1. I’ve already read a lot about your company, which of what was said here is really interesting to me?

2. What exactly is your proposal?

3. Why would our company be interested in cooperation with you?

4. How are you better than your competitors?

And so on... The questions were asked because the reader did not find answers to them. He is perplexed - how did you dare to tear him away from pressing matters with such a “piece of paper”? Tell me frankly, can you confirm that the example of a business proposal I provided produced impressive results?

Many of my clients, for whom I wrote CP, set a strict requirement - the work should not be included in my portfolio. People are sensitive to their costs and understand that the text written for them can be used by competitors as a template.

I have one sales text that provided a response rate of 31%, that is, every third person who read it took the desired action. When the text became irrelevant, I linked to it on social media so others could see what techniques were being used to achieve a high success rate.

And imagine my surprise when I accidentally came across its complete copy, only written on a different topic. In some places the expressions coincided with 100% accuracy. Of course it's easier to copy. But there is one more point - if a script brings results in one area of ​​activity, it is not a fact that it will be successful in another.

The next important point is that a commercial proposal is not a standard document, which is drawn up according to a pre-approved standard. This is a free-form business letter. Each company has its own advantages and advantages, which it tries to present with the greatest possible effect.

If everyone uses templates, one email will become strikingly similar to another. Here's a simple analogy: a student downloads an essay from the Internet and submits it for checking, and the teacher then asks a question: “Ivanov, Petrov and Sidorov - how did it happen that you have the same abstracts?”

Poor presentation of commercial proposal

Before going out, we always look at ourselves in the mirror, make sure we look great, and only then boldly hit the road. Why are we doing this? That's right - to make a pleasant first impression on some and once again confirm your status for others. We understand how important appearance is.

When a sales manager is going to a meeting with a key client, he knows that he must look respectable: after all, this is the first impression not only of the person, but also of the structure that he represents.

A commercial proposal is the same as a sales manager, only he addresses the client via text. You have the opportunity to get your message across without being there in person. Consequently, the appearance of the commercial proposal helps form the first impression of the company.

Simple logic: a pleasant appearance means solidity, a sloppy appearance means absent-mindedness, haste, inattention to detail, and so on.

So, I often have a question: why do many businessmen scold their sales managers for their sloppy appearance, but turn a blind eye to the preparation of commercial proposals? I'll tell you: this seemingly insignificant reason can lead to quite serious unpleasant consequences.

There is another side. Making a commercial offer is business courtesy and respect for readers. If you want your text to be at least read, you must do everything possible to make the reading process easier.

Here are a few signs of poor design.

The font is too large or small.

Long sentences and large paragraphs, making it difficult to read and absorb information.

The transfers are not formatted into lists.

There is no highlighting of key ideas.

Cheap paper that leaves an unpleasant impression.

Signs of a template (when lines are placed to be filled in by hand).

These are just a few weak points in the design, but each such mistake brings you closer to failure. Even if your letter contains a real “bomb sentence,” due to poor design, the client may not read it.

If three different commercial proposals are placed on the table in front of the manager, he will be the first to pick up the one that, in his opinion, is better designed. Put yourself in his place - and you will understand everything yourself.

Lack of specific proposal

In my practice, I have come across business letters that did not contain a specific proposal. In fact, they resembled mass mailings, which were intended to inform rather than offer. This is the best case scenario...

And sometimes there were those that led to deep bewilderment. I suggest you familiarize yourself with a fragment of one “commercial proposal”:

Now let's think together. Pay attention to the phrase “commercial offer”. Remember: this is not a genre, but still offer. Look carefully at our example: is there a specific sentence in it?

On the one hand, we can conclude about a serious level and positioning in the market. Only the main question from the first lines of studying the text of the CP sounds like this: “What’s the benefit here for me?”

If there is no specific sentence in the text, what should we talk about? The maximum result is reading. The client will read an opus about a wonderful company, mentally be happy for it (or not), and then return to his business. He was not promised growth in sales and customer base using the new advertising tool. He did not see an attractive offer (a specific offer), for example, a personal discount that is valid until a certain time.

All this is reminiscent of the above example: the boss ordered commercial proposals to be sent out - the employees sent them out. And they sit and wait for snow when it’s 20 degrees outside. Remember: the stronger the company, the stronger its commercial offer should look. Specific wording, clear identification of benefits (calculations if necessary), validity period of the offer, its price component (information about a personal discount is welcome).

Another mistake is offering everything. There are fifteen services in your arsenal, and you enter everything into one text. What for? It is much more profitable and smarter to draw up several commercial proposals for each service (or package of services).

Because each service has its own consumer - and you should not impose on clients what they do not need.

