You will be able to ask for a decision in plain words when the buyer has what they need.
The meeting has gone well. The buyer likes the option you recommended, their questions have been answered, and the last two trial closes came back positive. In the pause that follows, you say, "So, any other questions?" They say no. You say, "Great, have a think and let me know." They say they will. You leave, pleased with the meeting, and a week later you are writing a follow-up message asking whether they have decided.
Many deals are lost not because the buyer said no but because nobody asked. The seller waited for the buyer to volunteer a yes, while the buyer, who was ready, waited for the question that never came. What follows is how to ask it.
Timing matters. If you ask while concerns are still open, the buyer feels rushed, and if you leave it until everyone is gathering their things, the energy has gone.
The right moment usually has two signs. The concerns the buyer raised have been answered and confirmed, using the method from lesson 4.2, Listen, clarify, respond, confirm. And the buyer has stopped asking new questions about the substance. They may still ask practical ones, such as when it would start or how billing works, but those are questions from someone picturing themselves as a customer.
Trial closes, from lesson 6.1, Trial closes: check where the buyer stands, tell you when you are there. If your last two or three came back positive and no new concern appeared, it is time.
When you ask, ask clearly. The buyer should be able to answer yes or no without wondering what you meant.
Plain versions sound like this: "Shall we go ahead with option two?" "Would you like to start with the weekly till checks from next month?" "Are you happy to go ahead on that basis?" "Shall I send the agreement for option two?"
Each one names the specific thing the buyer would be agreeing to, so there is no ambiguity.
You can also give the buyer a real choice about how or when to start. "Shall we go ahead with option two, or would you rather start next month after the busy period?" Both are genuine options the buyer has raised or would reasonably want. This is fine as long as the buyer can still say no or not yet, and you accept that answer when they do.
What to avoid is vagueness. "So, what are your thoughts?" "Where do we go from here?" "How would you like to proceed?" These sound polite, but they push the work of asking back onto the buyer. Many buyers will answer with "let me think about it" simply because it is the easiest reply to an open question.
Priya, at the end of her meeting with Joel and Lin, says: "It sounds like option two covers what you both need. Shall we go ahead, starting with last year's records in January?"
After you ask, stay silent and let the buyer answer.
You practised this with price in lesson 3.2, Say the price plainly, then stop talking, and the same rule applies here with more force, because this time the buyer is weighing the whole decision. Anything you say in the silence, whether it is another benefit, a reassurance or a softer version of the question, interrupts that decision and gives them a reason to delay.
The silence may last several seconds. Joel and Lin look at each other. Lin asks one more question about the start date. Priya answers it in a sentence and waits again. Then Joel says, "Yes, let's do it."
Sometimes the answer is not yes. "I think we need a bit more time." "Not quite yet." "Let me sleep on it."
The worst response is to repeat the pitch. Going back over the benefits tells the buyer you did not hear them and makes the meeting feel like a push, so ask what is missing. "That's fine. What would you need to feel ready?" Or: "What's the part you're still unsure about?"
The answer usually reveals a concern that the trial closes did not catch. It may be a person, someone else who needs to be involved, as in lesson 5.5, I need to check with someone else, or a specific worry about timing, risk or cost. Handle it with the method, then ask again if the moment is right.
If the answer is a clear and genuine "we need until next week," agree a specific date and time to talk, and make sure the buyer knows what will happen then. Sales foundations lesson 5.3, Ask for a next step every time, makes the same point for first meetings. A not yet with a date is still progress.
If the answer is no, that is the subject of module 7.
The hardest part of asking is often the first few words. If you have not decided them in advance, you will reach for something vague under pressure. Writing your question down and saying it aloud several times makes it feel natural when the moment comes.
Have the option you expect to recommend in your next proposal meeting in front of you before you start the activity below.
Write the exact words you will use to ask for the decision in your next proposal meeting and practise them aloud five times.
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