How to search for commercial offers. What is a commercial offer, why is it needed and how does it help business development

The commercial offer plays an important role in the promotion and development of the company.

With a properly drawn up commercial offer, the volume of orders and sales increases, which, accordingly, increases profits.

Varieties of commercial offers

There are two types: "cold" and "hot" offer.

• With a "cold" commercial offer, sending is carried out to an unprepared client. In other words, spam is coming. People most often do not experience much enthusiasm for such a mailing, but the main task of a commercial offer is to interest a potential client and to ensure that the letter is read to the end. The most important advantage of a "cold" commercial offer is its mass character, large audience coverage. However, in practice, the responses are more responsive from commercial proposals received by a specific, specific person.
• The second type of commercial offer is "hot", which is sent at the request of the client himself or with whom negotiations have already been conducted. Increasingly popular in recent years is the commercial offer, designed in the form of a presentation.

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The structure of the offer

It is desirable for each company to have its own quotation template.

1. Title. It plays a huge role, especially with a "cold" commercial offer. The title should be catchy, intriguing, attract attention as much as possible and make you want to read the letter in its entirety.
2. Offer. At this stage, it is necessary to arouse interest in the recipient of the letter with a potential benefit for him so that he continues to read the offer letter.
3. Belief. Here you need to convince the client that it is this product (service) that he needs, and he must place the order through the company that sent the letter.
4. Limitation. Many people forget about this point, but it is necessary. On a subconscious level, it makes a person study the product more carefully (with a limit on the quantity of goods in the commercial offer) or immediately navigate the timing (if the commercial offer is valid only for a certain period).
5. Next comes the call. It should be short, but strong, calling for specific action.
6. Do not forget about contacts, indicate the most complete data.

Try to indicate in the commercial offer reviews on the work of the company, visual images, photographs.

And remember that a well-written commercial offer is already half the success!

Below is a standard form and a sample proposal template, a version of which can be downloaded for free.

Today I will try to present you 7 basic writing rules that will help you not to end up with your appeal in the "basket".

I will try to answer such exciting questions:

How not to be among hundreds of unread letters?

How to attract and keep attention to a commercial offer?

How to influence the action of a potential client?

In addition to learning the 7 rules, it will be useful to read the article to avoid possible errors when creating a CP.

Rule number 1. Respect for a potential client.

Any appeal must begin with the data of the person to whom it is sent. Take the trouble to learn how to correctly write the position, company name and initials of the person to whom this document is intended.

The famous American psychologist Dale Carnegie says the following about this: “A person’s name is the sweetest and most important sound for him in any language.”

Therefore, your every commercial offer must be personalized.

The standard call looks like this:

"To CEO

PJSC "Pilgrim"

Mr. Sidorov A.N.”

1. If you were unable to find out the position of the person to whom you are addressing the appeal, you have the opportunity to use the standard wording - “head”.
2. PrJSC, LLC, JSC, PE is the official legal name of the company. By specifying the wrong form of ownership, most likely, you will end up in the "basket".
3. The surname, name and patronymic of the head is the most important thing in your appeal. Pay attention to the correct spelling and declension of the surname. If in doubt, and there is no way to clarify, the best option will completely abandon the writing of the full name. However, I am sure that the secretary of any company will be happy to help you with these questions.

Another common mistake is to leave space for the last name (“_______”). I guarantee you that the reader of your commercial offer will immediately get the impression that this is another mass mailing.

Rule number 2. Refuse the banal formulation "Dear".

This appeal takes us back to distant times Soviet Union. I suggest you be more original. Address, for example, like this: "dear." Even better, if you invent a personal, individual and unlike other appeal. And then a potential client is guaranteed to stop looking at your commercial appeal.

Rule number 3. Be equal with the client.

Many are accustomed to begin their appeal with the words: "Allow me to suggest..."and end with "Sorry to bother you».

This is a highly controversial issue. However, my professional, tested and subjective opinion suggests that both are interested in a certain commercial offer. You are not a beggar at a bus stop. You offer a product or service that your customer needs. You are on an equal footing.

The key to success is "partnership", which can only be "on an equal footing".

Rule number 4. The magic of the headline.

The first impression of your sales letter will be formed thanks to competent handling and an attractive headline. It is the headline that will either hold the reader's attention, or send the letter to the ill-fated "basket".

The title should be:

- intriguing;

— presenting benefits;

- concise.

for example:

Do you still have to spend over $100 a month on office equipment maintenance?”

