"When is this deal closing?"
Wrong question.
The better question is:
"What has the customer done that indicates they're actually buying?"
Sales leaders often focus on dates.
Great sales leaders focus on evidence.
If the customer hasn't:
- Confirmed the business problem
- Engaged the decision maker
- Agreed the buying process
- Completed procurement steps
- Allocated budget
Then the close date is largely irrelevant. A date is not a milestone. Customer actions are milestones.
The reality is that many deals don't slip because the customer changed their mind.
They slip because the salesperson picked a date based on hope rather than customer commitment.
The best forecasting teams don't ask:
"When will it close?"
They ask:
"What has happened since our last review that gives us confidence this deal is progressing?"
Forecasting isn't about predicting the future. It's about measuring buying behaviour.
That's where forecast accuracy comes from.
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