Webinar Recap: Seal the Deal – Aligning Sales and Legal to Close More Deals

KO Law attorney Robert Donald recently co-hosted a webinar with revenue operations firm Domestique that explored the frequent misalignment between sales and legal teams, its impact on deal velocity, and practical strategies to improve cross-functional collaboration and streamline contract negotiations. Check out the recap and the full webinar recording below.

Key Challenges in Sales-Legal Collaboration

• Deal Slippage & Delays: Poor alignment and process result in deals closing slower, which impacts quarterly numbers and cashflow.
• Cultural Disconnect: Sales sees Legal as a blocker; Legal sees Sales as pushing risky deals without understanding constraints.
• Inefficient Processes: Lack of structured intake, missing context, and siloed communication lead to unnecessary redlines and prolonged negotiations.
• Stakeholder Misalignment: Approvals are often rushed or lack key decision-makers, causing delays and extended deal cycles.

Strategies to Improve Sales-Legal Collaboration

In the webinar, Robert shared his expertise on proven strategies that can improve cross-functional collaboration between legal and sales teams.

1. Early & Ongoing Legal Involvement: Embed legal in deal kickoff meetings and quarterly business reviews (QBRs) rather than only engaging them at the end of a deal cycle.
2. Education & Transparency: Train sales on contract structures  and key terms to reduce misunderstandings; provide sales visibility into legal queue and align priorities.
3. Structured Legal Intake Process: Implement centralized intake (e.g., shared email alias), clear submission guidelines, and visibility into deal pipelines.
4. Negotiation Playbooks: Standardized contract positions, escalation points, and permissible sales concessions enable faster deal closure with less legal intervention.
5. Tech-Enabled Collaboration: Utilize contract management systems, shared dashboards, and other tools to automate playbooks, assess risk, and streamline redlining.

By fostering cross-functional alignment, organizations can transform legal from a perceived bottleneck into a deal accelerator, ultimately driving revenue growth and reducing friction in the sales process.

Tune in to the full webinar video recording below:

For questions and more information, contact Robert Donald at KO Law.