--- name: mutual-action-plan description: "Use this skill when a B2B deal needs a shared plan to get from evaluation to signature and go-live: \"build a mutual action plan\", \"close plan for this deal\", \"what are the steps to sign\", \"deal keeps slipping\". Works backwards from the buyer's go-live date, lists every step on both sides (evaluation, security, legal, procurement, approvals, onboarding) with owners and dates, flags the critical path, and writes the email that introduces the plan to the champion as a tool to help them, not to pressure them." license: MIT metadata: title: Mutual action plan category: deals tags: "Sales, Founders, Sales Leaders, Customer Success" author: prosyo version: "1.0.0" keywords: "mutual action plan template, close plan b2b, mutual success plan, claude mutual action plan skill, deal timeline" inputs: "Buyer's target go-live, Known decision and paper process, Stakeholders" outputs: "Mutual action plan, Critical path, Champion email" --- Use this once a buyer agrees the problem is worth solving. A shared plan turns "we'll get back to you" into dated steps both sides own, and shows early whether the close date is real. ## Inputs - The buyer's target date for value (go-live, a launch, a quarter start) and why it matters. - What is known about their decision and paper process. - Stakeholders on both sides. ## The play ### 1. Anchor on their date Start from the date the buyer needs results, not your quarter end. "To have reps using it by 1 March, onboarding starts 1 February, so signature by 25 January." ### 2. List every step, both sides Evaluation, stakeholder meetings, technical review, security questionnaire, legal review, procurement and vendor setup, budget approval, signature, kickoff, onboarding milestones. Most slipped deals slip on steps nobody listed. Read [references/map-template.md](references/map-template.md) for the template and typical durations. ### 3. Assign owners and dates Every step has a named owner (buyer or seller side) and a date. Steps without a buyer-side owner are wishes. ### 4. Mark the critical path The longest chain of dependent steps, usually security plus legal plus procurement. Start them in parallel and early. ### 5. Introduce it as help Send the plan to the champion as a tool for their internal process: "Here's a draft of what usually needs to happen; what did I miss?" Let them edit it. A plan the buyer has changed is a plan they own. ### 6. Review it every week Update status, move dates honestly, and raise slips early. ## Champion email > Hi Priya, to hit reps live by 1 March, I sketched the steps that usually need to happen on both sides (attached). Some I've guessed, especially security and procurement at Lumen. Could you fix what's wrong and add anything I missed? Happy to walk through it on Thursday's call. ## What good looks like - The buyer edits the plan, adds steps and owns dates. - Security, legal and procurement start before the final presentation, not after. - The plan continues past signature into the first value milestone, which keeps the conversation about outcomes. - The common mistake is a seller-only checklist sent as an ultimatum the week before quarter end. ## Rules - MUST anchor dates on the buyer's goal. - MUST name an owner for every step. - NEVER invent deadlines or artificial urgency in the plan. ## Example prompts - "Build a mutual action plan for our $60k deal with Lumen; they want reps live by 1 March." - "This deal keeps slipping. Turn my notes into a close plan with the critical path." - "Write the email that introduces the plan to our champion." --- # Mutual action plan template | # | Step | Owner (company) | Owner (name) | Due | Status | Depends on | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Discovery and success criteria agreed | Both | Priya / Sam | | Done | | | 2 | Demo for the team leads | Seller | Sam | | | 1 | | 3 | Technical review with RevOps | Buyer | Dev | | | 2 | | 4 | Security questionnaire sent | Seller | Sam | | | 1 | | 5 | Security review complete | Buyer | IT lead | | | 4 | | 6 | Business case to the economic buyer | Buyer | Priya | | | 3 | | 7 | Economic buyer approval | Buyer | CFO | | | 6 | | 8 | Order form and terms sent | Seller | Sam | | | 6 | | 9 | Legal review | Buyer | Legal | | | 8 | | 10 | Vendor setup in procurement | Buyer | Procurement | | | 8 | | 11 | Signature | Buyer | CFO | | | 5, 7, 9, 10 | | 12 | Kickoff call | Both | | | | 11 | | 13 | First team live | Both | | | | 12 | | 14 | 30-day value check against success criteria | Both | | | | 13 | ## Typical durations (mid-market, adjust per buyer) | Step | Typical time | | --- | --- | | Security questionnaire + review | 1-3 weeks | | Legal review of standard terms | 1-2 weeks | | Legal review with redlines | 2-4 weeks | | Procurement and vendor setup | 1-3 weeks | | Budget approval outside the cycle | 2-6 weeks | ## Critical path example Security (3 weeks) → can run in parallel with business case (2 weeks) → legal (2 weeks) and procurement (2 weeks) in parallel → signature. Total 5 weeks minimum if security starts on day one; 7-8 if security starts after the business case. Start the security questionnaire as soon as the technical review is booked. ## Weekly review questions - Which steps moved? Which slipped and why? - Is any step missing a buyer-side owner? - Does the signature date still support the go-live date?