Free template

Mutual action plan template

Short answer

A mutual action plan is a short, shared list of the steps both the buyer and the seller agree to take before a decision, each with an owner and a date. It keeps a deal moving between calls, because everyone can see what is next and who has it. Keep it to five to ten steps, written in plain words.

What goes in it

The goal: One line on what the buyer wants to be true, in their words, and the date they want it by.
The steps: Five to ten steps from now to a signed decision. Each has one owner and one date. Both sides own steps.
Who decides: The people who must say yes, and the step where each one joins.
What could stop it: The known risks: security review, budget timing, a competing project. Name them early.
Next contact: The date and the reason for the next conversation, so the plan never goes quiet.

The template

Mutual action plan: [Buyer company] and [Your company]

Goal: [What the buyer wants to be true], by [date].

Steps
1. [Step], owner: [name, company], by: [date]
2. [Step], owner: [name, company], by: [date]
3. [Step], owner: [name, company], by: [date]
4. [Step], owner: [name, company], by: [date]
5. Decision call with [decision maker], by: [date]

Who decides: [names and roles]
What could stop it: [risks]
Next contact: [date], to [reason]

An example

Made-up content, rendered by Deal Pages in our own brand. Yours uses your logo, colours and fonts.

Make yours from your call notes

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Tips

Write it on the call, or send it within the hour while the details are fresh.
Give the buyer real steps to own. A plan where only the seller has tasks is a to-do list, not a plan.
Date every step. "Next week" slips; "Tue 27 Oct" does not.
Revisit it at the start of each call and mark what is done.

What this is based on

In our study of 1,157 posts from sales teams, practitioners described this problem as "follow-up breaking" and "leads falling through the cracks". A shared, dated next step is the simplest guard against both.

What we don't know

Whether a mutual action plan raises win rates in general. Vendor studies claim it does, but none we found separates the plan from the deal quality that made one possible.
The right number of steps for your sales cycle. Five to ten fits most mid-market deals; enterprise deals with procurement need more.

Questions

What is the difference between a mutual action plan and a close plan?

A close plan is the seller's own list of what must happen to win. A mutual action plan is shared with the buyer and has steps on both sides, so the buyer agrees to it.

When should you send a mutual action plan?

After the first call where the buyer confirms a real problem and a rough timeline. Earlier than that, there is nothing to plan.

Should a mutual action plan be a document or a page?

Whatever the buyer will open. A link they can forward to the people who decide travels further than an attachment.

More templates: meeting recap, sales one-pager.