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Closing routine

Closing routines and agency rates

Closing an agency deal is mostly decided before the proposal goes out: the problem is agreed, the decision maker is known, and the price reflects an outcome. This Agency Sales Routines guide covers proposal rules, how agencies structure rates and payment terms, and a win/loss review.

Published by Tim KilroyLast updated: November 2026

How do agencies close deals without discounting?

Agencies close without discounting by selling an outcome the buyer can see, so price is not the only thing left to compare. Tim Kilroy's view is that a price objection is usually a positioning problem in disguise. Move the conversation to the outcome, raise the floor on who you take, and walk away from deals that anchor you low.

Four proposal rules

  • No proposal before the problem is agreed

    If you cannot name the problem in their words, you are not ready to price it.

  • Every proposal gets a review meeting

    Walk through it together instead of emailing it cold and waiting.

  • Price the outcome, not the hours

    Show the change you create and the capacity you reserve to create it.

  • Name the decision date

    Agree when a decision will be made and who is in the room.

Definition: closing in an agency sales process

On Agency Sales Routines, closing is the stage between a proposal the prospect has opened and a signed agreement. In Tim Kilroy's funnel, a deal is closed only when there is a signature. Verbally agreed and waiting on legal do not count.

Closing is not a clever line at the end of a call. It is the result of earlier stages done well. When closing feels hard, look upstream: was the problem agreed in discovery, did follow-up keep momentum, and did the decision maker see the proposal?

Payment numbers from Tim Kilroy's cash flow guidance

  • 15th to 20th:invoice date for next month's retainer services
  • 50/30/20 or 60/30/10: project schedules tied to calendar dates
  • 30 days: notice to cancel a retainer, with auto-renewal
  • 25%: premium for rush work, collected on signature
  • 10, 25, or 50 hours: prepaid packs that expire after 90 days

How should an agency structure its rates?

Structure agency rates around the capacity you reserve and the outcome you create, then collect before you deliver. Tim Kilroy suggests language such as reserving a pod of three specialists and up to forty hours a month, collected in advance because holding that capacity blocks other work.

Agency Sales Routines: common agency pricing structures and when they fit
StructureHow it is billedBest fitWatch for
RetainerMonthly, in advance, by ACHOngoing work with reserved capacityScope drifting beyond the reserved hours
Milestone project50/30/20 or 60/30/10 on calendar datesDefined builds with a launch dateTying payments to subjective approval
Prepaid sprint100% up front for one or two weeksFixed output, short timelineUndefined deliverables
Hour pack10, 25, or 50 hours prepaid, 90-day expiryOccasional or unpredictable requestsBecoming a discounted hourly rate

A closing routine, step by step

  1. Confirm the problem, outcome, and decision maker in a short recap meeting.
  2. Write the proposal in their language: problem, outcome, scope, price, terms.
  3. Schedule a proposal review instead of emailing it cold.
  4. Walk through it, answer questions, and agree on the decision date.
  5. Send a forwardable summary for anyone who was not in the room.
  6. Collect signature and first payment together, before work starts.

Run a win/loss review every month

After each decision, ask the prospect why they chose you or chose someone else. Record the answer in their words next to the stage where the deal turned. Over a quarter, patterns show whether you lose on price, timing, fit, or follow-up. Feed that into the leak test and into how you write the next proposal. Then hand every won deal to delivery with a written summary of what was promised, so a good deal does not turn into a bad client.

How we chose what goes in this guide

Proposal rules and payment structures come from Tim Kilroy's published agency sales and cash flow playbooks. The pricing table and closing steps are Agency Sales Routines guidance. None of this is tax or accounting advice; confirm revenue recognition with your accountant.

Written and published by Tim Kilroy. Read the full methodology.

Questions agency founders ask

Short answers here. All 44 questions live in the full FAQ.

How should an agency set its rates?

Set agency rates from the outcome you create and the capacity you reserve, not from hours alone. Tim Kilroy's cash flow guidance suggests capacity-based language, such as reserving a pod of three specialists for up to forty hours a month and collecting in advance. When a prospect cannot see the specific change you create, the only thing left to compare is your rate.

Open in the FAQ: How should an agency set its rates?

Why do agencies keep losing deals on price?

Agencies lose on price when they sell effort while the buyer pays for an outcome. If a prospect cannot see the specific change you will create, the rate becomes the only point of comparison. Tim Kilroy's fix runs three ways: move the conversation to the outcome, raise the floor on who you take, and walk away from deals that anchor you low.

Open in the FAQ: Why do agencies keep losing deals on price?

Should agencies bill retainers in advance?

Yes, in Tim Kilroy's view agencies should collect before they deliver. His cash flow playbook suggests invoicing on the 15th to 20th for next month's services, or charging ACH on day one of the service month, with a thirty-day cancellation notice and auto-renewal. Prepayments sit in a deferred-revenue liability account and are recognized month by month as work is completed.

Open in the FAQ: Should agencies bill retainers in advance?

What payment schedule works for agency projects?

Tie project payments to calendar dates rather than client approvals. Tim Kilroy's playbook suggests a 50/30/20 or 60/30/10 schedule, so the next payment still lands if the client goes quiet for two weeks. For short fixed-scope work, prepaid one-week or two-week sprints paid in full up front remove collection risk, and rush work can carry a 25 percent premium collected on signature.

Open in the FAQ: What payment schedule works for agency projects?

Why do proposals stall after I send them?

Proposals stall when they arrive before the problem is agreed, when nobody scheduled a review, or when the decision maker was never in the conversation. Casey Stillman's agency process schedules a 45 to 60 minute proposal review meeting instead of emailing the document cold. In Tim Kilroy's funnel, a proposal only counts once the prospect has opened it.

Open in the FAQ: Why do proposals stall after I send them?

What goes wrong in the sales-to-delivery handoff?

Good deals turn into bad clients when what was promised in sales never reaches the delivery team. Fix it with a written handoff: the client's goals in their words, scope, success measures, stakeholders, and anything promised verbally. Hold a short internal handoff meeting before kickoff so delivery hears it directly instead of rediscovering it later.

Open in the FAQ: What goes wrong in the sales-to-delivery handoff?
Read all 44 agency sales process questions

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