Customizing Sales Offers

During my time at Qwilr, I’ve seen THOUSANDS of proposals. Here are 4 proposal plays that the best sellers use to close deals: #1 Lead With Problems Start your proposal by articulating your prospects' problems, ideally in their own words. Using quotes from relevant stakeholders within their organisation will grab your buyers’ attention and show you understand their problems. This immediately demonstrates that this isn’t just a generic pitch – you actually understand them and are focused on their specific issues. Doing this also puts decision-makers in somewhat of a tricky situation. They must either… 1. Disregard the opinions of their team as incorrect 2. Acknowledge they’re facing a problem, but decide not to look for a solution 3. Look for a solution (which you are providing in the rest of your proposal) Most (good) leaders will opt for the latter and will read on to better understand your offering. #2 It's Easy to Digest You MUST ensure your proposal is clear, straightforward and easy to understand. Remember, the folks who will be reviewing your proposal are incredibly busy and don’t have time to decipher endless information, searching for what is relevant for them. If your offer is easy to understand, it’s easier to say yes to. Avoid dense walls of text, and use images, graphics and interactive elements to simplify complex ideas. Always steer away from jargon. While it might showcase a level of expertise, you have to keep in mind that it’s likely a number of people will review your proposal. You need to make sure that EVERYONE will buy in. #3 Make It Relevant Buyers want to know that you’ve helped organisations that look like them, or the type of organisation that they aspire to be. Making sure that your proposal speaks to your buyers’ industry, needs, challenges and objectives will increase the likelihood of engagement Build your case by including concrete data and case studies that resonate with your client’s situation. CAUTION: It can be tempting to litter your proposal with logos and quotations from your “biggest” clients. You should not (always) do this! Instead, focus on featuring logos of similar companies or aspirational peers, not just massive brands. Remember, just because a company is “big” to you, that doesn’t mean your client will care. They want to know you can help THEM! #4 Keep Next Steps Simple It’s essential that you break down your proposal into clear, actionable steps – giving your client a roadmap on how to proceed and what will happen when they sign. You should also educate your champion on how to position the proposal to the buying committee, arming them to sell internally. Meet with them and go through your proposal, asking what needs to be removed and added (for other stakeholders) and how they plan to share it more widely. Want to send proposals that impress buyers and close deals? Try Qwilr for free at https://getqwilr.com

In the clutter of D2C brands, customization can make you win. Last weekend, I was trying to buy a gift for my friend's anniversary, but every option felt generic. Basic. Non-memorable. Then, I found a leather wallet and cardholder set online where I could add their initials, choose the leather texture, and even include a hidden photo inside. Suddenly, it became a gift they’d remember. This experience made me realize that as the landscape matures, we’re moving from an era of 'product-market fit' to 'product-person fit.' Here’s why I think mass customization is becoming the new competitive advantage in retail: 1/ The New Consumer Psychology Five years ago, customization was a luxury add-on. Today, it's becoming the baseline expectation. When I asked my teenage nephew why he refused a popular sneaker brand, his answer was telling: "If I'm wearing the exact same thing as everyone else, what's the point?" The data confirms it: > 60% of Millennials and Gen Z prefer customized products. > More surprisingly, they’re 4x more likely to recommend brands that offer customization. 2/ The Business Transformation The most fascinating insight I’ve discovered as an investor: Customization is creating an entirely new business model. Take Traya – they analyze your background, health, diet, and lifestyle through a 30-question diagnostic, then create regimens with 4x higher efficacy. The result? ₹7Cr → ₹300Cr in 2.5 years. Or Bombay Shirt Company – by letting customers design everything from the collar to the thread, they’ve achieved what seemed impossible: mass-produced customization at scale. 3/ The Economic Advantage When we analyze the unit economics, customized products are creating an unfair advantage: > Customer acquisition costs drop by 35% (word of mouth increases). > Return rates fall by 55% (customers keep what they helped design). My favorite examples: > Perfora’s name engraving on toothbrushes. > Mokobara’s luggage monograms (they started it). > Lenskart.com’s custom-fit frames. Yes, it adds cost and effort. But it makes you stop while you’re scrolling. And it makes the customer feel like the ONLY customer. That’s everything today. 😉 Which customized product experience has impressed you the most? #ConsumerTrends #Customization #Retail #D2C

