Do You Expect A Response To Every Proposal You Submit?

Every now and then I send a tweet out that hits a nerve.

My most recent one was this “Am I wrong to think it’s rude when someone doesn’t respond to a proposal or simply says you’re “too expensive”?

Within minutes I had quite a number of responses. Here’s a few:

“You’re not wrong…. and ‘too expensive’ is such a lazy response – too expensive compared to what? The results you want?

“I think a thank you is in order for a proposal, as it does take time to prepare. Not all people are so kind.”

“No- it drives me nuts.”

“Perhaps honest. Ever considered that you are “too expensive”.” (Funnily enough, this is from a fun Client of mine who did a great job in getting me down on my rate!)

“No, I don’t think you’re wrong. Any ‘no’ could lead to confrontation, and people don’t inherently like conflict so just avoid u!”

“I think a thank you is in order for a proposal, as it does take time to prepare 1. But not all people are so kind.”

“ This really annoys me too!”

“Not at all!”

“Happens a bit in the travel industry, who’s 2 blame tho? Is it us not being able 2 highlight the true “VALUE” of our proposition?”

‘No you’re not wrong. You took time to compile proposal & they should take the time to give feedback. networking goes both ways”

“Give them a chance – they may have been inundated by *better* offers, taking time sifting through?”

“Not wrong…. and ‘too expensive’ is such a lazy response – too expensive compared to what? The results you want?”

“It’s not rude, it’s just business, ideally you would like for them to discuss the alternatives”

“I don’t think its rude to say its too expensive, but its rude not to respond. But it depends on circumstances”

OK, so we all pretty much acknowledge that getting back to someone who’s provided you with a quote but hasn’t got the job is the right thing to do. It’s just common decency.

But there’s also a great learning here and it’s comes from Jake Hower…I’ve highlighted it above. The bottom line is that it’s incumbent upon all of us to demonstrate real value when pitching for business. Real value. For $X you get this, this, this and this. Oh, and I’ll include this as I think it will make a significant difference to your outcome for these reasons. To be completely literal, I think actually listing what it is you’re offering is the best way of showing value visually.

This tweet certainly made me stop and think if I was too expensive, but in the end it reminded me that what I have to offer is worth paying for…I just need to spell it out clearly.

What do you think? Do you think prospects should reply to your proposal? Or do you quickly move on to the next job?

5 Responses to “Do You Expect A Response To Every Proposal You Submit?”

1. Nicole Hammett Says:
   August 25th, 2009 at 12:34 pm

   It is extremely rude to not say thank you when you have put time and effort into a proposal.

   A little common courtesy and manners can go a long way. It only takes 1 minute to write a thank you.

2. Jen Frahm Says:
   August 26th, 2009 at 7:14 am

   I would think if that was happening there are two things occuring.

   1) You are getting a really strong idea of who you don’t want to work with, and can be thankful the pitch wasn’t accepted.

   2) Maybe more work needs to occur in relationship building first with a key contact.

   I don’t tend to pitch with clients that I haven’t already established a relationship. So perhaps industry/type of work matters?

3. Luke Harvey-Palmer Says:
   August 26th, 2009 at 10:17 pm

   Just don’t send proposals! We need to move on from this time wasting, objection disguised as a request kinda activity! Seriously, when a prospect asks for a proposal – it is typically a stalling technique. Next time a prospect asks you for a proposal – ask them what they want to see in it that they don’t already know? If a prospect cannot answer this, then your chances of winning the business are slim!

4. Andrew Wilson Says:
   August 27th, 2009 at 12:15 am

   Great post Tim, and ‘Amen’ to all the comments as well.

   To Jen’s second comment, I think it goes back to the phrase ‘it’s not what you know, but who you know’ (yes, I know I used that elsewhere recently…). In this case, even if your proposal’s great, you need to know someone on the inside before sending it over or you can’t justify the effort.

5. Tim Reid Says:
   August 27th, 2009 at 2:50 pm

   Really like all this feedback guys. Excellent stuff. Luke, I hear you about proposal…what you’re suggesting takes courage and self-belief…something all successful business owners have in spades.

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