A commercial proposal is the most frequently used tool in work. It is used in collaboration with both future and current partners. There are various types of commercial offers.
In accordance with the activities of the enterprise, this or that amount of information is selected for consideration by potential customers, the style and structure of the formation of the document. Next, several tips will be presented on how to make the right commercial proposal. The article will also consider the main mistakes made by employees when forming the structure of the document and filling it with information.
General information
Studying the question of how to write a commercial proposal, a sample of which is presented below, you should familiarize yourself with the minimum requirements for registration. First of all, the document should be easy to read. A commercial proposal for cooperation in size, as a rule, does not exceed one A4 page. For this reason, the main emphasis in the work is on the content.
Recommendations
How to make a commercial offer? A sample of filling a particular paper, of course, can very clearly show the structure of a well-formed document. However, standards should not always be applied. Each commercial offer has its own characteristics.
The following are a few tips and recommendations, with which you can correctly execute this document. In order to correctly formulate any commercial proposal (for the supply of goods, transportation, execution of any operations, etc.), the following points should be taken into account:
- This document will be studied during the absence of the drafter. Accordingly, clarification of some points and commenting on obscure points is not possible. The main component of the success of a commercial proposal is the clarity of its presentation. The document should be made very clear in order to exclude the possibility of misunderstanding and ambiguity. A good solution would be to ask an outsider to read it and find out things that were not clear to him.
- A well-written document should offer solutions to the problem. So, a quotation for the supply of goods should not advertise products. It needs to provide effective ways to increase revenues and reduce costs. It is necessary to disclose the topic of attracting more customers and high-quality satisfaction of their needs. You should also take care of the efficiency of employees or staff reduction. Only a commercial offer that focuses on solving customer problems is effective.
- When compiling such a document, grammar errors cannot be allowed. Currently, there are many services that automatically spell check. Accordingly, an illiterate commercial proposal, which contains many errors, indicates only one. Such a company allows negligence in relation to work and cooperation with its partners. This is hardly an idea that should be conveyed to potential customers.First of all, you should re-read the text yourself several times and then give it to another person for verification.
- Paperwork plays a big role in perception. The narrative should not be chaotic, but structured. Headings should be highlighted. Interconnected semantic elements need to be grouped into separate paragraphs. Each element of the text should be visually connected with the rest.
- Do not turn your offer into spam. The best option would be to preliminarily check with potential partners if they want to deal with it. For example, if a company is interested in buying such goods or services, it will seek to acquire them from the best sources. A preliminary call can also have a positive effect on the situation. It is an excellent opportunity to contact potential customers again. In the event of mutual interest, an appointment should be made for negotiations.
Plan
Speaking about how to make a commercial proposal, special attention should be paid to the structure. To facilitate the task, you should use a specific plan. Depending on the type of activity of the enterprise, certain items can be adjusted. The most voluminous information provided can be considered a technical and commercial proposal.
Goal definition
After the proposal has been drawn up, it is necessary to achieve its maximum distribution among potential customers. Sometimes such documents are used to provide relevant information after the completion of a personal meeting or telephone conversation. Two strategies can be followed.
First: the inclusion in the document of all information about the offered goods and services, hoping that at least some of them will interest potential customers. Second: to accurately establish the needs of partners and to satisfy them as much as possible. Based on the foregoing, it should be decided in order to compile a commercial offer.
Gathering the right information
After determining the goal, you should begin to prepare the necessary information that will be included in the content of the document. When formulating a commercial proposal for construction work, you should not try to include all the information collected in it. You should focus on a small amount of relevant information. A huge amount of unnecessary information will not bring any benefit. She will distract potential customers from the main thing. In this case, the main task is to convey information about the goods and services provided. Compliance with this rule will be another step towards achieving the goal.
Options for solving the problem
It is important to clearly identify those questions that the potential client wishes to receive answers to. Formulating a commercial offer for the provision of services, it is necessary to describe the solution to problems in which partners will help one or another activity. The implementation of this paragraph is essential for the successful achievement of the goal. A commercial offer for the provision of services that cannot be used to solve any problems will be simply thrown away.
