# Verbal-to-Signature Checklist

> The 14 steps between 'we're moving forward' and ink on paper, built to catch the silent deal-killers that stall verbal commitments in procurement and legal.

Free checklist for sales reps. Topic: [Negotiation & Closing](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/topic/negotiation-closing/). Published by PeerLab in the [Sales Enablement Resource Library](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/). Source: https://www.peerlab.ai/library/verbal-to-signature-checklist/

## How to use it

Start this checklist the moment you hear a verbal yes, work through all 14 items in order over the following days, and use the 48-hour rule the instant a signature date passes without ink on paper.

## What's inside

- 14 checkable steps from verbal yes to signed contract
- Written recap and signer-identification steps
- Procurement and legal readiness checks
- A specific-date rule instead of 'soon'
- 5 silent deal-killers called out explicitly
- A 48-hour follow-up rule with a script for stalled signatures

### 14 steps between "we're moving forward" and a signed contract

A verbal yes is not a closed deal. Most deals that die after a verbal commitment die silently, in procurement or legal, for reasons the seller never sees. This checklist closes those gaps.

1. [ ] Confirm the verbal commitment in writing within 1 hour: recap email naming the agreed price, scope, and start date.
2. [ ] Identify every required signer (single signer? board approval? multiple legal entities?).
3. [ ] Confirm the final legal entity name and billing address for the contract.
4. [ ] Send the contract/order form within 24 hours of the verbal yes, momentum dies in delay.
5. [ ] Confirm procurement has no outstanding forms still due (W-9, vendor onboarding, security questionnaire, insurance certificate).
6. [ ] Confirm payment method and terms are finalized (PO required? Net 30/60? Card vs. invoice?).
7. [ ] Ask directly: "Is there anything else that needs to happen internally before this is signed?" Surface silent blockers now, not later.
8. [ ] Confirm the legal review timeline and who owns redlines on the buyer's side.
9. [ ] Pre-empt standard redline requests (liability cap, auto-renewal, termination clause, data processing terms) with your fallback positions already decided.
10. [ ] Set a specific signature date out loud, not "soon", "Let's target Thursday for signature, does that work?"
11. [ ] Confirm no PO number is required BEFORE invoicing, a common silent killer in enterprise procurement.
12. [ ] Loop in your deal desk/finance if discount or terms deviate from standard, so approval doesn't stall you at the last step.
13. [ ] Schedule the kickoff call on the calendar BEFORE the contract is signed, it creates forward pressure and confirms buyer intent.
14. [ ] Follow up every 48 hours if signature stalls, with a specific question, not a generic check-in.

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## 5 silent deal-killers to watch for
1. **Missing PO number**: invoice gets issued, then bounces back weeks later because a PO was never opened.
2. **Wrong legal entity on the contract**, subsidiary vs. parent company mismatch stalls signature indefinitely.
3. **Procurement re-opening pricing** after verbal agreement, once they see the number in writing for the first time.
4. **An additional signer** surfaces late (board, co-founder, group counsel) who wasn't part of any prior conversation.
5. **A stalled security review** that was assumed "basically done" but was never actually closed out.

## The 48-hour follow-up rule
If signature stalls past 48 hours of an agreed date, don't send "just checking in." Send a specific question tied to the exact step that's likely stuck:

> "Hi [Name], following up on signature. Is legal still reviewing the liability clause, or has that cleared on your end? Happy to hop on a quick call if it's easier to talk through."