Has a potential client ever asked you to write a proposal (or give a presentation) for your technology products and services and after you've delivered it, said "Thank you for doing this -- we'll get back to you at some time in the future if we decide to do something"? All that time for nothing.

If you had known what the answer would be in advance, would you have written the proposal? Probably not. So how do you find out what they are going to say?

The way to find out what they are going to say after you have given them your proposal for your technology products and services is to ask them the "magic question'" before you have spent time and money preparing the proposal. Simple, really.

The magic question is magical for two reasons. It's magical because it transports you into the future -- to the time when they have received the proposal you have yet to write -- and because much of the need for writing the proposal will vanish after you have asked this question.

So what is this magic question?

When someone asks you to write a proposal (or give a presentation) for your technology products and services, reply by asking: "Imagine that you've read my proposal and, without a doubt, the solution proposed is a perfect fit for what you want. What will happen next?"

Let's suppose the response to your magic question was one of the following:

"I would then discuss it with my manager (partner, etc.) to see if they want to move ahead."

"We'd need to assess it along with everything else we are doing right now and decide on our priorities."

"I'd need to make sure that the costs are within our budget."

These answers tell you that writing a proposal is not really the next best step and may, in fact, not be necessary at all. So for the time being at least, the need for writing a proposal has vanished. (Like magic!)

With the above examples, instead of spending your time and money writing a proposal, the best next steps could be:

• Meeting with the manager or partner, as well as anyone else involved in the decision-making process.
• Asking more questions to find a compelling reason for why your prospect should solve this problem now. If you can't find a compelling reason, chances are good they won't be doing anything.
• Discussing your price range to confirm it is within the prospect's budget.

Depending on the outcome of these next steps, it may become obvious that this is not a qualified prospect for your technology products and services, or that you need to meet with more people and ask more questions before writing a proposal. Either way, you've saved time, which you can now spend on opportunities with the greatest potential benefits for your business.