How to Get Clients to Sign Contracts Faster

You sent the contract three days ago. The client said they were ready to move forward. Now it's sitting in their inbox, unsigned, and you're debating whether to follow up again or wait another day.

This happens constantly. The deal is done in principle, but the actual signature takes days or weeks. Every day of delay is a day the client might change their mind, get distracted, or find another option.

Most signing delays aren't about hesitation. They're about friction. Here are six ways to fix that.

1. Send a Link, Not a PDF Attachment

When you email a PDF, the client has to download it, figure out how to sign it (print, sign, scan? Find an app?), then send it back. That's three steps too many.

Instead, send a signing link. The client clicks it, reviews the document, signs it in their browser, and it's done. One step. No downloads, no printing, no scanning.

2. Make It Mobile-Friendly

Over half of emails are opened on phones. If your client opens your contract on their phone and the signing experience doesn't work on mobile, they'll think "I'll do this later on my laptop." Later often means never.

Use a signing tool that works on any device. The client should be able to read and sign the document on their phone in under two minutes.

3. Set a Deadline

Open-ended requests get deprioritized. "Please sign at your earliest convenience" translates to "this isn't urgent."

Instead, add a clear deadline: "This proposal is valid until Friday, June 6th." It creates a natural reason to act now. You're not being pushy — you're giving structure.

4. Use Automated Reminders

Following up manually is awkward and easy to forget. Set up automatic reminders that nudge the client at intervals — say, 24 hours and 72 hours after sending.

The reminder should be simple: "Just a reminder that [document name] is waiting for your signature." No guilt, no pressure. Just a nudge.

5. Don't Require Account Creation

Nothing kills momentum like "Create an account to sign this document." The client doesn't want another account. They want to sign a document and move on.

Choose a tool that lets recipients sign without creating an account. The fewer barriers between your client and their signature, the faster it happens.

6. Send During Business Hours

Contracts sent at 10 PM on a Friday don't get signed until Monday — if they don't get buried by then. Send contracts during business hours, ideally mid-morning on Tuesday through Thursday, when people are most responsive and in work mode.

Put It Together

The common thread is friction. Every extra step, every inconvenience, every moment of confusion adds hours or days to your signing timeline.

Tools like The Drive AI are built around this principle — clients get a signing link, sign from any device without creating an account, and you get automated reminders and a completed document with a full audit trail.

The best contract is one that gets signed. Make it easy, and it will.