A close plan is a strategic document outlining the specific steps needed to close a deal: decision-makers, objections, timeline, and next steps. A joint success plan is a collaborative version built together with the customer, aligning shared goals, responsibilities, and success metrics. Use a close plan to stay organized internally, and a joint success plan to build mutual accountability with the buyer. Both raise win rates because they replace ad-hoc follow-up with a structured, trackable process.
A close plan and a joint success plan are two of the most underused tools in sales. A close plan is a strategic document that outlines the steps and actions required to close a deal. It's a roadmap that keeps you prepared for whatever obstacle shows up during the sales process.
A joint success plan is different: it's a collaborative agreement between you and the customer, outlining shared goals and the strategy for reaching them together. Done right, it turns the deal into a mutual project instead of a one-sided sales push, which builds stronger relationships and longer-term satisfaction.
Both plans matter because they replace guesswork with structure. They keep you organized and proactive, and they force the kind of communication with the customer that builds trust rather than pressure.
It starts with your sales strategy
Before any close plan, you need a sales strategy: a well-defined plan for approach, tactics, and goals that aligns your effort with the organization's broader objectives. Get this alignment right and everything downstream, including your close plan, has a clear direction.
A solid sales strategy has five components. Target market: know your ideal customer's needs, preferences, and pain points so your messaging actually resonates. Sales objectives: set clear, measurable targets, whether that's revenue, market share, or customer acquisition. Sales tactics: the specific actions, prospecting, relationship building, negotiation, closing, that get you to those objectives. Sales processes: the repeatable steps that move a prospect through the funnel consistently. Sales tools and technology: the CRM, automation, and analytics platforms that support the whole system.
Building the close plan
A close plan focuses specifically on the final stage of the sales process. It's a detailed document outlining the exact steps needed to close, so you're prepared instead of reactive when an obstacle shows up.
Building one effectively means covering five things. Identify the decision-makers: know who actually has authority to say yes, and tailor your approach to them specifically. Understand the customer's needs: know their pain points and desired outcomes well enough to position your solution as the answer, not just an option. Address objections and concerns: get ahead of roadblocks instead of reacting to them, which builds trust. Create a timeline: set milestones and deadlines so you and the customer both know where things stand. Define next steps: spell out what happens after the plan is in motion, contract negotiation, implementation, onboarding, so momentum doesn't stall.
Formats to choose from
Joint success plans can take several forms. A simple checklist lays out the key tasks needed to close. A timeline-based plan adds specific milestones and deadlines. An objection-handling plan focuses specifically on addressing the customer's concerns. A collaborative plan involves the customer directly, outlining joint actions and shared responsibilities.
My personal preference is the collaborative plan for its shared ownership, and the simple checklist for its speed. Pick based on the complexity of the deal and how much the customer wants to be involved in shaping the plan.
Getting started with a joint success plan
Identify shared goals: agree with the customer on what you're both trying to achieve, whether that's revenue targets, satisfaction metrics, or other shared KPIs. Define strategies and tactics: once the goals are set, work out together how you'll get there, joint marketing, product initiatives, process improvements. Assign responsibilities: make sure every party knows exactly what they own. Establish metrics and tracking: build in regular check-ins or reviews so you can see whether the plan is actually working.
What format or tool should you use
Building a close plan or joint success plan isn't complicated, it's sales excellence in its simplest form. Like most things in sales, the value is in the execution, not the tool.
The most effective versions I've seen are built on a simple spreadsheet covering the essentials, updated live as the deal progresses. You can share that same spreadsheet with the client so both sides own the plan and its execution together.
Set it up with the client name and project name as the shared goal at the top, then build columns for deadline, task, success metric, and owner. That's it. No complicated software, just a shared, visible plan both sides check regularly.
Watch: Joint Success Plans: How to Use Close Plans to Raise Your Win Rate
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a close plan and a joint success plan?
A close plan is an internal document outlining the steps needed to close a deal, covering decision-makers, objections, timeline, and next steps. A joint success plan is built collaboratively with the customer, aligning shared goals, responsibilities, and success metrics.
What should a close plan include?
Five things: identification of the key decision-makers, a clear understanding of the customer's needs, a plan for addressing objections, a timeline with milestones, and clearly defined next steps after the plan is implemented.
What tool should I use to build a joint success plan?
A simple spreadsheet works best in practice. List the client and project as the shared goal, then add columns for deadline, task, success metric, and owner. You can share the same sheet with the client so both sides track progress together.
What formats can a joint success plan take?
Four common formats: a simple checklist, a timeline-based plan with milestones, an objection-handling plan, and a collaborative plan built jointly with the customer. A collaborative plan or simple checklist tend to work best depending on deal complexity.
Why do joint success plans improve win rates?
They replace ad-hoc follow-up with a structured, mutually accountable process. Because both the seller and the customer agree on goals, responsibilities, and metrics upfront, the deal moves forward with less ambiguity and stronger alignment on what success looks like.