That sentence is the sound of a deal dying.
You have a great discovery call. The prospect is engaged. Then, in the final minute, you hand over all your power. You turn a sales process into a waiting game.
You send the email. You wait. You chase. You get ghosted. Momentum evaporates because you gave up the driving seat.
Here’s the truth: if you don’t own the next step, you don’t own the opportunity.
Prospects are busy. Reviewing your proposal is not their priority, it’s yours. If you leave the timeline to them, it will slip down the to-do list and eventually disappear.
The fix is simple: never end a meeting without the next one booked.
Don’t say, “I’ll send this over.” Say, “I’ll get the proposal to you by Tuesday. Shall we book 10 minutes on Thursday morning to walk through it and answer questions?”
If they’re serious, they’ll book the time. If they refuse to book the time, you’ve learned something useful. You’ve likely qualified out a tyre-kicker and saved yourself weeks of chasing.
Stop sending proposals into the void. Keep the steering wheel.
What to do next: add one non-negotiable rule: every proposal includes a review call in the calendar. No call, no proposal. Your close rate will improve without you chasing harder.