Last year, I was advising a founder who wanted to buy a competitor. Deal looked clean. Numbers made sense. But halfway through the diligence - chaos. The seller didn’t even know what they were selling. Shares? Assets? Business as a going concern? Three completely different things. Three completely different tax, legal, and compliance outcomes. If you’re acquiring (or selling) a company, there are three main structures you need to understand: 1. Share Purchase: You buy the company’s shares. You inherit everything - assets, liabilities, history, skeletons included. Simple to execute, but risky if diligence isn’t airtight. 2. Asset Sale: You buy specific assets (like brand, plant, tech, customer contracts). You leave behind the liabilities. Clean structure, but painful paperwork - every contract, lease, and license must be transferred. 3. Business Transfer (Slump Sale): You buy the entire business as a going concern. Assets + employees + contracts move together. Tax-efficient in some cases, but needs careful structuring and valuation. Here’s where deals derail: >> Founders jump in without preparing. >> Buyers don’t check structure, sellers don’t clean up compliance, and both sides end up negotiating chaos. Whether you’re buying or selling - structure drives strategy. It affects valuation, tax, cash flow, and even post-deal freedom. #Acquisition #FractionalCFO #Valuation #Finance #Founders

If I was a BDR or AE trying to break into my dream account, here's exactly what I'd do: I'd come up with an offer that made the buyer feel IRRESPONSIBLE for not taking the meeting with me. And I'd do this with a killer offer. This is the outbound datapoint everyone should be building their 2026/27 strategy around. Offers increase email reply rates by up to 28% (Gong) Offers are NOT: • A free demo • A gift card • A “meet and greet” They're tangible gives. Like a cart audit let's say if you sell an ecommerce solution. Dig through the checkout process and analyze: • Missed upsell opportunities • Broken processes • Lack of cart abandon follow up etc Here's how you can use offers to increase the effectiveness of your cold outreach: ✅ Offer #1 - Pitch The Blind Date Position who the buyer will be meeting with. I'd hype up the AE, sales engineer, or myself depending on my industry experience. Example: A client of ours sells an automated welding solution Example email CTA: "Our welding solutions engineer, Paul, is working with Hitch manufacturers like CURT to help overcome the welder shortage and produce consistent, high-quality welds. Interested in a quick intro?" ✅ Offer #2 - 1:Many Offers High-quality, reusable insights that feel tailored. Competitive benchmarks, industry research, or best practice guides. Example: We have a client that sells to a clinical ops solution. They surveyed dozens of clients in key areas around clinical trials. Example email CTA: "We ran a benchmarking analysis with a few of your peers like Ultromics and MEDRhythms to find avg. study start times, drop-out rates, insights on how they shorten build times. Interested in seeing how you stack up?" ✅ Offer #3 - 1:1 Offers These are custom-tailored experiences or resources created specifically for the prospect. This works best at the enterprise & strategic levels. Examples: - A cyber risk analysis - A benchmarking analysis - A workshop - A personalized audit of a website checkout flow. - Visiting and experiencing the brand firsthand, then sharing insights. - Offering free data, licenses, or pilots. Example: An EdTech rep would use language like this when reaching out to school districts "We compiled a report of how WCUS stacks up against the top schools in WA & OR. Free next week to run through the report together? Tom P.S. If nothing else, you’ll see how other PNW school districts are minimizing student inequity and achievement gaps to increase student readiness and graduation rates" ~~~ Offers are the future of outbound. It'll help your emails, calls, and DMs cut through the noise. What are you giving the buyer, that even if they decided not to buy your solution, makes the time they spend with you worthwhile?