Or this option:

“Dear Alexander Nikolaevich!

Do you want to know an easy way to save $1,200 a year?”

Believe me, the businessman will not miss the opportunity to find out options for possible savings. Company directors are always interested in cost optimization.

Rule number 5. Pay more attention to the client than to yourself.

"We" is the keyword used in most sales pitches.

However, psychologists say that a person is too egocentric to read or listen about someone for a long time. Any person is interested in what he will have, not what you can.

This is how a person works, well, it will not be interesting for him to read about your successes and achievements. Therefore, put more emphasis on - "You". This is guaranteed to keep the reader's attention on your sales pitch.

The following formulas always work effectively:

- You will feel it.

— You will be able to receive.

- You will save.

- Protect yourself from.

Rule #6: Talk about the benefits, not the benefits.

Most commercial offers are filled with a wide range of benefits that promise the buyer. However, let's take a look at these benefits:

- wide range of;

— loyal prices;

- extensive work experience;

— system of discounts.

All these benefits mean absolutely nothing. They will fit the description of any product or service and any company.

The most important thing, in my opinion, is to move away from banality and standard templates. Your sales pitch should talk about the specific benefits that the potential customer will receive.

If you want to talk about your rich experience. Consider how this experience will benefit the client:

For example: "You can entrust us with even the most non-standard work and be sure of their quality performance."

Feel the difference? I think it's obvious.

Rule number 7. Less words, more essence.

The optimal volume of your commercial offer is the size of one, maximum two A4 pages. You should state the maximum of useful and constructive information on one sheet.

In this case, I advise you to focus on numbers. They always look convincing. If you are offering financial benefits, please include amounts, percentages, differences.

Here's a good example for you:

"Our years of experience"

"We have been on the market for 5 years"

Agree that the second option is much more convincing.

And a bit more practical advice:

- Use short and concise sentences.

- Use small paragraphs.

- Insert bullets, highlights and lists.

An effective structure of your commercial proposal should look like this:

1. Appeal and intriguing part.

2. Description of the existing problem.

3. Your suggestions for solving existing problems.

4. Emphasis on benefits.

5. Specific argumentation, expressed in numbers.

6. The price of your product or service.

7. Arguments in defense of such a price.

Welcome to the business and finance magazine Rabota-Tam.

The popularity of business commercial proposals (BCP) is not unreasonable, if we take into account the performance indicators of such documents. In addition, today search services are simply torn from requests from users of the format: “How to make a commercial offer correctly?”. Actually - no way.

Yes, because the commercial offer is a kind of Olivier salad, which has various cooking options: from sausage with peas to hazel grouse with capers. And each of these recipes is called "wrong" language does not turn.

However, now we still dot the “and” so that you can write an impeccable business proposal in accordance with the high standards of modern marketing art!

So, a commercial offer is one of the many types advertising text, which is in the form business letter or official address. Due to its simplicity and effectiveness, it is by far the most popular way to attract target audience potential consumers. And also an equally common tool for interacting with regular customers.

Business proposals are of several types:

• "cold";
• "hot";
• standardized.

It should be understood that each of these variants of the CP must be written taking into account the form, structure of the letterhead template, as well as the circumstances and goals that can be set not only by the compiler of the letter, but also by the receiving party.

"Cold" commercial offer

"Cold" commercial offers are sent out impromptu. Therefore, the recipients of such letters are unprepared customers who perceive the CP as spam. But even he can have a response, although the probability of reflection on the part of the recipient is quite small.

Let's simulate the situation. For example, the organizers of the regional sports day did not take care of the purchase of sports uniforms for the participants of the competition. There are only a few hours left before the start of the event. And then, out of nowhere, a letter arrives with the title: "Express delivery of sports uniforms at prices from the manufacturer." This is where a potential client will probably closely study the saving CP, and then place an order.

But this is just an exception to the rule. Everywhere, the fundamental functions of the "cold" KP are reduced to the distribution of interactive advertising. In view of this, you have to arouse consumer interest in reading this document. How to do it:

1. Come up with a catchy and catchy headline.
2. Emphasize the attractiveness of the CP by correctly compiling the offer.
3. Motivate the addressee to take action towards mutually beneficial cooperation with the help of marketing techniques.

We will discuss each of these elements a little later.

Important! An ideal example of a "cold" quotation should not exceed 1 A4 page of printed text only and 2 pages of an illustrated template.

