I was seduced. No, not that kind of seduction. It was a sales seduction, and I fell for an “almost yes”. It was such an easy trap because when I thought I heard “Yes, that sounds good,” I was off and running. Running to spend hours and hours doing volunteer work – that’s right, volunteering my expertise to do a proposal for their consideration.
Have you ever heard, “Can you just put something in writing so we can review it?” Several hours, a dozen spell checks and editing by an assistant later, that “something in writing” was an awesome document that laid out every detail of the project, including the benefit to the prospective client. I thought we were all on the same page, these prospective business partners and me.
Money had been mentioned, glossed over and a number put in the air. There was no commitment, no agreement, just the bare hint that perhaps this might work. My excitement took over and ruled me. I was so fired up with the possibilities that I ignored everything else I knew and ran with it.
A week later, everything changed at the second meeting. Once I’d sent the proposal, the game changed. They had thought it over and decided they didn’t have the funds. Words spoken that I thought I understood meant something completely different to them. Instead of a new client, I walked away with two new emotions, anger and frustration replacing last week’s excitement.
Sometimes, even I need the Business Wisdom,
“You can’t take emotions to the bank.”
Here are three tips for avoiding being seduced by an “almost yes.”
- Ask more money questions than you think necessary.
- Pause and manage your emotions before you start writing a proposal, particularly if this is a “big” project or possibility.
- Make one phone call before you start working on the proposal to see if anything has changed since you first spoke to them
Learn how to nail the money conversation before you waste hours writing proposals.