You finally finished that 7-page listing of their problems, your solutions. You’ve explained how important these challenges are to fix and why you’re the best one to do it.
It’s truly a masterpiece in proposal writing.
That’s because you’ve proofread it no less than 47 times today alone. Every word is perfect. The formatting is pristine. You've changed the price a dozen times, thinking, "Maybe this will seal the deal."
You’re convinced. This proposal is going to knock their socks off. They’re definitely going to hire you now. Or soon. This is the project that’s going to have you swimming in cash.
Right?
That sinking feeling comes after you hit "Send." Not at first. First, you stand up for a long-awaited stretch. You go grab a bite to eat, wondering if you'll hear back before lunch is over.
Then… nothing. Silence. A couple of days go by. Then a week. Maybe two. Then you get a sneaking suspicion. Will it just end up unread, ignored, dragging your hopes and dreams along with it? A month has gone by.
Finally you admit it. You're back in that familiar spot. Staring into a cold, dark void—it's the proposal black hole. All your hard work putting custom solutions together for a particular client is now lost—not like you can use it again.
Ugh...
Look, we’ve all been there. You put hours into customizing a proposal. You make sure every word is perfect, every detail is just right. And what do you get in return? Crickets.
The hard facts are most clients don’t even read them. And if they do, they go right to the number you toiled over. Glance at it. Decide if the rest is worth looking at.
You could’ve sent them deck plans and they wouldn’t know the difference.
Because proposals are old news. They take too long. Clients don't want to sift through pages of fluff.
Worst of all is when they leave you hanging.
The "Ghosting" problem with proposals
It’s not that you’re bad at writing them. It’s that they’re just… inefficient. Easy to ignore.
You send it, cross your fingers, and then hope for the best. But what happens 80% of the time? Nothing.
If you're writing proposals more than you're getting clients, we have a problem.
A better way to get unGhosted
Imagine never sending another proposal again. Where, instead of begging for work, you send a simple, targeted message that gets to the point. No back-and-forth. No long waits. A clear message that tells them what they want to know: how you can help and why they should hire you.
Sounds like a dream, right?
It’s not. Consultants who stop using proposals win more. That's been my experience anyway. And it's how I’ve gotten clients faster. I don't waste time on custom proposals for free that never get read.
Instead, I have something specific to offer them (aka 'an offer'). It's that simple. Then I use an even simpler pitch template I created for different situations. Pitch someone you know or someone don't.
If you do it my way, you're offering them something they can't ignore.
Escape the Black Hole
If you want to stop wasting time, read this. It's about getting clients without ever drafting a proposal again. It's to get you out of the blackhole so you can hang out where clients actually respond.
Tomorrow I’m going to share my what you need instead so you can see what it’s like to pitch smarter, not harder.
To the moon! 🚀🌙
This is fantastic!!! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences !!! It totally speaks to my soul 😎