MOVE 65 · ALIGNMENT & COMMITMENT · FREE
Turn Maybe into a Date
When someone says 'maybe later' or 'let's revisit', convert it into a specific date for the decision, so it does not become a permanent maybe.
'Later' without a date usually means 'never'.
WHY IT WORKS
Vague deferrals are comfortable for the person deferring and costly for the person waiting. Asking for a date or condition — 'when would be the right time?' — converts avoidance into a commitment, or reveals that the answer is actually no.
WHEN TO USE IT
- Your request was met with 'let's revisit next quarter'.
- A client keeps saying 'maybe' to a proposal.
WHEN NOT TO USE IT
- The other side has given a clear, reasoned timeline already.
- Pressing for a date would be insensitive given their circumstances.
SIGNALS IT FITS
- The same 'later' has been repeated across multiple conversations.
- No date or condition was attached to a deferral.
PREPARATION
- Decide what date or condition would be acceptable to you.
- Prepare to ask what would need to be true.
STEP BY STEP
- Acknowledge the deferral.
- Ask for a specific date or the condition that would trigger the decision.
- Agree it explicitly.
- Put it in the calendar and confirm in writing.
OPENING LINE
“I understand it's not the right moment. When would be?”
SCRIPT
I understand it's not possible this quarter. Can we agree to revisit on 15 January, after budgets are set?
LIKELY RESPONSES & COUNTERS
- If they won't commit to a date
- Ask what would need to happen first; agree that condition as the trigger.
- If they agree a date
- Send the invite immediately and prepare evidence for the revisit.
SECOND MOVE
If the date passes without action, use Name the Missed Commitment.
FOLLOW-UP
Send a short reminder a week before the agreed date.
COMMON MISTAKES
- Accepting 'later' without a date.
- Reacting with visible frustration to the deferral.
WALK-AWAY CONDITIONS
- Repeated agreed dates pass without action or explanation.
EXAMPLE (FICTIONAL)
Told 'we'll discuss your promotion later in the year', an associate asked for a specific month and condition. They agreed October after the client audit. She was promoted in October.
ETHICAL BOUNDARY
Respect genuine reasons for delay. The aim is clarity, not to force a decision before the other side is able to make it.
RELATED MOVES
Content version 1 · Drafted by Power Move IQ Editorial · Not yet human-reviewed · Educational decision support, not legal, financial or employment advice.