You will be able to follow up on an open proposal with messages that help the buyer make a decision.
Priya has just walked Suresh, who runs a tuition centre in Bishan, through a smaller option that covers only the busy months. Suresh says he will decide by the end of November, once he has set his budget for next year. What Priya sends between now and then affects whether he says yes.
Many sellers handle this stage badly. After the walkthrough the buyer likes the proposal, says they will decide by the end of the month and promises to let you know. Then you hear nothing. After two weeks with no word, you send a "just checking in" message. A week later you send "just following up". Neither gets a reply. By the third message you feel like a nuisance, and by then the buyer probably sees you as one.
Lesson 6.2, Follow-up messages that add something, in Sales foundations, set out a principle for first meetings: every follow-up should give the buyer something. The same principle applies when the proposal is on the table and the buyer is deciding, which is the most delicate stage of a sale. A message that only asks whether the buyer has decided is chasing. It puts pressure on the buyer and gives them nothing. A message that adds something useful gives the buyer a reason to read it, and often a reason to reply.
During the walkthrough you should have learned two things: when the buyer expects to decide, and what that decision depends on. You should also have written down every question the buyer asked. Build your follow-ups around the buyer's decision date. Each message then reminds the buyer of a timeline they set themselves, so it doesn't read as pressure from you. Keep to their date even if you'd like to hear sooner.
Before you send the first message, decide how many you will send in total. Three is a common limit for a proposal that has gone quiet. The exact number matters less than fixing it in advance. Without a limit, follow-ups slowly turn into chasing.
Priya's date is the end of November, and she knows Suresh's decision depends on his budget for next year. She plans all her follow-ups around that date, however keen she is to hear sooner. She plans three messages. The first goes out in mid-November, a week after the walkthrough. The second goes out a few days before the end of November. The third goes out in the first week of December, after the decision date has passed.
Three kinds of addition work well at the proposal stage:
An answer to an open question. If the buyer asked something in the walkthrough and you promised to check, send that answer first. It is the best follow-up you have. If you didn't promise an answer, look back at your notes from Lesson 2.3, Walk the buyer through it instead of emailing it, where you wrote down every question. One of them may deserve a fuller answer. A relevant example. Tell a short, true story about a client in a similar situation, with that client's permission, as in Lesson 1.2, Choose proof that matches this buyer. A simpler next step. If the decision seems stuck, make the step smaller. You could offer a shorter first phase, a call with a reference, or a start date later in the year.
In the walkthrough, Suresh asked whether Priya could handle the parents' invoices during the busy months. Her first message answers yes and explains in three lines how it would work.
The buyer is often not the only person deciding. The slowest part of the process is usually the conversation inside the buyer's business, and you won't be there for it. You can still help with it. You might offer a one-page summary for the person signing off, as in Lesson 5.5, I need to check with someone else. You could also suggest a short call with the finance team, or send answers to the questions the other person is likely to ask. Buyers often welcome this follow-up most, because it saves them work.
Suresh co-owns the centre with his brother. Priya's second message offers a one-page summary written for his brother. It also asks whether a short call with both brothers before the decision would help.
When you reach your limit, send a closing message. Keep it short and respectful. Make clear that you are stepping back, and leave the door open. The buyer doesn't feel they have to avoid you, and you can close the deal in your pipeline instead of leaving it open. After you send it, set a reminder to get back in touch at a relevant later moment, as in Lesson 7.2, Keep the door open after a no.
Priya's third message is her closing message. It mentions that Suresh had planned to decide by the end of November. It says she doesn't want to keep filling his inbox, so she will step back. It says that if the busy months turn out heavier than expected next year, she would be glad to pick it up again. It ends by wishing him all the best for the new year. After this message, she planned a reminder for just before the next exam season.
She never needed to send the third message. Suresh replied to her second one, because his brother wanted to see how invoicing parents would work. Suresh, his brother and Priya met in the first week of December.
A good sequence has three features: each message adds something specific, each one fits the buyer's own timeline, and the last one ends on good terms. Before the activity below, pick a proposal that is still open and find the decision date or event the buyer gave you.
Write three follow-up messages for an open proposal. Give each one something specific to add, and date each one against the buyer's decision timeline.
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