How to STOP Writing Proposals That Don't Sell
Sales. It can be a heartbreaker. (Queue sad song.)
Sales can be frustrating, am I right? You pitch and pitch and pitch and often come out empty handed. But why?
You’re a valuable professional with tons of experience under your belt. Why is nothing working?
DATING, PROPOSALS, and MARRIAGE
Let me ask you, would you ask someone out on a date who is already married? Would you show up to their door and profess your love? Likely not. So why do you keep trying to sell to people who just aren’t on the market, then wonder why they’re not buying what you’re selling?
Before you get down on one knee, here are 3 things you can do to quickly determine if someone is interested to avoid unnecessary heartbreak:
- Determine their need or desire to solve the problem you can solve
- Determine if they have the means to pay to have it solved
- Determine the cost to them of NOT having it solved
For many, need is pretty easy to determine. For example, if you’re a personal trainer and someone says they’d do anything to get in shape by the summer, you know they have a need or a desire to do it.
But, how do you know if they have the means? This is always a tricky one. You could ask things like “How much are you spending right now on your fitness?” If they say $300-400 per month, you’ll know if they have the means or not. If they say “I’m not spending anything right now,'' you could say “how much are you prepared to allocate on a monthly basis to get you in the shape you’re looking for?” If they have no idea, you should share with them the price range it would take for you to help them achieve their goals. Sometimes, they don’t know what they don’t know and perhaps never paid a professional like you before.
You guys - THIS IS KEY!
Too many professionals are afraid to bring up the money. You have to bring up the money - they have to be told what it will cost to work with you early in the process.
Lastly, determine the cost to them of NOT solving the problem. Why is it important for you to get in shape for the summer? For example, their grandkids are visiting and they want to be able to play with them. Their family is going on a camping trip and they don’t want to miss hiking with them. The cost of NOT solving that problem is missed time and experiences with their loved ones. That’s a big cost.
Once you’ve determined their need, means, and cost of not having the problem solved, it’s easy for you to move on to sharing your proposal or solution with them. And if you’ve hit a wall with one of these 3 factors, you know that it is not a fit, and you save yourself the time and energy of dating someone who is not available, preparing a proposal that they’ll never buy, saving you a lot of heartbreak. (Queue the happy song.)
