Have you ever had a potential client ask you to write a proposal or give a presentation only to respond with "Thank you for doing this and we'll get back to you at some time in the future if we decide to do something"? All that wasted time for nothing.
If only you'd known they were going to say that before you wasted all that time writing the proposal. If you knew they were going to say this, would you have written the proposal? So how do you find out what they are going to say? The way to find out what they are going to say after you have given them your proposal is to ask them the 'magic question' before you have spent time and money preparing the proposal. Simple really.
The 'magic question' is magical for two reasons. It's magical as it transports you both into the future (to the time when they have received the proposal you have yet to write) and it's also magical because much of the need for writing the proposal will vanish after you have asked this question.
So what is this 'magic question'?
When someone asks you to write a proposal (or give a presentation), just reply with this question "Imagine that you've read my proposal and, without doubt, the solution proposed is a perfect fit for what you want then what will happen next?"
Let's suppose that the response to your 'magic question' was one of the following:
"I would then discuss it with my manager (partner, etc.) to see if they want to move ahead."
"We'd need to assess it along with everything else we are doing right now and decide on our priorities."
"I'd need to make sure that the costs are within our budget."
These answers will have identified to you that writing a proposal is not really the next best step and may, in fact, not be necessary at all. So for the time being at least, the need for writing a proposal has vanished (magical!).
With the above examples instead of spending your time and money writing a proposal, the best next steps could be:
- Meeting with the manager (partner) as they appear to be involved in the decision making process. Who else is?
- To ask a lot more questions to find a compelling reason for why they should solve this problem now. If you can't find a compelling reason, chances are high they won't be doing anything.
- To discuss your pricing range to confirm it is within their budget.
Depending on the outcome of these next steps, it may become obvious that this is not a qualified prospect or that you to need to meet with more people and ask a lot more questions before writing a proposal.
Make it a rule that you only write proposals if you know in advance what they are going to say after they have read your proposal and are happy with the solution you are proposing. Only write proposals if you are satisfied with this answer and you know that writing a proposal is therefore the next best step for them to become your client.
(c) 2007, Tessa Stowe, Sales Conversation. WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEBSITE? Yes, you can, provided you make all links live and include this copyright and by-line below.
Don't Write That Proposal Until You Ask The 'Magic Question" - To learn more about this author, visit Tessa Stowe's Website.
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Tessa Stowe
(Visit Tessa's Website)
I teach small businesses owners and
recovering salespeople 10 simple steps to
turn conversations into clients without
being sales-y or pushy.
I've appeared on numerous radio shows and
am a regular teleseminar guest speaker. My
articles are published regularly on
countless sites on the Web as well as in
offline magazines such as Sales & Service
Excellence and Choice Magazine.
I got my first sales job was via the
Yellow Pages! I was working in South
Africa for a computer company. I wanted to
move into sales and my company said no. So
I got out the Yellow Pages, looked up
computer companies, and started ringing
them and asking to speak to the CEOs.
When I got to the S's I actually got
through to a CEO. He hired me within 30
minutes of being interviewed.
I have 20+ years of successful experience
in selling. The sales I have made have
ranged from a few hundred dollars to over
US$10 million. The biggest compliment I
receive is that I do not act like or seem
like a salesperson. Selling is not about
selling. It is about being a facilitator
and helping people solve their problems.
You can read more articles and join my
free monthly e-zine at w
ww.SalesConversation.com
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