The biggest lie in sales is that every proposal needs to be completely custom Sales leaders are burning out their teams with this myth. I've analyzed hundreds of losing proposals, and sellers who try to customize everything end up customizing nothing well. Here's what actually works ⬇️ The best proposals aren't built from scratch, they're assembled from proven components. Think about it like LEGO blocks. You have a finite set of pieces (your solution capabilities), but you can build infinite combinations based on what the customer actually needs. Most sellers think customization means writing new content for every deal. Wrong. Real customization means strategic omission. When you focus only on the 2-3 challenges your prospect actually cares about, you create laser-focused proposals that feel tailor-made. Meanwhile, your competitors are drowning prospects in 47-slide decks covering every possible use case. The psychology is SO simple … when everything seems important, nothing feels important. Smart sellers build modular proposal systems: 👉 Component A: How we solve workflow automation 👉 Component B: How we solve data accuracy 👉 Component C: How we solve reporting delays For each deal, they select only the relevant components. That way proposals feel completely custom while taking 70% less time to create. Your buyers don't want to see everything you can do. They want to see exactly how you solve their specific priorities. I dive deeper into this modular approach and share my complete 5-step proposal framework in the latest Innovative Seller episode. Tune in to learn how to scale proposal creation without sacrificing impact.

Your offer is doing the heavy lifting in your marketing. Not your logo. Not your website. Not even your ad copy. Your offer. And yet most businesses phone it in with lazy, forgettable offers like "10% off" or "free shipping." If your prospects can't see a clear difference between you and your competitors, they'll default to price every single time. And unless you're Walmart, that's a race to the bottom you won't win. So how do you craft an offer that actually moves people? Start here: 🔹 What result are you so confident in that you'd only get paid if it works? (That's your strongest offer right there.) 🔹 What do you actually enjoy delivering? (Energy shows. Sell what lights you up.) 🔹 What are they really buying? (Insurance = peace of mind. Marketing = growth. Gyms = confidence.) Then layer in: ✅ A guarantee that makes them think "wait, seriously?" ✅ A story only you can tell ✅ Proof of what others tried—and why it failed Most marketing dies because the offer is weak. Spend your time here. Make it bold. Make it clear. Make it yours.

If your offer doesn't hurt to say no to, it's not strong enough. Most businesses build offers that are easy to ignore. They list features, explain processes and describe deliverables. And prospects nod politely. Then they do nothing. The problem is not your traffic. It is not your pricing. It is not your ad creative. It is that your offer creates no cost of inaction. When a prospect walks away and feels nothing, you have a positioning problem disguised as a sales problem. Here is what separates a forgettable offer from one that converts: 1. A forgettable offer describes what you do. A strong offer describes what the buyer loses by waiting. 2. A forgettable offer lists features. A strong offer stacks outcomes with timelines and specifics. 3. A forgettable offer sounds reasonable. A strong offer sounds unreasonable to refuse. 4. A forgettable offer asks for trust. A strong offer removes the need for trust entirely by leading with proof and guarantees. 5. A forgettable offer competes on price. A strong offer makes price irrelevant because the return dwarfs the investment. The Offer Gravity Framework: 1. Outcome clarity. State the exact result the buyer gets. Not "better marketing." Revenue, pipeline, conversion rate, cost per acquisition. Name the number. 2. Time compression. Attach a specific timeline. "First qualified leads in 14 days" carries more weight than "we will grow your business." 3. Risk reversal. Remove the downside. Performance guarantees, milestone payments, audit-first engagements. Make saying yes the lowest-risk decision they will make this quarter. 4. Proof density. Stack evidence before the pitch. Case studies, before-and-after metrics, client timelines. The offer should feel proven before you ever present pricing. 5. Cost of inaction. Quantify what staying still costs them. Monthly revenue left on the table. Pipeline leakage. Competitor ground lost. Make the status quo more expensive than hiring you. I have rebuilt offers for B2B operators that went from a 4% close rate to 22% in under 60 days. The service did not change. The positioning did. What would your pipeline look like if half the people you spoke to genuinely struggled to say no? DM me "OFFER" and I will share how we audit and rebuild offer positioning for B2B businesses. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Who am I I'm Lukas Otompasis, founder of LDS Digital. What I do I help businesses build steady lead and revenue systems. What LDS Digital does We turn interest into real enquiries and booked calls using SEO, paid ads, conversion, and simple automation. Who we help B2B operators who want growth without guesswork. The outcome A clearer pipeline, better lead quality, and more predictable revenue. Why this works This approach works because it focuses on fundamentals, clean execution, and systems that keep performing over time. If this resonates, feel free to DM me.

