Proposal Rejected: 10 Common Business Proposal Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Just like a marriage proposal, a business proposal can either go extremely well or horribly wrong. Play your cards right and both you and your client walk away from the experience feeling happy and hopeful for the future. But if something goes wrong, the relationship may be ruined forever.

So, what kind of business proposal makes clients want to run for the hills? More importantly, how can you avoid sending proposals that don't work in your favor?

We ran the numbers and collected the ten most common mistakes in business proposals. Read on and find out how to solve all of them.

What we'll cover

Mistake #1: You waited too long to send the proposal

You've had a productive client meeting, noted down their pain points, and you have a clear idea on why you're the right person for the job. The problem is, now you have to put it down in words and send them a business proposal.

And they expect it fast. According to our research, proposals that convert the best are sent within the first 24 hours from the client meeting.

Solution: Speed up your proposal creation process

The best thing you can do to speed up your proposal creation process without sacrificing the quality? Stop doing everything from scratch. If you don't already, you should have a business proposal template to save time no matter which software you use for your proposals.

How Better Proposals helps

Using professional proposal software significantly reduces the time it takes to create and send an entire proposal. With Better Proposals, you can cut that time down to only 15 minutes.

Mistake #2: Your business proposal is too generic

In today's sales environment, 66% of customers see the lack of personalization as a reason to go to a competitor.

Solution: Personalize your business proposals

If you're still creating proposals in Microsoft Word, converting them to PDFs, and sending them as email attachments, consider this your sign to stop.

How Better Proposals helps

Unlike standard A4 formats, Better Proposals is fully web-based.

Mistake #3: Your business proposal is too long

Business proposals are a simple thing - the prospect has a problem, you have the solution.

Solution: Stick to the essential elements

Thanks to our analytics, we know clients spend the most time reading your introduction (i.e., executive summary) and pricing sections.

Mistake #4: Your business proposal is too technical

The trick in writing anything is knowing who you're writing for.

Solution: Stay away from industry jargon

How Better Proposals helps

If you're not sure how to simplify the language in your proposals, taking a look at our industry-specific templates can help.

Mistake #5: Your pricing is too complicated

The logic here is simple: if a client needs to break out a calculator to figure out how much a project will cost, you're doing something wrong.

Solution: Avoid confusing your prospective clients

How Better Proposals helps

Better Proposals allows you to add multiple interactive pricing tables to your proposals.

Mistake #6: You didn't include social proof

Solution: Add client testimonials or a case study

How Better Proposals helps

All of our free business proposal templates come with dedicated case study and testimonial sections.

Mistake #7: Your proposal is not selling benefits

Solution: Present your value proposition clearly

How Better Proposals helps

If you're not sure whether or not you're doing a good job emphasizing the benefits of your proposed solution, simply take a look at a free business proposal template in our app.

Mistake #8: Your proposal is not easy to accept

Solution: Become easy to buy from

How Better Proposals helps

Better Proposals lets clients accept your offer how they received it - online.

Mistake #9: You didn't tell your client about the next steps

Solution: Tell your potential client what to do next

How Better Proposals helps

Besides including a dedicated section that tells clients what to do next to every proposal template, Better Proposals also comes with expiry dates.

Mistake #10: You failed to follow up

Solution: Don't lose track of your business proposals

How Better Proposals helps

Using dedicated proposal software means you have full insight into your entire proposal process.

Final thoughts

In the business world, creating a great proposal means telling a story that resonates with your prospect. However, even the best story can be ruined by the common mistakes listed above.

Admitting you need help is the first step

The second one is signing up for Better Proposals. The first 14 days are on us.

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