If you have additional information It is better to state it in a cover letter. And in no case do not write "novels" in the style of Leo Tolstoy, business people There simply isn't enough time to read them.

"Hot" - a personal commercial offer

A personalized commercial offer differs from a “cold” one in that the client receives such a document only after an official request or preliminary verbal contact. Those. the guarantee of reading a personal letter is prohibitively high, so the main semantic load should fall on the offer and the motivational component, and the title may be of secondary importance.

In turn, the complexity of drafting "hot" commercial offers is burdened by the need to adjust the text to the individual needs of each customer.

For example, if during a conversation the client was interested in the advantages of your organization over competitors' firms, write about the advantages by taking the lion's share KP blank for this structural element.

Standardized commercial offer

In fact, a standardized business proposal is one of the types of "hot" quotation. However, due to its strictly regulated structure and methods of influencing the customer, it falls under separate view business letter.

The thing is that the client can attach to the official request standard form, which limits the compiler in terms of describing goods and services, principles of cooperation, advantages over competitors, etc.

In standardized quotations, dry numbers play a decisive role: value for money, warranty service and contractor experience.

It will not work to write something on your own initiative, because the attached sample form is designed to filter out marketing information that is unnecessary for market monitoring.

In such cases, the only thing you can do is offer the lowest price. It is enough even to make a 1-5% discount in order to have a significant chance of winning the competitive selection.

Transmittal letter

Above, we have already touched on the topic of the cover letter. It serves as an addition to the business proposal, pursuing the following objectives:

• familiarization with the main document;
• proportional distribution of large amounts of information.

Moreover, the cover letter may contain attachments: price lists, descriptions of the terms of cooperation, invitations to trade shows or any other marketing events.

Secondly, with the help of an accompanying notice, you can also remind yourself and indirectly encourage the addressee to study the template of the original document.

Quote samples and templates

It is better to see once than hear a hundred times. You can't argue with that. Therefore, here you can not do without samples and templates. However, never repeat the classic mistakes of irresponsible authors of commercial offers - 100% copying of information or 50% compilation from two sources. After all, if stolen content is exposed, who then wants to cooperate with a company that has proven itself in this way?

Hello, friends!

At one time, when I was running around the city a la “Hello! Canadian wholesale company…” and was engaged in attracting customers, I had to draw up a large number of different offers.

Today, I am already writing such presentation letters on a professional basis.

And I noticed that the vast majority of commercial offers have a low response.

As a conclusion, their fate is a wastebasket.

Yes, yes, what did you think?

Therefore, writing such promotional texts is a very delicate art that requires certain experience and knowledge.

THOUGHT #1 - Respect your prospect

Where does writing almost every commercial proposal begin?

From filling in the upper right corner of the sheet, where data is usually written to whom exactly this document is intended.

Remember, each commercial offer must be nominal.

The standard known to all:

Director

Phantom LLC

Mr. Ivanov I.I.

Now let's go through each line.

First, before sending a commercial offer, you should make sure that the addressee's job title is correct.

Not everyone is a "director" though. It can be "chairman of the board", "head supervisory board”, “president”, etc. Yes, and the "director" can also be general, financial, technical, or, for example, "marketing director" - you must clearly know the title of the position.

If this seems difficult for you (you don’t know the exact title of the position of the first person) - you can use a democratic approach - indicate the word “leader”.

The second is the form of ownership and the name of the enterprise. You must be sure that this is exactly “LLC”, because it can also be OJSC, CJSC, AOOT, CJSC, PE, etc.

The name is the official name of the enterprise. If you make some mistake or blot - the letter can immediately fly to the trash, remaining unread.

The third is the surname, name and patronymic of the head. Here, too, you cannot be mistaken - you should be sure that the data you specified coincide with reality.

Do not forget that there are very complex surnames, as well as those that are not initially inclined.

If you have any doubts, it is better to clarify all these data. It is very simple to do this - just one call to the secretary, who will tell you everything.

And if you see that your request is ignored (there are also specially trained secretaries who initially protect their boss from such letters), you can call and introduce yourself as an employee of some authoritative structure (yes, this is a creative deception, but you need this data) .

For example, secretaries willingly give such data to representatives of reputable media. Guess why?

“What kind of firms are these, if they don’t even know my name?” - many recipients of such letters will think so. And... They will be right.

The next point - you should not put “________”, but then add it with a pen, otherwise you may get the impression that our recipient is “one of ...”, that is, there is another mass mailing in front of him.

Practice shows that managers are not very good at such things.

