Closing readiness checklist

Create a deal-specific readiness checklist to confirm whether an opportunity is truly ready to close.
Sales - Closing - Closing readiness checklist

Who it's for

Sales reps, Account executives, Sales managers, Founders, RevOps teams

Get Ready

Prepare the Required Inputs listed in the Workflow Prompt. Use as much detail as necessary.

How to use this prompt

1. Copy the Workflow Prompt.
2. Paste it into your AI tool.
3. Replace the "Required Inputs"
4. Run the prompt.

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Workflow Prompt

				
					You are a sales manager preparing a deal for close. Your task is to create a closing readiness checklist that helps determine whether an opportunity is truly ready for a final ask or signature.

### Required Input
- Offer: [Describe the product, service, or package, e.g. "managed IT support contract"]
- Buyer Profile: [Describe the buyer and company, e.g. "finance director at a 150-person nonprofit"]
- Deal Stage: [State current stage, e.g. "proposal reviewed", "pricing agreed", "legal pending"]
- Target Close Date: [State the expected close date, e.g. "end of month"]
- Buyer Need and Business Case: [Summarise the main reason they are buying, e.g. "reduce downtime and centralise support"]
- Decision Process: [Describe how the buying decision is made, e.g. "department head recommends, CFO signs"]
- Stakeholders: [List involved people and roles, e.g. "champion, economic buyer, legal, IT"]
- Known Objections or Risks: [List unresolved issues, e.g. "security review, budget timing"]
- Next Intended Ask: [State what the seller wants to ask for, e.g. "signature", "verbal approval", "procurement introduction"]

### Input Validation
Review every input before creating the checklist. If decision process, stakeholders, business case, known risks, or next intended ask are missing or unclear, ask specific clarification questions. Do not assume a deal is ready based only on buyer interest. Pause and wait for clarification.

### Instructions
Create a practical closing readiness checklist tailored to the deal. The checklist should help a seller decide whether to close now, resolve gaps, or delay the final ask until the deal is stronger.

Assess readiness across the areas that commonly determine whether a deal closes: business pain, value case, economic buyer alignment, stakeholder support, decision process, budget, timing, legal/procurement, competition, objections, implementation expectations, and next-step clarity.

For each readiness area, provide a clear pass/fail check, evidence the seller should have, warning signs, and the action to take if the area is weak. Make the checklist concrete enough to use in pipeline review or pre-close coaching.

Include a readiness score and recommendation. The recommendation should explain whether to proceed with the intended ask, run a clarification call, engage another stakeholder, adjust the proposal, or create a mutual action plan.

### Output
Provide the final answer in this structure:

1. Deal Readiness Summary
- Current readiness level
- Main strengths
- Main gaps

2. Closing Readiness Checklist
For each checklist item include:
- Readiness area
- Pass/fail question
- Evidence needed
- Warning signs
- Action if weak

3. Readiness Score
- Score out of 100
- Explanation of score

4. Recommended Next Move
- Proceed, clarify, escalate, adjust, or pause
- Exact action the seller should take next

5. Pre-Close Questions
- List 5 questions to ask before making the final closing ask.
				
			

Optional advanced instructions

				
					Add a manager coaching note that explains how to review this deal in a pipeline meeting.
				
			

Example output

1. Deal Readiness Summary

Inputs used: Offer: managed IT support contract. Buyer: Finance Director at a 150-person nonprofit. Stage: proposal reviewed, pricing agreed, legal pending. Target close: end of month. Business case: reduce downtime, centralise support, improve ticket accountability. Decision process: Operations recommends, Finance signs, IT advisor reviews, legal checks terms. Stakeholders: operations champion, finance director economic buyer, IT advisor, legal reviewer. Risks: security review and budget timing. Next ask: signature after legal review.

Current readiness: moderately strong but not signature-ready until legal and security are complete.

Main strengths: pricing agreed, business case clear, economic buyer identified.

Main gaps: legal pending, security review unresolved, final sign-off timing not confirmed.

2. Closing Readiness Checklist

  • Business pain: Pass if downtime and fragmented support are documented. Evidence: ticket history and stakeholder feedback. Warning: vague pain. Action: quantify downtime impact.
  • Value case: Pass if buyer links support contract to reduced downtime. Evidence: proposal notes. Warning: price-only discussion. Action: restate business case.
  • Economic buyer: Pass if Finance Director confirms signing authority. Evidence: direct confirmation. Warning: “leadership needs to review.” Action: ask who signs.
  • Stakeholder support: Pass if Operations and IT advisor support. Evidence: approval emails. Warning: IT advisor silent. Action: schedule technical review.
  • Decision process: Pass if legal ? security ? signature path is clear. Evidence: mutual timeline. Warning: no dates. Action: create action plan.
  • Budget: Pass if end-of-month budget is reserved. Evidence: finance confirmation. Warning: budget rollover issue. Action: confirm payment timing.
  • Legal/procurement: Pass if contract review has owner and date. Evidence: legal contact. Warning: no reviewer named. Action: request introduction.
  • Implementation expectations: Pass if kickoff and support transition are understood. Evidence: onboarding plan. Warning: buyer assumes instant coverage. Action: review transition plan.
  • Objections: Pass if security and budget timing are resolved. Evidence: written confirmation. Warning: unresolved risk. Action: resolve before signature ask.
  • Next-step clarity: Pass if buyer agrees signature is next after legal. Evidence: buyer statement. Warning: new stakeholder appears. Action: confirm no further approvals.

3. Readiness Score

Score: 78/100. The deal has strong commercial alignment, but legal, security, and final approval timing remain open enough to prevent a confident signature ask today.

4. Recommended Next Move

Recommendation: clarify before closing. Exact action: schedule a 30-minute pre-close call with Finance Director, Operations, and IT advisor to confirm legal owner, security review requirements, and signature timing.

5. Pre-Close Questions

  • “Who is the final signer once legal is complete?”
  • “Is budget reserved for this month?”
  • “What does the IT advisor still need to validate?”
  • “Are there any terms that could delay legal approval?”
  • “If legal and security are clear, is signature the next step?”

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