How to make a commercial offer for the supply of goods

A commercial offer for the supply of goods is the main tool for establishing distribution channels. In fact, this is a product presentation, on which the success of the entire business depends. The main goal is to encourage the counterparty to make a deal.

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What is a commercial offer

A commercial offer (QP) for the supply of goods refers to business documentation. It outlines the main advantages of the product, describes the terms of cooperation. It is drawn up in the form of a letter or a business appeal, urging the partner to make a deal.

A commercial offer performs several functions.

Advertisement for a new product.
Search for buyers of manufactured products.
Maintaining relationships with regular customers.

There are two types of customer service.

Personalized ("warm"). It is compiled for a specific counterparty, taking into account individual characteristics. The document indicates the name of the organization or the name of the employee to whom the message is sent.
Non-personalized ("cold"). Compiled for a large number of recipients. The information is anonymised.

A "cold" offer is usually sent out in bulk without prior approval. Often it is regarded as spam and sent to the trash. Hot deals are working. Their compilation is carried out by the sales/sales manager. The final view must be agreed with the head.

To write a successful commercial proposal, you need to put yourself in the place of a potential client.

Rules for drawing up a quotation for the supply of goods

No additional financial investment is required to write a commercial offer. Such a message to counterparties can be an effective tool for selling goods. In order for a proposal to get a response, it must be drafted correctly.

What to write

In a commercial offer, you should use only the most important information that is of interest to the buyer. The ideal option is to first find out the needs of the client, and then offer the appropriate product.

The headline should attract attention and stimulate interest in reading the letter. The proposal itself ("offer") must contain basic information about the product and supplies, as well as express the benefits that the client will receive from cooperation.

In the "offer" you can make a bias on the following benefits:

profitable price;
a wide selection of goods;
possibility to pay in installments;
prompt delivery of goods;
availability of additional services;
possibility of discounts;
supplier's warranty obligations;
popularity of the manufacturer's name (bet on the brand).

What points should be present in the text

To interest a potential client, you need to state the following in a commercial offer: understanding the problems and needs of the client, focusing on solving the problem, rational working methods. Just a product story is useless paper.

It is necessary to explain the principle of pricing: what factors affect the price of the goods, attach a price list, highlight the benefits.

There must be a call to action: go to the company's website, call the office, make a purchase. It should be clear to the client where to go, what is the sequence of actions.

Details that reinforce the offer are given below.

To confirm the reliability, the facts and research results are stated.
For greater persuasiveness, numbers and numbers are used. Specific data is more important than words.
If the commercial offer refers to the additional benefit of the client, then this thesis must be confirmed by calculations.
The use of pictures, photos, diagrams gives greater clarity to the document.
It is better to show growth dynamics using a graph/table.
If there are well-known companies among the clients, then they should be indicated. This is a plus for the credibility of the supplier.
Positive feedback and stories about successful cooperation can increase customer confidence.

Document structure

A commercial offer is usually placed on one or two sheets. The document has a regulated structure.

Letter header.
Title.
The main body of the message.
Contact Information.

Important points for the counterparty must be included in the document template.

Document title and organization logo.
An indication of the person or organization to which the letter is addressed.
Title of the message (an indication that this document is a commercial offer).
The date of the document and its registration number.
Payment or installment terms.
Goods delivery time.
Product description: serial number, short name, cost, photo of the product or its diagram.
Benefits of cooperation.
Offer period.
Contacts of the sending organization and the responsible manager.
The seal of the organization and the signature of the responsible officer.

The main thing in the appeal is to correctly formulate the benefit of the client.

How to make a commercial offer

The document is always printed on letterhead. The document should be designed in the same style: one type of font for all text, bolding only the title and basic information.

It is not worth spending money and effort on creating a special design, because most documents are printed in black and white. In addition, the counterparty may simply not like the design subjectively.

It is advisable to make a header with the contact details of the company on each sheet of the compred so that the information is not lost.

The main information is carried by the table with calculations. The rules for formatting tables in a commercial offer are set out below.

A table with product information should fit on one sheet. Too cumbersome calculations do not cause a desire to study them and understand many details.
Placement of the final figure at the beginning of the table for clarity, and not at the end. Here the principle works from the general to the particular: the total amount of costs is important to the client, and then the details.
One column uses one unit of measure.
To make the calculations transparent, add built-in formulas. The client can enter variable values himself and calculate the cost. For example, they indicate the current exchange rate at which the calculation is carried out.
Information should be clear and easy to read.

Common Mistakes

There will be no return from a commercial offer if gross errors are made in its preparation.

The message contains non-competitive terms of cooperation.
The offer is sent to persons who are obviously not interested in it or who do not decide on cooperation.
When compiling, the needs of the target audience were not taken into account.
The document is difficult to read due to poor design, the main information is not highlighted, the text is too cumbersome.
The message contains information about the product, but there is no specific proposal for cooperation, there is no call for a deal.
The product description does not highlight the main benefits for the buyer.

It is unacceptable to use slang in the CP. Intimidating a client with business failures in case of non-cooperation is inappropriate.

The use of formulaic phrases and many epithets spoils the impression of a commercial offer.

Good Examples

Commercial offer for the supply of children's / teenage clothing from Hong Kong. "Catches" the accuracy of the wording and the specific details of cooperation.

The offer comes from a large company that supplies clothing from Hong Kong.

Proposal for the supply of boards made of wood for construction. Original design, a combination of compactness and accessibility in understanding.

A sample of a successfully drafted commercial proposal for the supply of equipment is given below. The correct filling of the table clearly presents the proposed product.

Correct design of the CP, brevity of presentation

Proposal for the supply of carnival costumes for the New Year. To compile it, the authors had to talk with the parents of the kids and representatives of retail chains.

An original presentation that arouses the interest of the counterparty

A commercial offer for cosmetics correctly presents these products. The document will certainly interest potential customers.

The CP describes the benefits of cosmetics: French quality already attracts customers with its name alone

Working with foreign partners

Negotiations on cooperation with foreign companies are carried out by phone, by correspondence or during personal meetings of representatives. Messages are sent by regular or e-mail, via teletype, telegraph. The text of the commercial offer is provided in writing.

Interaction with counterparties from abroad takes place in several stages.

Providing preconditions for cooperation in writing.
Coordination of details, clarification of details by phone.
Signing the contract in person.

It is necessary to draw up a commercial offer for a foreign company in English or in the language of the country of the counterparty. If we are talking about the CIS countries, then the documentation is in Russian. To make the content clear to both parties, the document is drawn up according to accepted international standards.

The CP is drawn up in English according to the accepted international template

Feedback

The CP is delivered to the addressee by e-mail, fax or in person. If the client receives an already printed letter in hand, this will increase the chances of a successful transaction.

If a personal meeting is not possible, the proposal is sent by e-mail. It is better to place the document itself in the body of the letter, and not as an attached file. This will increase the chances of reading and studying the sentence. It is also advisable to write a cover letter, which briefly indicates the advantages of the product and the company as a whole.

You can also send a quotation by fax, but this is a less efficient communication channel. The document gets lost easily.

Before sending a commercial offer, you should call the counterparty to inform about the message. Unexpected letters are rarely received with interest. You need to negotiate and send letters from one person - an employee of the company. This will help to avoid

The next day, call the addressee and ask for an opinion on the offer. Don't expect customers to call. To keep in touch, find out the wishes of the client, send additional information. Dialogue contributes to a positive decision.

A commercial offer can be the beginning of a successful cooperation. It is important to follow the rules for compiling this document and maintain a dialogue with the counterparty at all stages of work.