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I'm going to guess based on what you've outlined here you're selling B2B? Perhaps at enterprise level? All things being equal, the content of what you're sendi

I'm going to guess based on what you've outlined here you're selling B2B? Perhaps at enterprise level? All things being equal, the content of what you're sending is more important than how you send it. PDFs, Google Docs, whatever - who cares...if the content outlines concisely how your SaaS offer makes/saves the customer money and the other associated benefits you can afford to send it on a frickin' napkin :) You're over thinking the other stuff. You include a number of pages that is essential for the conveying of useful information to the prospect. Customers aren't going to scoff at a proposal because it's < 10 pages! Just don't pad it out with a load of corporate shit, keep it on point and yes a picture says a 1000 words so if a picture helps to sell the vision, include it. I presume given you're engaged in selling your wares you've carried out competitor analysis? What do they send to their prospects? If you don't have competitors (I doubt it) what do companies that you like send out? If you've not secret shopped them already I recommend you do. Smart Bear (https://smartbear.com/ https://smartbear.com/) are one of my go to companies for researching how to go about software sales. I do this stuff for a living, if you want any other feedback or perhaps examples of what does/doesn't work hit me up. My details are in my HN profile.

crabpeeps 10y ago
That's correct, we sell B2B enterprise stuff. I find myself changing the format from customer to customer, ending up spending too much time on this crucial process. I'd like to standardize the docs/info to adhere to the receivers' preferred format. I agree that the content is everything. You raise some good questions regarding competitors. From what I've seen they send out generic pdf's and a generic project timeline. I need to study them more closely. I'd like to one-up them by having something convenient, effective and visually appealing.
- wastedhours 10y ago
  Now that you've tailored the content to lots of different formats, could you not just use those as a library and keep them up to date? I've not been involved in much sourcing, only a few enterprise SaaS pitches, but something to consider depending on who you're engaging is just a one-pager on the expected benefits that can be escalated up the food chain to rationalise expenditure internally. One page, Word Doc or PDF, tables rather than bullets that your contact can flow around an org easily.
- ironchef 10y ago
  No offense but you're wasting time. It doesn't matter if it's PDF vs doc vs whatever. You _need_ to offer something very compelling (not the brochures / leave-behinds.. the service). You (usually) either need to take away pain or give them something of value. In what I sell, they need to leave that first meeting saying "holy shit... how do we get this in house / how do we get to use this now?". My best leave behind is references who are in the same space ;)

crabpeeps 10y ago

That's correct, we sell B2B enterprise stuff. I find myself changing the format from customer to customer, ending up spending too much time on this crucial process. I'd like to standardize the docs/info to adhere to the receivers' preferred format. I agree that the content is everything. You raise some good questions regarding competitors. From what I've seen they send out generic pdf's and a generic project timeline. I need to study them more closely. I'd like to one-up them by having something convenient, effective and visually appealing.

wastedhours 10y ago
Now that you've tailored the content to lots of different formats, could you not just use those as a library and keep them up to date? I've not been involved in much sourcing, only a few enterprise SaaS pitches, but something to consider depending on who you're engaging is just a one-pager on the expected benefits that can be escalated up the food chain to rationalise expenditure internally. One page, Word Doc or PDF, tables rather than bullets that your contact can flow around an org easily.
ironchef 10y ago
No offense but you're wasting time. It doesn't matter if it's PDF vs doc vs whatever. You _need_ to offer something very compelling (not the brochures / leave-behinds.. the service). You (usually) either need to take away pain or give them something of value. In what I sell, they need to leave that first meeting saying "holy shit... how do we get this in house / how do we get to use this now?". My best leave behind is references who are in the same space ;)