Mike Seidle ...notes from the road

 I was reading Pursuasive Business Proposals by Tom Sant and a thought occured to me.  When was the last time you delivered a proposal worth more than $5,000?  Did you just email it? Or did you give it the royal treatment and bind it and hand deliver it?  Chances are we all would sell more if we took a few minutes and realized that presenting a proposal worth $5,000 or even $50,000 in a $2.00 three ring binder from Staples is not going to make the impression you need.  I wonder how many proposals get thrown away because they just don’t look good.

Here are a few quick ways to make that proposal look like it deserves to be considered:

• Get a Unibind Machine and some Steelbook covers.  When you bind your proposal in a Steelbook, you get a genuine hardback book which will stand out compared to coil and comb bound proposals.  Unibind also has matching folders for your support material.
• For proposals with lots of tables and charts, use plastic coil or wire coil binding so the proposal can open flat.
• Avoid Comb binding and folders.