Focus on product rather than benefits

This is a typical mistake that emphasizes the low level of preparation of a commercial proposal. Sales gurus instructed: “Offer a solution, not a service”. As the practitioners said: “Don’t sell 8mm drills, but the ability to make neat 8mm holes in walls in a few seconds.”.

Authors are sometimes so focused on what a wonderful service they have that they forget about the simple truth - the client doesn’t care what it’s called, it’s important to him what issue this service will help him solve. For example, earn money or save money.

What could be the benefit? For example, the opportunity to gain a significant competitive advantage. We previously discussed technologies A and B in the sausage shop; the benefit was clearly outlined there - gaining a competitive advantage by reducing costs by 30%.

If you start your commercial proposal with a non-banal phrase: “Let me suggest you a new technology B __________”, but with a direct intriguing question: “Are you interested in reducing the cost of your products by 30%?”, then you will be treated more carefully. But more on that later.

Unnecessarily cumbersome commercial proposal

Somehow I ended up with a thirteen-page commercial proposal in my hands. Thirteen pages of text! Everything was there: a section about the company, a description of each service, several pages of prices, and so on and so forth.

Can you imagine the business manager who will read these thirteen pages? And attentively, interestedly... I can’t even find the right words: how much should you disrespect other people’s time?

There is an unspoken rule for drawing up a commercial proposal: it should take no more than two pages, and better yet, no more than one. The volume of the document can be increased through applications that reveal the essence and benefits outlined in the CP itself. In fact, the proposal itself can be formulated on half a page; everything else is reinforcing and stimulating tools.

Moreover, at the personal meeting to which the commercial proposal will lead, you will have the opportunity to present it in an expanded version to a specific decision maker - in a live conversation.

Wrong recipient selection

In smart sales, although this is a rare case, it still occurs. What is the point of making a proposal to a person who is not authorized to make decisions? If you send a proposal to a manager, are you sure that the final “yes” is his? After all, each organization has its own distribution of powers, duties and shares of responsibility.

It's good if your proposal is within the competence of the person reading it. In my practice, there was a case when we turned to managers, while the chief technologists made decisions, and the boss listened to their opinion and signed the contract.

Previously, we discussed the scenario of a commercial proposal for a new technology that helps reduce the cost of producing meat products by 30%. Before sending it, you should clearly understand who in a particular company makes the decision to introduce new technologies. In one company this may only be the owner, in another it can be the director, and in a third it can be the chief technologist.

Would you say that a manager can pass a letter to the chief technologist and then expect a decision from him? How many executives do you think will take care of this instead of just throwing it away? And do all managers thoroughly understand the intricacies of the production process? As they say, a good leader is, first of all, an administrator and manager who is able to competently delegate powers.

In the example I gave, we made a mistake then, and it’s good that we corrected it in time. The result was a completely different response: the client was invited to negotiations and “discussion of sensitive issues” (I think everyone understood what was meant).

Imagine a chief technologist running up to his boss with a joyful cry: “Ivan Ivanovich, we have found a way to reduce costs by as much as 30% without significant changes in the production cycle!” Don’t forget, the technologist is also interested in showing management his focus on finding new, more profitable (for the company) solutions. And it is possible that he will receive a bonus for such a find. By the way, this is another motivator for talking with the chief technologist.

So always look for the decision maker and the response from your business proposals will instantly increase. We will dwell on this issue in more detail later.

* * *

You've just learned about the most serious reasons why sales proposals fail to achieve the desired results. Tell me frankly - have you already noticed your shortcomings? As the inventor of the Polaroid camera, Edwin Land, said: “A mistake is a future success, the real value of which has yet to be understood”.

The impossibility of drawing up an effective commercial proposal with your own hands is a big misconception. Very big.

In the next chapter, I'll tell you why (in my opinion) you can write a business proposal yourself as well as a professional copywriter.

Chapter 2
Commercial offer – the impossible is possible

I have met people who were verbally well versed in the rules of writing commercial proposals, but as soon as they sat down at the table, they could not squeeze out even the first line.

Others are of the following view: “Every case should be handled by a professional, what’s the point of me being scattered?” There is logic. Only here you still need to think about the financial component.

The services of a good copywriter are not cheap - effective work cannot be paid for in pennies. Good copywriters are in great demand - they have plenty of orders. Therefore (in order to save money), many resort to the work of authors who have not yet fully understood all the intricacies of copywriting and do not have experience working with business. How then to write about business and for business? There will be the same vague “commercial offers” that we discussed in the previous chapter.

