Um, no.

In many cases, the prospect is either just fishing for information or is politely telling the sales person to take a hike. Writing a proposal for this prospect is a total waste of time. You're better off using the time to play Solitaire.

Rule #1: Write a proposal only after you and the prospect have agreed on all of the major details of the transaction or project.

If a prospect asks me for a proposal, I respond with:

Sure, what would you like to see in the proposal?

This focuses the conversation on what the prospect wants or needs with regard to their business objectives. I actually have no intention of writing a proposal. I explore the goals and scope of the project, the timing and the overall cost. If at this point, the prospect  is not firm about all of these details, then we have no basis for agreement (and therefore no reason for me to write a proposal.). I also find that it is far easier to help a prospect develop their requirements and expectations in person.

Rule #2: Get an answer regarding the budget.

Yes, it's a game. The prospect doesn't want to reveal their budget, fearing that you'll set your price based on that information rather than on the requirements of the project. You don't want to guess way outside their ballpark, fearing that you'll be dismissed as too cheap or too expensive.

So how can you effectively determine the budget for a prospect unwilling to divulge that information? We talked about this at our last Sales Acceleration teleconference...in short, there's two factors at play:

• If the prospect doesn't trust you enough to talk about money, you aren't going to win the business anyway.
• If the prospect isn't empowered to talk about money, you aren't talking to the right people.

If the prospect still wants to play the game, do a little "budget bracketing."

We recently did a project for a client where we did A, B, and C and delivered XYZ results. This project was in the $X-Y price range. For another client, we did D, E, and F, and delivered PDQ results. That project was in the $N-O price range. Which of these sounds like it's closer to your needs?

In doing this bracketing, the prospect will give you some guidance on which of the two budget ranges is closer to their reality and you can then confirm their actual budget.

Rule #3: Iron out all the details and offer to write a Statement of Work.

While you're talking with the prospect, sketch out the major components of the project and ask for confirmation or verbal agreement. If you have the right people in the room, remember that they're motivated to find a solution to their business problem. Once you've come to agreement on all of the major components of the project (goals, time frame, responsibilities, work to be performed or product to be delivered, and rough costs), then you can offer to confirm the agreement in your statement of work.

If you get pushback at this point, you have not gotten agreement on the major details. Go back and work through the issues. Also, this may be a danger sign. You may need to get "uncomfortable" and ask the prospect whether he or she is serious about doing the work at all.

A side note...

In some industries and in some countries, proposals are mandatory. If this is true for you, you will write a lot of proposals...but you can also "stack the deck" in your favor. In my experience, however, in the vast majority of instances in which proposals are requested, the business can be won more quickly and cost effectively by sidestepping the prospect's request.

Join us and get uncomfortable!

We host the weekly Sales Acceleration^TM teleconference every Friday at 12 PM (eastern time). The teleconferences offers 30 minutes of focused discussion and interaction on a key sales practice, issue or challenge, and is currently free for both Acelera Group clients and prospects.

This week, we're going to talk about getting "uncomfortable" and how that can help you in your selling process. To participate, please click here. If you've registered for a previous teleconference, there's no need to re-register. You'll get a reminder email on Friday morning prior to the teleconference.

And a brief blurb on our sales coaching practice...

Our goal is to empower clients to engage more powerfully with their existing clients, prospects and referral sources to build stronger, more profitable revenue streams. We work one-on-one with individual clients and with senior management teams to help them identify and achieve specific revenue and non- revenue goals. Ideal clients include senior company executives with selling responsibilities and individual senior sales people motivated to improve their performance.

Coaching is based on a three-part methodology that employs an intuitive process, a system of accountability and a suite of proven networking techniques. We help clients to distinguish real opportunities, to identify and disempower internal blocks, to leverage existing relationships, and to powerfully act on their most strategic and lucrative opportunities.

The coaching is compatible with (and significantly enhances) all traditional sales methodologies, including Miller-Heiman, Solution Selling, High Probability Selling, Sandler Sales and others.

If you're interested in learning more about this sales coaching practice and the impact it will have on your business, please call or email.