Here's the situation:
I've got a large deal in play — one that would be a significant win for both me and the company. The prospect is just 15 minutes away, loves our support, and we clearly outperformed their current solution in the evaluation.
Two engineering teams are fully onboard and have become strong internal champions. They see our platform as a much more holistic and integrated replacement for the fragmented tools they're currently using. We’ve also committed to building out several tools based on a custom "wish list" they provided, addressing key gaps in their existing environment. On top of that, they stand to save a substantial amount on licensing — better product, lower cost. It's a hard combo to beat.
The roadblock? Things have stalled due to a new executive hire on their side who needs time to get up to speed and sign off on the purchase. I haven’t heard much from the lead engineer who has been driving this internally and externally. I don’t want to push too hard, as he’s clearly juggling a lot right now and its out of his control a bit.
It’s now been over a month since things paused. We’re ready to finalize the proposal and kick off the procurement process, but we’re in limbo.
I’ve had my manager reach out — no response. Now, we’re considering having our CEO reach out to their CEO since this deal likely requires top-level approval anyway. Not sure if that’s the right move or if it risks coming off as too aggressive. I've asked my champion to see if it would be worth us connecting with the new exec to answer any questions they have. No response.
So here’s what I’m trying to figure out:
- How do I spark movement in a positive direction without scaring them off?
- Do I put a time-bound expiration on the (heavily discounted) offer to create urgency?
- Should we leverage the CEO connection now — or hold off?
- Any other plays you’d recommend?
These guys are like cats — if you chase them to hard, they scatter. But we can't sit in neutral forever either.
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