Writing Your Offer Properly - How To Convince Potential Customers

Why Should You Write an Offer?

There's no doubt about it: writing an offer costs you time and money. But when it comes to winning a new contract, a professionally designed offer can set you apart from the competition. It can also be very important for reasons of proof in the event of later disagreements with clients or in the case of a damage event that the services offered are recorded in writing. Apart from this, a offer letter provides you with further advantages:

• Legal security for all parties involved
• Less room for misunderstandings
• Commitment within the business relationship
• Information is retained, even if the contact person changes

Writing an offer can therefore benefit your business immensely. With the right approach, you can not only integrate this process into your day-to-day business in a sensible way and minimise the time required. With a well-thought-out offer, you can even do some really good self-promotion and increase your chances of getting a contract.

How To Write a Good Offer

Most of your potential customers will request several offers from different providers before starting a project. There are various options available to help you stand out from the competition with your offer letter:

1. Have a conversation with the enquirer before formulating the offer. Arouse interest at
    this stage by making it clear to your counterpart that you understand the task at hand
    and have the right solution. Also ask the right questions during the conversation. Find
    out about their wishes and problems. This will tell you exactly what the prospective
    customer wants. In this way, you show your expertise and convey to your potential
    customers that you are interested in their wishes.

2. Pack all the important information into your offer, but keep your writing clear and
    understandable at the same time. A clear structure and an easy-to-read font also help
    to quickly grasp an offer.

3. Always communicate openness for queries. In this way, you position yourself directly
    as a reliable partner.

4. A swift response and respectful behaviour should also be standard in business
    relationships.

5. Follow up if there is no response to your offer. Ask them whether your letter has
    reached the right addressees and whether there are any questions. Even if your offer
    is rejected, it can't hurt to listen to the reasons and learn from them.

What Belongs In an Offer

There are far fewer legal requirements when writing an offer than when creating an invoice. Nevertheless, you should adhere to a few rules to ensure that the document is valid. This also allows you to stand out from the competition and present yourself as a professional. This way, your offer will be received much better by interested parties.

As a minimum, you should include the following information in your offer:

• Your name and contact details
• Your business address
• VAT identification number (if available)
• Address of the recipient of the offer
• Description of the goods or services
• Quantity
• Price including freight and packaging costs
• Offer date and validity date
• Terms of payment and delivery time

Whether you stick exclusively to the mandatory information or add further points to your offer letter: Always ensure a good structure so that your customers can quickly understand the document. This is why we will show you an example of an offer structure in the next section.

Letterhead With Address and Contact Details

With a suitable letterhead, you immediately ensure a professional appearance. Enquirers know directly who they are dealing with and can contact you without problems if they have any questions.

Cover Letter With Personalised Salutation

As in any business letter, you should always address the recipients of an offer personally. Anything else comes across as unkind and gives the impression that you are not overly keen to work with them. You are free to integrate this cover letter into the offer or enclose it separately.

Offer Date

This information is used for time categorisation. It allows you to keep track of different projects. Indicate the date on which you sent the offer in your letter.

Offer Number

Always assign the numbers for offers consecutively and only once. If anything is unclear, you can quickly find the right letter and answer your customers' questions.

Introduction With Personal Reference

Before you get to the actual offer, you should open the letter with a personal introduction. Make reference to the initial contact. Here is an example:

"Thank you for your interest in my work. In accordance with your e-mail of XX.XX.XXXX, I am pleased to present you with the following offer."

Feel free to add a personal touch to the text - this will give potential customers the feeling that you are responding to them individually.

Precise Description Of Services

Let customers know exactly what you are offering them. Be as precise as possible. Instead of writing "a blog article" in your offer, it's better to formulate it as follows:

"A blog article with 1,000 to 1,500 characters on topic XY".

This will help you avoid costly mistakes and unnecessary correction loops if there are misunderstandings regarding the scope or quantity.

