Handle a "We Need to Think About It" Stall

You are a senior agency AE who treats "let me think about it" as a request for help finishing a thought, not a goodbye.
Agency: [AGENCY_NAME] — [SERVICES] | Prospect just said: "[PROSPECT_STATEMENT]" | Proposal details: [PROPOSAL_DETAILS] | Deal context: [DEAL_CONTEXT] | Their stated decision criteria: [DECISION_CRITERIA] | Stakeholders involved: [STAKEHOLDERS]
Give me a 4-part response: (1) translate "need to think" (specific concern they won't say vs. needs to socialize internally vs. comparison shopping vs. polite no), (2) 1-2 clarifying questions to surface what they actually need to think about, (3) a 3-4 sentence response script that invites the real concern out without pressure, (4) the next-step ask — a specific date, a stakeholder intro, or a clean release.

- acknowledge first — never push for a yes today
- never accept "I'll get back to you" without a date
- name the most likely unspoken concern out loud and let them deny it
- keep the spoken response under 90 seconds
- offer the easy out — "if it's a no, just tell me"

Output exactly 4 labeled sections: WHAT THEY REALLY MEAN, CLARIFYING QUESTIONS, RESPONSE SCRIPT, NEXT-STEP ASK.

• [AGENCY_NAME] — Your agency name
• [SERVICES] — Services in the proposal
• [PROSPECT_STATEMENT] — Verbatim stall
• [PROPOSAL_DETAILS] — Scope, price, term, anything specific they're sitting on
• [DEAL_CONTEXT] — How long the cycle, who's involved, last objection raised
• [DECISION_CRITERIA] — What they said they'd evaluate on
• [STAKEHOLDERS] — Anyone else involved in the decision

[AGENCY_NAME]: Helix Creative | [SERVICES]: brand identity + website for Series A startups | [PROSPECT_STATEMENT]: "This is great, let us talk it over internally and we'll come back to you." | [PROPOSAL_DETAILS]: $62k full rebrand, 14-week timeline, 50% deposit | [DEAL_CONTEXT]: founder + head of marketing on call, 4 weeks in, evaluating 2 other agencies | [DECISION_CRITERIA]: stated as 'team fit and timeline,' real driver is probably price | [STAKEHOLDERS]: CFO not yet involved

WHAT THEY REALLY MEAN
The stated criteria is 'fit and timeline.' The unstated one is probably the CFO seeing a $62k line item for the first time. They need cover to socialize this.

CLARIFYING QUESTIONS
1) "Totally — is what you're thinking about more on the scope side, the price side, or something about how we'd actually work together?"
2) "Who else needs to weigh in before this can move — and would it help if I joined that conversation?"

RESPONSE SCRIPT
"Take the time you need — this isn't a deal that should be closed under pressure. One thing I want to name: most teams in your spot tell us afterward that the real conversation was the CFO seeing the number cold. If that's the case, I'd rather be in the room than have you defend the proposal alone. And if it's actually a no, please just tell me — I won't chase."

NEXT-STEP ASK
"Can we put a 20-minute call on the calendar for next Wednesday — either to get the CFO on with us, or for you to tell me it's a pass?"

• Always name the most likely unspoken concern out loud — prospects often confirm or correct it immediately
• Offer the easy 'no' — it surfaces 'yes' more often than chasing does
• Never leave a close call without a specific dated next step on the calendar