Pricing framework definition
Any manufacturer knows the real value of their goods and services. At this stage, you should remember the goal of the entire enterprise. A number of emerging issues will have to be addressed. The goal is to collaborate with a new clientele?
Selling additional services to former partners? What is the most profitable customer to customer ratio? The combination of all these factors determines the price category, which should be indicated when formulating a commercial offer. The form of the document implies a special presentation style. As a rule, the same rules apply as for business correspondence.
Competent commercial offer. Structure pattern
The following are recommendations to help you make the best possible experience. This will require compliance with certain design rules. For some organizations, it is enough to make a quotation once. The example is then adjusted according to changes in the enterprise.
Document header
Company letterhead is the best suited for printing a commercial offer. The document must contain the appropriate "header". The address, contact numbers and your own company logo should be located at the top of each sheet. The ideal option is obtained if this structure is full-color.
To do this, you can use custom letterhead or color laser printers. In the absence of such capabilities, a black and white version will be sufficient. In addition, most often, such business documents are sent by e-mail or fax. It should be remembered that such a "header" should be on every page of the commercial proposal, and not just on the first.
Registration number and date
In some organizations, accounting for all incoming and outgoing documentation is required. Accordingly, commercial offers are also included in this category. Therefore, it is necessary to follow the indication of the registration number and date.
These two lines are placed on the first page, usually from the top left. The first is for registering a commercial proposal by the clerk of the company, the second is for conducting a similar procedure in a client organization.
Destination
This column is intended to indicate the name of the company, its full postal and electronic address, faxes and telephones. This information is placed in the upper right corner of the first page. All contact details should be indicated in full form. This greatly facilitates further work with the commercial proposal.
Proper handling
This clause should indicate to whom the quotation is sent. This refers to the name and position of the recipient. They must be specified in full. In some cases, the addressee is not a specific person, but the management or the head of a department. However, the appeal must contain any commercial offer. The example "dear gentlemen" is best suited in this case.
The need to show respect
A small verbal curtsy should be located immediately after treatment. The implementation of this paragraph is mandatory. Care must be taken to ensure that polite phrases are not repeated in each new letter, if business correspondence drag out.
Occasion for dialogue
The first line of the appeal must be summarized in connection with which a commercial proposal was drawn up. For example, if a meeting was held with partners at which they became interested in the relevant document, you need to indicate so. This should be done in such a way that the potential client immediately understands what is at stake.
Position information
This paragraph should briefly disclose the essence of the main problems of the potential partner that the proposal can solve. This will allow the client to determine how accurate and reliable information he provided to the originator of the document. It will also make it possible to fully establish whether the information provided was understood correctly. After reading this part of the commercial proposal, the potential client must supplement the conditions for solving the upcoming problems.
Application Formation
It should be detailed all calculations and technical details of the commercial proposal. This information should be contained in the applications that need to be numbered. In the upper right corner of the document should indicate a link to them.
Applications must be placed after the proposal. Their number is not limited. However, this does not mean that moderation should be neglected in this matter. First of all, you need to carefully make sure that the information on products and services offered in the applications will be understandable and interesting to potential customers.
Investment Issues
Price aspects involve a description of the advantages and benefits that a potential customer can use after agreeing to a quotation. If there are several proposed ways to solve the partners' problems, we should briefly explain the difference in their cost.
Validity
Potential customers should be fully aware that the submitted offer is not unlimited. Many features, such as price, terms and conditions of delivery, may vary depending on the situation. The period during which the immunity of the stated criteria can be guaranteed must be precisely defined. In addition, all the advantages of cooperation with this company should be summarized. A small paragraph of a few sentences will be enough.
Feedback
This paragraph should indicate the exact date of subsequent communication. You must also specify the type of connection. For example, talking on the phone or correspondence by e-mail. It is best not to leave this question without proper attention and to take it on your own, as you should remind yourself of yourself. Do not rely too much on the next contact at the initiative of potential customers.