I hope now you understand the importance of such seemingly banal things.

THOUGHT No. 2 - “Dear Ivan Ivanovich!”

I’ll make a reservation right away, it’s hard to call this a mistake, but still, I want to pay attention to this moment in the preparation of commercial offers.

Agree that almost all proposals contain this presentation element. Which, in principle, is correct, it is inherent in polite people to greet each other.

But ... The word "Dear" personally I'm fed up with. It is written in 90% of all presentation letters.

As a conclusion, it is not unique and will not attract the attention of our Ivan Ivanovich. He will let him pass.

If you know, you and I have no more than 8 seconds to attract the attention of the addressee and "force" him to read the entire sentence.

This is the truth. If we are not interested, then they will not read it - accordingly, our efforts have gone down the drain.

I noticed such a detail - when I began to use in commercial offers instead of "dear" - the tender word "dear". Their response has increased.

"Dear Ivan Ivanovich!"

First of all, units write like that. Further - such an approach will 100% attract attention and push the head to read. After all, the word “dear” is, although less official, but pleasant and immediately switches the subconscious to a deeper interest.

If you received 2 commercial offers: in one - “respected”, and in the other - “expensive” - which of these options would be more pleasant for you personally?

Think again, maybe it makes sense to use other words besides "dear"?

Personally, I have 2 other words, but I will not talk about them. Everyone has their own secrets.

THOUGHT No. 3 - initially put yourself with the client "on an equal footing"

On this point, I have several disagreements with other copywriters. But I want to express my opinion here, because I am sure of its relevance and maturity.

Because I have something to back it up in practice.

Often commercial offers begin in the style: “Allow us to offer you…”

I think that such a formulation puts you at a disadvantage from the very beginning.

You are already asking.

Agree that business is not an exchange of charity. The key to successful cooperation is partnership. That is - cooperation "on an equal footing".

The client has a need for a service (even if he does not understand it yet), but you can provide it. Why should you ask him about it?

Your task is to show the client how cooperation with you will be beneficial for him. If it succeeds, the client is yours. If not - your competitor (more nimble).

THOUGHT #4 - the need for a headline

We return to the thought that we voiced a little earlier. We have no more than 8 seconds to attract the attention of the addressee.

the main task- so that he singles out our commercial offer from that endless stream that falls on him every day.

Do not forget that besides you there are still thousands who want to cooperate with our Ivan Ivanovich. And not only in your field of activity.

Therefore, we must stand out.

The most proven tool to attract attention and create intrigue is an alluring headline.

Imagine a director who took your commercial offer in his hands - in order for him to read it, he must immediately convince himself that he will be interested in it ...

How else? Busy people don't have time to read unnecessary junk information. Excuse me for being so direct.

Let's say we want to send a commercial offer from an IT telephony company.

"Dear Ivan Ivanovich!

How is it that you are still overpaying for telephone connection hundreds of dollars?"

Do you think he will want to know the answer to this question? Of course - no businessman likes wasted costs. And he is always interested in optimizing his costs.

“Dear Ivan Ivanovich!

You know what with tomorrow Can you save at least $300 monthly already?”

There is one detail here - the title should be really attractive and effective. Composing such verbal constructions is a separate art.

But, I will give one hint - the title should contain the main benefit of your commercial offer.

Our manager should immediately understand what reading your presentation letter will give him.

THOUGHT #5 - Write about the client, not about yourself

I often see before my eyes commercial proposals in which one gross mistake is made: the presentation is carried out in the style of “we”.

In it, the company praises its services in every possible way, talks about great experience, talks about the team professional workers, lists its services (which are required High Quality), and necessarily guarantees an individual approach to each client.

My friends, don't be so banal.

If you want your commercial offer to stand out, you need to go in a completely different way.

Yes, I agree, picking up such a letter, the client may not know anything about you. And you want to fill this gap.

Why are you sending a commercial offer in the first place?

Not just to talk about yourself and your company. You want to attract this client, sell him your product or convince him to use your services.

So forget about using "we" and focus on using "you":

• You'll get…
• You will save…
• You can…
• You protect yourself...
• You will feel...etc.

You need to show how your offer will be FAVORABLE for him!

THOUGHT #6 - Talk about benefits, not benefits

First, second, third...

And what do we usually read?

• A wide range of services.
• Rich experience in the market.
• Loyal pricing policy.
• Flexible system of discounts.
• Prompt resolution of issues, etc.

The most interesting thing is that such advantages are found practically in every commercial proposal.

