Today, ‘business as usual’ is all about adapting to the ‘new normal.’

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As much as we have begun to hate these overworked phrases, we cannot escape the reality– everyday life across the world is slowly trying to limp back from the muddle. The COVID-19 pandemic is driving businesses across verticals to overcome challenges that they had never faced before. Sales pipelines are frozen, business forecasts are messed up, and sure-fire deals have turned uncertain. As businesses move to the remote way of working, the sales-game is being rewritten with many new and unspoken rules.

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Predictably, the organizations that began their digital transformation journey before COVID-19 hit are adapting better to the crisis than their peers. Their business models and digital processes help them adapt rapidly and accelerate with change. Companies that lack a robust digital backbone have struggled to keep up or even survive. Meanwhile, companies that provide collaboration tools and software-as-a-service are witnessing high levels of demand to meet the rapidly changing customer behavior.

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Conversion rates are down for many industries. For some businesses, it is getting better, but for others like travel, it’s going to be terrible for a while. With the proposal process playing a huge role in winning new businesses, the right business proposal software is the need of the hour– both to bail out failing businesses, and to help the stable ones, flourish.

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As a salesperson, if the pandemic has got you simply sitting in the chair, staring at the ceiling, and stressing out about winning new business and the entire process of creating a sales proposal, this blog is for you.

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Successful deals require effective sales proposals. Here are a few ways in which the right business proposal software can make your sales process efficient during the pandemic:

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1. Simplifying the process

Business proposal software helps sales teams create and use a content library with the product, price, and package details. This way, sales executives can pull out the required content from the library, spend less time creating proposals from scratch, and simplify the pricing and estimation process. Also, business proposal software offers a wide variety of templates to choose from, to create good-looking and structured proposals.

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2. Faster negotiation

With business teams working remotely, addressing changes and negotiations can tend to become delayed and time-consuming. Sales executives get sucked into the back-and-forth game of continuous changes required by their prospects in the proposal.

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This time-consuming process is eliminated with a business proposal software in place. The modifications suggested by prospects can be updated in the sales document and sent back in minutes.

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3. Effortless collaboration and tracking

Business proposal software like Zomentum helps sales teams track every activity made on a proposal. This keeps sales executives informed about when the prospect viewed or signed the proposal. Live tracking and online document collaboration inform sales executives about the changes requested by prospects, and serves as a platform for discussion via chat/collaborate option. This is one of the biggest advantages that business proposal software brings to the table to create an efficient sales process, more so during the pandemic.

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4. Close projects faster

Digital signature options in business proposal software help sales executives get a project off the ground faster. Once the proposal is accepted by a prospect, e-signature enables closure of the deal without wasting too much time and effort.

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5. Revive inactive deals

With the pandemic, many business deals that were on the road to closure have been abruptly put on hold across many organizations in the world. Business proposal software helps keep track of older conversations. A single click on a proposal that was sent previously can help to know if there’s still a chance for conversion, and if so, initiate dialogue immediately.

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6. An array of features that add immense value

Take Zomentum proposal builder for example. In addition to the content library and a wide variety of templates, here are a few of the appreciated features that Zomentum offers:

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·       Merge Tags in the proposal builder that helps pull pre-defined data of the prospects in a matter of seconds

·       Track proposal metrics, delivering clear insights on the prospect's level of interest

·       In-proposal chat function where the prospect can communicate with the salesperson instantly, on the same page, with no need for calls, or appointments.

·       Vibrant multimedia blocks to attach videos and deliver a personalized video pitch.

·       Send quotes with brand-specific colors, logos, and images to aid in your brand recognition.

·       Expiry date setting for sales proposal to instigate a sense of urgency and close deals faster with quicker approvals

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7. Revenue growth

If there’s one important reason behind using business proposal software, it is making the sales process efficient. Understandably, this is the need for all businesses in the wake of the pandemic. Business proposal software creates interactive proposals, increases the average contract value and client base, and scales the business with added productivity.

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Today, it’s COVID-19. Tomorrow could be something else that can trigger global uncertainty. If there is one important lesson that the pandemic has given to businesses and the world, it is the need for preparedness, agility and implementation of the right solutions.

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That said, there are dozens of proposal builders in the market; however, Zomentum is a complete sales platform that combines CRM, business proposal software with e-signature, and sales automation as a single product, allowing businesses to streamline and optimize their proposal processes.

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To experience how Zomentum can bring a change in the way your sales processes work, schedule a demo here.