Don’t Write Proposals

A waste of time, that’s what a proposal is…IF you don’t have the following things in place first:

• An Executive Sponsor – Exec Sponsor Blog
• A specific problem that needs solving within 90 days
• A reason to stop using the current provider

Avoid proposals! Even when I have the above items, I still add a final check.

Here is what I say:

“I believe proposals are written confirmations with details of what has already been agreed too, so let’s determine what we are agreeing too, and then I will write it up for your review, edits and approval.”

Bold? Direct? Assumptive? – Sure, and it also gets me out of the game of be being brushed off by a proposal request. Real buyers don’t flinch at this. Explorers, the perpetually curious, 3-bid policy followers, and other time-wasters always balk. Buyers just smile and answer.