17 Aug The SEO Sales Proposal: How Agencies Can Better Sell to Prospective Clients

Is your content-creation agency looking to expand its pipeline? Are you looking to improve your proposal process to close more clients? The internet is fueled by content, and that is both a gift and a curse to content creators. It is a gift because creators are always needed to generate content for articles and blogs online. The curse is that the internet is saturated with professionals ready to provide quality SEO to your target audience.

Your sales proposal is either your golden ticket to closing a new client, or it is denied for another proposal that was deemed more adequate. There’s an art to a sales proposal. The effort given to the task of perfecting your sales proposal will offer a marvelous return on your time investment. 

1. Introduction and Summary

The proposal begins straightaway by introducing your company and highlighting your credentials. Establish early on why your company is the logical choice for the project. 

In this section of the proposal, briefly explain:

What have you done in the past that is noteworthy? Have you worked with clients that were well-known brands? What precisely is your level of expertise and extent of your experience? Why is your agency the best solution to their specific issue? You must answer these questions concisely and precisely. Keep in mind that this is the introduction; so, don’t spend too much time here.

2. Pitch 

The pitch is the part of the proposal that demonstrates how you specifically intend to address their particular problems. This section must be personalized for each client individually; don’t rely on boilerplate content here. 

What problems do they face and what are and potential solutions for them? Do you notice anything particular notable about their website? What do the analytics and statistics about their website reveal to you? Show the prospective client that you have solutions laser-focused for their cause and that you have already assessed and ascertained their problem areas and strategic remedies.

Give specifics about how they rank for keywords in their niche in comparison to their competition. Use analytical tools to research their website rankings in relation to specific desirable keywords. This will show that you have really done your homework and are ready to provide the right solutions.

3. Solutions and Specifics

In this section, you will describe exactly what you are proposing to the client. Here, you want to be specific about what services you are offering and exactly when they will be completed. 

If you provide written content for their website, how many pieces per week or per month will you produce? Will you build a specific number of links weekly? What monthly reporting should they expect? You want the prospective client to clearly understand what will be delivered and when they read this section.

4. Goals

In this section, you want to address the goals that you have identified for the prospect. Set realistic and measurable goals. 

Potential goals that you can set for clients are:

Your capacity and the client’s needs will determine the details of what you can deliver over any given period. 

5. Timeline

Search engine optimization is a process and not an event. Your prospect needs to know when you’ll finish various stages of the project. Use a timeline to layout your milestones. Outline each of the specific deliverables into a timeline that is transparent and detailed.

6. Pricing

Now that you have detailed what you are offering to the prospective client, it is time to talk turkey. In the pricing section, the fees for your agency’s services are laid out. Instead of giving one set fee, it helps to give a variety of options ranging from the robust and extensive to streamlined and straightforward. 

You can break the price options down into three packages. Starting with the largest, most involved package and finishing with the smallest package, will display the package that offers the most, first and foremost. 

7. Call to Action

Don’t leave the prospect’s next steps uncertain. Providing a clear call to action at the end of your proposal gives the prospective client the precise steps they need to take to get the process going.

In this section, include your contact information and the exact steps they need to take to get the process underway. Be specific about the initial start-up process, and make the call to action simple. 

8. Customize Proposals

The importance of making the proposal specific to the client cannot be overstated. You may use some information in every proposal. But each one should be unique with the client in mind. The more customized the proposal, the more the prospect will see that you have gone the extra mile to see about their specific brand.