Why you can get ignored when you send a proposal

by Davina Schonle | Aug 26, 2021 | Business

Four little words that we think can change our businesses and lives and what we often long to hear from a corporate contact we are meeting with…”Send me a proposal”. Sometimes we ignore some red flags we have spotted… Because we want it to be real. We want the opportunity.

Now, we don’t want to take away the excitement and promise of hearing those words but sometimes it’s not what it is all cracked up to be.

We are so eager to hear these four little words that sometimes we ignore the red flags. It’s like the early days of dating. You’re hopeful… you’re optimistic…you want this to be the ONE. The one that gives you your vision of the future and makes it a reality. What you have been working towards all these years. All those frogs and wasted time.

Then they disappear off the planet.

You thought it was a great fit, there was a connection, there was laughter, you added value, you asked questions, you were engaged with them. They were engaged with you. Then nothing.  Doesn’t feel great, does it? Unfortunately, it happens. Sometimes those four little words are not what we should be aiming for. First, you need to understand why so that you can be prepared not to get your hopes up.

There are other reasons why corporates will ask you for a proposal and it is not because they are buying.

Here are some of those reasons:

You have uncovered a need they didn’t realise they had

By having a conversation with an expert like yourself you may have uncovered a problem they didn’t realise they had. Therefore they may be interested in a proposal to scope out what it would take to resolve but if it’s a problem they have been able to ignore for so long… why is it urgent to fix it now?

It’s on their agenda but it is on the long term to-do list

How many of us have a ‘some day’ list. Well, it’s exactly the same for leaders in corporates. They want to solve everything at once but they know it doesn’t happen. But by engaging every now and then in discussing this makes them feel they are making a little progress. It also helps them form the options over time.

They are benchmarking for next year’s budget 

The average budget process is done about 6-8 months in advance of the next year (depending on the industry, company etc) but how can they include it in the budget for approval if they don’t know how much it will cost. This is why asking what timeframe they are looking at is important.

They want something tangible to have an informed discussion 

Often it makes sense for a corporate leader to explore options before an idea is even brought to the table. If they push forward an idea without some backbone to it they will look stupid.

They are looking for other alternatives

Your biggest competitor is not the person down the road… it is the status quo. This is them doing nothing. But that doesn’t mean they won’t look to see what options are out there.

They are considering a change

They could be exploring options for a new partner who either costs less or can provide them with better results. Sometimes their current provider is unable to deliver what they want.

They were already talking to someone when you came on the scene and are now looking for comparisons of offers

Sometimes another company or expert has already started having conversations with them about solutions and so you turn up in the nick of time to put your options forward.

They are benchmarking a quote and solution they already have

How do they know a quote is reasonable unless they know what the market rates are? They will often get questioned on costs so they need to be able to justify it.

It’s high on their agenda and they are proactively looking for solutions

This means there is a concrete opportunity but it also could mean competition. This is why being in strategic alignment with what they are doing in the long term is key.

To get rid of you!

This is what happens when you jump in with a sale. It’s about actually being quite selective and only sending in proposals that they actually want, when they want it, it’s about building those relationships and having those conversations with them.

Here are Top 5 Things you can find out during the process that will help you:

1. Find out timeframes
2. Has a budget been identified
3. How does this fit in with their goals
4. How urgent is it for them and define urgency
5. Explore the impact of them not resolving this now

The BIGGEST tip of them all is that the proposal should not be new ideas for them when it lands on their doorstep. It should be an overview covering what you have already discussed with them and had them involved in creating the solution that they want. This is consultative sales which we will expand on in future and it’s what works best when selling services into corporates.

In a future blog, we will also talk about the difference between a pitch and a proposal.