Forecasting6% of the exam
Measuring deal risks and opportunities
How to weigh a deal before you forecast it: the evidence that separates a commit from upside, why a keen champion is not enough, and how renewals and price increases carry their own risk and growth.
Measure the risks and opportunities associated with a business deal.
~7 min read · 2 practice questions ·
What the exam expects
- Test a deal against the evidence Salesforce asks managers to check (budget, executive sign-off, engaged decision makers, quantified ROI, a compelling event) and name what is missing.
- Decide whether a deal is a commit or upside, and keep upside in the pipeline rather than dropping it.
- Treat a renewal as a deal with its own risks: watch usage and stakeholder changes, and start the conversation early.
- Explain a price increase by the value behind it instead of waiving it before you know price is the concern.
Key terms:
- Deal risk: a gap in the evidence that a deal will close in the period (no budget, no sign-off, no ROI, no compelling event).
- Upside: exam convention for a real opportunity that might close this period but is not yet committed.
- Forecast category: the Salesforce grouping (Pipeline, Best Case, Most Likely, Commit, Closed) that shows how likely a deal is to close.
- Champion: the enthusiastic contact inside the account who supports your deal but may not control the budget.
Key facts
Five deal inspection questions
- Detail
- Budget, executive sign-off, engaged decision makers, quantified ROI, compelling event
Timing check
- Detail
- Compelling events or budget tell you if a deal can close on schedule
Pipeline vs forecast
- Detail
- Pipeline is all open deals; forecast is the subset expected to close in the period
Forecast category
- Detail
- Mapped from the opportunity stage; indicates likelihood to close
What a renewal offers
- Detail
- Growth, better payment terms, pricing adjustment, early warning of account issues
Reasons Salesforce gives to adjust pricing at renewal
- Detail
- Market rate, product innovation, recouping discounts
When to start renewal talks
- Detail
- Before the term expires, on a set review timeline with reminders months ahead
Sources for this section (4)
- Why isn't an enthusiastic champion enough to commit a deal?
- When should a rep start the renewal conversation?
- Which reasons does Salesforce give for adjusting price at renewal?
- What does a forecast category tell you about an opportunity?
The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.
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The free Agentforce Sales Foundations pack includes:
- All 21 lessons of the Agentforce Sales Foundations guide, with reading progress
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- Inline practice questions and one-click topic practice (2 questions for this lesson)
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