Before reading further, you must believe that that there is an advantage to you and to your customer to be able to present your proposal in person. If you buy into this concept, then keep reading…
I think most people agree that delivering and explaining a proposal in person is much better than simply emailing it. However, convincing a busy customer to give you time can be a challenge. There is no silver bullet, but we do have a multi-step method that will incrementally increase your chances of securing a proposal presentation appointment.
- When agreeing to create a proposal, ask for an appointment to review it. Assume that this is their intent, also. Simply say: “I can have this completed next week. Can you meet next Thursday morning to review? It should take about 30 minutes.” Don’t say anything like: “It won’t take long – 30 minutes max.” The former statement simply tells them the time needed, while the latter is assuming the role of convincer, as though you’re not worth the time and it “won’t take long”.
- If they say no, a day or two before completing the proposal, ask something like: “I’ll have the proposal done in the next day or two. Does next Wednesday at 9:30 work to run through it?”
- If they still say no, try one more time after completing the proposal. This time, try for a virtual delivery. “I’m doing a final proof of the proposal. I know you’re busy, so let’s jump on a Zoom call for 15 minutes to review. There are a couple of things I want to show you.”
- If they still say no, then ask them when you can follow-up with them.
- If they don’t commit to a follow-up within a few hours or a day, then email it. In the text of your email, be as courteous as possible. Don’t illustrate any frustration for them not committing to a time.
An alternative to Step 5 is to hold it until they commit to a time. If you can receive the backing of your company, then this is a fantastic technique. One of our clients has a policy of not allowing their salespeople to deliver proposals unless they schedule time with the customer. Guess what? They still deliver and present a ton of proposals because they position this policy from the beginning.
The five steps above may not offer a 100% success rate, but they will deliver a much higher success rate than not doing them!
