MOVE 45 · TIMING & SILENCE · FREE
Set a Response Window
Give a clear, reasonable date by which you need an answer, so an open question does not drift indefinitely.
An offer without a timeline is a wish.
WHY IT WORKS
Open-ended proposals compete with every other priority and usually lose. A specific, explained response date gives the other side a reason to decide, lets you plan, and makes it legitimate to follow up or move on without seeming impatient.
WHEN TO USE IT
- You have sent a proposal or offer and need to plan around the answer.
- Previous proposals with this counterpart have gone quiet.
WHEN NOT TO USE IT
- The counterpart has explained a legitimate longer decision process.
- Setting a date would feel coercive in a sensitive personal context.
SIGNALS IT FITS
- Proposals sit unanswered for weeks.
- You are holding capacity for a client who has not committed.
PREPARATION
- Choose a date that is reasonable for their process.
- Have a real reason for the date (capacity, pricing validity, start date).
STEP BY STEP
- State the response date with its reason.
- Offer to answer questions before then.
- Follow up once shortly before the date.
- Act on the date: release capacity or proceed.
OPENING LINE
“To hold the start date for you, I'd need to know by Thursday.”
SCRIPT
To hold the March start for you, I'd need confirmation by Thursday the 9th. After that I'll open the slot to other clients.
LIKELY RESPONSES & COUNTERS
- If they ask for more time
- Ask what they need to decide and agree a new, specific date.
- If they miss the date
- Release the slot as stated and let them know politely.
SECOND MOVE
If the window passes in silence, use Follow Up After Silence.
FOLLOW-UP
Send one reminder two days before the deadline.
COMMON MISTAKES
- Setting a deadline with no consequence and then ignoring it.
- Choosing an unreasonably short window.
WALK-AWAY CONDITIONS
- Repeated windows pass without response or explanation.
EXAMPLE (FICTIONAL)
A consultant who usually waited weeks on proposals began adding 'I can hold this start date until Friday'. Her average response time fell from three weeks to five days.
ETHICAL BOUNDARY
Deadlines must be real. Fabricated urgency ('only two slots left') when untrue is manipulation.
RELATED MOVES
Content version 1 · Drafted by Power Move IQ Editorial · Not yet human-reviewed · Educational decision support, not legal, financial or employment advice.