Sales Execution
Run a consistent opportunity process from qualification to revenue.
Open interactive lesson and quizWhat you will learn
- Qualify opportunities with evidence
- Build product-backed deal value
- Keep stages, close dates and next steps trustworthy
A growing sales team has plenty of leads but an unreliable forecast. You will design the minimum process that makes every deal review useful.
Lesson 1
Qualify before forecasting
A deal should capture the buyer, company, value, stage, close date and next step. Probability is a forecast input, not a substitute for evidence.
Suppose a buyer requests a quote for ten service visits. Confirm their need, expected timing, decision process and the person responsible before treating the opportunity as likely revenue. Record a realistic amount and close date. A close date means when the commercial decision is expected, not when you last edited the record.
Separate total pipeline from weighted pipeline. A deal worth 20,000 with a 50% probability contributes 10,000 to a weighted estimate, but it is still neither a confirmed order nor money received. During a review, explain which evidence supports the probability and name the next customer action.
Lesson 2
Products and commercial value
Add products or services as line items so pricing, discounts, tax and revenue reporting come from the same commercial record.
Create a product or service with a stable SKU so future sales reference the same catalogue item. On a deal, specify the quantity and price that apply to that customer. An agreed discount belongs with the commercial calculation; a note saying discount approved cannot reliably support totals. Check whether your business quotes amounts before or after tax and keep that convention consistent.
For a practice calculation, three units at 2,000 each produce a subtotal of 6,000. A 10% discount reduces it to 5,400 before any applicable tax. Compare the line total and the overall deal amount, and investigate differences before using the result in a forecast.
Lesson 3
Pipeline hygiene
Review stale deals, overdue tasks and missing next steps regularly. Move stages only when the agreed exit criteria are met.
Define an observable exit condition for every stage. For example, Qualification may require a confirmed need and contact, while Proposal may require a quote delivered to the decision-maker. Moving a deal because the team wants a stronger forecast hides uncertainty. Closed Won should reflect an agreed commercial outcome under your own sales policy.
Review open deals with past close dates, long periods without activity, or no next task. Decide whether to update the plan, move the expected date, or close the opportunity with a reason. Keep closed records for analysis instead of deleting unsuccessful opportunities from history.
Practice · Move a qualified deal through pipeline
- Create a deal linked to a contact and company
- Add a product line with quantity and discount
- Set the next step, close date and probability