The standard free to use
A deal moves on what the buyer
has done.
Not on what the seller believes. Two parts: five stages defined by buyer actions, and five things you need to know about every deal.
Part one the stages
Five stages.
Each one earned by the buyer.
A proposal you sent is not a stage change. An invitation accepted with the person who signs, is.
- 01QualifiedThe buyer has named the problem in their own words, and what it costs them.
- 02Solution fitThe buyer has described the outcome they want and how they will judge it.
- 03ProposalThe buyer has asked for a proposal, with the person who signs involved.
- 04DecisionThe buyer has shared the path to a signature and the budget line it comes from.
- 05ContractingThe buyer has started their own contracting or procurement process.
Part two PROOF
Five things to know.
With evidence, not impressions.
PROOF runs across every stage. It does not decide where a deal sits. It shows how much you actually know about it.
P
Process
How the decision gets made here, and by when.
StrongA path with steps and names.
Weak“I’ll handle that.”
R
Roles
Who decides, who could block it, who signs.
StrongNames and functions, including someone who could say no.
Weak“I decide.”
O
Obstacles
What stopped similar initiatives here before.
StrongA real earlier project that died, and why.
Weak“This is new for us.”
O
Outcome criteria
What has to be true for a yes.
StrongCriteria you can measure.
Weak“If it feels right.”
F
Funds
Where the money comes from, and whether that line exists.
StrongAn existing budget line with an owner.
Weak“We’ll find something.”
Three rules that keep it honest
Per letter
Evidence from 0 to 3
Each letter is assessed on its own, on what the buyer said or did. Evidence builds across the cycle.
Never totalled
No single score
A total hides exactly the letter that will kill the deal. Five readings, side by side.
Never a gate
It informs, it does not block
PROOF shows what you know. A deal moves on buyer actions, not on a score.
The question in every conversation is not how to sell this. It is whether there is anything to sell at all.
Run it against your own pipeline.
Start with the arithmetic, then look at what your open deals can actually prove.
Run the numbers