🚀 Ever noticed how the real selling often starts after the deal is signed?
Think about it — sales teams work tirelessly to close the deal. They chase leads, build relationships, handle objections, and craft proposals that make sense on paper and in the boardroom. It’s a demanding job that requires energy, empathy, and persistence.
But in that final push to secure the signature, something often happens. In the rush to meet targets, hit deadlines, or simply move things forward, some client needs might get simplified, underplayed, or even skipped. The intention isn’t bad — it’s momentum. It’s getting the project over the line.
Then comes the handover.
The spotlight shifts from sales to delivery. The project directors, account managers, consultants, and specialists step in. They’re now responsible for bringing that signed proposal to life — and almost immediately, they become the ones really selling.
Not because they’re chasing a quota, but because they’re in the room where value actually happens.
They’re closer to the client. They hear what’s working and what’s not. They see how the product or service fits into the client’s world — where it shines, and where it needs tweaking. They hear the unfiltered comments, the quiet frustrations, the “it would be great if we could…” conversations that never make it into a sales deck.
And it’s in those moments that the most meaningful sales opportunities appear.
This is selling during execution — not about pushing more, but about serving smarter.
Delivery teams are uniquely positioned to spot opportunities that create genuine value:
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A process automation that saves the client’s team hours each week.
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A reporting dashboard that gives clearer visibility to leadership.
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A workflow tweak that aligns the project more closely with evolving business goals.
These aren’t upsells for the sake of revenue. They’re enhancements that deepen trust, improve outcomes, and strengthen the partnership.
When delivery professionals bring these ideas forward, they’re demonstrating something powerful — that sales and service aren’t separate stages. They’re part of the same continuous cycle of value creation.
Why This Mindset Matters
Too often, organizations draw a hard line between “sales” and “delivery.” One team is measured by deals closed, the other by projects completed. But clients don’t experience that divide. From their perspective, they’re dealing with one brand — one partner — that promised results and now needs to deliver them.
If the delivery team simply executes what’s on the contract, the relationship remains transactional. But if they stay curious — asking what could be better, what could be more impactful — they shift the conversation from “fulfilling scope” to co-creating success.
That shift changes everything.
It turns a vendor relationship into a trusted partnership. It turns a one-time project into an ongoing collaboration. And yes, it drives additional revenue — but in a way that feels natural, earned, and rooted in genuine client need.
Bridging the Gap Between Sales and Delivery
This mindset doesn’t happen automatically. It requires culture, clarity, and connection.
Leaders need to encourage delivery teams to think commercially — to see business development not as someone else’s job, but as an extension of delivering excellence. That might mean training project managers to recognize when a client challenge hints at a broader opportunity. It might mean giving them the confidence and structure to raise those ideas internally.
At the same time, sales teams should stay engaged after the handover. Not to micromanage, but to stay connected. When sales and delivery remain in sync, the client feels a seamless experience — not a baton pass between departments.
This alignment builds trust internally, too. The best organizations are the ones where sales trusts delivery to evolve the relationship, and delivery trusts sales to set realistic expectations. When both teams understand that “selling” is everyone’s responsibility, growth becomes organic.
Sales as a Continuous Mindset
At its heart, selling during execution is about redefining what “sales” means.
It’s not a phase that ends with a signature. It’s an ongoing conversation about value — about what matters most to the client today and how that might evolve tomorrow. It’s about curiosity, empathy, and courage: the courage to suggest something better, even when it’s not in the original plan.
When organizations embrace this, something powerful happens. Sales becomes less about persuasion and more about partnership. Delivery becomes less about output and more about impact. And clients start to see their providers not as suppliers, but as collaborators in their success.
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