Hey Niepodam,

We had a $180K enterprise deal.

• Champion aligned.
• CFO verbally approved.
• Timeline set for signature by Friday.

Thursday afternoon: “Procurement and legal need to review.” 

I was angrrrrrry. Screaming and sending everyone to FFFFF off. (I was so frustrated!)

Six weeks later, we were still redlining.

That’s when I realized: It’s not a closing problem.

It’s a sequencing problem.

So I changed one thing: I started involving procurement and legal before the deal felt done.

The Enterprise Move: Pre-Alignment Email

Most reps wait until the buyer says yes.

That’s too late.

As soon as we hear serious intent, I send this:

“Before we get too far, in similar evaluations, procurement and legal usually raise questions around liability caps, data processing, and payment terms.

Would it make sense to loop them in early so we protect the timeline?”

This does four things:

• Shows experience
• Protects their internal deadline
• Makes you look organized
• Turns escalation into foresight

You’re not creating friction.

You’re preventing it.

Then I Go Direct

Once introduced:

“Appreciate you jumping in early.

To save cycles, I’ve attached our standard MSA, security overview, and the 3 clauses that typically get redlined.

If there are non-negotiables on your side, helpful to flag them now so we can align fast.”

Now you control tempo.

Instead of reacting to redlines at the end, you surface landmines early.

Why This Works

Procurement’s job is risk control.

If they enter late, they prove value by slowing things down.

If they enter early, they prove value by keeping things clean.

You’re shifting their incentive.

The SMB Version

SMB "doesn’t have" procurement.

But they do have surprise stakeholders.

The accountant.
The co-founder.
The “let me run this by someone.”

After pricing, I ask: “Totally fair. Is there anyone else who’ll want visibility before you move forward?”

Surface it early.

Then:

“Happy to send a short summary you can forward internally so it doesn’t turn into back-and-forth.”

In SMB, deals don’t die from legal redlines.

They die from confusion and delay.

So you remove both.

Tactical Summary

Enterprise:

• Bring up procurement yourself
• Frame it as timeline protection
• Share documents proactively
• Ask for non-negotiables early

SMB:

• Surface hidden stakeholders
• Provide forwardable summaries
• Simplify the decision
• Keep momentum tight

Deals don’t stall because procurement exists.

They stall because procurement is surprised.

Before your next “almost closed” deal, ask: Who could slow this down later?

Then bring them in early, on your terms.

Want me helping you and your team within your sales efforts? Let’s talk.

Or book me here directly for a Free Strategy Call

Alan "Modern Seller" Ruchtein.

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