submit proposals in advance

Clients often say, "give us a proposal and then we'll talk." This is often followed by a call saying that somehow our proposals "missed the mark" and there will now be no need to talk. This is complete and utter nonsense. And yet the cycle repeats over and over every day around the world. Stop the cycle. Don't give proposals to people you haven't talked to and don't understand. Only give them when the probability of winning the work is high. That's the best use of your time and the client's time.