The Benefits of Personalized B2B Proposals

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed B2B sales landscape and the way businesses approach customer experiences. A 2020 report from McKinsey highlighted the importance of staying in tune with changing customer preferences and adopting a strategy that enables the business to meet customers’ needs. Connecting with customers in a personalized way has become the new normal, and customers are learning to expect tailored experiences when engaging with vendors. In order to be successful in the market, businesses need to show that they’re committed to customer success from the get go—starting with the sales experience.
 

Focusing on the Customer

In today’s world, personalized sales experiences are a significant driver of success. Industry experts predict that one of the biggest B2B trends for 2022 is focusing on the customer, and recent data supports this claim. On average, teams see sales increase by 56% when they deliver a customized experience and content, and businesses should keep this in mind as they develop new business materials such as proposals and sales bids. A high level of personalization doesn’t have to mean that sales teams need to spend a ton of time customizing every piece of a proposal. Instead, they can lean on proposal management software to streamline the process while enabling the level of personalization and customization that customers have come to expect—without the heavy lift. 

Understanding What’s Most Important

One of the most important keys to a tailored sales approach is understanding the customer’s needs and reflecting that understanding during the sales process. In fact, most customers are expecting that companies they’re considering doing business with are deeply aware of their specific goals and pain points. According to Salesforce, 72% of B2B buyers expect a personalized approach that shows a deep understanding of their needs. At the same time, 76% of B2B shoppers still report a lack of personal attention and customization in their buying experience. This data highlights the gap between expectation and reality and signifies an opportunity for businesses to gain a competitive advantage by ensuring they’re speaking to their potential customers’ desires and showing how they can help them achieve their goals.

In order to execute a targeted sales approach, enterprise sales teams need to first understand what customers want and what they engage with most. This is where proposal management software can be a tremendous asset. Proposal management software, like QorusDocs, includes data and analytics that show sales teams which part of the proposal received the most engagement via clicks and shares. Businesses can use the tracking information to see what customers are honing in on and what sections were less important to reviewers. These metrics help businesses improve their proposals and bids over time and get smarter faster even if they don’t receive direct feedback from customers.

Customizing Content Efficiently

It can be challenging to deliver a highly tailored business proposal for every potential customer. It takes time to create a high-quality, unique response which can slow sales teams down or hinder the team’s ability to develop more proposals. This can be especially problematic when teams have to wade through a disorganized file system in order to source the most relevant content and leverage the latest-and-greatest material. 

Proposal management software uses a smarter approach to ensure sales teams have the content they need right at their fingertips. QorusDocs leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver content recommendations so teams don’t have to go digging for it. This means that boilerplate material is always within reach and is easily detected when other proposals need similar. Proposal management software, especially software that easily integrates into sales tools, unlocks more efficiency with proposal responses, allowing more time for the team to tweak and personalize the proposal for each potential customer and forgo time-intensive searching for the best content to include. 

Creating Winning Proposals While Maximizing Efficiency

It’s clear that customers are growing more accustomed to engaging with companies that can speak to their needs, and businesses looking to thrive should take note. Even though more B2B customers want partners that demonstrate a deeper knowledge of their needs, many are saying they don’t often encounter personalized sales experiences—indicating a tremendous opportunity for companies that are able to deliver tailored experiences for customers every step of the way. While the idea of customizing every sales experience and proposal can seem daunting, it doesn’t have to be. When equipped with the right tools, sales teams can deliver the personalized experience that customers expect without slowing down their proposal development process. And, resources like QorusDocs give companies a better understanding of what potential customers or clients are looking for and what may not be resonating as well. Enterprises that want to stand out from the crowd and secure more B2B customer wins can rely on proposal management software to streamline proposal development while enabling time for customizing content.