One of my customers once turned to a good journalist to write an advertising text. She was not satisfied with the work, she didn’t even want to show it to anyone, especially clients. Because a good journalist is not necessarily a good copywriter. The tasks are different.

A copywriter is a salesman, not a writer. It sells a product or service using text. Likewise, a good copywriter may not make a good journalist or writer. Everything is individual, and each person should do something where he has a result, and not just an aspiration.

I am deeply convinced that, if desired, any businessman can draw up sensible commercial proposals on his own. You just need to not do this chaotically, but gain certain knowledge and gradually apply it. Good copywriters also once couldn’t do it, but now they can.

Think back to your first negotiations and compare them with your last ones. Notice the difference? You did not give in to disappointment, but constantly worked to improve your skills, studied sales literature, attended thematic trainings and applied the acquired knowledge in practice. You have developed a skill that you hone every day. The situation is similar with commercial offers.

Fear of the blank slate

You are about to prepare a commercial proposal, sit down at the table, turn on the computer, open a text editor, and... stupor. You have a blank slate in front of you. You don't know which side to approach it from. You may even start writing, but you keep deleting the first sentence before finishing it. Common situation?

Moreover, this condition is usually accompanied by numerous doubts:

“I’ve never written a business proposal before.”

“I have no idea how to write correctly.”

"I'm afraid of ruining something."

"I'm not good at grammar and spelling."

“I won’t be able to write an interesting text.”

"They might make fun of me."

There is no need to give up on yourself because of such thoughts. Even the authors of world bestsellers suffer from this. After all, writing texts is not putting together booths. There is no need to isolate yourself and say that you are not capable. Giving up is always easier than achieving. And sales does not like the weak in spirit.

Even the most experienced speaker experiences a certain amount of anxiety before speaking. Athletes worry about every competition. This is a natural state that does not need to be feared. On the contrary, if you weren’t worried, it would be at least strange.

1. Stop comparing yourself to successful authors - they achieved success because at the beginning of their journey they did not look up to anyone, but followed their own path, even if it was a roundabout one. But in our business, a roundabout road may be shorter than a straight one.

2. Practice writing any texts, not just commercial proposals. You can have a separate notebook or folder with electronic documents where you can write about whatever you want. As the saying goes: “In order to learn to write, you need to write”.

3. Take some short text (any) and reproduce it in your own words - for the sake of training.

4. Study literature and useful articles related to the peculiarities of writing texts. I still actively follow such materials because I am always looking for information that will help me hone and improve my skills.

5. Find a mentor who will teach you the necessary basics at first and will monitor your progress from time to time, helping you improve.

These are general recommendations that everyone applies individually. I’ll tell you how I overcame my fear of a blank page. First of all, I immediately mentally said to myself: “If tens of thousands of other people are doing it, then I can do it too.”.

An additional motivator was justified risk. Agree, any doubt is confirmation of the likelihood of risk. I thought: if I make an ineffective business proposal, what will I lose in the end? Just as I never had a client, I never will have one, I’ll stay “with my own people.” And this is the worst option. That is, option 0, not “minus”. In the best case, I will have a “plus”, even if it’s small – everything should go gradually.

I say all this just to highlight one important idea:

Even the worst commercial proposal is better than an unwritten one.

Start thinking this way: if you do something, at least you will gain experience that will be useful next time. And this will happen with the writing of each new text. When they ask me: “What is your best text?”, I answer briefly and truthfully: “My best text has not yet been written”.

End of introductory fragment.

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Here is an introductory fragment of the book.
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Denis Kaplunov

An effective commercial proposal. Comprehensive Guide

This book is well complemented by:

Joseph Sugarman

The Art of Business Writing

Sasha Karepina

Selling texts

Sergey Bernadsky

We write convincingly

This book will be useful for every person who, at least once in his life, has been faced with the need to draw up commercial proposals. My goal is to turn it into your desktop tool that will help you work efficiently.

You are a businessman and are faced with the task of expanding your customer base, as well as increasing your sales figures. This is natural business growth: it is not beneficial for anyone to stand still and expect a miracle. A commercial offer is an excellent opportunity to address a mass target audience with a presentation of your products.

You are the project manager and are interested in financing it. A commercial proposal will help attract the attention of potential investors. You are not asking for money, as many do. You describe the advantages, economic prospects and offer the opportunity to make a profit by investing a certain amount in your project.

You are launching a new product on the market, which has no analogues until now and is unlikely to appear in the near future. With the help of a commercial proposal, you can not only effectively communicate your know-how, but also instantly draw the attention of a wide audience to it. Customer interest is the friend of sales growth.