One bad conversation can stall a deal.  (Let's fix that.) Here's the trap even the best can fall into: ✅ You said, “Can I get 15 minutes?” ❌ They heard, “You’re just a name on my calendar.” ✅ You said, “Here’s our pricing page.” ❌ They heard, “You’d better be ready to commit.” ✅ You said, “Do you have any questions?” ❌ They heard, “I’m done talking, it's your turn to buy.” In client development, tone is strategy. And the difference between pressure and partnership? Just a few words. Because the real challenge isn’t getting time  with a client. It’s making that time count. Here are 12 proven phrases to build trust  (without sounding like a sales rep): 1. “How have things been going with [X]?” → Feels personal, not transactional. 2. “What’s your thinking around [this topic] these days?” → Opens a door, not a pitch. 3. “What would success look like if everything went right?” → Focuses on their goals, not gaps. 4. “What’s one thing you’d love to improve in 90 days?” → Specific, hopeful, and actionable. 5. “What feels risky or fuzzy about this?” → Makes doubt safe to share. 6. “Want to sketch some options together?” → Co-creates instead of prescribes. 7. “Want me to mock up a few paths forward?” → Shows flexibility, not a fixed pitch. 8. “Want to hear how others tackled this?” → Adds value, zero pressure. 9. “What would need to shift to make this a priority?” → Respects their timeline, invites partnership. 10. “Would a custom version be more helpful?” → Tailors the next step to them. 11. “Great point, can we unpack that together?” → Builds trust through collaboration. 12. “What’s the best way I can support you right now?” → Puts their needs first, signals partnership. These phrases do more than sound better. They feel better. Because they reflect how great BD actually works: 👉 With empathy 👉 With curiosity 👉 With clients, not at them Try one this week. It could turn a stalled deal into a deep conversation. Which one will you lead with? 📌Follow Mo Bunnell for client-growth strategies  that don’t feel like selling.

Lawyers can spend 10,000 hours mastering the law… and still lose a client in 10 minutes. Why? Because most clients aren’t just evaluating your expertise, they’re evaluating your communication. They are looking for a connection. And research backs this up: According to BTI Consulting, over 50% of client dissatisfaction comes from communication failures: - Slow responses - Unclear updates - Not listening That matters more than legal expertise itself. Consider this: Even if you’re on the right path, without updates from the GPS, you start second-guessing: Am I still headed the right way? Clients want that same reassurance in their legal journey. Here’s how I’ve shifted my approach (and how you can too): ✅ 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆: “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵?” ✅ 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀: A quick “𝘚𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶” keeps the relationship warm. ✅ 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀: “𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯”. Surprises erode trust faster than mistakes. ✅ 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸: “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳?” opens doors. ✅ 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: “𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘬 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦” - small details leave the biggest impressions. This week, take stock: - What process do you use to better understand expectations? - How often do you ask for feedback? - How customized and clear is your communication with the client? 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲. This week, try one small shift: Set an update rhythm with your biggest client. Or simply ask: 👉 “𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳?” What’s one communication habit that’s helped you build trust?