First find out why it stopped. Ask the buyer's contact which item is open and who holds it. Most stalls come from one of four causes: an unanswered question on your side, a reviewer queue, a missing approver, or a change in the buyer's priorities. Each has a different fix.
Diagnose before you chase
Sending "just checking in" messages rarely moves anything. Start with a plain inventory.
- Is anything waiting on you? Reread the thread. A follow up question buried in an email chain is the most common cause, and it is the one you can fix today.
- Is it in a queue? Reviewers handle many vendors. Ask where you sit and what the typical wait is.
- Is an approver missing? The reviewer may have finished and be waiting for a risk owner to sign.
- Did priorities change? A reorganization or budget shift can freeze a purchase while the paperwork looks active.
A message that restarts the thread
Keep it short and specific:
"Following up on the review. From our side, we believe all open items are answered, with the last response sent on a stated date. Is anything outstanding, and is there someone else we should send evidence to? If a short call would help clear a question, we can make time this week."
This gives them an easy reply, shows you track your own obligations, and offers a path that does not need them to write much.
Common causes and fixes
| Cause | Sign | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Vague answer sent earlier | Reviewer asked again, reply was generic | Resend with a direct answer and evidence attached |
| Reviewer queue | No reply for a stretch, no specific question | Ask for the queue position, offer to ease their work with a prepared packet |
| Unresolved gap | Reviewer flagged a missing control | Propose a dated plan and a compensating control |
| No sponsor push | Your champion is quiet | Give the champion a two line summary to forward |
| Contract and security out of sync | Legal and security waiting on each other | Ask to run them in parallel |
For how to answer a missing control without overclaiming, see how to answer not applicable and compensating control.
Use your champion well
Your business contact inside the buyer wants the deal to move. Make it easy for them. Send a three sentence note they can paste to the security team: what you provided, what is still open, and what you need. Do not ask them to write a security argument.
Escalation, carefully
Escalating over a reviewer's head can backfire. Prefer asking your sponsor to raise it, and frame it as "help us understand the timeline." Reserve executive to executive contact for cases where a real business deadline exists.
Know when to pause
If the buyer has gone silent for weeks, a respectful close of the loop helps both sides: "We will hold our materials ready. Tell us when the review resumes and we will refresh anything dated." That keeps the door open without chasing.
Prevent the next stall
Record in each deal where time was lost. If delays cluster in your first response, build a ready packet. See how long does an enterprise security review take for the stages, and bring down security answers before a deal closes for refreshing stale answers.
What not to do
Do not lower your answers to speed things up, and do not offer to "skip the questionnaire." If a promise you make to close faster is untrue, it will come back in the contract.
Safeguard's compliance and evidence automation can keep dated evidence ready, so a refresh request takes minutes.
Quick check
How often should we follow up?
Every one to two weeks is reasonable, each time with something specific, such as an updated document or a question. Avoid empty reminders.
Should we offer a discount to restart a stalled review?
Commercial terms are separate from security findings, and offering price relief does not answer a reviewer's concern. Address the open question directly.
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
