Close More Deals, Faster: The CRO & CEO Playbook for Mutual Success Plans

Your quarter ends this month.

The best time to implement mutual success plans was last quarter.

The second-best time? Today.

In 2025’s competitive SaaS landscape, deals don’t stall because of a lack of interest—they stall due to internal complexity, unclear next steps, and lack of executive alignment. A structured mutual success plan ensures that champions stay engaged, internal approvals don’t drag out, and deals don’t slip into next quarter.

Here’s how CROs and CEOs can ensure their sales teams get it right:

1. Drive Buy-In for a Mutually Beneficial Plan

Your champion needs to see a mutual success plan as a way to streamline their internal process—not just a sales requirement.

Encourage your team to position it as a way to avoid risk and keep everything on track.

💬 Example for your sales teams "There are a lot of moving parts here. To avoid anything slipping through the cracks, does it make sense to map out the key steps between now and a successful go-live?"

This shifts the conversation from closing a deal to ensuring a smooth rollout, making it easier for champions to get internal buy-in.

2. Cover All Key Stakeholders & Steps

To prevent delays, sales leaders should ensure their teams map out:

✅ Critical milestones: What needs to happen before signing?✅ Stakeholder involvement: Who needs to approve or contribute? (Legal, IT, finance, security, procurement, etc.)✅ Internal process alignment: How does the customer typically move a deal forward?✅ Clear timelines: Where are the bottlenecks, and how can they be mitigated?

CROs should standardize this approach within their teams, ensuring no rep runs a deal without covering these bases. This is where a Success Plan template comes in.

3. Push for True Co-Creation

If the plan is just another sales document, it will be ignored.

Best practice: Champions must contribute to and validate the plan.

• Let the buyer shape the timeline so they take ownership.

• Adjust based on their procurement process and internal blockers.

• Get them to commit to next steps—not just nod along.

💡 CRO Action: Train your sales leaders to ensure mutual success plans feel co-authored, not imposed. This improves internal deal momentum and reduces last-minute surprises. Easiest way to do this? Focus on the required go-live date as dictated by the customer.

4. Extend the Plan Beyond Contract Signature

For sellers, the contract is the finish line—for buyers, it’s just the starting point.

Deals don’t just need to close; they need to convert into value. A strong mutual success plan should include:

➡️ Onboarding & Implementation Milestones – What happens in the first 30-60-90 days?➡️ First Value Realization – When does the customer see measurable ROI?➡️ Expansion Strategy – How do we ensure this deal leads to further adoption?

💡 CEO Action: Reinforce a customer success mindset across the company. When executive teams prioritize post-signature value, expansion and retention improve naturally. On a practical level, this is where Customer Success and Implementation teams should be supporting in the sales process.

Final Thought for CROs & CEOs

A great mutual success plan isn’t just about closing the deal—it’s about ensuring long-term value and reducing churn. If your sales org isn’t embedding this process into their deals, expect more slipped quarters, stalled deals, and post-sale churn.

The quarter is closing. Does your team have a plan to close deals with confidence?