Proposals

Have you ever been asked to provide hard copies of proposals? If so, how many are too many, how many are not enough?

We accompanied a client to an interview recently. The prospect asked for hard copies of a proposal for services and specifically stated they did not want an electronic version.

First, in our opinion, this is a waste of paper. It is not a sustainable delivery method. And requiring the firm making the proposal to print out the hard copies puts an undue burden on them from the get-go. And, in this case, the number of attendees previously stated was actually much more than those who showed up. This caused a waste of paper, time, and money.

Second, if you provide hard copies, inevitably there will be those who flip through the pages and do not stay on point. It can be quite distracting and rude to the presenters. The rustle of the paper and the lack of focus of those rifling through the pages sets the meeting tone.

We have been on interviews where the company has preprinted our presentation. We provided a digital copy and they took on the expense of the printing in-house. They also shared the electronic version with their attendees prior to the in-person meeting as well. People were ready with questions and had taken the time to review the material beforehand. It was all very civilized.

Think about your next proposal and your next vendor or professional interview. Let the focus be the person speaking, do not distract them with rustling papers and give them the courtesy of your attention. And, if at all possible, try not to have them spend hundreds of dollars at a printer just to have your people toss them in the nearest waste paper basket. Keep it civil.

Be well.