Make revenue reporting a weekly habit that drives action.
“We review revenue every week and nothing changes afterward. Where is the gap and who works it?”
Pairs a where-we-stand-and-why write-up with a list of hot leads and deals to work now, so the report ends in moves, not a screenshot.
What this skill does
Reports the number, then tells you what to do about it. It leads with total ARR against target, splits the gap into the channels and sub-channels driving it, compares what has closed to what is forecast to where you need to land, and closes with an action layer: the hot leads and the deals that need a push this week. It turns a backward-looking wrap-up into the rhythm the team actually runs on.
Inputs
- Works today with: your revenue summary. Paste or upload the rows that hold total ARR, channel ARR, bookings, targets, and the forecast. A summary export or CSV is enough.
- More powerful connected to a spreadsheet or BI tool: it reads every summary tab automatically and reconciles row counts.
- Sharper with a CRM: it pulls the open pipeline and the deals behind the forecast so the action layer names real accounts.
- Sharper with a product-analytics tool: it adds usage momentum to the hot-leads list.
How it works
- 1The accuracy contract
Revenue reporting is where a wrong number costs the most, so accuracy is not optional.
- Every number traces to a specific cell. If you cannot point to a row, say "data unavailable" instead of guessing.
- Verify the period first, always. Read the "as of" and "period covered" dates, echo them at the top, and stop if they do not match what was asked.
- Read the forecast the sheet already computes. Never run your own pacing math on top of a number the source already calculated.
- Never narrate an error cell. Skip it or note "data unavailable," never print the glyph.
- Never mix a monthly and a quarterly period in the same section. Crossing streams produces wrong numbers that look right.
- 2Revenue-position analysis (five steps)
- Headline. Lead with the top metric against target: above, below, or on target, in both dollars and percent.
- Break down by channel. Which channel is driving the gap or the surplus.
- Drill into the driver. For the channel with the biggest variance, analyze the sub-channel breakdown (new business vs churn, upgrade vs reactivation).
- Forecast comparison. Current vs Forecast vs Target: are you tracking to close the gap by period end.
- Forward outlook. What the forecast says about where you land, quantified.
- 3The three definitions (never blur these)
Target is the committed goal. Forecast is what the team commits to based on current visibility. Current is what has actually closed as of the date. "We are at X" is ambiguous, always say which.
- 4Variance flagging
Flag any metric where variance exceeds VARIANCE_FLAG of target. Color it: green on or above target, yellow in the 5-10% watch zone, red past 10%.
- 5The action layer
A report nobody acts on is a rear-view mirror. Close every wrap-up with what to do now: the hot leads worth a touch this week, and the open deals whose forecast the number depends on. This is what turns reporting into an operating rhythm rather than a recap.
Output format
REVENUE WRAP-UP · as of Apr 30 · period: April · cadence: Monthly
Headline: April closed 4.9% under the Total ARR target, driven almost
entirely by Direct Sales. Self-Serve held the line.
Metric Current Target Variance ($) Variance (%)
Total ARR $8.50M $8.94M -$440K -4.9% (yellow)
DS ARR $4.54M $5.00M -$460K -9.2% (yellow)
SS ARR $3.96M $3.93M +$30K +0.6% (green)
Driver: DS churn ran well above plan; new business landed light.
Offsetting: expansion came in near 2x target, reactivation added upside.
Forecast: on the current forecast, next period closes within 2% of target
if the two slip-risk deals below hold.
ACTION LAYER
Hot leads: 3 accounts replied or engaged this week, no follow-up yet.
Deals to work: 2 slip-risk deals the forecast depends on. Push both before period end.
Tips
- Period verification runs before analysis, every time. No exceptions.
- Every headline number is traceable to a source cell, or it is not reported.
- Forecast is read from the source, never recalculated.
- Variance is flagged by the same thresholds every time, so this week compares to last week.
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