What Should Every SaaS Sales Proposal Have? -
The most feared SaaS sales pitch.
If you're honest, you probably hate the thought of making a SaaS sales pitch, fiddling on the pricing strategy and trying to figure out the right phrases to persuade your buyer. It's not fun at all. Plenty of salespeople feel similar to you because so many fall short and don't create a compelling plan, this could be an opportunity for you to stand out and make a sale.
A successful SaaS sales prospectus typically arrives when a customer has stated that they're looking for a specific solution. Certain companies use simple templates for their proposals and others create comprehensive documents which detail each detail of the offer. At , we recognize that the legalities and best practices differ in every situation.
But you can reduce the amount of effort and complexity that is involved in SaaS sales proposal development by using pricing grids. Pricing grids are an effective sales tool could be sent to potential buyers before you put together a final proposal. In essence, it lets prospective buyers to select what they want. When they have selected the amount they prefer, the account executive is informed and is able to put together a proposal that aligns EXACTLY with the expectations of the buyer.
In this blog, we're going to tell you, step by step, how to write SaaS sales pitches that will consistently close deals faster. But before we talk about what you should include in your proposal, let's look at some pre-proposal steps that must be taken place.
Then we'll dive into every aspect of the sales pitch:
- Cover Page
- About Us
- Problem (your prospects' issue or challenge)
- Solution (your business's solution)
- Case Studies & Testimonials
- Team (key executives and team members)
- Contract (e.g. the terms and agreements, the scope of work, etc.)
Let's get started!
Pre-Proposal Preparations
An effective sales pitch shouldn't come as a shock.
This should be it's the next step that's logical when you're talking to your prospect. We strongly recommend account executives to make use of pricing grids before writing proposals. Furthermore there are a few key questions that you'll want to ensure you answer before writing the proposal:
- What is the reason why someone would want what you're selling? What is the issue the buyer is seeking to resolve? In order to write an effective sales proposition, you have to be clear on your prospect's pain points and the results they're seeking. This can help you provide options that are specifically tailored to the needs of your prospective customer.
- Are they looking at alternatives? If so, why are they considering those options? Understanding what your competitors have to offer and what their SaaS solution is different can assist you in handling issues before they occur. And, because you've taken the time to understand your prospect's pain points You can discuss how your SaaS solution will be more suited to meet their needs beforesending your sales proposal.
- What is their budget? It's nearly impossible to draft proposals without knowing your client's budget. Ideally, you would collect this information while qualifying the prospect. If you're not aware of the budget of their company, inquire. Do not begin writing your proposal until you've got an answer. You can then disqualify prospects that aren't a suitable match.
- Who will sign the deal? Who decides the deal when you meet with your potential client, learn who the key decision-makers are and then who is the final person to sign the deal. This will help you ensure that you're communicating with all the parties required to close the deal.
- What is the procurement process? Certain companies, like universities or government agencies use a formal process for procurement to suit their complex environment, while others might have more informal processes for acquiring new goods or services. Being aware of your potential buyer's internal procurement procedure will allow you to determine the best steps to conclude the transaction, for instance, including all the information you need in your proposal including ROI analyses projects, plans for project execution, timelines as well as legal and stipulations. If you can include all of the information they require in order to sign off, you'll be that much closer to closing the deal.
Making Your Proposal Draft
After you've completed all of these questions in the pre-proposal stage, it's now time to begin writing! Some tips to follow prior to starting:
- Keep your proposal to 1-2 pages. A typical executive or key decision maker is very busy, and also has limited attention time. Be brief.
- Use simple terminology. Cut jargon that may be difficult for people to comprehend. The simple way to write is the most effective when it comes to writing your sales proposal.
As a reminder, here are 8 common sections of a winning SaaS selling proposal:
- Cover Page
- About Us
- Problem (your potential customer's issue or issues)
- Solution (your business's solution)
- Case Studies / Testimonials
- Team (key executives and members of your team)
- Contract (e.g. the terms and agreements, scope of work, etc.)
Remember that the outline you've created isn't set on a the stone. Think of this as a general rule of thumb that you can take as a base and tweak as you see appropriate.
- What Goes Into A Cover Page for a Proposal?
The cover page should include the name of the proposal, the client's name, the proposal delivery date as well as the name of the person who submitted it (you). The cover page can be personalized page by including the logo of the client as well.
Although this step may seem as a simple task, this step is often overlooked. Adding a cover page to the sales proposition will give the proposal a polished and professional appearance.
First impressions matter!
Principal Takeaways
- Send your request to the right individual.
- Maintain it professional and clean.
- More About Us
Your "About us" section gives you the chance to briefly introduce your business and convince the prospect that your SaaS solution will provide the outcomes they're seeking.
The process, your current client base and past successes can increase your credibility and suggest that you are the kind of company that they can trust.
It is also possible to list your client's goals within this section by framing them in terms of your goals, which they ought to be! For instance: "Our goal is to improve the productivity of Company XYZ to 50% within twelve months."
Key Takeaways:
- Present your business, be brief, as your client is interested in the ways you can assist them..
- Add information about your business to boost your credibility and increase trust.
- Understanding Your Prospect's Problem
This is the point at which we begin to get into the meatof the SaaS sales proposal.
"Problems" or the "Problem" area (often called"Need" or "Need" area) will be where you can address the client's present challenges and requirements. What issues are they experiencing that you can help with?
