Your quote is the last opportunity to “sell” your skills and services to a new customer but most quotes simply focus on price.
Worse still, many quotes simply give the overall price rather than listing the inclusions. Without this detail, you are hiding all the work and effort that goes into supplying your product or service.
I hear all sorts of reasons why a quote should simply focus on price. Here’s how I respond.
Reason 1: It will take too long to do a detailed quote and I don’t have time.
My response: Let’s see if we can template most of your quote content so it won’t take you any longer. Plus, if more quotes are converting into work, you won’t need to do as many quotes, saving you time.
Reason 2: My accounting software won’t accommodate any details other than price.
My response: Well let’s talk to an expert like your accountant, bookkeeper or IT guru to see what your options are.
Reason 3: No-one wants to read. They just want the price.
My response: You’re right. People don’t want to read lots of boring junk and yes they do want to know the price quickly. However, if they decide you are on their short list of suppliers, they will want information that confirms their decision to choose you. If you don’t provide that information, your competitor might and they’ll win the job.
Change the focus, change the results
According to the Harvard Business Review (Mar-Apr 2017 issue), in B2B sales the number of decision makers has risen to an average of 6.8 people. As a result, you are unlikely to have met or made a sales presentation to all key decision makers. That leaves your quote to do all the talking for you!
Even if your business deals with consumers, they will often seek the advice or opinions of others and all they’ll have is your quote.
By changing the focus of your quote to what you will deliver + the price, you will change the outcome. Some of the ways we help our clients convert their quote to a sales tool include:
- Don’t just state the facts, talk about the benefits the customer will receive if they choose you.
- Add a section that gives the main reasons why a prospective customer should choose your business.
- Explain how you do things differently to your competitors.
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Want your quotes to generate more sales?
Chat with Karen. She has helped many businesses refine their quotes to give new customers more reasons to choose them instead of their competitor. Call 1300 780 642 or email enquiries@consideritdoneaustralia.com.au
