- Sarah Irwin
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- 🏎️ How to speed up deal cycles with these 8 simple hacks
🏎️ How to speed up deal cycles with these 8 simple hacks
1 min. read
When you're managing commercial contracts, the fastest way to slow down deal cycles (and stress yourself out) is by juggling inconsistent processes and chaotic comms with business users. 😫
So, what do you do?
You streamline your contracting workflow.
But first:
🚨 LEGAL TEAMS, THIS ONE’S FOR YOU 🚨
If you’re drowning in email threads, stuck in endless redlines, or just over manual contract reviews, let me introduce you to your new best friend / AI-powered legal assistant.
Do you want to:
✨ Summarize documents in seconds (including handwritten notes!!!)
✨ Draft emails & responses (without the brain drain)
✨ Review redlines (without losing your mind)
✨ Even role-play negotiations (so you’re more confident, and always 10 steps ahead)
Yes?
Meet Wordsmith AI. 🤝
I’ve hooked you up - sign up through the link below and start working smarter, not harder. 💸
Here’s how:
⭐️ Build a legal team playbook: Add must-haves, nice-to-haves, and hard no's for each clause (e.g., indemnities, liability, IP). Include fallback options and sample language to speed up negotiations. There are plenty of AI tools on the market for this that you can get value from FAST. Minimal time to value.
⭐️ Use a comments playbook: Always explain changes, especially for dealbreaker clauses. Clearly state your position and rationale - don’t just say, “It’s market.” (Because sometimes it’s not.)
⭐️ Be efficient with MNDAs: Quick to review and rarely need redlines. Use them to build trust with sales by turning them fast and fostering better relationships.
⭐️ Teach and collaborate: Help AEs understand key changes and how they align with business goals. You're there to guide them, reduce friction, and keep deals moving.
⭐️ Know the deal structure: Direct or indirect? Through partners like AWS? Get clarity early to avoid last-minute surprises at EOQ.
⭐️ Standardize communication: Pick one platform (email, Slack, whatever) and stick to it. Multiple channels lead to version control issues, and no one has time for that at EOQ.
⭐️ Plan ahead: Keep an eye on holidays and remind AEs early - signatories disappear fast in December.
⭐️ Leverage legal tech: CLM and intake tools can replace manual, repetitive workflows with automation and AI, speeding up deals and reducing burnout.
So, how will you streamline your contracting to close deals faster in 2025?
FREE Webinar on AI Prompting
👉 Sign up here!
Over on my YouTube channel, I’m diving deeper into all of your in-house pain points, and sharing my tips and tricks. 👇

🍿 Check it out HERE and let me know what you’d like me to cover next.

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by Sarah Irwin
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