We all agree that a proposal is a sales document. But wait! There’s more…
Yes, a proposal must persuade the customer and help lead them to a buying decision. But the words and visuals on the page or screen don’t tell the whole story. There’s much more to winning business than developing a compliant, compelling, and persuasive proposal.
TRUST—a simple word that we see on every U.S. coin or currency bill. We see it on license plates, billboards, on TV ads and commercials. How does TRUST fit into business winning?
People and organizations buy from people or companies they trust. Think of your own buying experiences and the role trust played in helping you evaluate options.
Trust can and should be established early and often with customers and prospects. This is done by:

• Being dependable—when we say we’ll do something, do it. If we say we’ll be somewhere, be there.
• Being consistent—whether in our writing, speaking, or interacting at any level we need to be consistent in what we propose or promise. Inconsistency creates doubt and uncertainty.
• Establishing credibility—personal credibility goes a long way in establishing trust with a customer or prospect. Are we relevant? Can they believe us?
• Listening—people and organizations we trust the most are those that really listen. They ask questions, clarify, and listen some more.
• Adding value—whether prospecting, proposing, or briefing our solution, we must always be adding value to the relationship—build trust and confidence.

A colleague of mine who facilitates leadership sessions on TRUST for large and small organizations said,

Learning to establish trust at all levels of business winning can set us apart from our competitors. It is one more way we can compete and win!

View this short video about establishing trust in your business relationships.