Tracking · Forecast / Deal Hygiene Rules
Write a Close-Date Slippage Audit Prompt
Audit every deal whose close date has slipped more than once to catch sandbagging, padding, or stalled deals before they wreck the forecast.
When to use
Use this each Friday before the weekly forecast call, or mid-quarter when the forecast suddenly looks rosy or shaky. Reveals which deals are being pushed quietly so you can pressure-test them on Monday.
The prompt
You are a sales operations analyst at a digital agency who has built close-date integrity dashboards used to challenge reps on every forecast call. Agency: [AGENCY_NAME] — [SERVICES] | CRM: [CRM_TOOL] | Reporting period: [PERIOD] | Quota at risk: [QUOTA] | Pipeline list with slippage events: [DEAL_LIST_CSV]. Audit the deals in [DEAL_LIST_CSV]. Flag any deal where the close date has slipped 2+ times. For each flagged deal, produce: deal name, total days slipped, # of slips, current stage, rep, and a recommended action (challenge, downgrade, push to next quarter, mark Lost). - Use numeric thresholds: 2+ slips = flag, 3+ slips = mandatory challenge, slip > 50% of [SALES_CYCLE_DAYS] = recommend Lost. - Group output by rep so the manager can run a single 1:1 per person. - Don't make up data — only use what's in [DEAL_LIST_CSV]. - Recommended action must be one of: Challenge, Downgrade Category, Push Next Quarter, Mark Lost. Markdown table grouped by rep. Columns: Deal | Slips | Total Days Slipped | Stage | Recommended Action | Why. End with a 1-paragraph summary of forecast risk for the period.
Variables
[AGENCY_NAME]Your agency[SERVICES]Services sold[CRM_TOOL]Your CRM[PERIOD]Quarter or month being audited[QUOTA]Quota for the period[SALES_CYCLE_DAYS]Avg sales cycle[DEAL_LIST_CSV]CSV export of open deals with: name, rep, stage, original close date, current close date, # of close-date changes
Example input
Agency: BlueArrow — paid media retainers | CRM: Salesforce | Period: Q2 2026 | Quota: $400K | Cycle: 35 days | DEAL_LIST_CSV: 24 open deals, 9 with 2+ slips.
Example output
Q2 2026 CLOSE-DATE SLIPPAGE AUDIT — BLUEARROW ## Rep: Maria Lopez | Deal | Slips | Days Slipped | Stage | Action | Why | |------|-------|--------------|-------|--------|-----| | Northwind SEO | 3 | 42 | Proposal | Mark Lost | Slipped > cycle length, no rep activity in 18d | | Acme Media | 2 | 21 | Verbal | Challenge | Verbal received but contract delayed; manager joins next call | ## Rep: Jordan Kim | Deal | Slips | Days Slipped | Stage | Action | Why | |------|-------|--------------|-------|--------|-----| | Trellis Co | 2 | 14 | Proposal | Downgrade Category | Move from Best Case → Pipeline pending champion re-confirm | Summary: 9 of 24 deals (~$78K) have slipped 2+ times. 3 should be marked Lost immediately, removing $32K of phantom Q2 forecast. Remaining $46K needs manager pressure-test by Friday.
Pro tips
- Run this every Friday at 3pm so Monday forecast calls start with clean data.
- Track 'slips per rep' as a leading indicator — patterns reveal sandbagging vs over-optimism.
- Pair flagged deals with the Why-Will-This-Close Justification Template before allowing them to stay in forecast.
Free 20 minute sales audit
A prompt is not a system.
These are free and they work. What they cannot do is make your team run the play every week. That is the part we install.
Book a Free Sales Audit