close
Close for the PO
Ask for the purchase order, reduce scope instead of discounting, diagnose stalls, and use ROI to restart stuck deals.
Make the ask
In the final meeting, restate the criteria, the evidence, and the decision path from the agreement. Then ask for the PO. If you hear silence or "we loved it" with no PO, treat it as a stall to diagnose.
If the deal stalls
Name the mode before you discount. Each one has a different restart.
| Stall | Restart |
|---|---|
| No economic buyer | Get check-writer on calendar with ROI |
| Vague success | Rewrite 3–5 measurable criteria |
| Science project | Freeze scope to written criteria |
| Quiet champion | Multi-thread users + EB this week |
| Procurement takeover | Loop champion; tie delay to event |
| Loved it, no budget | ROI + reduce scope, not price |
In this phase
- Ask for the POEnd the pilot by asking for the purchase order.
- Reduce scope, not discountCut seats or sites instead of discounting.
- Stall diagnosticDiagnose why a pilot stalled and pick the restart.
- ROI modelTurn hit criteria into a finance-ready ROI story.
- Loved it, no budgetRestart deals where the pilot won hearts but budget blocks the PO.
FounderNexus
If the pilot worked and the PO is stuck, bring it to FounderNexus. Operators who have closed this motion will pressure-test the ask instead of cheering you on.
Join FounderNexusClaims and patterns on this page are paraphrased from practitioner session notes and the Startup Bible (Pilots that convert). See Sources.
Continue the journey
- Run the clockKickoff as realignment, land a week-1-2 quick win, run a midpoint review, and keep closing through the pilot.
- Expand without anchoringLand-and-expand after a paid pilot without anchoring at a cheap monthly price, and know when to stop piloting.
- Stall diagnosticDiagnose why a pilot stalled and pick the restart.
- Stall diagnostic worksheetWorksheet to name the stall mode and pick the restart.