Introduction
Forecasting in 2025 isn’t just a finance exercise. It’s how you guide decisions, allocate resources, and earn credibility with leadership. But if your current forecasts feel more like educated guesses, you’re not alone.
Great sales managers know forecasting is a coaching function, not just a reporting function. Sandler offers tools and frameworks that make forecasting less mysterious and more methodical.
The Forecasting Myth: Hope vs. Behavior
Many teams rely on gut feel, happy ears, or what a rep thinks might happen. But a forecast based on hope isn’t a forecast—it’s a fiction.
Accurate forecasts come from tracking consistent, observable behaviors that correlate with deal progress.
Sandler's Behavioral Approach to Forecasting
1. Use the Sales Cookbook
A sales "cookbook" is a personalized activity plan that includes:
Number of conversations
FAE's (First Appointment Ever)
Referrals asked for
Proposals sent
By connecting these behaviors to average deal size and close rate, you can predict outcomes weeks before the deal closes.
2. Track Leading Indicators
Lagging metrics (revenue, closed deals, etc.) show what happened. Leading indicators (dials, discovery calls, pain uncovered, budget qualification) show what will happen.
3. Apply the Sandler Submarine to Forecast Confidence
Use the Sandler Submarine’s seven steps to assess where each deal sits:
Bonding & Rapport
Up-Front Contract
Pain
Budget
Decision
Fulfillment
Post-Sell
If you’re missing "Budget" or "Decision," your forecast is risky.
Forecasting With Hybrid or Remote Teams
Behavior-based forecasting works even better with remote teams because it creates clarity. When reps log behaviors (calls, emails, pain uncovered), you know what’s actually happening.
Use shared scorecards or CRMs that track:
Discovery stage milestones
Time in each pipeline stage
Deal movement vs. deal stagnation
Forecasting shouldn’t be a guessing game. With Sandler tools, you can transform it into a strategic advantage.