Countless examples can be given. Because the issue of drawing up an effective commercial proposal is relevant for any business today. Every month, approximately 95,000 people enter the phrase "Commercial offer". Every day new companies appear that strive to grab their piece of the overall pie. Competition is getting tougher, the client is being attacked from all sides.

There are a lot of controversial conversations, disputes and heated discussions around the topic of copywriting. But the question remains open: whose opinion should you listen to?

In this book, I offer you my point of view, which has already passed through “Crimea and Rome”, and Kyiv, and Moscow, and Milan, and London, and many other cities. My name is Denis Kaplunov - I am a practicing copywriter, specializing exclusively in the preparation of selling texts. You may have read my first book, “Copywriting of Mass Destruction” (Peter Publishing House, 2011).

I believe that there are no natural geniuses in the field of copywriting and that anyone can learn to write sales pitches.

Many are afraid to do this, believing that “for this you need to be born a copywriter”. Childish excuse. Remember: copywriters are not born, they are made. Every good copywriter started out as a bad copywriter.

Have you ever seen a baby who would write a business proposal first? And it’s hard to imagine a schoolchild as an expert in this field, because he doesn’t yet have experience in running a business, and there hasn’t been either the taste of victory or the poison of defeat on his lips.

My first business proposal was covered in red, crossed out in many places, and ultimately torn to shreds. Some people might have given up, but for me failure became an intellectual irritant. At that moment, I promised myself that I would definitely learn how to create commercial proposals that would achieve my goal. And I did it.

I do not have a philological education, I have never worked as a journalist. Before starting my professional career, writing any business texts seemed blacker than a dark forest to me. But I worked in sales for more than seven years, and there is nothing to do there without the skill of composing selling texts of various types. In this area, a commercial proposal is one of the main tools.

Imagine - one commercial offer and one personal meeting, after which I have an agreement in my hands, which includes the amount of 4.5 million euros. Impressive?

Another example is a commercial proposal and personal meeting that led to the conclusion of a cooperation agreement worth approximately $840,000.

Commercial offers don't work! Sure?

A waste of time and money! Indeed?

Nobody reads letters in white envelopes; “unprecedented offers” are sent straight to spam! But here you are right. Such is the fate of bad commercial proposals (CPs).

The author is Denis Kaplunov, a successful copywriter, member of the Association of Internet Marketing and Web Developers. You can learn more about him and his successes on his personal blog, or by attending one of his seminars. I will only add that “An Effective Commercial Proposal” is Denis’s second book. The first (“Copywriting of Mass Destruction”) was published two years ago.

Who should read this book?

At school everyone wrote essays. At the same time, 50% did it with difficulty, just to give a “C” and fall behind. They probably turned out to be excellent programmers, engineers and other useful “techies”.

Another 40% didn’t bother too much: their own paragraph, Belinsky’s paragraph – a good quick essay. This is what most current managers of all stripes and levels did.

And only a few (10%) enjoyed writing, and getting an “A” was a matter of principle. Hello, journalists and copywriters.

So, Denis Kaplunov is convinced that anyone can make a commercial proposal - from a person who falls into a stupor at the word “write” to an inveterate graphomaniac. Let me emphasize: not just any CP, but a good one that works.

Copywriters are not born - they are made. And the easiest way to become one is for company managers, sales and promotion managers. In a word, people who are directly related to goods and services offered on the market.

Why? It's simple. A commercial proposal is not a beautiful text about a company. This is a powerful trading tool. Stylistic and punctuation-spelling components are secondary. The main thing is the laws of the market. And who, besides you, knows your product better, who is more sensitive to the needs of your target audience?

If your answer is “professional copywriter,” then I have two bad news for you. First: your business has problems (does anyone understand your product better than you?!). Second: prepare money.

Why is it worth reading this book?

I have already mentioned the first reason. Did you notice? Right. A self-written commercial proposal = enormous savings. Moreover, not only money.

You do not need to involve a third-party specialist, fill out a brief or verbally explain the nuances of the business. Minimum week of time gained. You don't pay a fee. You don't have to consider, reject and re-consider CP options. The nerve cells will remain with you.

In addition, you will add new knowledge to your management talents - the art of writing a commercial proposal.

The author of the book pays attention to both the theoretical basis (types of CP, their structure, style and design) and practice (many examples, including “how it’s wrong”). The chapters on offer, price and call to action are especially good.

Of course, you won’t become a sales pitch guru after reading one book, but you will have a solid foundation. Can any of your colleagues boast of this?

So, what will you get by reading this book:

• money saved;
• new knowledge and skills;
• unusual experience;
• independence from third party specialists;
• working commercial proposal.

Not bad, right?

