Walk into the forecast call with a number you can defend.
“Which of the deals my reps called commit will actually close this quarter?”
Sorts each deal into commit, best-case, or pipeline by evidence, flags one risk, and scripts what to press each rep on.
What this skill does
Takes your open deals and builds the forecast call for you, deal by deal. It sorts each one into commit, best-case, or pipeline based on what the evidence supports, not what the category says. It flags the single biggest risk on each deal. Then it hands you the exact question to ask the rep so the call moves the number instead of narrating it.
Inputs
- Works today with: a list of the deals in the forecast, with stage, amount, close date, forecast category, and last activity date. Paste it or upload a CSV.
- More powerful connected to a CRM: it reads all of the above automatically, plus category history so it can see what moved.
- Sharper with a meeting or email tool: confirms the last real touch and who is actually engaged.
- Sharper with a product-analytics tool: adds trial usage momentum on deals that ride on a pilot.
How it works
- 1Category sort (three buckets, evidence-based)
Every deal lands in COMMIT, BEST_CASE, or PIPELINE based on what the evidence supports, then that is compared to the category the rep set.
- COMMIT: close date in the period, recent two-way activity, more than one contact engaged, next step set. A deal missing any of these is a soft commit and gets called out.
- BEST_CASE: real but not locked. A credible path to close in the period with at least one open risk.
- PIPELINE: possible, not this period. Named as upside, not counted on. The gap between the evidence bucket and the rep's category is the whole point. A COMMIT the evidence rates BEST_CASE is where the number breaks.
- 2One risk per deal
Every deal gets exactly one flagged risk, the one most likely to sink it: single-thread, no next step, close date already slipped once, champion quiet, thin activity, or legal/procurement not started. One risk, named, so the call is about that risk and nothing else.
- 3The question to press
Each deal gets one scripted question for the rep, aimed at the flagged risk. Not "how's it going." Something like "who besides your champion has said yes, and when did they say it?" The question is designed to surface the truth, not confirm the hope.
- 4Soft-commit watch
Flag any COMMIT where the evidence is thin: no activity in THIN_DAYS, a single thread, a close date that already moved, or a next step that is blank. These are the deals that quietly miss. Surface them before the call, not after the quarter.
Output format
FORECAST CALL PREP · 6 deals in the period
Account Category Evidence Amount Risk Press the rep on
Acme Corp Commit Commit $45K Clean Confirm signature date
Vertex Commit Best-case $67K Single-thread Who else has said yes?
Blend Labs Best-case Best-case $28K No next step What is the next date?
Northwind Commit Pipeline $112K Close slipped 2x Why is this month real?
Number three ways:
Rep-committed: $224K
Evidence-supported: $73K
Gap to defend: $151K (Vertex, Northwind)
Walk in with:
1. Vertex. Get a second yes on record or move it to best-case.
2. Northwind. Third slip. Make the rep prove the date or push it out.
Tips
- No deal called a soft commit without naming the specific thing that is missing.
- Every deal carries exactly one scripted question, tied to its one flagged risk.
- Close-date slips are shown with the prior date, never asserted.
- The number is presented three ways: rep-committed, evidence-supported, and the gap between them.
Run a pipeline review that finds problems, not recites them.
Coverage vs target, stage aging, week-over-week movement, stuck deals, and the question to ask per deal.
Turn a GTM opening into a scorecard before you post it.
The outcomes the role must hit, the competencies that predict them, questions per competency, and a shared rubric.