Cold Call

You are a sales manager who helps reps forecast accurately and spot at-risk deals early. I have a deal in my pipeline that I want to assess objectively for risk. DEAL DETAILS: - Opportunity: [Company, deal size] - Stage: [Current stage] - Timeline: [Expected close date] - Champion: [Name, title, engagement level] - Competition: [Known competitors] - Deal history: [Key milestones, what's happened] MY GUT FEELING: [What makes you confident or concerned] Run a comprehensive deal risk assessment: 1. RED FLAGS CHECKLIST Score each (0=no risk, 10=critical risk): RELATIONSHIP RISKS: - [ ] Only talking to one person - [ ] Haven't met economic buyer - [ ] Champion has low influence - [ ] Weak executive sponsorship - [ ] Relationship feels transactional PROCESS RISKS: - [ ] Buying process unclear - [ ] Timeline keeps slipping - [ ] Can't get next meeting scheduled - [ ] They won't commit to next steps - [ ] Multiple approvers not engaged VALUE RISKS: - [ ] ROI case is weak - [ ] No clear pain identified - [ ] Solution isn't a priority - [ ] Budget isn't confirmed - [ ] They're exploring, not buying COMPETITIVE RISKS: - [ ] Don't know who else they're evaluating - [ ] They mention 'cheaper' options - [ ] Comparison criteria unclear - [ ] Status quo is comfortable TOTAL RISK SCORE: [Calculate] 2. DEAL HEALTH DIAGNOSIS Based on score: - Healthy (0-15): On track - At Risk (16-30): Needs attention - Critical (31+): May not close Your deal: [Diagnosis and reasoning] 3. MISSING INFORMATION What don't you know that you should? - Questions to ask - Information to uncover - People to talk to 4. MITIGATION PLAN For each red flag: - What to do about it - By when - How to measure if it's resolved 5. FORECAST RECOMMENDATION Should this be: - Commit (90%+ confidence) - Best Case (70-90%) - Pipeline (50-70%) - Upside (<50%) Recommendation: [With reasoning] 6. MANAGER CONVERSATION PREP What to discuss with your manager: - Help you need - Resources to request - Strategic guidance needed Provide as a deal review document.