Demo went well. Champion said “that’s exactly what we need.” You sent the proposal. It’s now been 12 days. No response.
This is the most common cause of lost SaaS deals. And the most avoidable — because in the vast majority of cases there is something concrete you can do.
Cause 1: Multi-stakeholder problem
Champion is positive. But champion is not the buyer. Or champion can’t approve alone. There’s a CFO, a CTO, or a manager somewhere who isn’t convinced yet — or hasn’t been informed yet.
The symptoms: champion uses phrases like “we need to get it approved” or “I need to run it by...” — but never specifies who.
What you do
Stop sending follow-ups to champion. Help them sell internally instead. Ask: “What’s the most important thing for your manager to understand about this — and can I help prepare that material?”
You shift role: from pressuring champion to making champion your internal salesperson. That’s a fundamental difference.
Cause 2: Budget timing problem
The interest is real. But they’re in the middle of a quarter, a budget year, or a project that’s consuming all focus. Your timing is wrong — but it’s not a permanent no.
The symptoms: champion responds quickly to small talk but slowly to deal questions. Says things like “we’re just incredibly busy right now.”
What you do
Set a concrete future date. “Shall we put this on hold until August and have a fresh conversation then?” Let them respond. Better to have an agreement to come back than to be ignored.
Avoid keeping an “open” proposal floating. It creates nothing. Set a date or formally close it and reopen it.
Cause 3: Internal prioritization problem
They haven’t decided to buy. They haven’t decided not to. They simply haven’t discussed it internally yet because 17 other things are more important.
The symptoms: they say “it’s still on our radar” or “we’ll get back to you during the month.” The month is always 4 weeks away.
What you do
Tie it to an external deadline they already have. “I’m thinking about it in the context of your Q3 kickoff — does it make sense to have it in place before then?” Give them a reason to prioritize now that isn’t your need.
Framing is everything here. Not: “we need an answer.” But: “what’s the right time for you?”
What you do if you don't know which it is
One question clarifies it: “What needs to happen internally for you to be able to make a decision on this?”
If they answer “we need approval from [person]” — multi-stakeholder. If they answer “we’re just in a busy period” — timing. If they answer something vague about priorities — internal prioritization.
You now know which one you’re working with. Use it.