Many founders and small business owners treat contracts as a necessary evil: something you endure at the end of the sales process. In practice, your contract is an important part of the sales process. It signals how you operate, how you treat customers, and how easy it will be to do business with you.

A clear, modern, fair agreement can shorten the time to signature, reduce back-and-forth, and start the relationship on a good footing. That means you close faster, book revenue sooner, spend less on legal review (and internal time), and build a virtuous cycle: smoother deals lead to more deals.

This article covers three ways to make your contracts “sell” the deal — without turning them into marketing copy or weakening your protections.

What it means for a contract to be a “sales document”

A sales document does three jobs at once:

1. Explains the deal clearly so the other side can approve it quickly.

2. Makes negotiation predictable by setting expectations and avoiding surprises.

3. Reduces perceived risk by showing that you’re organized, transparent, and reasonable.

Your goal is not to win the “battle of the forms,” but to prevent misunderstandings and open the door to more renewals and upsells.

Use simple words

If someone needs a lawyer to translate your contract into plain English, that increases friction and delays deals. You don’t need “Whereas” clauses or long, complicated sentences. Try swapping out these common contract phrases:

“including without limitation” → “including”

“in the event that” → “if”

“shall” → “will” or “must”

“notwithstanding” → “even if”

It’s easy to cut and paste standard legalese. It takes more effort to write a short, accurate sentence that fits your business and your risk profile. Still, good contract drafting pays dividends. You can invest once in creating a template, then reuse it for years.

Use examples when they would add clarity

If your pricing, termination notice, or other relevant process has multiple steps, add an example. For instance, you might have an option for a customer to add seats to a annual SaaS subscription, and you are willing to give them a prepayment discount for the first half of the year but not the second half. In that case, you could say something like:

For example, If Customer’s subscription starts on January 1 and covers 200 seats at $250 per seat per month, and Customer pays in advance for a 20% discount, the annual license fee for those 200 seats will be $480,000.

If Customer adds 10 new seats on June 15 and pays in advance for rest of the year, the additional fee will be:

• $250 monthly fee x 10 new users months = $2500, x 0.5 because access starts during the second half of June (= $1250), plus

• $250 x 6 months x 10 new users for July through December (= 15,000)(together with the 1250 above = 16,250), minus

• a 20% discount for annual payment, so the additional license fee for the 10 new users = $13,000.

• The total license fee for the entire year in this example would be $480,000 + $13,000 = $493,000.

If Customer adds 10 new seats on July 1, the annual prepayment discount would not apply.

• The additional fee will be $15,000 (10 users x $250/seat x 6 months).

• The total license fee for the entire year in this example would be $480,000 + $13,000 = $495,000.

This way, the customer can quantify the savings from adding seats earlier in the year. SaaS pricing in particular can become complicated and may benefit from including examples like this one in contracts.

Simplify the document’s look and feel

Formatting isn’t just cosmetic; it affects the document’s perceived complexity. Busy counterparties (and their legal or procurement departments) won’t commit to expedited reviews if the contract looks like it will take a long time to read.

To make your templates more readable, draft in a modern font in a size that isn’t tiny (12 points is usually a good choice). Use white space, short paragraphs, and plain-language headings. Pricing terms, product and services descriptions, and other key commercial items should be in one easy-to-find area, not spread throughout the document.

Stay close to what’s market

You, or your advisors, know your market best. Your contracts shouldn’t stray too far from terms considered normal in your industry, unless there’s evidence that the other side will agree to them.

For example, a vendor shouldn’t try to limit liability in a large enterprise SaaS deal the same way it would in website terms of use for individual consumers. Similarly, a customer shouldn’t demand that a two-person SaaS startup carry $10 million in auto insurance coverage.

If your terms are too different from market norms, reviews will be longer and more calls will be needed to reach agreement, and it’s likely that your timeline will slip.

Make pricing and scope precise so there are no surprises

• Your contract should be clear about:

• What is and isn’t included in the purchase price

• Who does what to deliver the product or service, including any assumptions of what has to happen before delivery

• How and when the contract can be updated with change orders and amendments

Avoid the passive voice whenever possible. Too many SOWs say something like “The software will be installed on Customer’s servers” which doesn’t explain who is contractually responsible for installation. Instead, specify “Provider will install the software on Customer’s servers” or “Customer will install the software on its servers using Provider’s instructions.”

This kind of clarity prevents missed handoffs, failed implementations, and delayed go-lives — and the lost profits that result from this friction.

What if your customer refuses to use your template?

Larger customers will frequently insist on their own template. You can still use contract terms that act like a sales document and speed up your time to close.

Ask the customer for specifics on why they need to use their form. You’re looking for substantive objections, like a need for compliance-related terms unique to their industry.

Even when the customer insists on using their template, you can often include your commercial terms in an attachment. Customers often look to vendors to draft:

• Descriptions of products or services

• Pricing

• Implementation and support details

Even if a customer doesn’t adopt your form, offering it still helps you frame the negotiation. A clear, sales-friendly agreement will set expectations and may help convince the customer to include your key terms.

Conclusion: Yes, contracts can sell — quietly, effectively, and profitably

A strong contract doesn’t just protect you in a dispute. It reduces the odds of a dispute in the first place — and makes it easier for a customer to sign a contract that benefits both sides.

So go ahead and distinguish yourself from your competitors who are still using convoluted, one-sided terms in 9 point Times New Roman font. Use plain language, a user-friendly layout, and most importantly, offer fair terms. You may well find that this leads to more profitable agreements and happier customers.

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Interested in overhauling a contract to make it more of a sales document, without weakening your legal protections? Let’s discuss.