# Follow up a proposal without inventing a yes

Fictional classroom case · v1 · Sales with technology and AI · Session 3: Review the follow-up.

## Purpose

Rehearse a follow-up conversation, check what has actually been agreed and leave a next action someone else can understand. Use Ladera, the same case file as the course; this simulation takes 25–30 minutes of the practice and review already included in its 8 hours. It adds no session or follow-up service.

Planned trainer: Juan Pedro Belmonte. The trainer needs to rehearse timings, instructions and alternatives before the edition. That rehearsal is still pending; the sample does not establish that training has already taken place.

## Shared context

Ladera is exploring an internal request portal and currently uses a manual process. Its budget is unconfirmed. The previous meeting notes record that Elena will prepare two scope options by Thursday and Ladera will consult IT. The pilot remains unapproved and no go-live date has been agreed.

A draft says “Thank you for confirming the pilot; we start on Monday”. It contains two commitments absent from the notes. The task is to clarify the context without pushing for a yes or turning the conversation into a reading of the draft.

## Format and access

Two or three people: seller, client and, with a third person, observer. The seller plays Elena; the client receives a separate brief. With two people, both note what they observed after the first attempt and the trainer facilitates feedback. The trainer adapts roles, support and timing to the group; no particular AI tool or CRM is required.

Each participant opens only their own brief. Do not show the client's private information or the worked example before the first attempt. Acting, recording and switching on a camera are not required for a valid conversation; pauses or an equivalent written exchange may be agreed. The particular alternative is reviewed with the trainer.

## Agenda within the session

| Step | Minutes | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Prepare | 4 | Read the shared sources and your own brief; choose what needs clarification. |
| Converse | 6–7 | Ask, listen and check conditions; do not recite a script. |
| Record and check | 4 | Review two draft commitments and write the note/next action in the table or practice CRM. |
| Feedback | 4–5 | Cite an observation for each criterion and choose one priority correction. |
| Retry | 4–5 | Repeat the part needing that correction and update the record. |
| Close | 3–5 | Check sources, owner, the case's Thursday and outstanding matters; each person leaves a short piece of evidence. |

Minimum: 25 minutes. Maximum: 30 minutes. The retry and feedback are within that time. No homework or additional meetings are added by default.

## Conversation guidance

Open with the purpose of the follow-up; ask what Ladera needs to clarify; restate one condition in your own words to check understanding; separate requests from approvals; close by summarising the action, owner, classroom date and outstanding matters. Questions are guidance, not lines to recite. The client can ask and respond naturally within their brief; unavailable information stays unconfirmed.

## Three observable criteria

1. Questions and listening: ask a relevant open question, listen to the answer and check one condition in your own words without leading the client towards approval.
2. Check commitments: distinguish previous notes, simulation responses and proposals; remove the unsupported approval and start from the draft.
3. Next action: leave Elena's two options due by the case's Thursday and retain the outstanding IT consultation without marking the opportunity as won.

The observer's record uses “Observed” or “Needs review”, with specific evidence. This is formative feedback on the attempt observed, not an automatic course grade or certificate award. A person acting as client or observer records that contribution; it does not establish that they have demonstrated the seller's conversation.

## Evidence and limits

Each person keeps an observation with its source, a decision or correction and the next step. The seller manually updates an opportunity note; client and observer can explain which condition was retained and what changed after feedback. Individual programme assessment follows the criteria agreed with the trainer.

Use classroom data only. Do not contact clients, send drafts, automate records or import the CSV into a live system. Keep the example separate from the blank record; Thursday is relative to the fictional story. Participant names and the actual review date of this exercise remain blank until it is used.

[Download the ZIP pack](sales-en-v1.zip)