What if you never wrote another proposal? Outlandish statement? Maybe not.
Most people are anxious to get a proposal in front of their prospect as soon as possible. After all, the sooner we ask them to buy something, the sooner we will get an answer right? Correct. You WILL get an answer sooner when you ask a prospect to buy sooner. So, why not crank out those proposals?
Here’s why:
The quick answer you get is far more likely to be “no” or a “Let me think about it.” Which you know eventually winds down into a “no." A woodpecker bangs its head against a tree a thousand times a minute. Is that how you see yourself?
So, what about this?
What if by the time you presented your proposal, you and the prospect had already confirmed that you are working on the right needs? Needs that warrant attention and a solution sooner rather than later?
What if you ran several ideas and approaches by the prospect and they actually helped you build out the idea?
What if you talked in advance of a price range for the solution you propose to bring so they would not be surprised by the dollar amount?
What if you began to discuss implementation before you even wrote a proposal so the prospect would help you clear out obstacles and they would know what to expect?
What if the proposal was merely a document that summarized the process to date and what it will take to get the solution in place?
If you want to spend less time writing ultimately futile proposals, then use a proposal that writes itself–the one you and the prospect essentially co-authored–the one that contains no surprises at all. Ironically, slowing down the proposal actually speeds up the sales process. Try it. You will spend less time writing futile proposals and more time hearing “yes.”