Sales AI Skill

Mutual Action Plan Creation

Create and manage Mutual Action Plans (MAPs) to align buyer and seller on all steps required to close a deal, with clear owners, deadlines, and accountability. Use when building deal roadmaps, creating mutual action plans, aligning on next steps with prospe...

Mutual Action Plan (MAP) Creation

Align buyer and seller on a shared path to close with clear milestones, owners, and deadlines.

Workflow

  1. After discovery/demo, create a draft MAP listing all steps required to purchase.
  2. Assign owners (buyer-side and seller-side) and target dates for each milestone.
  3. Review MAP collaboratively with prospect in a dedicated meeting.
  4. Share MAP in a collaborative platform for ongoing visibility.
  5. Track completion status and send automated reminders for upcoming/overdue milestones.
  6. Update forecast confidence based on MAP completion progress.
  7. Celebrate milestones and maintain momentum toward close.

MAP Template & Structure

MUTUAL ACTION PLAN TEMPLATE
=============================

Deal: [Company Name] — [Opportunity Name]
Created: [Date]
Target Close: [Date]
Deal Value: [$ amount]
MAP Owner (Seller): [AE Name]
MAP Owner (Buyer): [Champion Name]

╔══════════╦═══════════════════════════╦════════════════════════╦══════════════╦═══════════════╗
║ #        ║ Milestone                 ║ Owner                  ║ Target Date  ║ Status        ║
╠══════════╬═══════════════════════════╬════════════════════════╬══════════════╬═══════════════╣
║ 1        ║ Discovery Complete        ║ Both                   ║ [Date]       ║ ✅ Complete   ║
║ 2        ║ Stakeholder Alignment     ║ Buyer: [Name]          ║ [Date]       ║ 🔄 In Progress║
║          ║ Call                      ║ Seller: [Name]         ║              ║               ║
╠══════════╬═══════════════════════════╬════════════════════════╬══════════════╬═══════════════╣
║ 3        ║ Technical Validation      ║ Buyer: IT Director     ║ [Date]       ║ ⏳ Pending    ║
║          ║ (POC / Sandbox)           ║ Seller: Solutions Eng  ║              ║               ║
╠══════════╬═══════════════════════════╬════════════════════════╬══════════════╬═══════════════╣
║ 4        ║ Security Review           ║ Buyer: Security Team   ║ [Date]       ║ ⏳ Pending    ║
║          ║ (Questionnaire + Review)  ║ Seller: Security Team  ║              ║               ║
╠══════════╬═══════════════════════════╬════════════════════════╬══════════════╬═══════════════╣
║ 5        ║ Business Case Approval    ║ Buyer: CFO/VP          ║ [Date]       ║ ⏳ Pending    ║
║          ║                           ║ Seller: AE + SE        ║              ║               ║
╠══════════╬═══════════════════════════╬════════════════════════╬══════════════╬═══════════════╣
║ 6        ║ Legal/Contract Review     ║ Buyer: Legal           ║ [Date]       ║ ⏳ Pending    ║
║          ║                           ║ Seller: Legal + AE     ║              ║               ║
╠══════════╬═══════════════════════════╬════════════════════════╬══════════════╬═══════════════╣
║ 7        ║ Procurement Process       ║ Buyer: Procurement     ║ [Date]       ║ ⏳ Pending    ║
║          ║ (Vendor evaluation)       ║ Seller: AE             ║              ║               ║
╠══════════╬═══════════════════════════╬════════════════════════╬══════════════╬═══════════════╣
║ 8        ║ Contract Signature        ║ Both                   ║ [Date]       ║ ⏳ Pending    ║
╠══════════╬═══════════════════════════╬════════════════════════╬══════════════╬═══════════════╣
║ 9        ║ Implementation Kickoff    ║ Both                   ║ [Date]       ║ ⏳ Pending    ║
╚══════════╩═══════════════════════════╩════════════════════════╩══════════════╩═══════════════╝

MAP COMPLETION: [X/Y] milestones complete ([%])
FORECAST CONFIDENCE: [High/Medium/Low based on completion %]

MAP Milestones by Deal Complexity

MAP MILESTONES BY DEAL TYPE
=============================

SIMPLE DEAL (<$25K, <30 days):
  ───────────────────────────
  1. Discovery call → identify pain and confirm fit
  2. Product demo → show solution matches needs
  3. Proposal/quote sent → pricing and terms
  4. Review and approval → buyer internal sign-off
  5. Contract signed → close and begin onboarding
  Milestones: 5 | Timeline: 2-4 weeks