Summary

Denis Kaplunov's book is worthy of attention. Its goal: to increase your business performance and minimize costs. After all, an effective commercial offer is something that sells goods and services and attracts new customers and partners.

It is within your power to create such a CP. Not 5 times, but 25 times, high-quality text will come out of your pen. And you will stand out significantly from your competitors.

Should copywriters buy a book? For beginners - no doubt. I repeat: the chapters on the offer, price argumentation and stimulating the client to action should be read like paragraphs of a textbook, taking any product as a model and writing a commercial proposal for it.

Even if after reading the book you don’t rush to write commercial proposals yourself, you won’t waste your time. The thoughtful reader will learn many interesting facts from the field of marketing.

If your sales proposals are not delivering the desired results, you need to make your approach to writing them more targeted. Do you just need readers or satisfied customers willing to pay for your product?A commercial proposal drawn up in accordance with all the rules can increase sales volume, the number of customers and profit per customer. To do this, you need to carefully study these rules and implement them in your business. And then the words “We will make an offer that is difficult to refuse” will become a reality.

This book will be useful to anyone involved in sales. The techniques covered in it are universal: they can be easily adapted to any business, and can also be used to compose other selling texts.

Characteristics of the book

Date written: 2013
Name: An effective commercial proposal. Comprehensive Guide

Volume: 260 pages, 1 illustration
ISBN: 978-5-91657-619-1
Copyright holder: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber

Preface to the book “Effective Business Proposal”

This book will be useful for every person who, at least once in his life, has been faced with the need to draw up commercial proposals. My goal is to turn it into your desktop tool that will help you work efficiently.

You are a businessman and are faced with the task of expanding your customer base, as well as increasing your sales figures. This is natural business growth: it is not beneficial for anyone to stand still and expect a miracle. A commercial offer is an excellent opportunity to address a mass target audience with a presentation of your products.

You are the project manager and are interested in financing it. A commercial proposal will help attract the attention of potential investors. You are not asking for money, as many do. You describe the advantages, economic prospects and offer the opportunity to make a profit by investing a certain amount in your project.

You are launching a new product on the market, which has no analogues until now and is unlikely to appear in the near future. With the help of a commercial proposal, you can not only effectively communicate your know-how, but also instantly draw the attention of a wide audience to it. Customer interest is the friend of sales growth.

Countless examples can be given. Because the issue of drawing up an effective commercial proposal is relevant for any business today. Every month, approximately 95,000 people enter the phrase "Commercial offer". Every day new companies appear that strive to grab their piece of the overall pie. Competition is getting tougher, the client is being attacked from all sides.

There are a lot of controversial conversations, disputes and heated discussions around the topic of copywriting. But the question remains open: whose opinion should you listen to?

In this book, I offer you my point of view, which has already passed through “Crimea and Rome”, and Kyiv, and Moscow, and Milan, and London, and many other cities. My name is Denis Kaplunov - I am a practicing copywriter, specializing exclusively in the issues of composing selling texts. You may have read my first book - “Copywriting of Mass Destruction” (Peter publishing house, 2011).

I believe that there are no natural geniuses in the field of copywriting and that anyone can learn to write sales pitches.

Many are afraid to do this, believing that “for this you need to be born a copywriter”. Childish excuse. Remember: copywriters are not born - they are made. Every good copywriter started out as a bad copywriter.

Have you ever seen a baby who would write a business proposal first? And it’s hard to imagine a schoolchild as an expert in this field, because he doesn’t yet have experience in running a business, and there hasn’t been either the taste of victory or the poison of defeat on his lips.

My first business proposal was covered in red, crossed out in many places, and ultimately torn to shreds. Some people might have given up, but for me failure became an intellectual irritant. At that moment, I promised myself that I would definitely learn how to create commercial proposals that would achieve my goal. And I did it.

I do not have a philological education, I have never worked as a journalist. Before starting my professional career, writing any business texts seemed blacker than a dark forest to me. But I worked in sales for more than seven years, and there is nothing to do there without the skill of composing selling texts of various types. In this area, a commercial proposal is one of the main tools.

Imagine - one commercial offer and one personal meeting, after which I have an agreement in my hands, which includes the amount of 4.5 million euros. Impressive?

Another example is a commercial proposal and a personal meeting that led to the conclusion of a cooperation agreement worth approximately $840,000.

Any successful skill is a combination of knowledge (theory) and practice (experience). I studied a lot, experimented, adopted experience, made a catastrophic number of mistakes - it didn’t upset me, it only stimulated me, I realized that I was getting better. But now I see and know how this could have been avoided. That is why I decided to write a book - to save your time and protect you from many troubles.

