Mutual Action Plan

A mutual action plan (MAP) is a shared document between you and the prospect that lists every step both sides need to complete to get from "we're interested" to "contract signed." It's co-created, not imposed. The prospect owns half the actions. You own the other half. A MAP turns a vague "we'll get back to you" into a specific, time-bound sequence of actions with accountability on both sides.

The principle: a MAP works because it makes the buying process visible. Most deals stall because the prospect doesn't know what comes next and neither does the rep. The MAP eliminates ambiguity. Every step has an owner, a deadline, and a dependency. When a step slips, both sides know immediately.

When to Introduce the MAP

Introduce the MAP at the end of a successful demo or at the start of the evaluation phase. The conversation:

"It sounds like there's a good fit here. I want to make sure
we make this as easy as possible on your end. I've put together
a rough timeline of what the next few weeks would look like
from both sides. Can I walk you through it and get your input?"

Introduction rules:

• Frame it as helpful, not as a sales tactic. "I want to make this easy" not "I need to know your timeline"
• Present a draft, not a blank template. A pre-filled draft shows you've thought about their process. A blank template feels like homework
• Ask for their input. "What am I missing? What steps does your team need that I haven't listed?" The MAP should be co-created. Their fingerprints on it create ownership

The MAP Template

Standard MAP structure

# Mutual Action Plan: [Your Company] + [Their Company]

## Goal
[Prospect company] evaluates [Your product] to solve [specific
problem] and makes a go/no-go decision by [target date].

## Key dates
- Evaluation start: [date]
- Decision target: [date]
- Go-live target: [date]

## Steps

| # | Action | Owner | Due date | Status |
|---|--------|-------|----------|--------|
| 1 | Technical deep-dive with engineering | Both | [date] | Pending |
| 2 | Security questionnaire review | [Your company] sends, [Their IT] reviews | [date] | Pending |
| 3 | Pilot/POC setup (if applicable) | [Your company] | [date] | Pending |
| 4 | Pilot results review | Both | [date] | Pending |
| 5 | ROI/business case presentation to [EB name] | [Your AE] + [Champion] | [date] | Pending |
| 6 | Pricing proposal delivery | [Your AE] | [date] | Pending |
| 7 | Internal review and stakeholder alignment | [Champion] | [date] | Pending |
| 8 | Procurement/legal review | [Their procurement] | [date] | Pending |
| 9 | Contract redlines and negotiation | Both | [date] | Pending |
| 10 | Contract signature | [EB or authorized signer] | [date] | Pending |
| 11 | Onboarding kickoff | [Your CS team] | [date] | Pending |

## Stakeholders
| Name | Role | Responsibility in this evaluation |
|------|------|----------------------------------|
| [Champion name] | [Title] | Day-to-day evaluation lead. Internal advocate |
| [EB name] | [Title] | Budget approval. Business case sign-off |
| [Technical evaluator] | [Title] | Security review. Integration validation |
| [Your AE] | [Title] | Commercial lead. Pricing, proposal, negotiation |
| [Your SE/SA] | [Title] | Technical support. Demo, POC, integration |

## Success criteria
What does [their company] need to see to feel confident
moving forward?
1. [Criterion 1: e.g., "Integration with Salesforce works
   in our environment"]
2. [Criterion 2: e.g., "Reply rates improve by 30% in pilot"]
3. [Criterion 3: e.g., "ROI payback under 6 months"]

## Risks and blockers
| Risk | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|--------|-----------|
| Security review takes > 3 weeks | Delays decision by 3 weeks | Send security docs proactively. Offer to brief IT directly |
| EB unavailable for business case meeting | Can't get budget approval | Schedule 2 weeks out. Get on calendar now |
| Competing priority (Q3 planning) delays evaluation | Evaluation pauses | Align MAP timeline to avoid Q3 planning conflict |

MAP Steps by Deal Type

Mid-market deal ($20-80K ACV, 30-60 day cycle)

Enterprise deal ($80-300K+ ACV, 60-120 day cycle)

Expansion deal ($20-100K+ additional ACV)

Co-Creation Process

How to build the MAP with the prospect

Step 1: Draft the MAP before the meeting

Pre-fill as much as you can from discovery and the decision process information you've gathered. Include your best guess at their internal steps. Leave blanks where you don't know.

Step 2: Walk through together on a call (10-15 minutes)

"I put together a draft of what the next few weeks could look
like. Let me share my screen and walk through it. I want your
input on what I'm missing and whether the timeline feels
realistic."

[Share screen. Walk through each step.]

"For step 3, the security review: how long does that typically
take at [company]? ... OK, so 3 weeks, not 2. Let me adjust."

"What am I missing? Are there any internal steps I haven't
accounted for?"

