Have you ever had what seemed like a great sales conversation and had your prospect say, send me a proposal?
You then spend the next however long creating and sending it off. And then nothing. Silence, crickets. And you wonder what’s happened.
Unfortunately this is a pretty common scenario and here’s what I do when asked for a proposal.
Transcript
Have you ever had what seemed like a great sales conversation and had your prospect say, send me a proposal?
You then spend the next however long creating and sending it off. And then nothing. Silence, crickets. And you wonder what’s happened.
My name’s Rashid Kotwal.
Unfortunately this is a pretty common scenario and here’s what I do when asked for a proposal.
My first thought is are they really interested or is this a way of deferring a decision or politely fobbing me off.
So I say, I’m happy to do so, but would it make more sense if we worked on this together to ensure it meets your needs. How about I do some bullet points that cover what you want and the outcomes you get.
Then we can work on this to flesh it out and once we’ve agreed the best way forward, you can sign it off and we’ll proceed.
The key here is to get their involvement. If they’ve collaborated on the solution they’re far more likely to buy in and follow through.
And if they’re not willing to do so, ask yourself why. And seriously think about walking away.
Now assuming they agree, lay out who’s going to do what, decide on the next steps and get a commitment date to get it done by.
Make it an interactive process so everyone feels involved and having put in the effort don’t want to see it go to waste.
Will this always work? No. But it will significantly increase your chances of success.
One last point. Everything starts with your mindset. If you truly believe you’re adding value and your prospect will benefit from your solution have the business posture to confidently stand your ground and say this is how we’re going to proceed. Firm but never arrogant.
Your self confidence will go a long way to bringing your prospects with you.
Let me know in the comments below how you handle such situations.
Till next time, this is Rashid Kotwal.