What can you expect in the book? This is not a theoretical work, but a practical guide. Step by step we will go through all the stages, consider a dizzying number of special techniques, techniques and secrets that will take you to a higher level, and examples that will help you understand the essence of this or that technique.

Moreover, it touches on issues of marketing, sales and NLP (neurolinguistic programming), without which it is impossible to imagine a sensible commercial proposal. You will learn everything you need to know.

If you have never made a single commercial proposal in your life, you have the opportunity to start your journey in the right direction, protecting yourself from many mistakes from the very beginning. I am sure that as soon as you turn the last page of this book, you will understand that its price should be at least several times higher. You will recommend it to your friends and acquaintances. You can also give it to your clients; I'm sure they will treat such a gift with due attention. Now is the time to make sure of this.

An effective commercial proposal. Comprehensive guide - Denis Kaplunov (download)

(introductory fragment of the book)

Interest a potential client in cooperation.
stimulate the client to purchase a product or place an order.
reveal the advantages and benefits of cooperation.
make a tempting offer.
stand out among competitors.

Do you still need a writer or a marketing and sales specialist? Do you want beautiful texts or new clients? A good author can write impeccable texts, they are pleasant to read, and those around you enjoy every word. Visitors may even say: “What interesting texts you have”. But it is far from certain that there will be more sales. Remember how much you studied sales and how easy it was.
Does this author have experience in business or marketing? Does he understand business processes, the intricacies of competition, the laws of customer loyalty, persuasion techniques, dealing with objections and many, many other elements that business owners encounter every day?
I had experience collaborating with a large Russian agency providing management consulting services. Before we worked together, this company hired six different copywriters for its projects. When I asked: “Why didn’t cooperation with them work out?”, the answer was short, but to the point: “They wrote great, but they didn’t understand what business was, and I didn’t have time to teach them that.”.
I remembered this phrase: it’s really difficult to write for business if you don’t have experience in it yourself. In terms of its aesthetics and style, a text can be incomparable, but its task is not to please the reader, but to convince him of the benefits of cooperation. And these, as they say in sunny Odessa, are two big differences.
A person who does not understand business will write texts like the following:

The priority principle of our company is the principle of an individual approach to each individual client.
Speaking about an individual approach to work, it should be clarified that we build cooperation with the customer according to the most convenient schedule for him and taking into account all his wishes.
What distinguishes us from our competitors is the fact that all our work is aimed primarily at satisfying customer requests, taking into account and fulfilling their wishes. This approach, along with the impeccable quality of work, a diverse range of fabrics and materials, highly qualified employees and a flexible pricing system creates for us that very attractiveness in the eyes of the client, which allows us to cooperate with customers for many years and maintain our authority in the market.

Does this style convince you? The man tried, chose expressions - did everything he could. If you don't have experience, you need to acquire it. An inexperienced dancer is immediately visible, an inexperienced driver gives himself away in the first kilometer.
I’m not saying this because I want to throw stones at my colleagues – there are plenty of smart specialists among our brothers. I just want to point out the following: you have the power to create a good commercial proposal yourself.
To summarize the above, I will say about the five main skills required to prepare an effective commercial proposal:
1. Competent syllable.
2. Business experience.
3. Knowledge and experience in advertising.
4. Marketing and sales skills.
5. Introduction to persuasion techniques.

Please note that in this list only one item (out of five) is devoted to the style of writing texts. Everything else concerns the theoretical and (most importantly) practical aspects of doing business.
Not every copywriter has experience in this; in many ways, he is guided by his own ideas and the information that he can glean from the training material.
But you know that no book can replace business experience in post-Soviet states. This is where you have a big advantage.

You know your products and services best

Before starting cooperation, copywriters send customers a brief to fill out. It is a list of questions that the customer needs to answer in order for the copywriter to prepare a commercial proposal. There are so many authors, so many approaches to work. How many authors, so many briefs. Everyone’s questions are different, and you can use them to evaluate the level of a copywriter. By the way, these are the words of one of my first customers.
Please note that you answer the questions, that is, you know the answers, but the copywriter does not yet. The result largely depends not only on your answers, but also on the questions asked. The author is limited to the information he requested from you.
Therefore, you are in a more advantageous position - you do not need to plunge headlong into a new topic or study the intricacies of business. You know your products and services better than anyone, you developed them, tested them, improved them and sold them.
I will provide you with several questions, the answers to which are needed to prepare an effective commercial proposal for the sale of goods:
1. What customer groups is the product intended for?
2. What customer problems does it solve?
3. What are the strengths of your product compared to analogues?
4. What are the weaknesses of your product compared to analogues?
5. What is the special offer?

