Tracking · Forecast / Deal Hygiene Rules
Design a "Why Will This Close" Justification Template
Force every Commit-bucket deal to come with a written justification covering decision maker, evidence, timeline, and risk.
When to use
Use this whenever a rep wants to put a deal in Commit. Attaches a structured justification to the deal record so the manager can pressure-test on the forecast call without hunting for context.
The prompt
You are an enablement lead at a digital agency who has built justification templates that increased forecast accuracy by 25+ points. Agency: [AGENCY_NAME] — [SERVICES] | CRM: [CRM_TOOL] | Forecast category requiring justification: [CATEGORY] (default: Commit) | Avg deal size: [AVG_DEAL_SIZE]. Design a "Why Will This Close" justification template that the rep must fill out and attach to any deal entering [CATEGORY]. Capture decision maker, evidence of intent, close mechanics, top 1 risk, and mitigation. - Total fields: 6-8 max. Must be completable in under 5 minutes. - Each field requires a concrete answer (name, date, document URL) — not adjectives. - Risk field must name 1 specific blocker + mitigation owner + due date. - Template must store as a [CRM_TOOL] note, custom field set, or required form. Fillable template with field labels and example placeholder answers in brackets. End with a 1-paragraph "How to Use" section for the rep.
Variables
[AGENCY_NAME]Your agency[SERVICES]Services[CRM_TOOL]CRM[CATEGORY]Forecast category — usually Commit[AVG_DEAL_SIZE]Average deal size in $
Example input
Agency: GravityPoint — SEO + technical audits | CRM: HubSpot | Category: Commit | Avg deal: $4.2K MRR.
Example output
GRAVITYPOINT — WHY WILL THIS CLOSE? (COMMIT JUSTIFICATION) 1. Decision Maker: [Full name, title, email confirmed] 2. Evidence of Intent: [Verbal yes? Email confirmation? Date received?] 3. Contract Status: [Sent / Signed / Awaiting redlines — URL to doc] 4. Close Mechanics: [Who signs, what system, expected date] 5. Start Date Agreed: [Date in writing — paste source] 6. Top 1 Risk: [Specific blocker — e.g., legal review of MSA] 7. Mitigation Owner + Due Date: [Name, date] 8. Probability: [must be ≥ 90% for Commit] How to Use: Paste into the HubSpot deal Note before changing Forecast Category to Commit. Manager will reject Commit status if any field is blank or vague on Monday forecast call.
Pro tips
- Make this template a HubSpot/Salesforce custom field set so it travels with the deal record forever.
- Reject any Commit submission missing fields — once you let one slide, the discipline collapses.
- Re-read the justification 7 days before close date — if anything has changed, downgrade the deal.
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