At Sandler | EAM Consulting, we've spent over 15 years delivering expert sales training in Michigan to help teams and leaders grow stronger and close more business. One key lesson we teach: You don't need to be cranking out endless proposals to win.
In fact, we believe most proposals are an enormous waste of time.
Historically, very few buyers make decisions based solely on proposals. Yet, over time, we've unintentionally conditioned prospects to expect that if they request a proposal, we'll hand over everything they need to solve their problems—at no cost. These proposals, packed with features, benefits, marketing data, and discounted pricing, often serve as unpaid consulting rather than a path to a sale.
In today's market, we get about five proposal requests per week. Many are simply fishing for free insights. Some requestors aren't even serious about working with us—they just want another bid to compare. One prospect once asked us for a training quote for his ten-person team. Instead of crafting a detailed proposal, we sent him a single sheet with "$10.2 million" written on it—far more than our actual price. When he called, offended, we explained: any number would have seemed too high if he wasn't truly ready to buy.
After a moment of silence, he admitted it: his team was wasting time on proposals too. Their close rate? Only 18%. We ended up meeting with him—and training his sales team on better qualification techniques.
The real cost of chasing every proposal? It's lost time, lost energy, and lost opportunities.
If you want to grow your team’s effectiveness (and save countless hours), start thinking differently about proposals.
If You’re Going to Send Proposals, Protect Yourself:
Build stronger relationships early. Strong connections lower the odds that you'll be forced to win deals based on price alone.
Limit your competition. If more than two other vendors are submitting proposals, seriously question whether it's worth your time. Today, it's not unusual for 5–12 companies to bid on the same project.
Secure a real decision commitment. Never send a proposal without a clear agreement: a "yes," a "no," or a firm decision date. Avoid "think it over" stalls at all costs.
Hold a weekly “close it or close it” meeting. Review every open proposal and decide: are we moving this forward—or letting it go?
Value your knowledge. Your expertise has real worth. Don’t give it away easily. Make prospects earn the right to benefit from your insights.
At Sandler | EAM Consulting, we help companies rethink and rebuild their sales processes — so they're closing more deals, wasting less time, and growing stronger teams.
Want your sales team to stop giving away free consulting — and start closing more business?
Let's talk.