And so on... The list is rich. Now tell me - do you know the answers to all the questions? To prepare a commercial proposal, you need to understand the system, structure and levers of persuasion. And then everything will go like clockwork.
When you launch each new product or service, you will already know the system, and also understand what “hooks” you can use to hook the reader. You will learn several approaches that you can vary in certain cases.

You keep an eye on your competitors

Competition is a constant “action” that does not allow you to relax for a minute. A competent businessman always monitors his main competitors and pays attention to “newcomers.” Because everyone knows: one good maneuver can shake even the strongest positions. There are plenty of examples in modern business.
You remember that CP is first and foremost a proposal. How can you build it without finding out what your competitors are doing to lure customers? If such reconnaissance is not carried out, we may face the fact that your proposal will look unprofitable compared to competitors. If you don't monitor your competitors, you don't know how to differentiate yourself.
Competitors are a powerful source of necessary information and a tool for improving sales. Who is your business offering competing with in terms of efficiency? Therefore, first of all, get the CP of your main competitors - you will see what and how they offer. This is “golden” information.
When I worked in the banking industry and was involved in attracting deposits from legal entities, I always had commercial offers from competing banks at hand. I clearly knew by what criteria clients choose a bank to place a deposit:
the interest rate on the deposit;
the size of the minimum cash balance;
possibility of free access to funds;
convenient schedule for paying interest on the deposit;
the possibility of obtaining a loan secured by a deposit;
the need to additionally open a current account;
prompt payment of interest;
degree of bank reliability;
experience in the local market.

Having studied this information, I identified our strengths and weaknesses and knew what to focus on. And I’m afraid to imagine what the consequences would have been if the guys and I had not been constantly monitoring competitors.
You can do the same: collect the commercial proposals of your competitors, study the strengths and weaknesses and develop your own version that would look more profitable - both in content, and in the proposal itself, and in design.
Just don’t try to use your competitors’ CP as a template – you are capable of more. You will say that your texts may also become the object of hunting by competitors - but this is their problem, and let them think whether they can come up with a more attractive offer.
At least half of the companies do not do such things. Before reading these lines, did you personally study your competitors’ CPs? If yes, great, if not, you now have your first task - getting those quotes.

Target list for commercial offers

For an effective campaign for sending commercial offers, it is important to understand who we will send them to. This is where we should start – with clients. The money you are claiming is with them. We immediately see who they are, what they have now, how satisfied they are with it, what changes they want, etc. This will allow us to approach our proposal more intelligently and competently. If you want a person to read a text, give him what he wants to know.
He wants new clients - you offer him the opportunity to expand his client base.
He wants sales growth - you tell him exactly about this opportunity.
It aims to gain a competitive advantage - show how you can provide this.
The more personalization in a commercial offer, the more interesting it is for the reader. After all, he concludes: you are not just stunning him with information, but you are presenting to the court exactly what interests him most. Each client has different needs, pain points and decision criteria.
Your advantage is that you clearly understand to whom you will send commercial offers. You know your customers best because you've already sold your products to them. You make a list in advance, and you can format it as you wish.
Identification of key clients - you can initially create a separate list of the most attractive clients to whom you will contact with a special offer.
Focus on areas of activity - you prepare a list where all clients are divided into areas of activity, because for each of them you may have a personal offer that does not apply to others.
Product orientation - if you have several services or products in your assortment, you can create a list of customers based on the principle “Customers for service No. 1”, “Customers for service No. 2”, etc.
Focus on customer experience – If you have been in business for several years, then you already have an established relationship with them. This is one group. And there are new clients who are just appearing on the market or, for some reason, were previously out of your sight.

Such systematization will allow you to successfully control the campaign for sending commercial offers. You can select information for each client based on the results of mailings and negotiations. Attracting clients is not a matter of one day, but systematic, systematic work.
Let's say there are 200 addresses in your general list. Sales practice shows that after the initial stage, those with whom cooperation for certain reasons are not interesting for you will disappear. After screening, you receive a target list of clients with whom you will carry out systematic work to attract them, including through commercial offers. And the target list will be periodically supplemented with new positions.
All this confirms that a commercial offer is a tool for attracting new customers and selling goods or services, which will be carried out by you and your employees, and not anyone else.

