Spent 2 years writing 200-page marketing proposals. A client finally told me nobody reads past page 3.

I used to pride myself on these thick proposals with market research, buyer personas, full campaign timelines, budget breakdowns, the works. Took me 3 full days per big client. Then at a networking event in Columbus last month, a guy who runs a local HVAC company flat out said 'I stop reading after the first 2 pages. If you can't sell me on the idea quick, I move on.' It hit me that all those hours I spent on details were for nothing. Now I'm trying to trim everything down to a 3-page max. But part of me worries that without the depth, I'll come across as unprepared. Anyone else struggle with knowing how much detail is actually needed versus what we think is needed?

3 comments

3 Comments

reese_lee99d ago

Does evahenderson's point about an appendix actually work in practice though, or do clients just forget the appendix even exists and never look at it?

evahenderson9d ago

You mentioned 'if you can't sell me on the idea quick, I move on' and I think that's totally fair in a lot of cases. I used to feel the same way until I realized the real trick is just putting your strongest points right up front and leaving the deep stuff as an appendix. The guys who actually want that level of detail will ask, and you can drop it on them then.

paulw539d ago

Haven't you found that burying the details upfront loses people before you even get to your main point?