Putting a Smile into your Proposals
Last night, I met with my son Graeme who had spent his Sunday with a few pals playing golf at a complex in Dorset. I asked him what the set up was like and he told me what happened when he arrived.
They’d been met by someone who was really pleasant and positive. Who had gone on to explain everything and make their short stay (just an afternoon) a very pleasant one.
I thought Graeme was going to tell me about the course; instead he told me about the person who had met him. It makes such a difference when someone smiles, is positive and helpful, he said.
Funnily enough, I’d been having the same conversation with my wife that afternoon. We’d been walking on the Isle of Purbeck and had stopped at the National Trust café on the way back. The supervisor managed to take my money without looking at me nor changing her expression of world-weary and bored. I sat down and said to Barbara, “look at her – miserable or what”. Look how everyone responds to her; staff and customers alike.
It’s so important to have a ready smile; people react so well to it. It makes a vast difference.
I try to bring this philosophy of projecting personality into every proposal that I draft for clients and I suggest that you do, too.
People are tired of reading dull, boring proposals. They have grown to expect nothing else.
So try surprising them. Start with something that captures their attention; an interesting statement or fact. An eye-catching quote from a magazine or newspaper.
Then continue in this vein with a simple and short proposal, that has a proper sense of structure and is easy for your reader to follow.
Get your personality into your proposals. You’ll increase the chance of them being read to the end. You’ll seem interesting and different to your prospective client. You’ll end up winning more business.
Tags: Smiling
