Done correctly, the proposal phase – and specifically the in-person pitch – serves as a platform to demonstrate your value as a business consultant. It offers us a unique opportunity to differentiate not just through our solutions, but through our sales approach.

1: Open With What We Heard

Never start your pitch with information about ACA's capabilities or market position. Instead, begin by focusing on them – this creates engagement, captivates your prospect, and demonstrates you were actually listening during discovery.

Address their hot button issues, implementation timelines, specific challenges, and solution requirements.

This opening serves multiple purposes. First, it confirms that your understanding is correct and complete. Second, if new stakeholders are present who weren't part of the discovery conversations, this gets them up to speed quickly.

A great way to conclude this opening section is by asking “is there anything we missed?” or “has anything changed since we last spoke?”

2: Present Your Recommended Solution

 When presenting ACA's solutions, move beyond activities, deliverables and features. Instead, tie everything to three types of outcomes:

• Business outcomes that impact their bottom line

• Personal outcomes that improve stakeholders' daily lives

• Emotional outcomes that address underlying feelings

Your goal is to help prospects recognize the specific value they'll realize from implementing ACA's solution, not get hung up on technical specifications too early.

3: Establish Differentiation

This critical section sets us apart and demonstrates why ACA is uniquely positioned to help this specific prospect. Our comprehensive solution set spanning compliance, cybersecurity, ESG, and performance provides natural differentiation points, but you must connect them to the prospect's specific needs.

Rather than generic advantages, focus on differentiators that directly address their hot buttons and priorities. For example, if they're using multiple point solutions, emphasize ACA's integrated platform approach. When addressing competition, articulate clear differences without bad-mouthing – focus on our strengths rather than their weaknesses.

Remember the golden rule: end each differentiator statement with "what this means for you is..." This forces you to connect every advantage to a meaningful outcome.

For example: "Our integrated approach means you'll save time and reduce risk by managing everything through one trusted partner instead of coordinating multiple vendors."

4: ROI Analysis: Make Our Value Tangible

Before discussing price, present a clear quantification of value through simple ROI analysis. Focus on metrics that matter to compliance professionals:

• Cost of potential regulatory fines prevented

• Time and money saved through automation and streamlined processes

• Employee retention impact through reduced burnout

This analysis serves two crucial purposes. First, if your prospect hasn't secured internal budget, you've provided them with a back-of-the-napkin business case they can present to their CFO. Second, these numbers serve as an anchor, allowing prospects to see the substantial value of ACA's comprehensive solution before you discuss price.

Remember: Price without context is always too expensive. Give them the context first.

5: Present the Investment

Note that we specifically use the term "investment" rather than cost or price. After demonstrating quantifiable value through potential fine prevention, efficiency gains, and risk reduction, the price becomes an investment in their compliance program's future. Aim to demonstrate 5-10x value compared to their investment amount.

When presenting the investment number live, use this time to gauge interest. After stating the number, stop talking and observe. Give prospects time to react and watch their nonverbal cues. This silence creates space for authentic reactions and helps create predictability in your pipeline.

If you're not getting clear feedback, consider asking:

• "What are your thoughts on this investment?"

• "Is this investment in the ballpark of what you were thinking?"

• "How does this investment compare to other bids you've seen from other partners?"

6: Set Clear Assumptions

Detail all assumptions around the investment: regulatory deadlines, implementation timelines, scope dependencies, and resource requirements.

When done well, these assumptions can create urgency, especially if prospect timelines are driven by regulatory requirements or investor demands.

7: Secure the Next Step

Never end a pitch without scheduled next steps. Use buying signals (or lack thereof) to understand what's needed: additional stakeholder meetings, technical deep dives, or specific information requests.

Getting the next meeting scheduled prevents loss of momentum and reduces the chance of prospects going dark.

Bring It All Together

Success in high-value pitches comes from disciplined execution of these seven essential steps in sequence. Sticking to this approach helps us increase deal size, neutralize competitors, and allows us to negotiate from a position of strength rather than scrambling to justify price at the end. 

Key Takeaways

✅ Build your case before presenting price - create context that justifies premium pricing

✅ Open with the client's challenges, not ACA capabilities - demonstrate you understand their regulatory and compliance needs

✅ Present solutions in terms of business, personal, and emotional outcomes - not just features, functionality and deliverables

✅ Connect every differentiator to a specific client outcome using "what this means for you is..."

✅ Quantify value through concrete metrics like potential fines prevented, time saved, and efficiency gained

✅ Position price as an investment, not a cost - aim to demonstrate significant return on investment

✅ Use strategic silence after presenting investment numbers to gauge authentic reactions

✅ Create urgency through clear assumptions tied to regulatory deadlines and investor demands

✅ Never end without a scheduled next step - maintain momentum through the sales process