Date Required
This procedure should be carried out in the preparation of each commercial proposal. This will significantly contribute to reducing the occurrence of various misunderstandings. For example, a potential customer can easily get confused in documents when repeatedly providing additional information and amendments. In this case, it is very difficult to establish what exactly is relevant.
The need for a personal signature
At the end of the quotation, a few verbal curtsies should be added. Then you must indicate your name and position. Next, you need to put a personal signature. It is an integral attribute of this kind of documentation.
The need for pagination
Most often, a commercial offer does not fit completely on one sheet. The pages of such a document must be numbered. It is equally important to indicate their total number. In this case, this will significantly reduce the risk that the potential client will not get acquainted with the commercial proposal until the end due to the loss of part of the pages.
Clearance requirements
Each paragraph of the document must begin with a red line. It is permissible to increase the interval between them. Using alignment "in width" you can achieve the most attractive type of text. The use of complex formatting and custom fonts is highly discouraged.
When processing such a document, moderation must be observed. Also, you should not use too small fonts, it is worth using the most familiar ones. It’s better not to overuse text highlighting elements such as bold and italics. They are suitable for emphasizing the most important points. At the same time, their number should remain minimal.
Additional Information
Direct offer should not take more than two pages. It should be ensured that the text is evenly distributed on both sheets. You should not allow such a situation when one page is completely filled, while the second is less than a quarter. Corporate identity is the best option for compiling a business proposal.
Also, a favorable circumstance would be its echoing with the corresponding design of the site, brochures and thematic booklets.Nowadays, new color fingerprint standards are increasingly being applied. You can take advantage of this situation. Execution of a commercial offer “in color” is a rather creative idea. Care should be taken to ensure that the documentation is neatly stitched. This rule must be observed with any method of sending data to a potential client: personally, by mail or by courier.
The Grossest and Most Common Mistakes
1. Submission of documentation not to a specific person, but to several
Most often, this method can cause only a sluggish reaction. Do not write a commercial proposal for a whole group of people. This will negatively affect the establishment of a strong relationship with a potential client. In this case, the commercial offer acts as the most personal advertising form. You should approach writing it, concentrating on only one potential client.
2. Pre-conviction that no one will read text larger than one page
There is an opinion that all long letters are already boring by definition. However, even short advertising messages, the size of which is set by professional marketers, can be considered as such, however. In modern life, you can find many examples when a long film received the general approval of critics and viewers, and a short film was condemned and forgotten.
This indicates that in this case, the size does not matter. People don't mind getting to know long texts, they just don't want to read boring ones. Care should be taken to ensure that the information contained in the offer is interesting to potential customers of the company. Only in this case will it receive a positive response, regardless of volume.
3. Non-compliance with grammar standards
When working on a commercial proposal, it is necessary to build it as if an easy and informal dialogue is being conducted with the reader. All established spelling and grammar standards should be followed. At the same time, the text should correspond to the simple communication of the seller with the buyer. No need to overload the offer with an unlimited number of complex speech turns. Should save business style presentation, while making the text as easy as possible for perception of the potential client.
Simple commercial offer. Sample
Dear Sirs,
Expedition Company LLC has long and closely cooperated with various foreign and domestic production and trade organizations whose activities are related to the receipt and sending of goods and equipment by road, in railway wagons, containers.
Our company carries out terminal processing, safekeeping, shipping and customs clearance transported items in accordance with customer requests. We work both in Russia and in foreign countries. All our services are licensed. Advantages of working with us:
- Your application is accepted in a format convenient for you.
- Our staff will advise you on all your questions.
- Our company organizes the delivery of your goods to the place of loading.
- LLC "Expedition company" is flexible pricing policy and competent management.
We provide the following types of services:
- Railway transportation of goods in Russia and foreign countries (near and far). We also carry out the development and approval of loading designs and attachment schemes.
- Road transport throughout Russia on our own transport.
- Warehousing and terminal handling of cargo.
- Computer tracking transportation.
- Door-to-door cargo delivery.
You can ask all interesting questions by phone ___________.
Sincerely, Manager of Expedition Company LLC ___________.
This may look like a commercial offer of a transport company.
Download commercial offer form 1
Download quotation form 2
Download quotation form 3
