5 quick tips for a good… no wait, a GREAT Mutual Action Plan (MAP)
Welcome back to Good Sales Stuff. You know the drill, pull up a chair, grab a coffee.
This one’s for anyone who’s ever said:
“Great. I’ll send next steps.”
So...that's all of you in sales and CS.
Mutual Action Plans are a standard practice in sales. In fact, 63% of AEs who use MAPs say they’re a key part of their strategy.
BUT just having a MAP isn’t the same as using one well.
So here are 5 quick ways to make sure yours is better.
1. Build it WITH the buyer, not for them
If the buyer didn’t help shape the plan, they won’t follow it.
A good MAP isn’t a checklist you send after the call. It’s something you co-create.
That means agreeing together:
- What needs to happen
- Who owns each step
- What “done” actually looks like
- When it needs to happen
When buyers can see the path and feel ownership, they don’t wait to be nudged. They move the deal with you.
2. Keep it visible between meetings
Deals don’t stall because people forget what was said. They stall because progress isn’t visible.
If your MAP lives in:
- A follow-up email
- A CRM field
- An Excel attachment
It disappears the second attention shifts. A strong Mutual Action Plan lives somewhere shared and easy to access. It stays visible even when no one is on a call. Like in a trumpet Pod - where everything lives in one shared space.
3. Make ownership impossible to ignore
No unclear responsibility here! Each task has a name. A strong Mutual Action Plan makes ownership obvious.
Every step should have:
- A named owner
- A clear deadline
- A visible status
No vague “we’ll circle back.” No silent waiting.
When ownership is shared, accountability feels natural, not forced.
4. The transition from Sales to Customer Success THAT is your opportunity to reinforce confidence
When a deal moves from Sales to Customer Success, either extend the existing MAP or begin a new onboarding plan within the same Digital Sales Room. (Or a Pod as we call them here at trumpet).
The best Mutual Action Plans don’t stop at signature. They evolve into onboarding, implementation, training, and even renewal preparation.
It makes the process feel intentional and it makes your team look organised and in control.
When Sales and Customer Success work from the same shared plan:
- Context stays intact
- Handover feels seamless
- Progress continues without pause
...and to the buyer, it doesn’t feel like a transition It feels like one continuous journey. One plan, from first call to long-term value.
Let's round it up...
5. A great MAP answers three simple questions
1. What needs to happen? Break the entire deal into clear milestones and next steps so everyone knows the path forward.
2. Who does it? Assign clear ownership for every milestone or task. It removes confusion and creates accountability.
3. When is it due? Tie every step to a realistic timeline so progress and slippage are visible.
When a MAP focuses on the three core parts - what, who, and when - it becomes more than a checklist. It becomes a shared roadmap to value, not a heavy admin burden, and the deal moves forward with confidence.
See you next week.
P.S. Take a peek at our Mutual Action Plan update 👀
Mutual Action Plans in trumpet just got a major upgrade.
What’s new:
- A new snapshot progress tracker that maps the full plan journey at a glance, so everyone knows where things stand
- Switch to a new calendar view to see progress and responsibilities by date
- Automatic warnings and flags at the top of the MAP to show what's outstanding or due - at a glance
- Bulk editing and drag-and-drop functionality to update faster as plans evolve
- Add agendas, notes and auto-reminders to each step to keep momentum between meetings
- Advanced filters and searches to find your responsibilities super quickly
- A new Mutual Action Plan dashboard to see all your MAPs, spot overdue steps, and focus on what needs attention.
Fewer follow-ups, less context switching, and deals that keep moving even when meetings stop.
For all things Digital Sales Rooms, book a quick call with our awesome Account Executives:
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