Recently, a client found himself in a tough situation. A very important prospect asked him to deliver his proposal via a web meeting. The stakes were high, and there were a lot of reasons for him to say yes - efficiency, logistics, ease, cost... There was just one reason to say no - effectiveness. He had learned two key things over the course of his sales and sales management career:

First, his odds of winning are much higher if he presents to the prospect face to face and follows the "Them, Us, Fit, Action" flow.

Second, it can't hurt to ask

Given his confidence in the 2nd point, he was easily able to ask for a meeting in an effective way, "Thank you for the chance to meet with the decision team. Instead of a web meeting, I would much prefer a face to face meeting. We can limit it to one hour, so it won't take any more time than it would if we were on the phone, and it will help us gauge the fit more effectively and efficiently". It's worth noting that this type of request is much more effective delivered live on the phone vs. packaged in an email. It's much harder for people to say no to a person than it is to say no to an email.

Given his confidence in asking the question, he wasn't surprised by their answer. They said "yes". But what if they would've said "no"? What's the worst thing that could happen? He would still have the option they initially proposed. He lost nothing by asking the question, and now he has an opportunity to make the kind of impact he knows he is capable of making. It really can't hurt to ask!