Read Time: 2:10
“I’ll email you the proposal.”
Five words that kill more deals than any objection ever could.
Five words that turn your expertise into a PDF.
Your solutions into spam.
Your value into just another attachment.
The Email Trap
You think you’re being efficient.
Professional. Responsive.
What you’re really doing:
Giving away control.
Inviting comparison.
Becoming a commodity.
The Uncomfortable Truth
Every proposal you email gets:
- Forwarded to your competitors
- Reduced to a price comparison
- Lost in an inbox
- Ignored
Yet we keep doing it.
Because it’s easy.
Because everyone else does it.
Because we’re afraid not to.
The Real Cost
When you email a proposal:
- You can’t see their reaction
- You can’t answer questions
- You can’t handle objections
- You can’t guide the conversation
- You can’t close the deal
You’ve turned a conversation into correspondence.
A relationship into a transaction.
An opportunity into a document.
The Better Way
Present your proposal in person.
Or on video call.
Just not in email.
Why?
Because proposals aren’t documents.
They’re conversations.
The Power of Present
When you present in person:
- You control the narrative
- You see the reactions
- You answer questions real-time
- You handle objections immediately
- You guide the decision process
You’re not just sending information.
You’re creating understanding.
The Objection You’re Hearing
“But they asked me to email it!”
Of course they did.
It’s easier for them.
It gives them control.
It lets them avoid decisions.
Your job isn’t to make it easier.
Your job is to make it better.
The Script
When they ask for an emailed proposal:
“I’ve found that proposals work best when we review them together.
This gives you a chance to ask questions and me a chance to clarify anything that’s unclear.
Can we schedule 30 minutes for a proper review?”
That’s it.
That’s all it takes.
The Results
Presenting proposals in person:
- Doubles your win rate
- Increases your average deal size
- Shortens your sales cycle
- Reduces price objections
- Builds stronger relationships
But most importantly:
It shows you value your work enough to present it properly.
The Real Reason
Here’s why emailing proposals fails:
When you email a proposal, you’re saying:
“This isn’t important enough for my time.”
When you present in person, you’re saying:
“This matters. You matter. Let’s get this right.”
The Choice
You can:
- Email proposals and hope
- Or present them and win
You can:
- Be convenient and forgotten
- Or be valuable and remembered
You can:
- Do what’s easy
- Or do what works
The Next Step
Next time you’re about to write
“I’ll email you the proposal”:
Stop.
Schedule a meeting.
Present it properly.
Close the deal.
Because here’s the truth:
Important decisions aren’t made in email.
They’re made in conversations.
Make sure you’re part of the conversation.
