Why Your Proposals Aren’t Working (And What to Fix First)

Scott Greening: I want people to understand that surprises are good. But not when it comes to proposals.

Brooke Greening: if we get the problem wrong, everything’s gonna start falling apart.

So many times we want to try to add value, but it is actually causing them to devalue us in their mind because it is not connected to what we were talking about.

your proposal should not be doing the selling for you. It should be a reflection of the sales conversation you just had.

there should not be any surprises and there should not be anything that we are trying for our proposal to sell to them that we have not talked to them first.

Scott Greening: Welcome to another episode of Sippin’ Matcha and Helping You Make More Sales. Where Brooke Greening our sales trainer, provides some great sales advice to questions that she’s gotten either through her coaching or that you’ve submitted at buildingmomentum.info/matcha. Let’s bring Brooke in for today’s question.

How are we doing? Brooke,

Brooke Greening: we’re doing great. How are you, Scott? Enjoying your two week vacation?

Scott Greening: Yes, I am currently on a little bit of a vacation, which I’m thankful for. I had a good nap yesterday and now we’re recording some podcast episodes also. Mm-hmm. Just the joys of technical issues.

Brooke Greening: I know.

Last week we were, we did our webinar for the first time, which was our masterclass, which was super, super fun. It’s been taking like months and months to get to that point. And then we were ready. This is the same platform that we use every week for our podcasting. ’cause I had specifically said, I don’t want surprises, which Right.

We’re talking about. And then,

Scott Greening: then we go, oh, foreshadowing, sneaky, sneaky. Yes, we, long story short, we forgot the old IT trick of unplug it and plug it back in. Mm-hmm. So Brooks mic had stopped working, but as you can hear, yeah. Her lovely vocal tones, everything is good right now, so let’s, yes. But we

Brooke Greening: had to like punt last week. Yes. Literally like we were a little late for the masterclass and I was like, oh man, how did that happen? Right. And because

Scott Greening: It’s winter and where we punted was a different computer that didn’t have all the fancy lighting. I was like, you are getting darker and darker. I was wondering if by the end of it, you were gonna be like a disembodied voice coming from the darkness.

Brooke Greening: I’m that way anyways, so it’s fine.

Scott Greening: Let’s talk about proposals today. So you’ve been having a lot of conversations with some different people recently on the issue of proposals. And basically the question is, and I think we’re gonna probably do a few episodes on this. But, why aren’t my proposals working?

Why aren’t my proposals working? Part one? So this is, this is what we’re talking about today.

Brooke Greening: It is what we’re talking about today. And what is interesting is I have. I have written many proposals. Now I help my clients. So I’ve encountered hundreds of proposals at this point. But before we started our own business, I did not like, that was not a part of our training.

That was not a part of what we did. So proposals were a new thing to me. Five years ago, and then when I got certified through StoryBrand, that is when we started learning more about proposals, how to be able to write them effectively, how to be able to use them. But today what we’re talking about is why they’re not working specifically when it’s connected to the sales conversations that we’re having.

And so I’m excited to be able to talk about it today because I want people to understand that surprises are good. But not when it comes to proposals. If you have surprises in your proposals, then that is probably one of the reasons and one of the main reasons they are not working. Meaning we’re not making sales or we’re being ghosted, or it’s just taking a really long time to move things forward.

Scott Greening: Alright, so one of the major reasons why proposals aren’t working is because they include surprises. Mm-hmm. What type of surprises are you, are you talking about you use surprising fonts? There’s what? No, no. We’re gonna

Brooke Greening: talk,

Scott Greening: go ahead. We’re gonna talk about three

Brooke Greening: of them. So the three are that there’s, they’re coming up with different problems in their proposal.

So what we’ve talked about is now different than what we’re talking about in the proposal. There are different solutions that we’re offering than what we had talked about during our sales conversation, or there’s a different investment that’s happening that’s being discussed. That’s a surprise. This is, this is what it’s going to cost you.

Those are three things. Those are the three surprises we do not want in our proposals, and they are absolutely affecting our sales.

Scott Greening: Right. And I know like in your mind it’s hard to separate out these three things ’cause they’re really kind of intricately tied together often. But let’s try to do that without breaking, take a big gulp of matcha without, without breaking Brooke’s Brain.

Let’s see if we can do that. So let’s first talk about, you said the first type of surprise is that there’s a different. Problem that’s talked about different than what? What are we talking about there?

Brooke Greening: Yeah, so this came up I’ve heard this example actually many times, and one of the clients I was talking with recently, they were sharing, we were working through our service sales framework, and one of those pieces is an R recognizing the problem.

And I always share with them, if we get the problem wrong, everything’s gonna start falling apart. And so they were talking about how when they were in the sales conversation, they were talking about things, but they were beginning to realize there could be other problems that are going on. So just as an example, someone could say, Hey, I want a website.

