The Deal That Wouldn’t Die: How Jason Resurrected a Stalled Agreement
Jason had spent seven months securing a significant deal. Everything had been negotiated—terms, pricing, even legal approvals. The company had agreed to fund the transaction. Yet, six months later, no money had come in. His calls were met with vague assurances, and his emails went unanswered. The deal was slipping away.
But Jason wasn’t about to give up.
Step 1: Diagnosing the Real Issue
Jason knew the first step wasn’t to demand answers but to understand what had changed. He scheduled a call with his primary contact, Sarah, the company’s procurement manager.
📞 Phone Call
Jason: “Sarah, I appreciate you taking the time. I know things have been shifting on your end. I’d love to understand where this deal stands and how we can get things moving again.”
Sarah (hesitant): “Yeah, Jason, I know we approved it, but… priorities have shifted. Leadership is focusing on acquisitions and cost-cutting right now.”
Jason (leaning in): “That makes sense. Can I ask what the impact of delaying this is? From what we discussed earlier, this investment was supposed to help streamline operations. Have those challenges changed?”
Jason’s calm, curious approach helped Sarah open up. She admitted that leadership wasn’t against the deal but hesitated to spend money because they were uncertain about its impact.
🚀 Key Move: Instead of arguing, Jason reframed the conversation from why they weren’t moving forward to what problems still needed solving.
Step 2: Creating Immediate Action
Now that Jason knew the real issue, he suggested a low-risk step forward.
📩 Email Follow-Up
Subject: Next Steps in Our Agreement
Hi Sarah,
Thanks again for our conversation. I understand leadership is cautious with spending, and I want to work with you to make this an easy win.
To keep things moving, what if we start with [a phased rollout/a small test order/a deferred payment schedule]? That way, we can demonstrate value without requiring a full upfront commitment.
Let me know when we can discuss how to make this work. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Best,
Jason
Sarah responded positively—she liked the idea of a phased rollout that she could pitch internally.
🚀 Key Move: Suggest an incremental step instead of pushing for full commitment. Getting clients to agree to a small action is more straightforward than restarting a stalled process.
Step 3: Creating Accountability
Even with Sarah on board, Jason needed more pressure to ensure action. He reached out to a senior decision-maker—her CFO, Mike—framing the deal as a competitive advantage they were missing out on.
📞 Phone Call with the CFO
Jason: “Mike, I wanted to check in since we strongly agreed. I know the team is careful with budgets, but waiting could mean higher costs. What would need to happen to finalize this?”
Mike (interested but cautious): “We’re just being careful, Jason. It’s not off the table, but we’re trying to conserve cash.”
Jason (framing the risk of inaction): “I get that. But I’d hate to see you lose the cost savings and efficiencies we built into this deal. Delaying could also push implementation into a more expensive cycle next quarter. If we structured this to fit your cash flow, would that help?”
Mike agreed that a structured payment plan could make the deal more straightforward and justifiable. He promised to discuss it with Sarah and get back to Jason.
🚀 Key Move: Involve a higher-level stakeholder and frame in action as a potential loss, not just a delay.
Step 4: The Gentle Deadline
Jason sent a polite but firm deadline email to keep the momentum going.
📩 Final Email
Subject: Timeline for Moving Forward
Hi Sarah,
I appreciate the effort you and Mike are putting into this. Based on our discussions, structuring the payments could help get leadership on board.
I’d love to lock in a timeline to secure our planned pricing and implementation schedule. Would it be reasonable to set a decision by [date]? That way, we can ensure a smooth process without pushing costs into the next quarter.
Let me know your thoughts—I’m happy to adjust as needed to make this work.
Best,
Jason
Within three days, Sarah confirmed approval. The deal was back on track, and this time, with a defined timeline.
🚀 Key Move: Use a soft deadline to push for action without being aggressive.
Final Takeaways
🔹 Understand the Real Obstacle – Instead of assuming the worst, Jason dug deeper to find the real reason for the delay.
🔹 Suggest an Immediate Step – A small action (like a phased rollout or revised payment plan) makes it easier for clients to commit.
🔹 Leverage Higher-Ups – Senior stakeholders often have more decision power and can move things forward faster.
🔹 Frame the Cost of Inaction – Show what they risk losing, not just what they gain.
🔹 Set a Gentle Deadline – A non-confrontational push ensures clients act instead of endlessly postponing.
Jason didn’t get lucky—he took control of the negotiation and led his client to the finish line.
What’s Next?
If you have a deal stuck in limbo, don’t wait for the client to make a move. Take action.
📩 Need help crafting the right follow-up strategy? Let’s talk!