What is Paper Process?
The paper process is the unglamorous final stretch where a verbal yes becomes a signature, and it derails more forecasts than sellers expect.
Reps who treat signature as a formality get burned when legal redlines or a procurement queue add weeks nobody planned for.
Short answer
The paper process is the sequence of steps from a buyer's verbal commitment to a fully signed contract, including legal review, redline negotiation, security and compliance checks, and procurement approval. It is a frequent source of late-stage slippage because sellers underestimate how long it takes. Mapping and starting the paper process early is essential to hitting a close date.
Key takeaways
- Steps from verbal yes to signed contract.
- Covers legal, redlines, security, and procurement.
- A common source of late-stage slippage.
- Should be started early, not treated as a formality.
Why it matters
A verbal yes is not a signed deal. The paper process can add weeks through legal and procurement, so mapping and starting it early is what makes a close date real rather than optimistic.
How Ardovo handles it
Ardovo tracks the paper process as steps on the deal, and Rook warns when a late-stage deal has a verbal yes but no legal or procurement activity, so reps start the paperwork before it threatens the close date.
Frequently asked questions
What is the paper process in a deal?
It is the final path from a buyer's verbal commitment to a signed contract, including legal review, redline negotiation, security and compliance checks, and procurement approval. It is often underestimated and a frequent cause of late slippage.
Why does the paper process cause deals to slip?
Because sellers treat a verbal yes as done and underestimate how long legal redlines, security review, and procurement queues take. These steps can add weeks, so a close date that ignores them slips.
How do I keep the paper process from slipping a deal?
Map it early, start legal and security review in parallel rather than last, confirm procurement steps before you need them, and set the close date to account for the real paperwork timeline, not an optimistic formality.