As a conclusion - you have not stood out. Yes, and what did you do? They just listed the benefits without showing the benefits.

What is the difference between advantages and benefits?

An advantage is what sets your product apart from others.

The benefit is what the customer will get from using your product.

If you are talking about a rich experience in the market - think about how it will benefit your client?

For example: "You can entrust us with even the most non-standard situations and be sure of their positive resolution."

Noticed the difference? Move in this direction, and you will definitely know what success is.

THOUGHT No. 7 - make new commercial proposals for different business areas.

When forming any proposal, it is important to clearly understand the existing needs of each representative of the potential target audience.

For example, commercial banks.

Construction companies are interested in some services, transport companies in others, and budget organizations- third.

Large companies decide on cooperation, guided by some criteria, and small ones - completely different.

Why would all these companies send the same standard commercial proposal?

By this you just show your unprofessionalism.

Ability to understand needs particular group customers is an important way to win their hearts.

Therefore, your asset should have several commercial proposals drawn up for each individual business area.

The most ideal option is to segment the client mass and highlight exactly those areas of business that it is advisable to offer your products to.

Yes, they can duplicate each other in many moments. This is clear. Just not 100% though.

If you yourself cannot formulate a portrait of your potential client, you will never be able to attract him.

THOUGHT #8 - Don't clutter up the offer with all your services.

Very often in commercial offers there is a banal enumeration of all kinds of services (even those that the company is going to provide only in the future - if there is a client).

The correctness of this approach is highly questionable.

The most ideal option is to “sell” some kind of specific service or several related ones.

Because it's easier to "hook" the client. You will have more wiggle room to focus on persuading all the benefits of a particular service.

Once I held in my hands a commercial proposal consisting of 7 pages. In it, the company offered my organization a really large list of services.

The whole “juice” is that only 2 of them were really interesting to us. We don’t need everything else at all. Moreover, this could have been guessed from the very beginning.

We immediately realized that we were under the direct mail and they offer us everything that is possible ...

Do you know what was the fate of such a commercial offer? It was torn up and thrown into the trash can.

The sender immediately lost his potential client.

The optimal size option is 1 page of an A4 sheet. Maximum - 2 pages. No one will read further.

That is why you should fit all your arguments in this one page.

THOUGHT #9 - Use facts and concrete calculations whenever possible.

They say numbers speak better than words.

Which sounds more convincing:

"Years of experience" or "We have been on the market for 12 years"?

"A large number of clients" or “There are 245 companies among our clients”.

By the way, there is another reinforcing tactical advertising move that began to be used several years ago. For example, the phrase “We started advertising the services of our clients in the last century”.

Let's say your company has been on the market since 1998. And in the yard - 2002, that is, you are 4 years old. turnover "last century" in this case, it was very successfully perceived by customers and beautifully smoothes out relatively little work experience.

But this is more of a psychology that comes with experience, as well as experience, and is far from always appropriate.

Try to be specific. If you tell the client that your offer can save him money - attach a specific calculation with an example.

If you offer him the possibility of additional income - do the same - attach the calculations.

In this case, these numbers will enhance the effect of the offer itself and “sell” your service better than any words.

THOUGHT #10 - Pay due attention to the design

What does your potential client do when holding a commercial offer?

He READS it.

Therefore, if you simplify the reading process for him, he will absorb all the information with great attention and pass it through himself.

• Forget about using long sentences.
• You will start practicing small paragraphs (for example, as in this article).
• Start separating paragraphs from each other with spaces.
• Will give preference to bulleted lists (for example, this list).

Additionally, use highlighting important points in the text. These can be underlining, larger font, bold or color, etc.

And yet - a commercial offer, beautifully designed in color, will have more chances.

For example, pick up a beautiful colored business card and an ordinary black and white - which one do you like more?

Therefore, send your customers a commercial offer in color.

First of all, it is pleasant to hold it in hands.

Thirdly, it's a pity to throw it away.

Moreover, it is not so expensive to disdain in this way of registration.

Although this is the existing standard, it is still able to work wonders. And does it.

So, the logical structure of the commercial proposal:

1. Intrigue.

2. Formulation of the existing problem.

3. Proposal of a specific solution to an existing problem.

4. Tangible benefits.

5. Reasoning for tangible benefits.

6. Price formulation.

7. Price argumentation.

8. Contact details.

In one case or another, a number of items can be removed or swapped. It all depends on the purpose of the CP, the essence of the proposal and many other factors.

