"Can you send me a proposal?"
It's one of the best things a customer can say. It's also the moment many good opportunities start to drift. You send something polished, it looks like your final offer, and the conversation turns into waiting for a decision.
Watch the video
I recommend a different first move: a first draft proposal your customer helps you develop. In this video I show you how to introduce the idea in your first conversation, what goes into the draft, and how AI can take most of the effort out of writing it.
Watch on YouTube · 10 minutes · Watch the full series
Why it's worth trying. A first draft gives you a reason to keep talking, and a reason for your customer to bring in the other people who matter. That can mean:
fewer proposals that disappear into silence
recommendations shaped by everyone who has a say
investments everyone involved has confidence in
a way back into opportunities that have stalled
ONE THING TO TRY THIS WEEK
Pick one new or stalled opportunity. Write down what you still need to understand about what the customer expects this investment to achieve. Use that to prepare a short invitation to develop the proposal together, for example: "I don't think we've established clearly enough what this needs to achieve for you. Would it be worth working through that together?"
The two free AI prompts from the video are here: one for turning a conversation into a first draft, and one for updating it after you've reviewed it together.
Email me at [email protected] and tell me how your customer responded. I read every reply.
Peter
Want to go further?
Read on for words you can use to offer a first draft, agree the next conversation, restart a stalled opportunity and run the review meeting. The newsletter above is complete; this part is optional.
These are starting points. Put them in your own words.
Offering a first draft, early in the conversation
"As we talk today, I'd like to understand what you need this investment to achieve, and how you'll know it's worked. Afterwards, I'll put together a first draft proposal: my understanding of your situation, the outcomes you're looking for, my initial recommendations, and what we still need to work through. I'd like us to review and improve it together."
Agreeing the next conversation before this one ends
"Let's agree when I'll send you the first draft, and when we can meet to review it. At that meeting we can check I've captured what matters to you and work through what still needs agreeing. Who else could help us do that?"
Send the calendar invitation while you're still talking, and ask them to accept it.
Restarting a stalled opportunity
"Looking back at my proposal, I don't think we've established clearly enough what this investment needs to achieve for you. Would you find it valuable to work through that together?"
Or, if other people have joined the decision since you last spoke:
"It sounds as though more people are now involved. Would it help to update the proposal together so it reflects what matters to each of them?"
At the review meeting
Don't just ask whether they like it. Ask:
What have I understood correctly?
What needs changing?
What would make these recommendations workable for you and your colleagues?
If AI drafts it
Use only AI tools your company has approved for customer information, and transcripts you have permission to use. Ask it to separate what people said from what you're recommending, and to flag what's missing. Then check two things before you send it. AI mustn't invent a target nobody discussed. And it mustn't turn one person's view into everyone's agreement. The free first-draft prompt is written to do this separation for you, but the checking is still yours.
ONE QUICK QUESTION
