Deal Review Meeting Checklist

Before the meeting (rep prep - due 24hrs prior)

• CRM stage, close date, and amount are current (not stale from last review)
• Last buyer interaction logged with date and next step
• Stakeholder map attached or updated (see Close Plan Template)
• Any redlines, legal terms, or discount requests flagged with status
• One-line 'what's the actual blocker' statement written before the meeting starts

Before the meeting (manager prep)

• Review deal age in current stage vs. average cycle time for this segment
• Check last-touch date - flag anything with no buyer contact in 10+ business days
• Note any deal that has moved close date more than once

Per-deal review agenda (run this exact sequence, 6-8 minutes per deal)

1. State the deal in one sentence. Account, amount, current stage, close date.
2. What did the buyer say or do since we last talked? (Not 'what did you do' - what did THEY do. Silence from the buyer is itself the answer.)
3. What is the specific thing standing between us and signature? Force a real answer - 'still evaluating' is not a blocker, it's an evasion. Ask 'evaluating what, specifically, and against what criteria?'
4. Who else needs to say yes that hasn't yet? Confirm the stakeholder map is current, not assumed.
5. What has been asked of us that we haven't answered? (Pricing, legal terms, security review, references.)
6. What is the rep's specific ask of the buyer for this week? Must be a dated, named action - not 'follow up.'
7. What does the manager need to unblock this? (Pricing exception, exec involvement, legal escalation, reference call.)

Stalled-deal red flags (check any that apply - 2+ checked means this deal needs manager intervention this week)

• Close date has moved more than once
• No buyer-initiated contact in the last 2 weeks
• Champion has gone quiet or is no longer responding directly
• Deal has been in the same stage for longer than 1.5x average cycle time
• Rep cannot name the economic buyer
• Rep cannot name the buyer's internal deadline or urgency driver
• Legal/security review has no tracked status or owner
• Discount has been requested but not yet traded for anything
• The only next step on record is 'circle back' or 'check in'
• Deal value or scope has shrunk since the last review with no explanation logged

Negotiation-specific probes (use once a deal enters active negotiation)

• 'What have they countered on, and what did we trade for our last concession?'
• 'What's our walk-away on this one, and does the rep know it?'
• 'Has procurement introduced anything net-new since legal review started?'
• 'What's the buyer's real deadline, and did they tell us or did we assume it?'

Escalation triggers (any one of these routes to manager or deal desk same day)

• Discount request above rep's approval authority
• Non-standard legal term requested (liability cap, indemnification, data terms)
• Buyer has requested a call with an executive sponsor
• Deal has stalled 2+ consecutive review cycles with no new information

After the meeting (manager actions, same day)

• Log every commitment made in the meeting with owner and date
• Send any escalations (pricing, legal, exec ask) before end of day
• Update forecast category if the deal's real status contradicts the CRM stage

Cadence guidance

• Deals under 1x average deal size: review biweekly, or weekly once in negotiation stage
• Deals at or above 3x average deal size, or any deal in the final two weeks of quarter: review weekly regardless of size
• Any deal flagged 2+ red flags: review every 3-4 business days until resolved or clearly moved to closed-lost