There is another unspoken rule that the main benefit should be announced in the commercial offer 3 times.

Based on our structure, this should happen in "intrigue", " tangible benefit and “tangible benefit arguments”.

There is one more point I would like to make in conclusion.

Everything that has been said above is more about the so-called "cold" commercial offers. That is, those letters that are sent to the head without a preliminary meeting.

There are also "burning" commercial offers, which are already being drawn up upon a personal meeting with a particular client.

They are a VERY EFFECTIVE tool, because in personal negotiations you managed to find out the needs of a potential client and clarify what services he is interested in. You could also learn about the criteria on the basis of which he makes a decision on cooperation.

In this case, a "burning" commercial offer is compiled personally for a specific client, based on the data received.

AND LAST...

If you just want to DISARM your potential client - show your imagination.

Our the protagonist- seafood restaurant. He had a need to attract a wealthy target audience. For example, an offer to VIPs of the city to spend their birthday in their institution.

A database of birthdays of such people is collected. If you connect ingenuity multiplied by desire, it will be easy.

On the eve of his birthday, a potential VIP client receives beautiful bottle with a label on which the logo of our restaurant is luxuriously decorated. The bottle is sealed with a wooden cap. Through the glass you can see that there is a letter inside.

Letter in a bottle...

The customer opens the bottle and reads a beautifully designed commercial offer.

How much do you think the chances of our restaurant to attract such a client have increased?

Additionally, you can roughly imagine how many people he will tell about it. As a conclusion, you get excellent additional advertising among representatives of the VIP audience in your city.

P. S. "Never reply to a letter until you receive a second one from the same addressee on the same subject" - MICHAEL O'HEIGAN

Today, there are no introductions and preludes - only a dry squeeze on how to make a commercial proposal (Compromed, KP). We will consider the main approaches and principles with illustrative examples. Also, just below I will provide templates and samples of the structure and text of a commercial offer with links so that you can download and adapt them to your needs. The purpose of this article is to teach you how to develop a CP that, firstly, will be read. And secondly, after reading which, they will respond and agree to the proposed deal. Ready? Then let's get started.

By the way, if it’s more convenient for you to watch the video, or time is short, then I briefly talk about creating a CP in the 18th lesson of the course “Copywriting from scratch in 30 days”, see:

What is a commercial offer

Commercial offer is a marketing tool that is sent to the addressee by regular or e-mail in order to get a response. A response is a transfer of a potential client to the next stage of communication (meeting, presentation or signing a contract). Depending on the type of CP, the particular tasks of the tool, as well as its volume and content, may differ.

Types of commercial offers

There are three types of compreds: cold, hot and public offer. The first two types are used in marketing and sales. The third is in jurisprudence.

1. “Cold” commercial offer

“Cold” commercial offers are sent to an unprepared client (“cold”). Basically, it's spam. As practice shows, people do not particularly like spam, but if they are interested in it, then ... this becomes an exception to the rule. For this type of CP to work, you need a quality target list (list of recipients). The "cleaner" this list, the higher the response. If the target list contains general addresses of the form [email protected], then the efficiency of the compressor is a priori reduced by 80-90%.

Let's take a piquant situation as an example. Suppose the head of the sales department of company N has a plan on fire. Less than two weeks before the report, he's tearing his hair out, unsure of what to do, and receives an email with something like this: "5 Ways to Achieve a Monthly Sales Target in a Week." Tada-a-am! Here it is, saving the situation! And the person reads the main text, in which, among the ways, the service that we offer is hidden.

But this is only a special case. The main task of a “cold” commercial proposal is to get the recipient to read it to the end. It is worth making a mistake - and the letter flies into the trash.

This is why there are three main discard risks to consider when designing a “cold” BC:

1. At the receiving stage. Gets attention. This can be the subject of the email if the offer is sent via e-mail, or a non-standard envelope with a color or form factor, if the delivery channel is physical, etc.
2. At the opening stage. It manages with an attractive offer (it is also called an “offer”), we will talk about it a little lower.
3. At the reading stage. Gets by using elements of persuasion and marketing chips. We will also talk about them below.

Please note: the volume of a “cold” commercial offer, as a rule, is 1-2 pages of printed text, no more. This is due to the fact that the recipient is not initially configured to read the CP, and even more so he will not read it if the volume exceeds 10-20 pages.

The main advantage of a “cold” commercial offer is its mass character, however, practice shows that when a CP is personalized, the response to it is an order of magnitude higher.