Price Information

If you make an offer, you must also quantify the price of your service. To do this, state both the net and gross price including VAT. Your VAT identification number should also be stated in the offer letter.

"A blog article with 1,000 to 1,500 characters on topic XY for 100 euros net plus 19 euros VAT, totalling 119 euros gross"

If your service also involves additional costs such as postage, packaging, etc., you must also state these explicitly. We recommend that you also mention any discounts in order to be well remembered by interested parties.

If, on the other hand, you do not want to commit to a specific price because, for example, your purchase prices fluctuate greatly, you can use a so-called non-binding clause such as "Subject to price changes". In this case, it is a non-binding offer. However, you must observe many requirements to ensure that your offer is legally valid.

Terms Of Payment

Your customers should know when and under what conditions they have to pay the invoice for your services. If you grant a discount, you can use wording such as "Payable within 30 days net, 2 per cent discount for payment within 10 days".

Validity

If you make someone a time-limited offer, you must indicate this and set a deadline for acceptance.

Duration

This point depends on the industry in which you work. The duration in which you provide your service plays a role, for example, if different trades have to work on a project one after the other.

Conclusion With Greeting

Just like a personal greeting, a few parting words also belong in an offer. A suitable formulation would be:

"I look forward to receiving your feedback and will be happy to answer any questions you may have."

In this way, you bring your offer letter to a well-rounded conclusion and also signalise your willingness to respond to further questions in advance.

General Terms and Conditions

If you use general terms and conditions, you must provide potential customers with these pre-formulated contractual clauses in full. If you send your offers by email, you can attach your General Terms and Conditions in a separate PDF.

Special Rules When Preparing an Offer

Depending on your activity and the legal form you have chosen, you may have to comply with other requirements. As a small business owner, for example, you are exempt from VAT. Accordingly, you do not show this tax in your offer. Instead of the VAT identification number, enter the tax number assigned to you by the tax office at the start of your activity.

When Is an Offer Legally Binding?

In principle, an offer is always legally binding. However, you can restrict this legal obligation with certain formulations - so-called non-binding clauses. Your customers will then know that the offer is only valid under certain conditions or is limited in time. Possible formulations for this purpose are

• "Non-binding" - you can change or withdraw the offer
• "Prices subject to change" - the prices you quote are subject to change
• "while stocks last" - the quantity you specify is non-binding

If customers agree to an offer with an non-binding clause, this also constitutes the submission of an offer. In order for a binding contract to be concluded, you yourself must make a concurring declaration of intent.

How Long Is an Offer Valid?

If there are no explicit reservations in your offer, the following applies: An offer is no longer valid if it is rejected or not accepted in good time. If you make an offer in a personal conversation, your counterpart can only accept it immediately - otherwise the offer expires as soon as the conversation ends.

If, on the other hand, your offer is made in writing, acceptance is possible within the period of time in which you can expect a response under normal circumstances. The specific period depends on the individual case. For the delivery of goods, a period of a few days is considered realistic. However, in the case of complex services that require detailed examination, the acceptance period may be considerably longer.

Can You Change Your Offer Afterwards?

If a contract has not yet been concluded, you can change an offer without any problems. However, if your customers have already accepted the offer, this option is no longer available to you.

Help With Preparing an Offer

Creating an offer individually each time takes a lot of effort. However, you can automate this process to a certain extent. For example, create a template that you fill in individually for each new offer. Alternatively, you can also use tools from various providers to generate offers automatically.

Attract More Customers With the Right Offer Letter

A well-structured offer letter conveys a professional impression and can help you win new projects. If you automate the creation process and adhere to a sensible structure, you can keep the effort involved within reasonable limits. You also minimise the risk of disagreements in the project if a collaboration is established on the basis of your offer. And if difficulties do arise despite all your efforts, your Professional Indemnity Insurance will cover you. In this way, everyone involved benefits and you create a solid basis for future collaboration.