Stop Closing. Start Building

I’ve always hated the word close. Because if you remove the “C,” you lose.

And if you think your job is done when someone says “yes,” you’re about to lose something far more valuable than a deal — you’re about to lose a relationship.

That idea hit home for me recently when Cesar, an account executive from TelevisaUnivision in Dallas, reached out with a simple question:
“Do you have an onboarding guide for new clients?”

An onboarding guide. In other words:
What happens after they say “yes”?

That question separates transactional sellers from trusted partners. Most salespeople pour all their energy into getting the signature. Then, once the deal is done, they disappear, hand the client off or go quiet until it’s time to renew.

But the real work doesn’t end at “yes.” It begins there because that first experience after the sale sets the tone for everything that follows:

• Trust
• Confidence
• Retention
• Referrals
• Long-term revenue

There’s a great quote from Maya Angelou that nails this perfectly:

“People may never remember what you said or what you did, but they will always remember how you made them feel.”

Clients don’t just buy your solution — they buy how it feels to work with you.

The moment after the “yes” is when they’re most vulnerable. They’re wondering:

• Did I make the right choice?
• Is this going to be easy or painful?
• Will they take care of me — or disappear?
• Will it work?

Your onboarding process answers all of that without saying a word. Strong sellers don’t celebrate the close and move on. Great sellers immediately shift into service mode.

Here are five things the best ones do right after the yes:

• They create clarity - Next steps. Timelines. Who does what? No confusion. No guessing.
• They set expectations early - How communication works. How success is measured. What great results look like.
• They make the client feel valued immediately - Not processed, not handed off, but welcomed.
• They prove the client made the right decision fast - Early wins build confidence. Confidence builds loyalty.
• They send a handwritten thank-you card - Yes — old school. And that’s precisely why it works.

We live in a world of texts, emails, DMs and automated follow-ups. Everything is fast. Everything is digital. Everything is easy to ignore. But think about it. When was the last time you received a handwritten envelope — addressed to you — with a real note inside?

You opened it. Everyone does.

Handwritten notes stand out because no one does them anymore. They say effort. They say appreciation. They say relationship, not transaction. Trust me. They get opened.

Because great relationships don’t start with a contract, they begin with an experience. This is why we built that client onboarding guide for Cesar.

In today’s world — where clients have endless options — the experience after the sale is often what keeps them long after the campaign ends. In a recent blog post, a company called InMoment revealed 64% of loyal customers are more likely to purchase more frequently, and 31% are willing to spend more to stay with a brand they trust.

Too often, we stress over getting to “yes.” But retention, renewals, and referrals are created by what happens after. If you want bigger accounts, longer relationships and easier renewals, stop thinking about closing—and start thinking about onboarding and relationship-building. When clients feel supported from day one, they don’t look for exits. They look for ways to grow with you.

The close doesn’t create loyalty. The experience that follows does.

If you’d like the onboarding guide we created for Cesar, I’d be happy to send it your way. Just email me here. It walks you through a checklist of activities to cover all the bases to ensure you exceed your client’s expectations and provide superior service.  It sets the relationship up for success from day one.

Clients who feel happy, satisfied and appreciated buy more frequently, spend more money and are more loyal.

Doesn’t that make you happy?

Think Big, Make Big Things Happen!

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development. You can reach him at Jeff.Schmidt@RAB.com. You can also connect with him on X, YouTube, and LinkedIn.