The Proposal Dilemma: E-Mail, Phone or In Person?

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With established customers who already love you, it’s perfectly fine to e-mail proposals. They’ll take your call later and discuss them. But with prospects, it’s a crapshoot whether you’ll hear from them again. So although you want to be accommodating with a new prospect, this is a time to push back.

A Trust-Building Opportunity

Look at proposals as another opportunity for you to get in front of new prospects and continue establishing trust and building the relationship.

If your sell cycle isn’t naturally long, as it can be with many software solutions, your bond with a new prospect is still fragile. Presenting a price can break the delicate relationship you’ve worked so hard to build.

You need to be there in person to:

Push Back

Without this personal conversation, you have no way of knowing if they’ll remember your previous discussions and jump to incorrect conclusions. So when your prospect requests that you “just e-mail me the proposal,” push back. Here’s how you might respond:

“Ted, I’d like to be able to step you through the proposal. We’ve discussed a number of different issues and possible solutions. I want to be sure you fully understand our recommendations and we have time to discuss where we might need to make adjustments.  Let’s go ahead and set an appointment to do that for you.”

Taking time to meet with your customer and review a proposal continues the relationship-building. You have the chance to discuss it fully and identify areas of concern. If your prospect disagrees with part of it, you’re right there to explain your rationale or suggest changes.

Face to Face or Phone?

Now let me clarify what I mean by presenting the proposal in person. You don’t actually have to be on site with the customer if you typically sell over the phone or if distance is an issue. What’s critical is that you review it together, voice to voice. If you aren’t going to be on site, e-mail the proposal 10 minutes before the meeting. Better yet, use screen sharing to review it and e-mail it after you’re already on the phone. If you have video capability, use that, too.

These strategies will continue trust and relationship-building with your new prospects. At the end of the meeting you can close the sale or determine the appropriate next steps. No more proposals hanging in limbo or lost prospects.

Kendra Lee is a top IT Seller, Prospect Attraction Expert and author of the award winning book, “Selling Against the Goal,” and president of KLA Group. Specializing in the IT industry, KLA Group works with companies to break in and exceed revenue objectives in the Small and Midmarket Business (SMB) segment.