Step 3: Share the document

After the call, share the MAP as a live document (Google Doc, Notion, or a shared link). Both sides can see and update it.

Co-creation rules

• The prospect must edit or approve the MAP. A MAP you wrote and they never looked at is a sales plan, not a mutual plan. Their input makes it mutual
• Use their language for their steps. If they call procurement "vendor management," call it vendor management in the MAP. Their words, not yours
• Include their internal steps that have nothing to do with you. "Internal stakeholder alignment" and "budget committee review" are their steps. Including them shows you understand their process and respect the timeline
• Name specific people. Not "stakeholder review." "[VP name] reviews the business case on [date]." Named people with dates create accountability

Managing the MAP

Weekly MAP review

Once the MAP is in place, review it weekly with the champion.

Weekly check-in agenda (10 minutes):

1. "Where are we on the MAP? Which steps are complete?"
2. "Any steps that are at risk of slipping?"
3. "What do you need from me to keep things on track?"
4. "Any new stakeholders or requirements that have come up?"

Management rules:

• Update the status column after every interaction. Pending → In Progress → Complete → Blocked. The MAP should always reflect current state
• When a step slips, adjust ALL downstream dates. If security review takes an extra week, every step after it shifts by a week. Don't pretend the original close date is still achievable when the timeline says otherwise
• A MAP that nobody updates is dead. If the champion stops engaging with the MAP, the deal is stalling. The MAP not being updated is itself a signal. Address it directly: "I noticed we haven't updated the plan in 2 weeks. Has anything changed on your end?"
• Share the MAP with the economic buyer. The EB should have visibility into the plan, even if they're not involved in every step. It signals a structured, professional evaluation process and keeps the timeline visible at the decision-making level

When the MAP goes off track

MAP Formats

Where to host the MAP

Format rules

• The document must be shareable and editable by the prospect. A MAP in your CRM that the prospect can't see is a sales plan, not a mutual plan. Share it
• Google Doc is the default for most deals. It's free, collaborative, and every prospect already has Google access. Don't over-tool it
• Deal room tools are worth the investment for $100K+ deals. They track which stakeholders viewed the MAP, which documents were opened, and provide a professional presentation. This engagement data is valuable for forecasting
• Don't email the MAP as a PDF. PDFs can't be updated collaboratively. Email a link to a live document

MAP Timing by Deal Stage

Success Criteria in the MAP

Every MAP should include explicit success criteria: what the prospect needs to see to feel confident moving forward.

How to define success criteria

"If the evaluation goes perfectly, what would you need to see
to feel confident saying yes? I want to make sure we're aligned
on what success looks like."

Common success criteria for B2B SaaS

Success criteria rules

• Define them before the evaluation starts, not after. If success criteria are defined at the proposal stage, you've been evaluating without a shared definition of "good." This creates misaligned expectations
• Make criteria specific and measurable. "We like it" is not a criterion. "Reply rates improve by 30% in a 2-week pilot" is. Each criterion should be pass/fail
• Agree on what happens if criteria are met. "If all three criteria pass, what's the next step?" The answer should be "we move to proposal/contract." If it's "we'll discuss further," the criteria aren't really criteria. They're stalling mechanisms

Measurement

Anti-Pattern Check

• MAP sent as a one-sided sales plan. The prospect never saw it, never edited it, never agreed to it. This is a project plan, not a mutual action plan. Co-create it with the prospect. Their input makes it mutual
• MAP introduced at the proposal stage. Too late. The evaluation has been unstructured for weeks. By proposal, the prospect has their own mental timeline that may not match yours. Introduce post-demo
• MAP with no dates. "Step 1: Technical review. Step 2: Business case. Step 3: Contract." Without dates, there's no accountability. Every step needs a date and an owner
• MAP that only lists your steps. "We'll send the proposal. We'll deliver the POC. We'll schedule onboarding." Where are their steps? "Champion presents business case to VP." "Procurement reviews contract." The prospect has as many steps as you do. Include both
• MAP never updated after creation. Created in Week 2. Never looked at again. The MAP loses value if it's not a living document. Review weekly with the champion. Update status. Adjust dates when steps slip
• No success criteria. The MAP lists steps but never defines what "success" looks like. Without criteria, the evaluation ends with "let me think about it" instead of "the criteria passed, let's move forward"
• MAP for a $5K deal. Overkill. A MAP adds value for deals > $20K with multiple stakeholders. A $5K deal with one decision-maker doesn't need a formal plan. It needs a Calendly link and a contract
• Close date on the MAP that nobody believes. The MAP says "close by March 31" but security review won't finish until April 15 and procurement takes 3 weeks after that. The close date must be realistic based on the step timeline. If the steps say 8 weeks and you wrote 4 weeks, the MAP is fiction