You’ve spent several hours writing a sales proposal, making sure you’ve articulated the most compelling benefits of your product or service, and sent it off to the prospect.
One day goes by. No response. Two days. Same thing. Three days. Crickets.
You follow up a week later. But still, no response. No feedback.
Was our price too high? Did the scope not match requirements? Where do we stand?
It’s impossible to get answers to these questions when the prospect goes silent. And such answers would be invaluable to help you adjust and refine your proposals to improve your sales conversion ratios in the future.
So, what can you do to motivate a response?
Here’s an approach that has worked very well for me. I developed and refined it as a nationally ranked corporate fleet sales rep for a General Motors dealer – and now use it to grow my freelance writing business and help clients convert more of their sales proposals into new revenue.
The “Let’s confirm” close
At the end of an email that includes the sales proposal (either as an attachment or, if appropriate, in the body of the email), I close with this question:
Let’s confirm: Do the scope and terms match what you're looking to accomplish? Or do we need to make adjustments?
Why this question works
- It does not put the prospect on the spot to make a buying decision right then and there. In a sense, you’re taking the pressure off the prospect by “confirming the order” before you proceed to the next step in the sales process. As a result, the prospect is less defensive about your offer, and more likely to respond to your request and continue the sale.
- If the scope indeed matches your prospect’s expectations (and the price and terms are agreeable), the prospect will likely reply, “Looks great. When can we start?”
- If, for any reason, the price exceeds the prospect’s budget, she may say, “I like the scope but our budget is only $500. We just can’t do $800.” Now, at least you have a dialogue to keep the sales process going. You can respond with something along the lines of, “Understand completely. How about I look for areas where we can adjust scope and scale our services to still provide you with substantial value, but to fit within your budget. Would you be open to that?”
You accomplish two objectives with this response:
- Instead of simply cutting your price to meet a budget number, you’ve preserved the value of your service.
- You’ve positioned yourself (and your company), not as a transaction-seeking sales person, but as a trusted partner looking to create a win-win agreement.
What happens if the prospect does not respond to my initial email?
If, for any reason, you don't receive a response within a reasonable amount of time, send a follow up email along the lines of, “Hi ____, Just a quick email to check in and make sure you’re taken care of … Do you still need [whatever service you’re offering] or have you found someone to take care of this for you?” This approach almost always gives you some form of feedback from the prospect. He may still have a need and wants to continue dialogue with you but has been extremely busy. Or, he may be spooked by the price and say, “I’m not sure we have the budget to do this right now.” Or, “We decided to go with so-and-so.” At any rate, you’re getting valuable feedback on where you stand.
What about you?
How do you close your sales proposals? What works for you in motivating response? Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below!
About the Author: Sean M. Lyden is a nationally recognized feature writer and columnist on sales, marketing, automotive and technology topics. As a ghostwriter and copywriter, Sean has served clients such as General Motors, SunTrust Service Corporation, Morgan Stanley, Embedded Linux Consortium and Shaw Industries. He’s also co-author of the book How to Succeed and Make Money on Your First Rental House (Wiley, 2003). Follow Sean on Twitter.
© Sean M. Lyden, 2011, All Rights Reserved
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