I spend hours on a proposal, throw it over the wall to my prospect, and say a prayer...
At least I did for the majority of my sales career…because it worked...sometimes.
The straw that broke the camel's back was when a potentially large client asked me to "make a few changes to the proposal,"
..Then
"Send a new proposal with three price tiers,"
…Then
"Separate the three price tiers into three separate proposals,"
…Finally
"One last change, I promise, then we’ll sign."
And then...
Crickets...
And then...
Me turning into a skeleton from waiting....
And then...
My soul in purgatory still waiting...
The fix?
For each new lead I started requiring a Zoom discovery call where I :
Qualify each potential client using a matrix that I designed. Anything that scores lower than 60% I hand off to a local integrator better suited for the project
I request/require site plans from each customer. No more driving around town to “come check it out and give me a quote.”
I outline my sales process to set expectations
I inform them that a site walk/design will be a deliverable upon hiring me
I ask them why they’d want to do business with me since I’m not the cheapest.
…and if it seems like a good fit, I schedule a follow-up call where we discuss pricing
The point is, I’m far too experienced (and old) to work for free, and turning away jobs that don’t fit my goals hasn’t made me any less busy.
Now I focus my time on qualified, highly profitable projects that make my soul happy.
More qualification = less Mummification.
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