Tracking · Pipeline Stages & Exit Criteria

Build a Verbal vs Written Commitment Threshold per Stage

Spell out exactly what counts as a verbal commit vs a written commit at each stage so forecasts stop slipping.

managerrepIntermediate⏱ Prevents 1-2 forecast misses per quarter
When to use
Use when reps say "they verbally committed" but the deal slips for the third month in a row. This produces a per-stage rubric: exact phrases that DO and DO NOT count as a commit, what written proof is required to escalate, and the CRM field that captures the proof.
The prompt
You are a sales coach at an agency. You've watched too many forecasts blow up because "verbal commit" meant 6 different things to 6 different reps.
Agency: [AGENCY_NAME] | Pipeline stages: [STAGE_LIST] | Avg deal: [AVG_DEAL_SIZE] | Common forecast miss: [MISS_PATTERN]
For each stage that requires a commitment from the buyer, define (a) the qualifying VERBAL language with examples, (b) the qualifying WRITTEN proof with examples, (c) the CRM evidence required to mark it, and (d) the threshold at which verbal alone is acceptable vs when written is mandatory.

- Each verbal example must be a direct buyer quote, not a paraphrase.
- Disqualify squishy language: "sounds good", "interesting", "let me think about it", "probably yes".
- Written proof must be attachable to the deal (email screenshot, Slack export, DocuSign envelope status).
- Any deal above [WRITTEN_THRESHOLD] requires WRITTEN proof to advance past Proposal Sent.
- Include an escalation rule: what manager does when a deal sits on verbal-only past 7 days.

Per stage:
### [Stage]
**Verbal qualifies if buyer says (examples):** ...
**Verbal does NOT qualify:** ...
**Written proof required:** ...
**CRM evidence field:** ...
**Verbal-only OK? (Yes/No + condition):** ...
Variables
  • [AGENCY_NAME] — Your agency
  • [STAGE_LIST] — Stages that involve buyer commitment
  • [AVG_DEAL_SIZE] — Avg ACV
  • [MISS_PATTERN] — How verbal commits go wrong today
  • [WRITTEN_THRESHOLD] — Deal size above which written proof is mandatory (e.g., $50K)
Example input
Agency: Cresta SEO Group | Stages: Proposal Sent, Verbal Commit, Closed-Won | Avg deal: $8K/mo retainer | Miss pattern: Reps log 'verbal yes' from non-decision-makers | Written threshold: $5K MRR
Example output
### Verbal Commit
**Verbal qualifies if buyer says:**
- "Send me the contract — we're moving forward."
- "Let's start [date]. What do you need from me to sign?"
- "Yes, we'll go with the $8K plan. I'll loop in legal."

**Verbal does NOT qualify:**
- "Looks great, let's keep talking."
- "Probably — let me check with the team."
- "This is the direction we want to go."

**Written proof required (above $5K MRR):** Email from economic buyer confirming intent, OR Slack message from buyer, OR DocuSign envelope sent and viewed.

**CRM evidence field:** `deal.commitment_proof_url` (link to email thread or DocuSign).

**Verbal-only OK?:** Yes ONLY if deal < $5K MRR AND verbal happened on a recorded call. Otherwise written required within 48h or deal reverts to Proposal Sent.
Pro tips
  • Record discovery and commit calls — the buyer's exact words are your audit trail.
  • Train reps to ask 'so to confirm, we're moving forward on [date] at [price]?' — forces a binary answer.
  • Reps who can't produce written proof in 48h have a qualification problem, not a follow-up problem.
Works with
ClaudeChatGPTGemini
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