They Said Yes to Your Proposal: What Happens Next?

Understand the situation before responding

Write down exactly what the contact agreed to. They may have endorsed the approach without approving the fee or signing authority. Check whether someone else needs to authorise spending, whether procurement must create a supplier record and whether the intended start date depends on client inputs. Do not celebrate an unconditional commitment if the buyer said yes subject to a separate review. A friendly conversation and an executed purchase are different evidence.

An example message to adapt

Hi [Name], glad the approach fits. To turn that into an agreed start, what remains on your side: approval, the purchase order or the agreement? I can confirm the next step from our side once we understand those dependencies. Who should coordinate the remaining steps with us?

Illustrative teaching example. Replace the prompts with buyer-confirmed facts; this is not a client conversation, claimed result or message to send automatically.

Prepare a useful next action

Summarise the agreed scope, price, exclusions and proposed start without adding new promises. Ask which approval or document is outstanding and who owns it. If the buyer wants to begin before paperwork is complete, use your normal commercial process rather than assuming informal permission solves the risk. Confirm delivery capacity against the date actually being agreed. If the start changes, check that the scope and required inputs still make sense.

Record the decision and its limits

Record the specific stage reached: verbal intent, approval received, agreement completed or payment verified. Use your own contract and payment requirements to determine when work can start. If the next action remains ownerless, the useful follow-up is a question about ownership. Repeating “just checking in” will not complete a purchase order or secure an authorised signature.