Sales Forecast Call Template

# Sales Forecast Call — {{Team}} — {{Week of}}

## Forecast category definitions (post at top of every call)

- **COMMIT** — Rep and manager will bet their number on this closing in period. Requires: economic buyer confirmed, decision criteria in writing, budget approved, redlines returned (or clear path to signature), verifiable next step ≤ 7 days.
- **BEST CASE** — Realistic upside if things break right. Requires: strong champion, budget path identified, timeline aligned with period.
- **PIPELINE** — Everything else with a >0% probability.
- **OMITTED** — Excluded from the number entirely.

**Rule:** Anything moved into Commit for the first time this week gets extra scrutiny.

## Team roll-up (fill in before the call)

| Rep | Quota | Closed WON | Commit | Best Case | Pipeline | Commit + WON vs. Quota |
|-----|-------|------------|--------|-----------|----------|------------------------|
|     |       |            |        |           |          |                        |
|     |       |            |        |           |          |                        |
| **Team** | **$** | **$** | **$** | **$** | **$** | **__%** |

**Delta since last week:** Commit ±$___  Best Case ±$___
**Slipped out:** $___ (list deals)
**Pulled in:** $___ (list deals)

## Rep-by-rep round (5 min each)

For each rep:

**{{Rep name}}** — {{Quota attainment %}} — Commit: $___ — Best Case: $___

Manager asks (every deal in Commit):
1. Why is this Commit and not Best Case?
2. What is the verifiable next step and when?
3. What has to be true for this NOT to close?
4. If it slips, when does it land?

Deals to inspect (top 3 by size in Commit):
- Deal — Amount — Close date — Confidence 1–10 — Risk

## Manager forecast (5 min)

After all reps report, manager states their number:
- **Manager Commit:** $___  (rep-Commit adjusted for slippage bias: usually 85–95% of rep-Commit for teams with historical positive bias)
- **Best Case:** $___
- **Confidence:** High / Medium / Low + one-sentence reason.

## Action items before next call
- [ ] Owner — action — deadline
- [ ] Owner — action — deadline

## Post-period retro (once per period)
- Forecast on Day -30, -14, -7, -0
- Actual
- WAPE + bias
- Top 3 deals that missed the forecast (why?)
- Top 3 deals that beat the forecast (why?)

Why forecast calls fail

Most forecast calls are storytelling sessions dressed as commitments. The rep walks through each deal with confidence; the manager nods; the number is 'locked'; then Friday of the last week half of it disappears. The fix isn't more discipline — it's better exit criteria for the Commit category and a manager who actually challenges every 'because I know these guys' answer.

The four questions that separate Commit from wish

For every deal in Commit, the manager asks these four questions. If any answer is vague, downgrade to Best Case immediately. Don't argue — downgrade and inspect next week.

1. Why is this Commit and not Best Case? (If the answer is 'the rep feels good', it's not Commit.)
2. What is the verifiable next step, and when? (Verifiable = the customer has agreed on paper or in a scheduled meeting.)
3. What has to be true for this NOT to close in period? (If the rep can't name a specific risk, they haven't stress-tested it.)
4. If it slips, when does it land? (An answer of 'not sure' means it's going to slip further than expected.)

Manager adjustment: the bias-corrected number

If your team's historical bias is +8% (chronically over-forecasting), your Manager Commit should be roughly 92% of Rep Commit. Look at the last 4–8 periods of bias in the forecast accuracy calculator and apply that correction. Reporting the raw rep number without correction is malpractice at this point.

Post-period retro (do this every period)

The forecast call is only as good as its retros. After every close, run a 30-min retro:

• Chart forecast vs. actual at Day -30, -14, -7, and 0.
• List the top 3 deals that missed the forecast — what changed and when did we know?
• List the top 3 deals that beat the forecast — was that skill or luck?
• Update category exit criteria if a pattern shows a specific stage is over-forecasted.

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