‘Proposal for Services’ that wins new business
MGI member firm, Hellam Varon & Co. based in Washington, USA, has been serving clients throughout the Northwest for over 30 years. Managing Shareholder, Cynthia Petrie, shares insights with fellow MGI members on their success in winning new business that has been a result, in part, from a recent shift in focus, requiring virtually no ‘selling’ at all.
Maxine Brock, International Marketing Director at MGI investigates.
How has a shift in focus resulted in new business for your firm?
Formerly, proposals used to begin with a lot of information about Hellam Varon and the services offered with fees outlined at the end. Now the focus is very different by recapping the interview with the client and their needs at the outset. For this we use the following 3 assumptions:
The client/prospective client cares most about:
1. Their problems
2. How we can help them solve their problems
3. How much it’s going to cost them
So we structure our proposals to address those 3 issues first. We use a letter format, keeping it concise and to the point. If the prospective client wants to know more about the firm (i.e., history, biographies of the service team, list of other services, references, etc.), these are addressed in the form of addendums. We usually include information about MGI in the addendum unless national or international experience is part of the client’s needs, which would be discussed in the letter.
What tips can you share with fellow MGI members?
In our experience, we find that the presentation of the proposal can also enhance the end result. We want the proposal to be easy to read, so we use more white space, bullets, bold print, coloured font, a font that is easy on the eyes, and less words. We strive for a comfortable, conversational tone, which fits well with the personality of our firm, and the clients we attract.
Cynthia says, “We find when our intention is 100% focused on what the prospective client’s issues are and how we can best help them, there is virtually no “selling” required. We try to begin advising the prospective client even in the first meeting, as if they were already a client. The quality of the interview drives the quality of the proposal and sets the stage for the quality of the relationship.”
An example of our 'Proposal for Services' to share with MGI members:
The sample proposal represents an actual proposal made to a prospective client this past summer. The names and information specific to the client have been changed for confidentiality. From this we were successful in landing the company as a new client in a competitive situation.
http://mgi2.webheads.co.uk/files/167-Hellam_Varon_ProposalforServices.pdf
For more information contact Debbie Berry, Director of Sales and Marketing, [email protected]