Why a live forecast matters
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Dana Morales · VP of Sales
"I don't want to find out on the 30th that we're going to miss quota. I want to see, every Monday, exactly which reps are behind — and by how much — while there's still time to help them."
Without a shared forecast (a shared prediction of what's about to sell), every rep keeps their own private guess. Managers end up chasing spreadsheets and status emails, instead of coaching the deals that actually need help.
What this means for you
One shared, always-up-to-date number for every rep, instead of a private guess. You'll see Commit (deals a rep is confident will close), Best Case (deals that might close if things go well), and Attainment (how close a rep is to their quota) — all side by side.Four ways to look at the pipeline
A pipeline is every open deal you're working on, all added up. Think of it like a funnel — lots of possible deals go in at the top, and fewer make it all the way through to a closed sale at the bottom. The Forecast page (go to Sales → Forecast) has four tabs. Each one answers a different question about your pipeline.
Rep ForecastFor each rep, see their Quota (target), Closed Won (deals already sold), Commit, Best Case, Pipeline, Gap, and Attainment % (percent of quota reached so far). Pick a Monthly or Quarterly view.
Pipeline by StageSee your total open pipeline, closed-won revenue, and win rate (the percent of deals you close out of all the ones you tried). There's a bar for every deal stage, so you can see where deals are piling up.
Top DealsThe 10 biggest open opportunities (deals still in progress), with stage, amount, close date, and owner. This tells leadership which deals matter most right now.
Quota ManagementThis is where a manager sets a dollar quota — a sales target — for each rep, for a chosen month or quarter. The Rep Forecast tab measures everyone against this number.
Gap does the math for you
Gap is simply Quota minus (Closed Won plus Commit). If the gap is negative — shown in green — the rep is already on track to beat quota.1 Set a quota and check attainment
Open ForecastGo to Sales → Forecast, then click the "Quota Management" tab.
Set a quotaPick a rep, enter a Quota Amount (their target), and click "Set Quota".
Check the forecastClick "Rep Forecast" and check that your rep now shows a Quota, an Attainment bar, and a Gap.
Day-to-day: sales reps
Check your own attainmentOpen Rep Forecast to see your own Gap and Attainment % — no need to ask your manager where you stand.
Day-to-day: sales managers
Monday morning check-inOpen Rep Forecast and sort by Gap to see who needs coaching this week, while there's still time to help.
Watch where deals are stuckCheck Pipeline by Stage for a stage where deals are piling up instead of moving forward.
Update quotas each periodRevisit Quota Management at the start of each month or quarter to set fresh targets.
What to try next
Look at the Opportunity Pipeline trail — Forecast is built on the same deal stages you manage there.Test what you learned
1. What does a rep's forecast get measured against?
Last year's revenue, automatically
The quota a manager set for them in Quota Management
2. Where would you look to see the 10 biggest open deals this period?
Pipeline by Stage tab
Top Deals tab