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Play #9: Build or Improve Your Close Plan

Create a strong, actionable close plan that aligns internal teams, anticipates client needs, and accelerates the path to successful deal closure. This play enables you to build or refine mutual close plans grounded in real deal context, identifying key milestones, dependencies, and risk areas. By leveraging guided AI support and shareable outputs, you can keep stakeholders aligned, adapt to changing deal dynamics, and move opportunities toward close with greater clarity and confidence.

Explore Build or Improve Your Close Plan​

Visual Walkthrough

1. Navigate to https://workshop.ibm.com/. Click Create New Session to begin building a close plan.

2. Click LAUNCH under the Negotiate and Close a Deal tutor to begin your close plan.

3. Click My Assets to fine tune your session.

4. If you have any relevant documents to upload, including previous close plans, click Drag and drop files or click to upload (A). Once you're done configuring your session, click Configure Session (B) to continue.

5. If you need a specific ISC data, click Client Data.

6. Enter the relevant Account or Opportunity ISC number and select Search.

7. Select the relevant ISC data and click Configure Session to continue.

8. To create a new close plan navigate to the Chat and click Create (A) then click Help me create a mutual close plan for this deal (B).

Alternatively, if in step 4 you attached a preexisting close plan that you'd like to refine, ask the tutor for help in the Chat using a prompt such as "Update and refine the close plan that has been attached as session context. Ensure the updated plan reflects relevant shifts and changes in the industry/business."

9. Strengthen your close plans regarding negotiation-based what-ifs. Ask the Chat (A) prompts such as "Where would competitors disrupt our close plans and how do we prevent it?" to create more robust close plans. Click Submit (B).

10. Click Interactive Podcast to generate a summarized version of your close plan and deal strategy.

11. Adjust the Podcast Length (A) using the slider, customize the Podcast Title (B), and refine the prompt what the AI host focus on under What should the AI host focus on? (C) Click Generate Podcast (D) once you're done fine tuning your podcast.

12. To share your close plan session, click on the icon next to the heart on the top left.

13. Copy the session link and share it amongst colleagues.

Pro Tip: After every major client interaction, upload the transcript or notes to the Chat and prompt it to update your close plan such as: “What updates should we make to the close plan based on this new information?”

14. This concludes Build or Improve Your Close Plan. You're now an expert at utilizing watsonx Workshop for building or improving your close plans.

  1. Start the Session: From the homepage, create a new session and select the Negotiate and Close a Deal agent.
  2. Configure your Context: Using the Context panel, upload any deal-specific context that will help shape your close plan, such as:
    • Deal summary or opportunity notes
    • Meeting transcripts or notes
    • Procurement steps and required documentation
    • Timelines, deadlines, or renewal date
    • Current proposal drafts, if any
  3. Leverage ISC Integration: In the Context panel, use the ISC Data integration to automatically pull in account and opportunity details,existing client relationships and roles, historical deal activity, product and solution context, and sales assets and insights.
  4. Add Deal-Specific Context: Answer the series of prompts from the Chat. Begin by selecting if you’re reviewing and improving an existingplan or creating a new one from scratch.
  5. Build Your Close Plan: Within the Chat select the create skill to build a tailored prompt that generates a structured close plan.Alternitavely, you can using some of the example prompts. Example prompts:
    • “Create a complete close plan for this opportunity using the information provided.”
    • “Lay out the key activities required for executive approval.”
    • “Generate a close plan timeline from today through the client’s target decision date.”
    • “Identify objections or delays we should anticipate at each stage.”
    • “Where could competitors disrupt our close plan, and how do we protect against it?”
  6. Align your Team using Interactive Podcast: Create a quick prep podcast summarizing your close plan and deal strategy. Example prompts:
    • “Generate a 5-minute internal podcast summarizing the close plan and deal risks.”
    • “Create a podcast for the account team that highlights key milestones, owner responsibilities, and critical blockers.”

Pro Tip: After every major client interaction, upload the transcript or notes to the Chat and ask, “What updates should we make to the close plan based on this new information?”