How easy is it to do a walkthrough, prepare a winning price and say “ok” when the prospect asks you to “just fax it back to me”?
Very easy! Especially if the prospect is a distance from your office AND if you are tired, worn out, burned out etc.
Realize that 2 things are happening when you respond:
1. The prospect is gauging your sincere interest in getting his/her business.
2. The prospect is gauging exactly how much attention he/she may get from you should you win the account.
When accounts are mid to large size obviously you would not consider a faxed proposal. When they are smaller, it’s often very easy to dismiss them as not being worth your time to make another trip to the client to do a presentation with your proposal in hand.
Here then comes the question to ask yourself. How badly do I want to close this deal? Only you can determine if getting the new business is worth your time, energy and cost to return in person. For me, it’s a no brainer! By qualifying requests for quotes before even doing a walkthrough, I knew that 99% of the proposals I wrote were for accounts that I wanted. Why then wouldn’t I take the time to set a return appointment, keep it short and get another opportunity to meet my prospect face to face.
Face time with a prospect gives you the opportunity to not only answer questions, but to sell yourself as a professional who is knowledgeable in the industry. Let the relationship building begin!
Knowing that most of your competitors will fax back their proposals, why wouldn’t you step out from the crowd and present your company in person? The alternative is to have your faxed proposal sit on the same pile as the rest, at the bottom of the fax machine.
The choice is yours!
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