality of a salesperson’s written documents is a surrogate for that salesperson’s competence and ability as well as the capabilities and overall quality of the organization. For this reason, salespeople are well advised to follow the “Twelve Simple Rules for Writing” set out in Exhibit 6.3. Although a well-written proposal is no guarantee of making the sale, a poorly written proposal will certainly reduce the probability of success.
Next, the sales presentation checklist is presented as a tool salespeople can use to make the task of customizing the sales presentation easier.
SALES PRESENTATION CHECKLIST
A sales presentation checklist is a useful planning tool to ensure that all the pertinent content areas are covered with each prospect. The sales presentation checklist is best suited for the organized sales presentation. Information is needed from the prospect that will be used to customize the proposal presentation. Exhibit 6.4 illustrates the types of information that salespeople should be collecting throughout the sales process. Section 1 covers specific information on the company name, key contact person, the buyer’s job title, and the type of business. It is critically important to determine any others who may influence the purchase decision. What departments are involved? What role do they play? This information should be gathered and documented in part B. It is important that the salesperson make sure all the key players are receiving the appropriate information and getting the proper attention they deserve. A mistake often made by salespeople is not identifying all the buying influences.
EXHIBIT 6.3 Twelve Simple Rules for Writing
• Double check company names, titles, and individuals’ names.
• The spelling of words you are not sure of should always be looked up. Do not rely on your word processor’s spelling checker.
• Write the proposal and get away from it before proofreading. Give your mind some time away from the document so that it will be fresh when it is time to begin the editing process.