Field notes
When proposals outrun the problem statement
In technical B2B sales, proposal packs often swell before the buyer has agreed what problem is being solved. A simple gate slows that habit.
Engineering-led firms in New Zealand often pride themselves on thorough proposals. Thoroughness becomes waste when the buyer’s problem is still fuzzy. Sellers then rewrite scopes after every meeting, and delivery inherits commitments nobody priced.
A gate worth enforcing
Before proposal work starts, require a one-page problem statement signed off by the opportunity owner and, ideally, acknowledged by the champion. It does not need legal formality — it needs shared language.
What belongs on that page
- Problem in the buyer’s words
- Stakeholders already spoken to
- Constraints already known (budget bands, timing, compliance)
- What success would look like in the first ninety days after purchase
Protecting delivery
When negotiation adds free implementation days, write them into the handoff pack. Sales process consulting fails if delivery only learns the truth at kickoff.
Playbooks help newer sellers remember this gate under pressure. See Sales Playbook Development if your criteria live only in senior people’s heads.