Can everyone make successful quotations? Yes, they can!

Anyone can make successful quotations. Yes, really anyone. So why are there so few impressive quotations that rise above the "As discussed, enclosed is our quotation..." level? Because most quotations are not based on the 4 pillars of quotation success. In this article we will take a closer look at each of these pillars.

Personal rather than standard

Do you also use those convenient standard texts? It saves a lot of time. Copy/paste and done. Extremely efficient indeed. But not effective at all, unfortunately. Take a little more time to personalise your offer and you'll be amazed at the effect:

The recipient feels understood. It is about them instead of you. A good quotation text builds trust and gives confidence. "This is a party I can rely on. They clearly know their stuff."

Sell your business, not the price

It does not matter what the offer looks likebecause in your business it is all about the price? We have heard that  many times. And then there are always competitors who do perfectly well at 10 to 25% more than what you are asking.

If it were only about price, many companies would not exist. You make the difference with your company, the way you do business. Sell your business, not the price. Feeling good about the people who work there transcends price.

But how do you do that in concrete terms in a quotation?! Here are a few examples:

• show the team that will work for the prospect once they are customer
• include references from other customers - not those unbelievable cheering stories, but recognisable stories from real working life

That is thinking from the perspective of the potential customer and selling your company. And the beauty of it is that it's about what you already have: great employees and satisfied customers.

A professional look

You might not expect it, but large(r) companies in particular struggle with creating and maintaining a uniform, professional image in a contemporary form. To the great frustration of the management, sales reps continue to cobble together quotations themselves.

On the other hand, the same management does not offer any means to prevent this, for example by using software. With specific quotation software, the room for manoeuvre can be configured per job and/or person .

Reminding people they are not supposed to take a DIY approach is good , but giving them  a clear house style with borders that cannot be crossed is even better. Prospects and customers will then trust your company even more if you have a uniform, professional image.

Tailor-made quotation follow-up

You send an quotation in the hope of winning a contract. So if you haven't heard from them after a few days, you call up and ask for the usual question: 'Did you receive the quotation in good order? 'Does this approach contribute to more successful quotations? Well... no it doesn't.

But what if you could see what the recipient of the quotation has viewed and for how long? That you think more from the recipient's point of view than the company's interest? Then you send a thoughtful e-mail with an appropriate article or white paper. Or you ask the right question. And that does increase the chance of success.

Anyone can make successful quotations!

Take these 4 pillars into account and the success rate of your quotations will increase considerably. We dare to guarantee it. Would you like to experience that? Are you open to trying a different approach? Then just call Bert.