As a pencil enthusiast, you walk into a pencil showroom and a salesperson notices that you’re interested in a certain model. They walk over to you and explain what it has to offer.
“This model has a hexagonal shape, an eraser and is made of wood. Shall I wrap it up for you?”
It’s likely you’d already noticed those details.
You can’t sell something without explaining how it benefits the customer; it’s the same with writing about products or services in a bid. You don’t want to leave the customer thinking, “So what?”. However, subject matter experts often detail features without explaining their benefits.
Imagine that scenario again, but this time the salesperson states:
“Because of its hexagonal shape this model is easy to grip and less likely to roll off a table, so it’s unlikely to break its lead. Its wooden construction makes it environmentally friendly, and you can also correct errors with its in-built eraser, saving paper and the need for a separate eraser. Shall I wrap it up for you?”
Making it easier for the customer to visualise how the product will benefit them makes it more likely that they will view it positively. You shouldn’t leave it to the customer to work out / guess what the benefits are; this is especially important when writing a bid, because they can only evaluate what is written down.
Always remember to ask yourself “So what?” when you’ve written a statement. This is one way to easily enhance your response.
“Organisations buy things because of the benefits they will realise from them. It’s therefore vital these are clearly articulated within a response to ensure customers are fully informed when carrying out their evaluation,” Director Richard explains. “And by taking this approach, we may bring out benefits that the client is unaware of which will positively position our solution.”
If you’d like to know how Impart could support you, please email Richard Tobias at richard.tobias@impart.co.uk or call for a no-obligation chat on 03333 448789.