Stop thinking your job is done when the contract is signed. Stay on the ground. Remain active even after the deal is closed.
Redefine Closing the Sale
It’s time to reframe how we think about closed business. That’s the key to the second of three steps you need to take to build your spiral pipeline for sales and prospecting.
This step involves participating post-sale: staying on the ground and being available even after the sale is closed.
What I’m saying is that I would like you to redefine closing: A closed sale only happens when the customer starts using your product.
It’s important to do this for two reasons. One, because this is where you prove your added value to your customer—that you’re more than just someone who closes the sale and moves on.
And two because the faster your customer is enabled (starts using your product) the happier they are and the stronger advocate they become.
Actions speak louder than words.
As sellers, nobody has a more vested interest in getting our customers to start using the products and services we sell.
However, it’s not enough to just promise a level of commitment. You have to show it.
That’s why it’s incumbent on us to stay in touch and ensure each implementation goes smoothly. People remember what we do far more than what we say.
Avoid final-yard fumbles.
Beware! All your hard work that goes into creating a great buying experience can be annihilated at the final-yard before the finish line, just by having an implementation that doesn’t work according to plan.
When that happens, you can only make things right if you’re already on the ground and ready to respond.
Otherwise, you’ll be playing catch-up, putting in double the amount of time to get half as good results. Make time for this.
Little things matter.
Participating post-sale doesn’t have to demand much of your time to be done successfully. It could be as simple as adding a short phone call to your weekly schedule to review each project with installation staff, and providing a quick update to your customers.
Little gestures like that can make a big difference: both in terms of what the buyer sees, and in how your sale gets implemented smoothly.
For example, when I was with Open Text I routinely attended the kick off meetings for our software installation projects.
This enabled me to meet new contacts who would be using the product, leaders who would be leading the teams and advocating on our products behalf, and department heads who were responsible for additional projects that we could participate in.
When I attended these meetings I was not only able to act as a second set of eyes to our project managers. I was even able to spot new opportunities for up sell and cross sell before the original project was completed!
Learn valuable new things.
Staying on the ground can also be an opportunity to discover new business problems that your customer has. The kind that might not have come up before closing, because they weren’t directly related to the sale.
The more time you get to spend with a customer, the more opportunities you have to learn from them. Those are growth opportunities, which I’ll cover in more detail next in the final installment in this series.
Stop thinking your job is done when the contract is signed. Stay on the ground. Remain active even after the deal is closed. It’s a small investment of time that can see you reaping some lucrative benefits.
![6 High-Probability Moments to Send LinkedIn Connection Requests Prior to an Event Events create natural relevance. Conferences, trade shows, user groups, and local meetups give you a reason to connect that does not feel forced. The mistake sellers make is waiting until the event starts or turning the request into a pitch. A better move is connecting days or weeks ahead with a simple acknowledgment of the shared event. Example: Hi Sarah, saw you’re attending the Midwest Manufacturing Summit next month. I’ll also be there and am super excited! I’d love to catch up in person at the event. In the meantime, let’s connect here on LinkedIn. You are aligning with something already on their calendar. When you see them at the event or reach out afterward, your name is no longer unfamiliar. Following an Event After an event, connection requests work best when they reference a real interaction, even a small one. A short conversation, a question during a session, or a brief introduction creates enough context. The request should reflect that moment, not attempt to convert it into a follow-up. Example: Tim, I enjoyed meeting you at the conference last week. Your take on [subject/trend/idea] was intriguing. I look forward to staying connected and to our next conversation. This reinforces continuity and professionalism without pushing the relationship forward prematurely. After a Sales Call Sending a connection request after a sales call is one of the most underused opportunities in prospecting. If the call was answered and productive, the request reinforces credibility and continuity. Example: Thanks again for the conversation today. I appreciated your perspective on how your team is thinking about next quarter. I look forward to our next meeting and sharing some ideas I have with you and your team. If the prospect did not answer, a connection request can still make sense as a light reinforcement, especially early in the relationship. It keeps your name present without escalating pressure. Either way, the request works because the call establishes legitimacy first. After a Meaningful Interaction Not all interactions happen in formal selling environments. Thoughtful exchanges in comment threads, group discussions, or brief conversations in passing all create natural moments to connect. That might mean running into each other at a non-work event, crossing paths at an airport, or chatting briefly in a line somewhere unexpected. Example: Haley, it was a pleasure meeting you on our flight to Atlanta. Thank you for your restaurant recommendations! I look forward to staying connected, What makes this work is that the interaction was real. The request simply continues it. Mutual Connections Shared connections reduce perceived risk when handled with restraint. They signal that you operate in similar professional circles, not that you have permission to pitch. The mistake is overexplaining or implying endorsement. Example: Hi Mark, I noticed that you are connected to my good friend, James, and since you are also [interested in, working in, located in] I thought it might make sense for us to be connected also. A simple acknowledgment is enough. Familiarity does the work. Profile Views Profile views signal awareness, not intent. When someone views your profile after a call, email, or content interaction, a connection request can make sense as a low-pressure acknowledgment. Example: Wendy, thank you for visiting my profile. I had a chance to look at yours, and based on your interests, I thought it might make sense for us to connect. The discipline is resisting the urge to read more into it than is there. Want the exact framework for integrating LinkedIn into a disciplined outreach sequence without pitching, spamming, or wasting time? Buy The LinkedIn Edge by Jeb Blount and Brynne Tillman today. Sales Gravy is the number one sales training organization](https://salesgravy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/6-Moments-LinkedIn-Connection-Requests-Actually-Work-in-Prospecting-Sales-Gravy-Blog-Featured-Image-768x401.jpg)