Sending a proposal feels like the end of the work; it's actually the moment the real work begins. A proposal left to sit quietly does not get approved — it gets forgotten. The deal is closed in the follow-through, not the send: whoever drives the proposal to a review, answers the questions, and pushes for a decision is the one who wins it.
Set up the close before you send
The best follow-through starts before the proposal exists. Before you send it, agree with your champion on the review meeting, who'll be there, and a decision date. Put a validity period on the proposal so it carries a clock. If you don't know when they'll decide, you've handed them a proposal with no next step and no urgency.
After you send it
The first 48 hours set the tone. Confirm they received it and that it reflects the discovery. Walk your champion through it so they can answer questions from the committee cold. Then follow up with purpose — not with "just checking in," but with a reason to talk: a question answered, a section clarified, a step forward. Each touch drives toward the decision date you set.
Handling the stall and the price push
When the buyer goes quiet or hesitates, that's information, not a reason to discount. Ask what's holding it up — a concern in procurement, an evaluator question, a price they can't defend to their boss. If it's price, that's where you trade from the value you anchored — which is exactly the negotiation the next module is built for.
Start here
That's the end of this module: discovery became a demo, the demo became value, and the value became a proposal you're driving to a decision. The next module takes over at the hardest part of the AE job — starting with how to prepare for the sales negotiation, where you turn a deal they like into one you defend and sign.