You’re just so excited!

You called someone out of the blue, made him an offer, and he said yes!

Does it get any better than this? All you want to do is rush off the phone and not jinx your accomplishment.

By all means, run away from that conversation, pronto! That’s what our insecurity, and perhaps our sales manager urges us to do.

But it’s terrible advice. If you bolt, without having performed your own confirmation, you’re about to enter a fool’s paradise.

Sure, you might have a yes, an appointment that will stick, or a sale that won’t cancel.

But how can you know, unless you slowly retrace your steps, and make sure that the buyer knows all of the deal points and is committed to them?

Here’s how I confirmed a recent consulting agreement with the business owner, after cutting the deal with his manager:

“Fine, just so we’re clear, I’ll be starting tomorrow at 9:30, and I’ll be paid X dollars per month, and upon arrival tomorrow, I’ll be getting a check for half that amount, and the other half will be payable on the 15th, right? Great, and is there anything else I can help you with in the meantime? Okay, see you tomorrow morning. Thanks; bye!”

A confirmation covers the essentials of the understanding, whatever it is.

If it’s an appointment, you cover the time and place and if you wish, make sure certain people will be in attendance.

The key is to take charge, confidently.

Of course, by using a confirmation you’ll shake out some weak agreements and uncover some misunderstandings, but it’s better to do it now, rather than later.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone®, You Can Sell Anything By Telephone! and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.