The mutual action plan

A short shared list of what both sides do, by when, to reach the buyer's critical event. There is no independent evidence that plans raise win rates (never quote vendor uplift figures); the case is slippage. Template: objective in the buyer's words; critical event; one line per step with Step, Owner, By, Done, Notes. The buyer owns as many lines as we do; every date is theirs or mutual, never a product delivery date; review it at the start of every call; when a date slips, agree a new one on the call.

Direct motion: the five-line recap email. What was agreed: (1) you confirm on a named date, and we set you up and take payment at sign-up for the seats at the open band; (2) onboarding on a named date, 60 minutes: LinkedIn connected by link, voices built, Holly at Suggest, the owner approving new starters; (3) you tell the team month one is opt-in; (4) first success: everyone who opts in has a voice and two approved posts within 14 days of onboarding; (5) a 30-minute review on a named date. Close: "Anything wrong, tell me and I'll fix it. Nothing rolls over without a conversation."

Considered: the shared plan. Steps in order: discovery and Holly demo; approvals, rules check and activity log walkthrough with the COLP; the published legal pack (privacy policy, data processing agreement) to IT with a call offered (John, once D27 clears); security questionnaire returned and any written data assurance from our legal team; scoped pilot agreed in writing, shape and post-31 December pricing set by Alex or John (pending D17, D15, D28); policy shared for mapping into rules once data processing terms are in place; recommendation in the partners' meeting papers; the decision; pilot with Holly at Observe for week one so the COLP sees what it is designed to do, then Suggest with one named approver; pilot review with the COLP reviewing the activity log; rollout decision.

• Invoice terms for a firm that does not pay by card at sign-up: Alex or John decide before the proposal (pending D17).
• Pilot success criteria are written before it starts, for example: each pilot user has a voice and at least two approved posts in the first month; the rules check has caught at least one line against firm policy, shown to the COLP; the approver's drafting time is lower in her own estimate.
• Whether a pilot-to-rollout jump counts as growth or as the anti-gaming case is not decided (D15, D28). Alex or John state it in writing before any pilot is offered, and you tell the firm before they agree the pilot. Never tell the firm the rollout seats will be priced at whichever band is open.
• Worked illustration, labelled: a LinkedIn ghostwriter costs about £1,800 a month for three posts a week for one person; ask what the approver's drafting hours are worth at their own internal rate. Never supply the number.