Driving Deal Progression
Secure a clear, mutually agreed next step — every time.
Deals don't die from a single 'no'. They die from a thousand tiny ambiguities — vague follow-ups, unclear owners, calendar gaps that quietly stretch into weeks. Driving deal progression is the discipline of removing ambiguity at the end of every interaction.
Every conversation is a chance to advance, stall or lose. The good news: which one happens is mostly a choice you make in the last five minutes.
Close every meeting with a mutual next step
A mutual next step has four ingredients: a specific action, a specific person, a specific date, and a specific reason it matters to the buyer. If any one is missing, you don't have a next step — you have a hope.
Practise saying it out loud: 'So before Friday, you'll share the integration spec, I'll send the security pack, and we'll meet Tuesday at 10 to align on the rollout plan with your VP. Sound right?' Get the nod, then move on.
Use a mutual action plan
For deals beyond a single call, agree the path on paper.
- 1List the milestones
Working backwards from the buyer's go-live or impact date, not your quarter end.
- 2Name the owners
Each step has one buyer-side owner and one seller-side owner. No 'the team will...'.
- 3Confirm the criteria
What does 'done' look like for each step? Be explicit — it removes the slippage that kills deals.