Agree a dated plan to signature with the buyer
Write down every step from today to signed, with who does what and by when, agree it with the buyer, and check it every week.
By Angelo Natale45 minOn every deal that reaches a yes in principle
What it does
Deals rarely die in the pitch. They die between “this looks great” and a signature: a security review, legal, a budget sign-off nobody planned for, a decision-maker who wasn’t on any call. A close plan puts every step on one page, with dates and owners, agreed with the buyer, so the surprises come out early.
What you need
- A buyer who’s said yes in principle
- How their company buys (you’ll ask)
- A shared doc
How it works
Ask how they buy
“Walk me through what happens between now and a signed agreement. Who else needs to see this? Is there a security or legal review? When does budget get approved?”
Work back from their date
Start from the date they want it working, then place each step before it.
Copy into a doc or sheet and fill it inCLOSE PLAN: [THEIR COMPANY] and [YOUR COMPANY] Goal: [WHAT THEY WANT WORKING], by [DATE] Step Who By when Done Recap of the call and the numbers [YOU] [DATE] Call with [THE DECISION-MAKER] [YOUR CHAMPION] [DATE] Security or IT questions answered [YOU] and [THEIR IT] [DATE] Proposal [YOU] [DATE] Legal review [THEIR LEGAL] [DATE] Signature [THE SIGNER] [DATE] Kickoff [BOTH TEAMS] [DATE]
Share it and agree it
Send it to your champion: “Did I miss anything? Are these dates realistic?” Their edits are the most useful part of the plan.
Book the next two steps now
Put the next two steps in everyone’s calendar before the call ends, not in a follow-up email.
Check it every week
Update it, and ask about any date that slipped right away. A slipped date is a question to ask now, not a surprise in the last week.
What good looks like
Both sides can see every step to signature, each with a name and a date, and nothing new shows up in the last week.
An example, not a client story. A carrier wants the new schedule working before its busy season starts on 1 November. Working back: signature by 10 October, legal review the week before, and the owner’s sign-off call on 26 September. The plan shows the owner hasn’t seen anything yet, so that call gets booked today.
Mistakes to skip
- Writing it alone. A plan the buyer didn’t agree to is a wish.
- Leaving out the people who can block it: IT, legal and finance.
- No dates. “Next step: legal review” isn’t a plan.
More playbooks
- Google DocsClaudeStripe
Write a one-page proposal
Their problem in their words, what changes, the plan with dates, the price and how to say yes, on one page, sent within a day of the call.Angelo Natale1 hour - Call recorderClaudeGoogle Docs+1
Write down your sales process
Write down how you sell, from booked call to signed, so every call runs the same way and anyone you hire can run it.Angelo NataleHalf a day - CalendlyLinkedInClaude+1
Brief yourself before every sales call
Fifteen minutes before each call: what they told you, what their company is doing, every touch so far, their numbers and one guess at their gap.Angelo Natale15 min