Name, company, role. Be specific — the offer must be built around their situation, not yours.
Product, service, or proposition — in plain language.
Not "they're leaving money on the table" — that's a claim. What specific, verifiable cost is their current approach generating? Capital locked up, productivity lost, risk carried, opportunity missed. Use numbers if you have them.
Features describe what you do. Outcomes describe what changes in their world. What specifically is different for them 90 days after they say yes? Be measurable and time-bounded.
The primary obstacle to any change is not cost — it is the risk of being wrong. What can you honestly offer to reduce or reverse that risk? Trial period, performance guarantee, penalty clause, pilot structure.
Not "let us know if you're interested" — that's abdication. One thing. Specific. Kind. Clear. What exactly are you asking them to agree to, and by when?
Most proposals fail on Element 1 — the status quo cost. If you don't have a real number, the offer is a template.
Calculating the status quo cost...