I’ve been in sales for a few years now, and I keep hitting this weird wall where a prospect seems genuinely interested, we have a great conversation, and then they just go completely silent after I send the proposal. I’m starting to wonder if my whole approach to the assumptive close is somehow creating friction I don’t see. Has anyone else felt that moment where your confidence in the next steps might actually be working against you?
That cliff moment hits me too. The assumptive close can feel like I am already signing the deal, while the room is still weighing it. The silence after the proposal makes me doubt whether I overstepped or if the prospect simply needs time.
From a process view the silence might not be about you at all. Decisions stall in finance or legal or a PM queue. A light check in that invites a next step without assuming a yes can keep momentum.
I once mistook a blink of excitement for approval. They loved the idea but needed budget clarity. The proposal felt like a finish line and I waited for a clear yes which never came.
I am skeptical that the issue is the close at all. Maybe the real friction is the framing of value. If the language makes it feel like you own the solution the prospect might recoil. The assumptive close can backfire when you lead with certainty rather than inquiry.
Reframe the question to what counts as progress. A quiet period after a proposal can be a sign of internal alignment happening, not a rejection.
As a craft minded reader I notice pacing matters. The closers in fiction hint at a decision with a soft invitation, not a shove. The assumptive close may work better if you present two clear options rather than a single path.
If you want a simpler test try a tiny next step that is almost painless for them and you both. Sometimes the tiny commitment is the real win and the big close can wait.