But someone might feel like, okay, but actually the problem is in regards to some of the messaging related to that website, some of the collateral that your sales team is using for that website, and so then they’re seeing a bigger picture. There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeing that. But what I shared with them and what I’m sharing today is that you cannot surprise people with that in the proposal if you are going to offer a, if they’re talking about one problem and their problem is saying, I want a website, or their problem is saying, I want help in my accounting, or their problem is, whatever the case may be I need a business coach, but we’re realizing they have other problems. The time to start talking about that is not in the proposal, it’s in that sales conversation. We want to make sure that everything that is in the proposal is a reflection and has been approved before it goes.

We don’t want it to be a surprise. We don’t wanna be like, oh, but have you considered this? Because that gets dangerous.

Scott Greening: Yeah. And sometimes because the sales person or the service provider or whoever is typically the expert or knows more about the products and that you can start to fill in and make and you’re like, oh, I understand what’s really behind this.

Yes, they need a website, but, oh first and more foundationally, they need messaging. And then instead of talking about that on your sales call, you just throw that in and talk about how they have a problem with messaging. And then either somebody’s confused or they take it personally or you know, ’cause you just, you haven’t talked about it.

Brooke Greening: Yes. So let me be clear. There is nothing wrong with knowing that there are other things that are going on with your potential client and that you’re wanting to help them with, that continues to bring more value to them. That in regard, that usually means in regards that we’re able to charge more. I am not arguing that

at all in any way, shape or form. I am just saying we don’t let the proposal do the heavy lifting of that. We have to have those conversations and have it confirmed before we put it in a proposal. Because what will happen and what has happened is people will either say or they will respond. That’s not what I’m looking for.

I don’t see the connection and move on. Right. And then we lose the sale.

Scott Greening: All right, so that’s the problem. Then the next one was the solution, and you started, began to transition. And again, obviously problem and solution are very connected, but explain what you mean by surprising someone with a different solution.

Brooke Greening: This goes back to where we’re really hoping that the proposal will do the heavy lifting for us instead of us being able to share what we can do to be able to help. There is nothing wrong in sharing other ways that you can be able to support your client. That is not a problem at all. There’s nothing wrong in regards to doing like good, better, best when we start talking about our proposals, but what you want to do is you always want to reinforce I hear you, I know what you were looking for. And so qualifying that, so sometimes in our proposals it will be a good, better, best because we’re helping them to see the different ways that they could work with us. But I’m also very conscious to make sure that I’m circling the one that we actually talked about and pointing that out that this is the one that we were thinking would be the best fit.

It’s not wrong to show them different options, but if you show them different options and you’re not really, uh. Centering back on what they shared with you. That’s when they can start to feel like, did you listen to me? Did you understand what I was saying? So many times we want to try to add value, but it is actually causing them to devalue us in their mind because it is not connected to what we were talking about.

And so the biggest piece. If we’re having like our, you know, our soundbites or whatnot for this podcast is that your proposal should not be doing the selling for you. It should be a reflection of the sales conversation you just had. If you are having a one-on-one sales conversation, and I’m talking about these higher ticket items.

I’m not talking about something that they can just grab online. I’m talking about where you’re gonna talk to them, you’re gonna be working with them. Then you need to be having those conversations. So maybe you have another conversation to make sure everything is ironed out before the proposal goes out.

But there should not be any surprises and there should not be anything that we are trying for our proposal to sell to them that we have not talked to them first.

Scott Greening: All right. So for a lot of people that’s,

Brooke Greening: I’m so

Scott Greening: peppy today for a lot of people that, but

it’s so true.

Yeah. A lot of people they do that and they’ve had a discovery call, right?

Mm-hmm. And so they think, oh, on this discovery call, I’m just trying to find out what the customer, the potential client’s issues are, and then the proposal is when I start to communicate my part of it. And you would say, not such a great idea. And that’s probably a reason why your proposals aren’t working.

Brooke Greening: Yeah. Part of what I do when I’m working with my clients is we are literally looking at their proposals and we’re listening to the sales conversations that they’re having, and they are realizing as I’m coaching them, oh, this is where we missed it. This is where. This is where they actually said, I don’t see where this connects to it.

So when they were trying to be helpful and they were trying to be able to share, these are all the things that we can be able to do. It backfired on them. And so, I’ve worked with a lot of, in regards to like agency consultants and coaches and all of that, and I’ve worked in IT and different things like that.

So I am not saying, it’s not necessarily a complicated process. I’m not saying that at all, but I am saying by the time the proposal goes out, there should be no surprises in regards to what that’s going to look like, because if there is, now we have a problem because now we’re not there as they’re reviewing it.

To be able to explain things.

Scott Greening: Yeah. And so that, that includes then what the last category of surprises is like there shouldn’t be a different investment.

Brooke Greening: No, no, no, no, no, no. So what can happen, and this happens pretty common actually, is that people will have those sales conversations, they’ll have those discovery calls, and they’re really truly interested in wanting to be able to know how to help.

