When to use it: before touching a single CRM setting. Teams that cannot draw their lead flow on one page cannot manage it in any system. This tool forces a written definition of where leads come from, how they are captured, what qualifies them, and when they become opportunities.
How to use it
- List every source a lead can arrive from — including the informal ones.
- Write the capture rule (who enters the lead, where, and how fast) and the qualification criteria.
- Define the conversion rule: the evidence required before a lead becomes an opportunity.
Watch out
When to use it: when the lead list is longer than the team's available time. The Grid scores fit, signal, engagement, and timing so follow-up effort goes to the leads most likely to convert — consistently, not by whoever shouts loudest in the inbox.
How to use it
- List leads and score each 1–5 on fit, signal, engagement, and timing.
- Let the total and priority level rank the list automatically.
- Work the "Work now" leads first; put "Nurture" leads on a sequence, not a someday list.
Watch out
| Lead / account | Fit (1–5) | Signal (1–5) | Engagement (1–5) | Timing (1–5) | Total | Priority |
|---|
Priority logic: total of 16–20 = Work now · 11–15 = Nurture · 6–10 = Monitor · 1–5 = Disqualify.
When to use it: after any interaction that deserves a follow-up — the same day, while the context is fresh in the CRM. This tool builds a reusable AI prompt that turns your CRM notes into a specific, evidence-based follow-up draft in minutes.
How to use it
- Fill in the lead, context, last interaction, and the objective of the follow-up.
- Generate the prompt, then paste it into your AI tool of choice along with your CRM notes.
- Edit the draft so it sounds like you — then log the send in the CRM.
Watch out
When to use it: before the next pipeline review. Stages defined by activity ("demo done") instead of evidence ("buyer confirmed the problem and budget owner") let optimism drive the forecast. This tool defines each stage by the evidence required to leave it.
How to use it
- Name each stage of your sales motion, in order.
- Write the exit criteria: the observable evidence a deal must show to advance.
- Name who verifies it — the seller claims, but someone confirms.
Watch out
| Stage name | Exit criteria (observable evidence to advance) | Verified by |
|---|
When to use it: before and during the weekly pipeline review. A review that recites activity is a status meeting. These ten checks test whether the pipeline in front of you is evidence — and score how ready it is to be forecast on.
How to use it
- Run the ten checks against the live pipeline, not a screenshot.
- Read the readiness score and interpretation — they update as you check.
- Turn every unchecked item into a named owner and a date before the review ends.
Watch out
When to use it: weekly, before the pipeline review. Deals rarely die loudly — they go quiet. This routine flags deals by days in stage, days since last activity, and whether a next step exists, so the review starts with the deals that need it.
How to use it
- List open deals with days in current stage and days since last activity.
- Mark whether a dated next step exists in the CRM.
- Read the flags: work Stalled deals first; decide to revive, downgrade, or close them.
Watch out
| Deal | Stage | Days in stage | Days since activity | Next step set? | Flag |
|---|
Flag logic: no next step or 21+ days silent = Stalled · 30+ days in stage or 10+ days silent = Watch · otherwise Healthy.
When to use it: monthly, and always before building a forecast. Reports built on dirty data are contestable, and AI built on dirty data is confidently wrong. This dashboard turns "our data is a mess" into measurable rates a team can actually fix.
How to use it
- Pull the counts from your CRM — active records, missing fields, duplicates, stale records.
- Read the issue rates and the overall health grade — they compute automatically.
- Fix the field with the worst rate first, and re-measure next month.
Watch out
Grade logic: health = 100% minus the average issue rate. A = 90%+ · B = 80–89% · C = 65–79% · D = below 65%.
When to use it: when building the commit. A committed deal is a claim; evidence is the collateral. The Rubric grades each deal on five evidence checks and turns raw pipeline into a confidence-weighted forecast a leadership team can believe.
How to use it
- List the deals in the forecast with their amounts.
- Check only the evidence that exists in the CRM today — not what is promised for Friday.
- Compare raw pipeline to the weighted forecast; the gap is your credibility risk.
Watch out
| Deal | Amount | P | D | B | N | L | Confidence | Weighted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totals | 0 | – | – | 0 | ||||
Reading it: the difference between raw total and weighted total is the amount of forecast currently supported by hope rather than evidence.