The Proposal Confirms, It Never Surprises
Send a proposal only to confirm what you have already agreed in conversation, including the price; never use it to introduce the price or the plan.
Common advice in consultative selling books; no studies.
Why it works
A proposal read alone, without you, invites the buyer to judge on price. When every line has already been agreed out loud, the document becomes a formality.
How to do it
- Before writing, check: have we agreed the problem, the goal, the plan and the fee range?
- Keep it to one or two pages.
- Use their words for the situation and the goal.
- Include three options, payment terms and a validity date.
- Send it within 24 hours and book a time to walk through it.
What to say
Before I write this up, can I check we agree on three things: the roles, the timeline, and the fee range?
Nothing in this will be new to you. It's what we discussed today, in writing.
Avoid
Sending a long proposal after the first meeting to look serious. It is usually the first time they see the price, and it ends the talk.
Example
Instead of a twelve-page deck, Anjali sent a Nagpur orange processor a one-page proposal that used the plant head's own phrase: no more shift gaps in season. He signed it in the same meeting where she walked him through it.
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