And then they say something in regards to okay, I’ll send you a proposal and we can kind of, you know, we’ll review it, blah, blah, blah, blah. But what’s happening is they have never actually given them any idea of what that investment is going to look like. And that is where I would say that’s a big miss because we do not want the proposal to be the first time that they see what that investment could be.

I am not telling you that you have to have it exactly right. I am not telling you that it has to be by the dollar, but I believe, and what I encourage all of my clients is if someone is taking the time to talk to me face to face, the least I can do is make sure that they understand a ballpark of what it would look like to work with me.

I don’t want them to have to get onto another call to have any idea what that would look like. And so what happens is when you are following that process, you are going to send less proposals, but you’re going to make more sales because now you are sending proposals to those who are really interested and who are able to be able to think about and afford what you’re going to be offering.

And so you can’t bring the price in just at the proposal. That’s not a good idea.

Scott Greening: Yeah, and I know kind of a dirty little secret that you often talk about with people is

Brooke Greening: oh, thanks. Sometimes,

Scott Greening: sometimes people get excited ’cause, oh, I sent a proposal out. But a lot of times for customers and clients, if you haven’t talked about price, if you haven’t been specific about it and they say, yeah, send me a proposal, that can be just sort of a polite way of them saying, no thanks,

Brooke Greening: it’s but they, it’s a polite way of them saying no.

Scott Greening: Yeah,

Brooke Greening: it’s truly, and people think they ask for my proposal and then they spend time on it and then they’re frustrated and understandably so, because we only have limited time. And that’s what I’m saying, if someone says, send me a proposal, that’s not exactly a buying signal.

That could be them just being like, okay, let’s move on.

Scott Greening: Alright, so you gave us, and so I just

Brooke Greening: wanna encourage. Talk about the price.

Scott Greening: You gave us three big surprises that we need to avoid. So don’t mm-hmm. Have a different problem in your proposal. Don’t have a different solution, and then don’t have a drastically different investment or most common, don’t let the proposal be the first time. Right. That, that you’re seeing that and even like I was thinking about like roofers or landscaping or something like, sometimes they have Hey, based on the square footage, this is the typical thing. And then yeah, like you go back and you do the math and you’re like, oh, they have this amount.

And so then the customer can do that math themselves and be like, oh, they’re in line with what they said it would be. Right. You maybe didn’t get the exact price of that. So why, you’ve kind of woven a few things in there, but why are surprises bad?

Brooke Greening: Because one, you’re gonna start losing their trust.

Sometimes when we try so hard to be able to be so thorough and we wanna be able to share all the things that we can do, that can start to devalue ’cause it makes them think well, were you listening to what I said? Did you understand what I needed? They need to see, like what I shared with you and what I talked to you face to face is now exactly what we’re gonna be seeing in writing.

They need to see that direct connection or trust is gonna start to erode. ’cause they’re already kind of hesitant anyways. ’cause I so many times, if I wanna remind our clients that they themselves are doing a great job, they’re good humans. They’re doing their best. Everybody makes a mistake, but they really try to make sure that they can do everything that they’ve told their client they’re going to do.

But if someone’s talking to you, they’re doing that either because, one, they didn’t have a great experience, or two, maybe they’re brand new, but they’ve heard other people who’ve had bad experiences. Everybody is guarded when it’s coming into talking with you, and so you just wanna make sure. What you say is what’s going to be reflected in what you’re writing.

And I don’t want you to get scared and be like, well, that’s why I don’t give the price. We can just share, Hey, I’m just giving you an idea. ’cause I think that’s important for you to be able to know if you wanna be able to move forward. This proposal will break it down specifically so that you can see exactly what it is that we’re able to offer.

You have to be able to do that. So it, it does the trust and then also, the big thing is if they’re looking at their proposal, and we could talk about this for a whole nother episode that I would never recommend just sending it out. We want a date and time connected to it so that we can review it with them in person.

But even if you’re reviewing it with them in person, but then they’re getting it earlier, they’re not gonna be able to ask questions. So all of the assumptions start coming up. So if you surprise them in those three areas. If the trust is beginning to erode, then it’s really hard for them and you’re not there to be able to help answer the questions and to lead that conversation.

And then the other thing is just surprises Don’t usually end in sales. Just when you’re writing your proposal, when you’re figuring it out, just ask yourself. Are there any surprises in this? Because if there is, I wanna make sure I can take them out because surprises don’t equal sales.

Scott Greening: All right, so I think that’s the mic drop moment there.

So why are my proposals not working? It may be because you have surprises. And surprises don’t equal sales. So we will, we’re gonna come back to this in future episodes and talk about some other problem areas with proposals on that. They are a big part of a lot of people’s businesses and that, and so it is part of a good sales cycle in a lot of cases.

But there’s some ways to do it and some definite ways to not. So, if you found this episode helpful, encouraging, entertaining any of those things we’d love it if you like it, if you share it, if you subscribe, if you follow if you buy billboards and present it or whatever the case is.

No, we’d love to, to hear from you, to interact and sharing is caring. So, until the next cup of matcha, here’s to making more sales.

Brooke Greening: Bye-bye.