Cracking the Code: Why 99% of People’s Proposals Fall Flat

Sandra has been struggling to close deals for months which has severely affected her ability to pay her bills and take care of her family leaving her desperate for a breakthrough.

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She’s read a gazillion self-help books that helped her get some results but not enough to make the kind of money she needed.

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Luckily for her she’s been saving money and with her last dime she decides to invest in a sales training seminar in Miami, Florida hoping to learn the secrets of success from the gurus who claim to have made millions of dollars cold prospecting.

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Just so you know Sandra lives in the bustling city of Accra, Ghana.

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What a long way from home to go learn how to close more deals!

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The Seminar Spark

So, she arrives at the seminar, full of enthusiasm and optimism while listening attentively to the speakers, who talk about sales being just a numbers game.

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They say that the more calls you make, the more meetings you book, and the more proposals you send, the more likely you are to close deals.

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They show charts and graphs that prove their point, and they even tell stories and share testimonials of how they turned their lives and others around with this simple formula.

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In the moment, Sandra is impressed and inspired thinking to herself—this is it. This is what I have been missing.

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She carefully takes notes, asks questions, and networks with other attendees.

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She buys all the pertinent materials sold at the seminar grounds that she could afford, not skipping a beat.

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Eager Return and New Beginnings

The three-day seminar is over now, and she’s ready to go back to Accra, eager to apply all that she learned.

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Sandra gets back home, feeling confident and excited to start the new week hitting the ground running.

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It’s been her long-term dream to become the top salesperson in her company, earning the respect and recognition of her boss, colleagues, and family.

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She’s constantly thinking of the new life she would live with all this money coming in.

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The Mirage of Numbers?

It’s Monday morning; she’s up at 4 AM and in the office at 6 AM. She does her role-playing in preparation for making cold calls, following the script that the gurus gave her.

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She’s surprised by how many people answer the phone and agree to meet with her booking more meetings in one day than she used to do in a week.

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This leaves her with a rush of adrenaline and satisfaction thinking, “This is working. This is amazing.”

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She continues to make calls and book meetings for the rest of the week preparing presentations and proposals, following the guidelines that the gurus gave her.

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She is super confident that she can persuade her clients to buy her service, believing it’s the best solution for their needs.

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So, she does more presentations and sends more proposals in one month than she ever did in a year, making her proud of herself and all the work she has done in such a short amount of time.

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She believes she is a living miracle.

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This is definitely a game-changer.

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The Sales Reality Check

?But then something strange happens.

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She sends out all these proposals without a word back from any of her prospects.

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She tries to follow up with them, but they don’t answer her calls or emails.

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She wonders what is going on, thinking, “Maybe they are busy. Maybe they need more time. Maybe they are waiting for approval.”

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She tries to be patient and optimistic, believing it’s just a matter of time and things will turn around.

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But they don’t.

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Weeks go by, and still, no sale is closed.

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Then the panicking and doubting begins.

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Leaving her wondering, “What did I do wrong? What did I miss? How is this possible?”

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Leading her to review her notes and proposals, looking for any mistakes or flaws.

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But she can’t find any.

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She’s done everything right, according to the gurus. She followed their instructions to the letter. She worked harder and smarter than she ever had before.

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How could this be?

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From Proposals to Reviews

You see, what she didn’t realize is that sales are not just a numbers game.

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It’s not enough to make more calls, book more meetings, and send more proposals.?

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It’s not enough to follow a script, a chart, or a formula.

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It’s not enough to listen to the gurus, who may have different contexts, markets, and customers than you.?

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Sales is a human game. It’s about building relationships, trust, and value.

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It’s about understanding your clients, their needs, their problems, and their goals.

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It’s about finding out what they care about, what they fear, and what they desire.

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It’s about showing them how you can help them, not just telling them.

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It’s about creating a connection, a rapport, and a partnership.

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It’s about understanding where they are in the sales process.

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For any sale to be closed, your customers must have the financial capability to buy and a willingness to buy.

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There is no convincing anyone in sales.

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There is, of course, persuasion, but give up completely this notion of convincing anyone to buy.

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It will not happen, and even if it does happen in the odd times, you’d have been better off focusing that energy on those who were willing but on the fence about buying your solution.

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You don’t realize that just because clients ask to see proposals doesn’t mean they are ready to buy.

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A proposal is just a document, not a deal…

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It tells your clients what you can do for them, but not why they should choose you giving them information, but not emotion.

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You don’t realize that when you submit a proposal, you are entering a critical stage of the sales process.

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A stage where you need to be more involved, not less.

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A stage where you need to follow up, not wait.

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A stage where you need to review, not send.

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A stage where you need to close, not hope.

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Quality Over Quantity

You don’t realize that sending a proposal is not the end of the sales process but the beginning of the negotiation process and decision-making.

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A process where you need to be prepared, proactive, and persuasive.

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A process where you need to handle objections, questions, and concerns.

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A process where you need to demonstrate value, differentiation, and urgency.

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A process where you need to ask for the order, not wait for it.

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In many cases, the proposal is just the beginning of the sales process. It is the time when the actual decision-making begins in the minds of your prospects.

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And 97 percent of people will not buy from you the first time you ask them to.

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I’ve seen proposals come back full circle after a year because when the prospect asked for the proposal, he wasn’t anywhere close to pulling the trigger. To him, it was just a plan in his mind, and there was literally nothing I could do to close the deal at the time.

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You see, you don’t realize that sales is not a numbers game but a results game with the understanding that quality matters more than quantity.

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Basically, a game where actions matter more than words and outcomes matter more than activities.

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I hope you know that words don’t pay the bills.

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The Review Magic

?At our office, we know this fully well.

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We don’t care too much about how many proposals are sent out.

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What we care more about is how many clients do proposal reviews with us.

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The truth is, we know that if we can’t get our clients on the phone or in person to do a review with us, we have absolutely no chance of closing them.

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Just think about it, if you can get your prospects to do a review with you, the chances are you are pretty close to closing the deal.

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That engagement seemingly insignificant (the proposal review) is where the magic actually happens.

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But wait a minute, I know what you’re thinking.

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You’re probably saying to yourself right now, “But Chris, these people are smart they understand everything in the proposal. It’s plain English!”

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And believe me, I get where you’re coming from. But the review is where you handle the objections and get them over the fence.

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You can show them why you are the best choice for them.

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You can easily overcome their objections and address their concerns.

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You can create urgency and excitement.

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You can we ask for the order and actually get it.

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So, the next time you are tempted to send a proposal and hope for the best, think again.

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I want you to think of Sandra, who learned the hard way that sales is not just a numbers game.

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I want you to think of me, who learned the hard and smart way that sales is more of a human game.

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I want you to think of your clients, who deserve more than just a document.

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I want you to think of yourself as someone who deserves more than hopes and dreams.

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Don’t just send a proposal. Do a review. And close the deal.

This is Christopher Njokanma, signing off.

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Every week, I stay committed to providing value for you. Remember, my daring reader, to Like, Comment, and Share this article, for it might be the boost someone needs to close more deals. Stay tuned for more awe-inspiring insights and discoveries in the captivating world of unconventional success.

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Christopher is the President @ Cloud 98 - We power your brand's growth by harmonizing content and conversion.