He Called Me Habibi and I Called It Commit

Picture this: a seller leaves a warm meeting in Riyadh, receives a friendly goodbye and immediately phones the manager. The relationship is excellent. The conversation felt positive. The customer said “habibi” twice. Somewhere between the restaurant and the taxi, next quarter quietly becomes this Thursday.

The manager asks what changed in the buying process. The seller reports what changed in the atmosphere. Both are discussing the same account, but only one is discussing a forecast.

Warmth matters. A customer who trusts you may share concerns, introduce colleagues and explain how decisions actually move. The mistake is asking that warmth to prove something it has never claimed: that an organisation is ready to buy.

A good relationship can handle a specific question

In a vendor and partner deal, your contact might genuinely want to proceed while procurement is still reviewing terms, the sponsor is seeking approval or delivery dates remain unresolved. None of that makes the contact dishonest. It means a friendly person cannot personally complete every step.

Sellers make this worse when they avoid practical questions because they fear spoiling the mood. We leave the meeting with excellent chemistry and absolutely no idea who has the next action. Then we call the account strategic, which apparently means questions are forbidden.

The relationship should make clarification easier.

Try: “I’m glad we’re aligned. What still needs to happen on your side before an order can be issued, and who owns each step?” That is a useful service to the customer as well as to your forecast.

Separate confidence from movement

First, write down what the customer actually confirmed. A meeting with the approver, a completed review or an agreed purchasing step is different from “they seemed happy”. Record the date and source so the next conversation starts with evidence rather than a retelling of your enthusiasm.

Second, test the date together. If the customer expects an order this month, work backwards through the remaining activities. Include the vendor or local partner where their commercial paperwork affects progress. A date becomes more credible when the people doing the work agree that the sequence is possible.

Third, give your manager the uncertainty in plain language. “Strong sponsor support; procurement review still unconfirmed” is more useful than pretending the whole opportunity is either wonderful or dead. Apply your company’s forecast definitions to that evidence. There is no universal category called “we had a lovely lunch”.

Managers have a role here too. If every honest uncertainty triggers a lecture, sellers learn to provide reassurance instead of information. Ask what moved, what remains and where help would change the outcome.

What customer action would you need to see before moving a friendly opportunity into your committed forecast?

Yalla. Go sell.