2. "Hot" commercial offer

Unlike the “cold” counterparts, the “hot” commercial offer is sent to a prepared client (a person who requested a quotation himself or whom the manager contacted in advance).

“Hot” CPs differ from “cold” ones both in volume (which can be 10-15 pages or slides) and in the approach to compilation. More than that, they give a person the information of interest for making a decision (price, availability, conditions, etc.). Recently, “hot” commercial offers, designed in the form of PowerPoint presentations or translated from PowerPoint to PDF format.

Read more about hot compreds in.

3. Offer

This is a special type of compreds made in the form of a public contract that does not require signing. It is used on the websites of various SaaS services or in online stores. As soon as a person fulfills the terms of the contract (for example, registers on the site), he automatically accepts the terms of the offer.

Quotation offer

Not to be confused with offer. This is completely different. To make a truly powerful commercial offer, you will need a killer offer - the "heart" of your offer (English offer - to offer). This is the point. In other words, a clear statement of what exactly you are offering. In this case, it is desirable to indicate the essence at the very beginning (this especially applies to “cold” CPs).

Please note: the offer is ALWAYS aimed at the benefit for the reader, and not at the goods or services! The easiest way is to make it according to the formula: we offer you (benefit) at the expense (product)

Every day I come across commercial offers whose authors step on the same rake again and again (do not repeat!):

• We offer office furniture
• We invite you to attend a seminar
• We invite you to order website promotion from us
• We offer you to wash your floors

And so on... This is a gross mistake. Look around: competitors offer the same. But most importantly, there is no benefit for the recipient here. Absolutely none. What will he get from this? What benefits will it get?

At the same time, these sentences can be flipped, made more personal and reader-oriented. For example:

• I suggest you save up to $5,000 on furnishing your office with chic European furniture.
• I suggest that you increase your company's turnover by 20-70% thanks to the information you will receive at the seminar.
• I suggest you attract hundreds of new potential clients at a price of 1.5 rubles per person.
• I suggest that you reduce the incidence of colds in your employees (and the number of sick days, respectively) through daily wet cleaning.

You got the idea. The main thing is to convey to the recipient the benefits that you offer him, and already goods and services are a way to get this benefit. More about the offer - in.

In its structure, a commercial offer is somewhat reminiscent of a selling text. And this is natural, since the CP is a special case of a commercial text. But there is one element that makes compreds stand out from the mass of other tools. This is an offer. However, let's talk about everything in order.

0. Footer

The footer most often contains a logo (so that the CP is identified with a specific company) and contact details with a mini-call. This is done to save time and space. One has only to look at the top of the document - he already knows what it is about and how to contact you. Very comfortably. The size of the footer, as a rule, does not exceed 2 cm. After all, for a cold A4 compress, every centimeter counts. See how I would put together a sales pitch for, say, my blog. In this case, I'm selling content in exchange for readers' time.

1. Title of commercial offer

Vital element. Especially for a “cold” gearbox. His task is to attract attention and immediately catch the benefit.

Note: when we are talking about the “cold” commercial, the heading “Commercial offer” is not the best option. If only because it is not informative, takes up space and is no different from dozens of others sent by your competitors. In addition, if a person does not expect letters from you and receives something so abstract, he reflexively makes several clicks: “highlight” and “spam”.

At the same time, for a “hot” commercial offer, such a heading is more than appropriate if the company name is indicated next.

In my practice, headlines (not to be confused with the subject of a cover letter!) work best using the 4U formula. I talk about them in detail. In today's sales pitch test case, the title is a combination of a title and a subtitle.

Lead (first paragraph)

The main task of a lead is to arouse interest in what you are saying. Otherwise, people just won't listen to you. Well, or if literally, then read your commercial offer. The lead always talks about what is important to the client. There are four approaches for this:

1. From a problem (most often)
2. From the solution (if there is no problem as such)
3. From objections (if relevant)
4. Emotions (very rare)

In my sample, I used the "from the problem" approach, take a look. Below I will show a few more samples with different approaches.

3. Offer

I have already talked about creating an offer a little higher. The offer should interest the recipient in the benefit so that he continues reading your commercial offer. Practice shows that if the offer is not interesting to the reader, the CP goes straight to the ballot box (the second wave of ejection).

For an offer, you can use either general formula with the benefit, or the so-called bundle-amplifier:

• Product + product at a bargain price
• Product + service
• Product + gift, etc.

