Nailing the proposal stage

A sales proposal is much more than revealing pricing.

It’s the tool that empowers your champion to fight for you internally when you’re not in the room.

Here's how to arm them for battle.

A good proposal has to be much more than just a price list or MSRP sticker - it has to be a compelling story about your value to the buyer.

Effective proposals include:

• Clear summary of current situation

• Your solution's value

• Implementation approach

• Pricing details

• Credibility elements (case studies/references)

• Clear path to start

Key here is to create "punchy" documents vs overwhelming technical details that dilute your core messages.

On top, importantly, make sure to:

1/ Surface all objections.

By the end of the proposal stage, all objections outside of the legal contract should be on the table.

To get there, your aim has to be to surface them proactively. This means anticipating questions about implementation timelines, resource requirements, or comparison points with competitors, and addressing them directly within the proposal.

This transforms your champion from contact point to active advocate. They can confidently share your proposal knowing it answers likely questions and builds consensus.

2/ Aim for clean close:

When you present your proposal, the outcome has to be: "At a business level, this makes sense. Let's move to contracts."

Anything less means insufficient value perception or unaddressed objections.

To succeed at this stage, craft proposals with champion empowerment mindset to navigate complex approval processes that derail late-stage deals.

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Enjoyed reading this?

Then check out my conversation on the focal podcast with Greg Costigan, a former sales leader at Box, Zuora, Zenefits, LearnUp, Hone, and many more.

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