Never Write a Proposal Again
April 15th, 2008by Shama Hyder
Yes, this defies conventional wisdom. But it also saves an immense amount of time and weeds out prospects who aren’t serious. How do you go about doing this?
1) Redefine Proposal- Alan Weiss, super consultant, says "Proposals are meant to be a summation, not an exploration." If a client asks for a proposal, use this quote! Tell them you will be happy to provide a document summing up items already discussed, but don’t see the need for a full proposal. I have never had a client ask for more.
2) Submit a 1 page Summary Instead- Swap proposals for one page summaries. You can do it in bullet points. Just be sure to include objectives, price points, and a list of deliverables. You will never go back to doing proposals again.
3) Don’t use a proposal to sell- This is key when it comes to getting away with doing proposals. Don’t use them as a selling tool. This is worth repeating: Don’t use proposals as a selling tool. Sell over the phone or in person and then use a one page summary to recap the sealed deal.
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