Write a succinct outline of their requirements, prioritized from critical needs to value-adds. Write down everything your prospective client is having trouble in, be it productivity, revenue, profitability, scaling, etc. The list can be bulleted to make it easy for them to comprehend.
You don't need to get to the answers just yet . This is the chance to demonstrate to your potential client that you've been listening, that you are aware of their issues points.
Additionally, it's a great opportunity to draw a dark depiction of their current state of affairs so that later you can wow them with the improvements they'll see if they choose your company's SaaS solution.
Here's a mockup of what this section could be like.
The most important takeaways are:
- The needs of the potential client should be listed by importance (most important to the least).
- Simply Communicate The Solutions You Give
In order to be simple We titled this portion of the sales proposition"the "Solution," but "How We Work" as well as "How We Perform" are also popular titles for this section.
Below are some of the questions you could ask yourself to help you write during this point:
- What is my distinct advantage?
- What features in my SaaS product would be the most helpful for my potential customer?
- What are my primary results and deliverables?
- Within what timeframes will they see these outcomes?
For instance: "Integrating our software will aid in automatizing your fulfillment processes and reduce your expenses by 10% within a twelve-month timeframe."
That is, you're explaining your plan of action and the benefits you will achieve. It's been mentioned many times already, but we'll reiterate it again: You want to paint the picture of the ways in which your SaaS solution can benefit the users.
Make sure you are focusing on your potential customers. It is possible that your SaaS might have hundreds of options, however only a few may benefit this specific potential customer. Your proposal should focus on the features that offer the most benefit. One more time to the folks behind:
Make sure to concentrate on the prospect.
Also, you should include your project plan, timelines as well as value-adds. You should also include an overview of the entire implementation method. This is particularly important in larger enterprise deals since the implementation process can be a long process that can take months or weeks.
Finally, it is possible to provide additional details requested by your prospect within this section or as an appendix. (Scroll back to the preparations for your pre-proposal if you need a refresher!)
Principal Takeaways
- Introduce your SaaS service, along with your goals that you could aid them to achieve. Be specific!
- Incorporate project timelines, deliverables, milestones, value-adds and any requested information to speed the closing process.
- Include Great Case Studies & Testimonials
The solution you propose may be exactly what your prospect wants, but they'll be looking for more than your promise that you'll be able to meet their needs.
Include customer testimonials as well as case studies, and other material that illustrates your product can deliver results. It adds a tremendous degree of credibility to your SaaS product and company.
- Based on the findings of a Nielsen study, 66% of customers trust online reviews. feedback.
- The power of testimonials and quotes can boost conversions up to 34 percent According to Sumo.
Naturally, including the case studies or testimonials you have included in your pitch can greatly improve your odds of getting the contract signed. Be sure to take care not toskip this step.
Social Proof is a mental phenomenon in which people follow the behavior of others on the assumption that their actions reflect the correct behaviour.
The Key Takeaway
- Social proof and case studies can be crucial in convincing your potential customers that you are able to deliver.
- Demonstrate The Team Who is Working With The Client
This section is a great way to introduce your company's key managers as well as team members who will work on your account.
Provide a short description of every team member, along with an official photo.
Principal Takeaway:
- Put faces to the project by including bios and pictures of key executives from the company and team members.
- Add Your Contract
You should include your contract in your sales offer in order for your potential buyer to sign the deal right away. We won't get into details on how to draft the contract here. (Contact your lawyer for guidance regarding this issue.)
The key takeaway is to make the most of the excitement generated by your potential client and allow them to sign the contract right away!
Key Takeaway:
- For speedier closing to speed up the closing, you should include your contract or legal agreement in the proposal and make it signable.
The Wrapping Up
The creation of sales propositions that consistently close SaaS deals requires intentionality and yes, effort. But If you follow the rules that were previously mentioned, you'll be well on your way to always close SaaS sales.
This is a summary of the most important selling proposal rules:
- Make sure your proposal is limited to two pages.
- Do not write your proposal until you've determined the prospect's budget.
- Direct your proposal to the right individual.
- Limit the details you provide about your company to a minimum--focus on your prospects.
- Write down the needs of your prospective customer.
- Make sure you know what you can do to help them meet their objectives and obtain results.
- Include case studies and testimonials, to provide credibility and social evidence.
- Attach a contract to it and make it signable.
Then, what's the best strategy to go about these tasks?
The first mistake most users make is copying paste this list onto an adhesive notepad and then keeping it in mind each time they are required to write proposals...
However, there's no need to do more work for yourself, or waste valuable time.
Instead, try using a software built to populate SaaS sales proposals. This can save you valuable time you could be spending building relationships with potential customers and closing sales.
While you can try using traditional tools like Google Sheets or Excel for this task, we would recommend a tool specifically built to be used with SaaS.
A tool that has been designed to support the intricacies of SaaS suggestions is the ideal approach to promote SaaS. Luckily, there is a particular tool that can do exactly this.
Interactive Quotes is a unique pricing tool that simplifies the entire SaaS sales proposals process. No more sitting in your office focusing on singular proposals -- using Interactive Quotes you can design, send and monitor proposals from anywhere, anytime. This basically takes all the process outlined in this post and makes it available to you at access.
Begin with Interactive Quotes for free.
