Proposals go quiet after a promising discovery call | Professional Services

What it costs you today

The discovery call was enthusiastic. You customized the proposal, sent it on time, followed up twice, and heard nothing. You do not know if the budget was never real, if a competitor undercut you, or if something in the proposal itself killed the deal.

How RadRoot is used here

RadRoot sends a short five-question interview to the prospect contact framed as feedback on how you can improve your proposals. The adaptive questions follow whatever they disclose. "Budget constraint" leads to timeline; "competing option" leads to what mattered most in the comparison.

The file you would upload

A HubSpot CRM - Deals Export export. One row is one proposal sent after discovery call. RadRoot reads the whole row, so every question can name something the person already knows is true.

Deal ID	Deal Name	Contact Name	Contact Email	Contact Title	Proposal Sent Date	Proposal Amount
DL-8834	HR Transformation Project	Sarah Chen	sarah.chen@vanguard-manufacturing.example.com	VP of Human Resources	2026-01-15	$127,500
DL-8901	Supply Chain Optimization	James Kowalski	j.kowalski@brighton-foods.example.com	Director of Operations	2026-01-22	$89,000
DL-8956	Leadership Development Program	Maria Gonzalez	mgonzalez@pinnacle-tech.example.org	Chief People Officer	2026-02-03	$215,000
DL-9012	Market Entry Strategy	David Park	dpark@redstone-capital.example.net	Managing Partner	2026-02-11	$178,000
DL-9087	Customer Experience Redesign	Jennifer Walsh	jennifer.walsh@summit-retail.example.com	VP of Customer Success	2026-02-18	$142,000

First 5 of 20 rows, first 7 of 14 columns. RadRoot interviewed the prospect contact on each row, and 9 of 20 answered.

One interview, exactly as it ran

Six options every time, including the ones that reflect badly on whoever sent it. Each question was written after the answer above it landed.

Q1You received our $178,000 proposal for market entry strategy work on February 11. What best describes what happened after you reviewed it?

·I had the authority and the proposal looked good on paper
·I recommended it but someone else makes the final call
✓I needed to escalate it to someone with broader budget authority
·I forwarded it but never heard back from the decision-maker
·The proposal got buried in other priorities and I have not reviewed it closely
·I reviewed it and decided it was not the right fit for us

Q2When you escalated the proposal, what was the main reason it needed to move up?

·The amount exceeded my individual signing limit
·Our procurement policy requires VP approval for consulting work
·The project scope crossed multiple departments I do not control
✓A recent organizational change shifted approval responsibility
·The CFO now reviews all discretionary spending personally
·My manager asked to see all external proposals before I commit

Q3Are you evaluating other firms for this project, or is it just our proposal under review?

·We are only working with you at this stage
✓We are comparing three firms including yours
·We are looking at one other firm alongside yours
·We issued an RFP to five firms and are narrowing it down
·We already have a preferred vendor but are checking alternatives
·We are reconsidering whether to hire outside help at all

Q4What was the single biggest concern about our proposal when compared to the alternatives?

·Your proposed timeline was longer than the other options
·The other firms included more deliverables in their scope
·Your team composition did not match our specific needs
·The case studies you provided were less relevant to our industry
✓The payment structure required too much up front
·Your approach seemed more theoretical than hands-on

Q5When do you expect the new decision-maker to make a final choice?

·Within the next two weeks
·By the end of this month
✓In the next quarter
·After the board meeting in June
·Once budget for the new fiscal year is approved
·I honestly do not know when a decision will happen

The verdict it produced

Written for whoever ran the campaign. The respondent never sees it.

David was ready to move forward, but a reorganization moved approval authority above him to someone who did not attend the discovery call. That new decision-maker is now comparing three firms, and the up-front payment structure in your proposal is the main sticking point. A decision is expected next quarter. You have a narrow window to revise payment terms and build rapport with the new stakeholder before they choose.

decision authority negative high confidence

The original champion no longer has approval authority due to a recent organizational change.

competitive landscape mixed high confidence

Meridian is one of three firms being actively compared for this engagement.

pricing structure negative high confidence

The payment terms were too front-loaded for the prospect's preference.

re-engage timing positive medium confidence

The new decision-maker will make a choice within the next quarter.

internal readiness negative medium confidence

The reorg disrupted the internal approval process and introduced new evaluation criteria.

See this on your own data

Fifteen minutes, screen to screen. We run your real question through RadRoot while you watch, and you leave with the follow-up it wrote and a price.

Book 15 minutes Answer one yourself