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Frontline Managers with board permissions can use the Deals Pipeline to identify deals needing immediate attention, ensuring action plans are in place. Steps include reviewing team deals, checking activity levels, scheduling next calls, and analyzing warnings. Managers can drill into specific deals, communicate asynchronously with reps, and prepare for meetings by discussing blockers and strategies. Encouraging reps to tag them on account comments can help address issues efficiently. The goal is to align with reps ahead of meetings and create clear action plans to move deals forward effectively.
Who can do this? Frontline Manager with manage board permissions
Where to go? Deals > Pipeline
Identify deals that need your immediate attention and ensure action plans and supporting resources are in place. We recommend checking this board weekly, particularly before 1:1s and pipeline reviews.
Step 1 - Look at your team's deals
Make sure your deal board is set to show open deals only:
For example, in the Edit board > Filters section, select the CRM field you use for "deal status" and set the value to "open".
On the board, browse to your team, select the period you want to see, for example, "Closing this quarter", and toggle the board view to Deals.
Add filters and group deals as desired. (See steps 4 and 6 in the Arrange your view to see the bigger picture section of the Pipeline review: Use deal boards article).
The deal count and total amount at the top of each tab should stack up with your expectations.
Step 2 - Take a pulse check
In this step, review 4 key data points on all deals in your deal board to identify where you need to probe.
Check activity: activity is a good sign of deal health. Sort the list by activity. Look for bidirectional activity, not just rep outreach.
Check activity for stage: Sort the list by stage to check the level of activity looks right for the deal stage.
Check next calls: Check whether a next call is scheduled, and if so, whether it's soon enough to maintain deal velocity.
Check warnings: Check what Gong-AI warnings are showing you about the deals
Tip:
If you're subscribed to the board, check your inbox for a weekly deal digest email to get a headstart on understanding what's happening in your pipeline.
Step 3 - Drill into particular deals
Once you have short-listed deals to look at, take a more detailed look.
Click the deal activity area on the board, and in the panel Activity tab, check whether there's evidence of multi-threading.
Review the latest emails and calls with key contacts. Verify that the back-and-forth is consistent with a deal that’s on track.
In the Contacts tab, check whether the right titles are engaged, given the deal stage, and whether those people are active in conversations
The more critical the deal, the deeper you’ll likely go in investigating the deal.
Step 4 - Talk to your rep async
If there's anything in particular that you want to bring your rep's attention to, you don't have to wait for your next meeting.
Tag your rep in comments on the account, or on a specific activity, such as a call.
Ask them questions directly in the context of the customer interaction, so that you can focus your follow-up conversation on strategy, not fact-finding.
Set the comment to be visible only to the rep if the topic is sensitive.
Tip:
Encourage your reps to tag you on account or call comments so that they can draw attention to issues or get your input before your 1:1 meetings.
Step 5 - Prepare for 1:1s
You’ll likely pay attention to every deal for newer reps, and run a briefer spot check for your most tenured and trusted team members.
Filter to the deal board by person to see the deals for an individual rep.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the individual to be up to date and even to run the 1:1 from that view.
Step 6 - Discuss blockers, strategy, and plans
Whether it's in 1:1s or in team pipeline reviews, talk through any issues in your deals, and then brainstorm and strategize each one. Make sure you identify a clear action plan to move the deal forward.
You may want to call in support from other teams or share unfiltered customer context by tagging them in comments.
If you find yourself spending time on fact-checking and status recaps, review these steps again and make a mutual commitment with your reps to get aligned ahead of weekly meetings.