Step 1: Create a standard commercial offer template If a good business proposal requires customization based on the clie
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2025 4:22 am
Step 1: Create a standard commercial offer template
If a good business proposal requires customization based on the client's needs, you probably don't want to waste time recreating one from scratch for every client meeting, do you?
To save precious time, start by designing a standard commercial offer template. The principle is simple: create the skeleton of what all your commercial proposals will be , in the form of a structure that is easy to customize.
The typical structure of a solid business proposal is usually:
The presentation of the potential client's problem : this involves highlighting their pain points, their daily challenges (which your solution will, of course, resolve)
Diagnosis of their needs : you develop the elements that could help them resolve their problem, without yet talking about your offer
The solution proposed to meet their expectations : you present your products or services in such a way that they provide real value to the prospect, in view of their needs
The financial conditions that you propose to him : you explain in benin phone number data detail the budget to be deployed to implement your solution
Of course, you're only at the stage of building a sales proposal template, and you can't detail all of these sections yet. The point here is to prepare a semi-blank document, including the headings, main points, and key elements to include in each of these sections.
A commercial offer can be shared with prospects in different formats: Word document, PDF, PowerPoint, etc. It is recommended, at this stage, to prepare your models in Word and PowerPoint format , in case you have to send it to potential customers and present it to them during a sales meeting.
If you sell several different products or services, prepare templates for each of these offers , anticipating the broad outlines of each part. For example, if you sell IT services, you may sell both strategic consulting services and operational deployments of IT solutions: you will therefore need to create a proposal template for each type of offer.
Step 2: Prepare your prospect discovery interview
The second step is self-evident: before you can create a killer sales pitch, you'll need to learn more about your prospect. And for that, there's nothing like organizing a discovery meeting with them, a meeting where you focus your full attention on your potential client .
However, there's no question of arriving unannounced! Like any sales meeting, the discovery interview requires careful preparation.
So prepare a prospect discovery plan, anticipating different types of questions to ask to create your sales proposal:
Open questions , first of all, which will allow you to identify the expectations of your interlocutor, to evaluate the objectives of their company, but also to anticipate potential commercial objections to come
Closed questions at the end of the interview, which ensure that you have understood the answers to your open questions.
To further your discovery plan, don't hesitate to consult the checklist of questions to ask your prospects for commercial offers they can't refuse .
Whatever happens on the day, whether your meeting takes place over the phone or in person, write down absolutely everything your potential client tells you . Yes, even the points that don't seem interesting to you from a commercial point of view! Some of these elements, seemingly useless to your commercial offer, could prove crucial in building your argument in the end .
If a good business proposal requires customization based on the client's needs, you probably don't want to waste time recreating one from scratch for every client meeting, do you?
To save precious time, start by designing a standard commercial offer template. The principle is simple: create the skeleton of what all your commercial proposals will be , in the form of a structure that is easy to customize.
The typical structure of a solid business proposal is usually:
The presentation of the potential client's problem : this involves highlighting their pain points, their daily challenges (which your solution will, of course, resolve)
Diagnosis of their needs : you develop the elements that could help them resolve their problem, without yet talking about your offer
The solution proposed to meet their expectations : you present your products or services in such a way that they provide real value to the prospect, in view of their needs
The financial conditions that you propose to him : you explain in benin phone number data detail the budget to be deployed to implement your solution
Of course, you're only at the stage of building a sales proposal template, and you can't detail all of these sections yet. The point here is to prepare a semi-blank document, including the headings, main points, and key elements to include in each of these sections.
A commercial offer can be shared with prospects in different formats: Word document, PDF, PowerPoint, etc. It is recommended, at this stage, to prepare your models in Word and PowerPoint format , in case you have to send it to potential customers and present it to them during a sales meeting.
If you sell several different products or services, prepare templates for each of these offers , anticipating the broad outlines of each part. For example, if you sell IT services, you may sell both strategic consulting services and operational deployments of IT solutions: you will therefore need to create a proposal template for each type of offer.
Step 2: Prepare your prospect discovery interview
The second step is self-evident: before you can create a killer sales pitch, you'll need to learn more about your prospect. And for that, there's nothing like organizing a discovery meeting with them, a meeting where you focus your full attention on your potential client .
However, there's no question of arriving unannounced! Like any sales meeting, the discovery interview requires careful preparation.
So prepare a prospect discovery plan, anticipating different types of questions to ask to create your sales proposal:
Open questions , first of all, which will allow you to identify the expectations of your interlocutor, to evaluate the objectives of their company, but also to anticipate potential commercial objections to come
Closed questions at the end of the interview, which ensure that you have understood the answers to your open questions.
To further your discovery plan, don't hesitate to consult the checklist of questions to ask your prospects for commercial offers they can't refuse .
Whatever happens on the day, whether your meeting takes place over the phone or in person, write down absolutely everything your potential client tells you . Yes, even the points that don't seem interesting to you from a commercial point of view! Some of these elements, seemingly useless to your commercial offer, could prove crucial in building your argument in the end .