Receive a meaningful next step, a clear pause or an honest no; silence is not a commitment.
The situation
In this fictional brief, important decisions return to the founder even after delegation. The buyer wants clearer decision ownership and a repeatable reflection routine. Your offer is a structured leadership coaching programme, but you must first establish whether its scope addresses the actual need.
A relevant delivery constraint is that personal discussions must have explicit confidentiality boundaries. Treat that as a fact in the exercise; do not remove it to make the sale easier.
| Your counterpart | a founder preparing to manage a growing leadership team |
|---|---|
| Offer under discussion | a structured leadership coaching programme |
| Evidence available | a sample session agenda and a client-owned progress journal |
| Terms to clarify | Agree session cadence, confidentiality, cancellation and sponsor reporting. |
How to approach proposal follow-up
A useful question for this stage: “Would a short scope comparison help, or has the priority changed?” Ask it when the conversation creates a reason for it, rather than reciting every question in order.
- Refer to an agreed concern or decision date. Add a specific clarification. Give the buyer an easy way to continue, pause or decline.
- Ground the discussion in the buyer’s work. Ask: “Which recurring decision would you like your team to own without you?” Listen for a concrete example before making a claim.
- Use evidence relevant to the decision: a sample session agenda and a client-owned progress journal. Explain what it demonstrates and what remains unverified.
- Receive a meaningful next step, a clear pause or an honest no; silence is not a commitment.
Example exchange
An illustrative exchange. Real conversations will take a different path.
SellerWhen we last spoke, the open question was how this would fit your team’s workload. Is that still the main question?
BuyerOur concern is that important decisions return to the founder even after delegation. Also, personal discussions must have explicit confidentiality boundaries.
SellerWhich recurring decision would you like your team to own without you?
BuyerHow can I prove coaching will pay for itself?
SellerWe can agree observable behaviours and review them. We should not present a coaching conversation as a guaranteed financial return.
SellerWould a short scope comparison help, or has the priority changed?
An industry-specific concern
Buyer: “How can I prove coaching will pay for itself?”
Possible response: “We can agree observable behaviours and review them. We should not present a coaching conversation as a guaranteed financial return.”
Why this response helps: it acknowledges the concern, brings the discussion back to a verifiable requirement and leaves room for a different decision. Adapt the wording to what the buyer actually said.
Run the practice
- Prepare for two minutes. One person takes the seller role and one plays a founder preparing to manage a growing leadership team. Read the offer and constraint separately from your preferred answer.
- Have a five-minute conversation focused on restart a useful decision conversation without repeatedly asking whether the buyer has read the proposal. The buyer should answer consistently with the brief and ask for evidence when a claim is vague.
- Add this challenge: The proposal has been unanswered. You may send one relevant clarification and a respectful close-the-loop message.
- Pause for feedback. Quote one useful question and one missed opportunity. Repeat the difficult exchange using a different response.
- Finish by writing the actual agreement. A sensible option, when it fits, is to run a clearly scoped introductory session and agree one behaviour to practise. A clear decision to pause is also a useful outcome.
What to avoid
| Common mistake | Sending repeated checking-in messages with no new information. |
|---|---|
| A stronger direction | I have separated the essential work from the optional items so you can assess the first step more easily. |
| Scope and claim boundary | Keep coaching separate from clinical care and avoid psychological diagnoses. |
| What to measure in real work | completion and reflection on agreed behavioural experiments. Establish a baseline and definition before interpreting a change. |
Your working sheet
Write your own version below. Notes are saved on this browser when local storage is available. Use Download to keep a separate copy; avoid adding confidential information on a shared device.
Example: important decisions return to the founder even after delegation; personal discussions must have explicit confidentiality boundaries.
Example: Would a short scope comparison help, or has the priority changed? Industry question: Which recurring decision would you like your team to own without you?
Example: a sample session agenda and a client-owned progress journal. Keep coaching separate from clinical care and avoid psychological diagnoses.
Example: Propose a clear next step, such as: run a clearly scoped introductory session and agree one behaviour to practise. Confirm the owner and date.
Review your work
Tick only what you can support with your answer or practice. This is a reflection checklist, not an automated assessment.
Questions about this resource
Who is this executive coaching exercise for?
Founders, salespeople and account managers preparing for a conversation about a structured leadership coaching programme. Adapt the brief to your real offer and authority before using it at work.
Can I use the example as a script?
Use the questions as prompts. Listen and respond to the buyer’s actual meaning. The target is to restart a useful decision conversation without repeatedly asking whether the buyer has read the proposal, not to deliver a memorised speech.
How should I assess the result?
Receive a meaningful next step, a clear pause or an honest no; silence is not a commitment. Use the three review questions below. The checklist is for reflection; it is not a validated prediction of sales performance.
Fictional training scenario. The dialogue illustrates response choices; it is not a customer testimonial or a record of a real sale. About these resources.