Youre just so excited!

You called someone out of the blue, made him an offer, and he said yes!

Does it get any better than this? All you want to do is rush off the phone and not jinx your accomplishment.

By all means, run away from that conversation, pronto! Thats what our insecurity, and perhaps our sales manager urges us to do.

But its terrible advice. If you bolt, without having performed your own confirmation, youre about to enter a fools paradise.

Sure, you might have a yes, an appointment that will stick, or a sale that wont cancel.

But how can you know, unless you slowly retrace your steps, and make sure that the buyer knows all of the deal points and is committed to them?

Heres how I confirmed a recent consulting agreement with the business owner, after cutting the deal with his manager:

Fine, just so were clear, Ill be starting tomorrow at 9:30, and Ill be paid X dollars per month, and upon arrival tomorrow, Ill be getting a check for half that amount, and the other half will be payable on the 15th, right? Great, and is there anything else I can help you with in the meantime? Okay, see you tomorrow morning. Thanks; bye!

A confirmation covers the essentials of the understanding, whatever it is.

If its an appointment, you cover the time and place and if you wish, make sure certain people will be in attendance.

The key is to take charge, confidently.

Of course, by using a confirmation youll shake out some weak agreements and uncover some misunderstandings, but its better to do it now, rather than later.