STANDARD DEAL ($25K-$100K, 30-60 days):
  ───────────────────────────────────────
  1. Discovery call → pain identification and qualification
  2. Stakeholder alignment call → identify all decision-makers
  3. Product demo (tailored) → show solution to key stakeholders
  4. Technical validation → IT/security team review
  5. Business case presentation → ROI and value to economic buyer
  6. Proposal and pricing → formal quote with terms
  7. Legal/contract review → terms negotiation
  8. Contract signed → execution
  Milestones: 8 | Timeline: 4-8 weeks

COMPLEX DEAL ($100K-$500K, 60-120 days):
  ────────────────────────────────────────
  1. Executive briefing → C-level introduction and strategic alignment
  2. Discovery (multiple sessions) → deep pain analysis across departments
  3. Stakeholder mapping → identify all buying committee members
  4. Multi-threaded demos → role-specific presentations
  5. Technical proof of concept (POC) → sandbox testing with real data
  6. Security review → questionnaire, penetration test if required
  7. Business case development → quantified ROI with financial model
  8. Economic buyer presentation → board-level business case
  9. Proposal and pricing negotiation → terms, discounts, SLAs
  10. Legal contract review → terms negotiation, redlines
  11. Procurement process → vendor evaluation, compliance checks
  12. Contract signature → execution by all parties
  13. Implementation planning → kickoff and timeline
  Milestones: 13 | Timeline: 8-16 weeks

ENTERPRISE DEAL ($500K+, 120+ days):
  ─────────────────────────────────────
  All complex deal milestones PLUS:
  14. Steering committee formation → cross-functional governance
  15. Data residency and compliance review → GDPR, SOC 2, HIPAA
  16. Integration testing → API and system compatibility validation
  17. Change management planning → internal adoption strategy
  18. Pilot/limited deployment → phased rollout before full implementation
  19. Multi-party contract → subsidiaries, affiliates, joint agreements
  20. Executive sign-off → CEO/CFO final approval
  Milestones: 20+ | Timeline: 16-24+ weeks

MAP Progress & Forecast Integration

MAP COMPLETION → FORECAST CONFIDENCE
======================================

Completion %  | Forecast Confidence | Action
--------------|---------------------|----------------------------------
80-100%       | HIGH                | Commit to forecast; prepare close
60-79%        | LIKELY              | Best-case forecast; monitor closely
40-59%        | POSSIBLE            | Upside forecast; push stalled items
20-39%        | UNLIKELY            | Do not commit; diagnose blockers
<20%          | SPECULATIVE         | Remove from current quarter forecast

MAP HEALTH SCORING:
  On Track: All milestones on or ahead of schedule
  At Risk: 1-2 milestones behind schedule (>3 days)
  Blocked: 3+ milestones behind or critical path stalled
  Stalled: No progress in 14+ days

AUTO-ALERTS:
  Milestone due in 3 days:  Reminder to buyer and seller owners
  Milestone overdue by 1 day: Alert to AE and champion
  Milestone overdue by 3 days: Escalation to AE manager
  Milestone overdue by 7 days: Manager call with buyer sponsor
  Entire MAP stalled 14+ days: Strategic review with leadership

MAP REVOLUTION IMPACT ON FORECAST:
  If MAP completion drops >15% from last review → reduce forecast probability
  If critical path milestone delayed → push close date and adjust forecast
  If buyer removes/adds milestones → re-evaluate deal health and timeline
  If new stakeholders added → extend timeline and add MAP milestones

MAP Review Meeting Cadence

MAP REVIEW SCHEDULE
====================

Review Frequency by Deal Stage:
  ──────────────────────────────
  Early Stage (milestones 1-3): Weekly MAP review call (15 min)
  Mid Stage (milestones 4-7): Bi-weekly MAP review (20 min)
  Late Stage (milestones 8+): Weekly MAP review (15 min)
  Post-Signature: Monthly implementation check-in

Review Meeting Agenda:
  ─────────────────────
  1. Status update on each milestone (3 min)
  2. Completed milestones — celebrate and close out (2 min)
  3. In-progress milestones — any blockers? (5 min)
  4. Upcoming milestones — confirm owners and dates (3 min)
  5. Risk assessment — anything that could delay? (2 min)
  6. Timeline adjustment if needed (2 min)
  7. Confirm next review date and owners (1 min)

REVIEW MEETING OUTPUT:
  - Updated MAP shared with both teams
  - Action items for next period logged in CRM
  - Forecast confidence updated based on progress
  - Risks documented and mitigation plans created

Edge Cases

Integration Points