Prepare the next conversation, session or decision.
Work through these 10 steps and choose the actions relevant to your situation. The pitfalls are illustrative examples, not customer quotations. Use the checklist on screen or print it for your preparation.
Check the renewal context
Illustrative pitfall
“We opened the call without knowing the decision timeline.”
- Verify the relevant dates using authorised account records.
- Identify the customer's decision process and participants.
- Separate confirmed facts from account-team assumptions.
Review the original goals
Illustrative pitfall
“We discussed usage without recalling what the customer bought it for.”
- Find the outcomes agreed at purchase or onboarding.
- Ask which goals still matter.
- Note where business priorities have changed.
Gather balanced evidence
Illustrative pitfall
“Our success story ignored the team's daily frustration.”
- Review permitted usage, support and outcome evidence.
- Identify both useful results and unresolved difficulties.
- Avoid treating logins alone as proof of value.
Align the account team
Illustrative pitfall
“Sales and support gave different explanations for the same issue.”
- Brief the relevant account, support and delivery colleagues.
- Agree what is known and what needs checking.
- Name an owner for each outstanding commitment.
Open with the customer
Illustrative pitfall
“The renewal pitch arrived before anyone asked how things were going.”
- Invite the customer's view of current value.
- Ask what is working and what is getting in the way.
- Acknowledge specific concerns before proposing a solution.
Explore the risk
Illustrative pitfall
“We assumed a budget problem when the team could not use the workflow.”
- Clarify the concern behind the renewal hesitation.
- Ask who is affected and what the impact is.
- Check your interpretation with the customer.
Discuss credible options
Illustrative pitfall
“We promised a fix before the delivery team assessed it.”
- Check feasible support, training or scope options.
- Use approved product and commercial information.
- Make dependencies and unresolved points explicit.
Agree a useful plan
Illustrative pitfall
“The account plan contained actions only the supplier understood.”
- Link each action to the customer's concern.
- Agree owners, evidence and realistic dates.
- Confirm what the customer will contribute.
Clarify the decision
Illustrative pitfall
“A positive conversation was recorded as a committed renewal.”
- Ask what still needs to be resolved or approved.
- Confirm who will make the renewal decision.
- Record uncertainty honestly in the account notes.
Close the loop
Illustrative pitfall
“We sent a summary and assumed the work would happen.”
- Send the agreed actions and open questions.
- Track commitments with their owners.
- Review progress before the next decision point.
Put it to work
Turn the checklist into focused practice.
NewSkilz shapes practical training around your people, goals, real working situations and approved content.