At the end of the offer, I recommend making a graphic anchor (if space permits). It thins out the text mass and adds "air". In addition, it makes your commercial offer easy to scan. See what offer and graphic anchor I made in the sample offer for my blog. In your CP, you can use as an anchor the visualization of the supplied goods or the main directions of services, plus prices (if they are competitive for you).

4. Benefits for the client

The next block is the benefits blog. In other words, this is a transfer that a person receives when he agrees to your commercial offer. It is important to be able to distinguish benefits from properties and characteristics. I wrote more in .

For example, in a sample CV for my blog readers, I can list the following benefits. Please note that the benefit block has a subtitle that is always directed towards the reader.

5. Handling objections

It is not always possible to insert all objection handlers into a quotation. But even so, the main ones can be closed by simply answering the questions: “Who are you?”, “Why can you be trusted?”, “Who already uses your services?”, “Geography of presence”, etc. Take a look at my sample CP for a blog. I handle the objection by answering the question "Who is the author and can he be trusted?".

Blocks with social proof or authority triggers are often used as objection handlers. Finally, another powerful persuasion technique in commercial proposals is warranties. At the same time, guarantees can be both expected (12 months for office equipment) and unexpected (if something breaks down, the company repairs it at its own expense, and provides a similar model of equipment for the duration of the repair).

To inspire even more trust, tell us about your company, without unnecessary praises - specifically and to the point. Only facts.

6. Call to action

Another essential attribute of a good commercial offer is an appeal. At the same time, there should be only one call (calling for one specific action): most often it is a call, but there may also be an application on the site or a visit to the sales department. Maximum - to the alternative: call or send Email.

Note: the call should be a strong verb, so the response will be higher.

Compare:

• Call me (strong verb)
• You can call (weak verb, the effect will be lower)

And one more important point. You will be surprised, but sometimes people who develop commercial proposals forget to include contact information in them. It turns out a comical situation: the recipient of the CP wants to order a product or service, but physically cannot do this, because he does not know where to contact him.

In my sample, I put the call in the footer.

7. Postscript

The final, and at the same time one of the most important elements of all “killer” commercial offers, is a postscript (P.S.). When used correctly, a postscript becomes a very powerful motivating lever. Practice shows that people read postscripts most often (after the captions under the pictures). That is why, if you want to strengthen your commercial offer, then the cherished letters P.S. desirable to adopt.

In addition, a restriction (deadline) can be inserted into the postscript. This point of structure is missed by many. And if in the case of sending a “hot” commercial offer, the manager can call and remind about himself, then in the case of a “cold” commercial offer, the absence of a restriction can deprive the company of more than half of the responses.

You can limit either in the context of time or in the context of the quantity of goods. For example:

• There are only 5 fax machines left.
• The offer is valid only until August 31, from September 1 the price will increase by 2 times.

It is worth mentioning that if you make a restriction, then you must fulfill your promises. And not like you promise to double the price tomorrow, but the next day you don’t do it, but promise the same thing.

Ready sample commercial offer

If we connect all the blocks, we will get such a sample of a commercial offer. He is universal. I adapted it for the sale of various goods and services: from logistics to rolled metal. Somewhere he worked better, somewhere worse. But everywhere he justified himself and paid off. The only thing to remember is the cleanliness of the target list.

Another one forte this sample is easy to scan. A person understands what we offer him in a matter of seconds.

You can download this sample to your Google Drive from this link to adapt it to your task. There you can also save it in RTF, MS Word or PDF formats. The compilation algorithm is slightly lower.

How to write a commercial offer (algorithm)

In order to properly prepare a commercial offer, you need to:

Step 1: Take as a basis the sample from the link above.

Step 2: Replace the logo, call and contacts with your own.

Step 3: develop a heading according to the 4U formula.

Step 4: Describe the client's real "pain" in the first paragraph.

Step 5: Make an offer with a solution for "pain".

Step 6: Make a graphic separator.

Step 7: Describe the additional benefits of your offer.

Step 8: Remove key objections or briefly describe yourself.

Step 9: Make a call to action, write P.S. with a deadline.

Other samples of commercial proposals

According to the above structure, it is possible to compose purely textual compreds. Let's look at sample commercial proposals for the supply of goods and on transport services. Despite the fact that they do not have graphic separators, the order of the blocks in them is identical. Notice the "If you already have a supplier" objection handler. This technique is called psychological adjustment and is described in detail in Susan Weinschenk's book Laws of Influence.

a) Sample commercial offer for transport services