If you have worked with me or attend my sales training courses, you know I mention this whenever I get the chance. To drastically reduce chasing prospects and customers after sending them a quote or proposal is to book the next step BEFORE you agree to write the proposal or send a quote.
Most salespeople fail to do this consistently and it’s one of the easiest ways to improve our proposal or quote to deal win rate. We can spend a lot of time training people on how to close the deal at the end of the process but we often miss the simple act of closing the smaller steps in our process.
Too many people invest many hours writing proposals for people they will never talk to again.
– Shane Gibson
The key is to get the commitment on the next step before we finish the one we are on. Before I write a proposal to a client, I book the proposal review meeting if at all possible. I get the commitment on the next meeting before I start writing or send the proposal.
This ensures that they’re as committed to the process as me, and it also ensures we don’t waste time playing telephone tag or going back and forth with emails.
If you make this one thing a discipline in your sales process you will see your proposal to deal ratio improve almost immediately. This one tactic can improve your sales closing ratios.
This is especially vital when we are focused on closing large deals or in enterprise sales. These deals tend to take longer and require a ton of follow-up, they can take forever to close if we don’t lock in the next steps with our clients and prospects.
One final thought, if the prospect wants a proposal but won’t commit to meeting again… it’s often a sign they’re not qualified to buy or make a decision. It’s okay not to write the proposal as well.