Test your commercial offer yourself

A few words about trade secrets

When discussing the prospects of working together, my new customers say: “What you learn is our trade secret, we ask you to remember this and not to disclose to anyone what you hear.” When key company employees change jobs, they are often forced to sign what is called a “non-disclosure agreement.”
Every company has its own secrets. But we are more interested in the other side - personal developments and tactical moves to launch new products and special offers. Nowadays, the most valuable thing you can have is a mature idea.
Can you imagine what would have happened if Apple had announced the development of iPad tablet computers a little earlier than it did? Remember how many competitors the iPad immediately appeared. And so Apple actually made a revolution and set a fashion.
I was once told: when a new collection of shoes was presented in Milan, the next morning smart Chinese comrades had already put the entire collection on the shelves. Modern phones, pictures, videos, information within a few minutes in China - and immediate launch into mass production. I don’t know how true this is, but I don’t rule out that there is some truth.
Any unique idea, as soon as it leaves the walls of your company, will fall into the “right hands”. It is very risky to talk left and right about your work. Someone smarter (and richer) will implement your idea before you and leave you high and dry.
When you engage a third-party professional to write commercial proposals, you must ensure their integrity. After all, no one yet knows how the cooperation will end. I had several customers who talked about their bitter experiences of working with unscrupulous copywriters.
Once a customer approached me who needed to draw up a complex commercial proposal for business consulting services. When we started talking, I learned that the other day the customer discussed work with another author and refused his services. It turns out that he had experience working with consulting companies and during the discussion he boldly shared very interesting information. The reason for my customer’s refusal: “Since he so easily tells the secrets of others, then he will easily tell about mine.”
When you write a commercial proposal yourself, this danger will not arise.
What is the purpose of this chapter? I wanted to show that you yourself can write commercial proposals no worse than professional copywriters. Why am I so sure? Many of my customers, having received the finished version of the design proposal, said: “You definitely managed to reproduce our thoughts and wishes.” We spoke the same language, and if they had time to study and train, I’m sure they would be able to prepare excellent CPs on their own.
From time to time I receive letters of gratitude from readers of my first book, Copywriting Mass Destruction. After reading it, they began to write selling texts on their own. And they were surprised when their work began to bring results. The words of one of them: “I never would have thought that I could write selling texts. And what’s most interesting is that I liked it.”
And these are readers just like you. They have read a general book about selling texts, and you are now reading a separate, in-depth work specifically on commercial offers. You will succeed, it cannot be otherwise!
The famous American businessman Robert Kiyosaki said: “The word “impossible” blocks your potential, while the question “How can I do it?” makes the brain work to its full potential.”
Start thinking, “What do I need to do to prepare an effective business proposal?” and your brain will automatically start looking for solutions.

Chapter 3
Types of commercial offers

The general theory in the field of preparing commercial proposals says that there are two types of commercial offers - personalized and non-personalized. My opinion: the more scientific terms, the less understanding.
Practitioners in the field of sales and copywriting also distinguish two types of CP, but they call them more clearly: "hot" And "cold".
Remember the wording “cold contact” in sales? Here the situation is identical. A “cold” commercial offer is the first contact with a new client. Consequently, a “hot” commercial offer is sent after preliminary communication - after personal negotiations, face to face, or by phone.
Each of these types has its own characteristics and, in principle, performs different tasks. It is immediately necessary to clearly understand that a commercial offer that is “hot” cannot be drawn up according to the rules of a “cold” one.
Let's look at them in detail.

"Hot" commercial offers

Cold commercial offers

A “cold” commercial offer is a text analogue of the first “cold” contact with a client. This type of CP is a mass mailing tool, when business letters are sent to a fairly wide range of potential clients with an initial specific offer.
The bottom line is this: before the mailing, you did not conduct any preliminary negotiations, potential clients do not expect any letters from you, you are going to use your mailing to attract the attention of a wide range of target audiences. Such a commercial offer is also called standard or basic.
The main advantages of “cold” commercial offers:
1. A single sample commercial proposal is being developed, designed for a mass target audience - this helps save time and money.
2. Instant coverage of a wide audience of potential clients is carried out - a message to the desired market segment about the emergence of a new company or a new offer.
3. It is possible to establish business contacts with many clients in a short time (thanks to telephone conversations after mailing).

Where there are advantages, disadvantages always quietly hide. Among the weaknesses of “cold” commercial offers, the following positions can be noted:
1. Lack of a personal offer to each client, created based on his personal needs and requirements.
2. Many emails will not initially be read by the decision maker - this results in wasted time and money.

Despite these shortcomings, “cold” CPs work – provided that you approach the issue of compiling and sending them as efficiently as possible. In my practice, I have encountered “cold” commercial offers that I tore to shreds, as well as those that delicately nudged me to call. Surely there have been similar situations in your practice.
Let's now think about in what cases it is relevant to send out commercial offers. First of all, when you offer one specific (preferably narrow) service, which (at a hypothetical level) is interesting to a wide range of potential clients. For example: