Calling all business owners. We heard you just got hit with an unwanted sales offer in your inbox. Here’s how to turn down a sales proposal over email, step by step.
Reasons Why You May Want to Turn Down a Sales Proposal
You may want to turn down a sales proposal for many reasons. Whatever reason you have for wanting to turn down a sales proposal is acceptable. However, these three reasons are usually the most common:
- You don’t have the budget for it. Perhaps your business cannot afford the product or service at the time and have to reject the proposal even though you might want to accept it.
- You don’t need the product or service. Businesses receive proposals all the time they don’t find useful or valuable.
- You don’t think the proposal is a wise investment. Maybe you have the budget for it, and you might need it in the future, but investing in it is not strategic for your company right now.
How To Turn Down a Sales Proposal via Email
Though turning down a sales proposal via email sounds more comfortable than doing it face to face, it’s still daunting. Formulating the right phrases and careful wording comes easy to some, but those who are not wordsmiths may struggle.
In all honesty, there are many ways to turn down an offer via email, but you should follow this specific structure for best practices.
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Start With Appreciation
No matter how you feel about their sales proposal, always start the email by expressing appreciation for their time and offer. It took a lot of guts for the person to send an offer to your company, and you know you’re about to reject them, so let them down easy.
Starting off with appreciation and a quick “thank you” will soften the blow and preserve your professional relationship.
Actually, Say No
After you’ve primed your email rejection letter, actually tell the salesperson no. Don’t lead the salesperson on to get their hopes up. Break the news as soon as possible so that you don’t keep them suspended in suspense- pun intended.
Give a clear and firm rejection to ensure they know your mind is made up and you won’t be going back on your decision.
Provide a Brief Explanation
The next step in how to turn down a sales proposal is providing a brief explanation. Rejection without reason is confusing for the salesperson, is unhelpful for them, and comes off a bit harsh. They will be left wondering where the offer fell short or if they just caught you on a bad day.
This is where you can refer to those common reasons we listed above. Feel free to steal them for your sales proposal rejection email.
Keep the Door Open
Always end the conversation by expressing a desire to work together in the future. You want to keep doors open and bridges unburnt in the business world because you never know what might happen down the line.
You can suggest they contact you after a certain period of time. Or you can suggest future partnerships that are unrelated to their current offer. You could say something like, “We are not interested in this offer right now, but we would love to talk in the future about a potential collaboration.”
Stay Professional
Rejections are never easy for anyone. As a business, remember to write your rejection email in a professional tone of voice. The last thing you want to do is blow up or send a message written with frustration. It doesn’t reflect well on your company or leadership abilities.
Keep It Short and Sweet
Aside from professionalism, try to keep the email short and sweet. You don’t have to write an entire essay that outlines all your thoughts about the offer and gives a long-winded rejection reason. When writing any email, short is best. Only include the most important information, hit the high notes, and close it out.
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