Sales leaders present forecasts with polished slides and confident assertions. Finance teams nod with caution. The board sees through it.
This isn’t about communication. It’s about credibility.
Most forecasts aren’t predictions at all. Let’s face it, they’re performances built on rep intuition, stage-based probabilities, and close dates that rarely hold. The result is a quarterly ritual everyone knows will miss the mark.
CFOs and boards are tired of the cycle: confident projections, followed by last-minute misses. Deals marked “90% certain” vanish. Commit numbers swing wildly in the final weeks. The root issues are clear. Stage-based probabilities are subjective. Manual CRM updates leave leaders with stale, incomplete data. The most important deals often become less transparent as reps shield them from scrutiny. Forecasts lean too heavily on the latest interaction instead of the full engagement picture. Key buying signals remain buried in calls, emails, and meetings.
Finance teams and boards don’t demand perfection. They want precision, transparency, and early warnings. That starts with automatic activity capture so every call, email, and meeting is logged without rep intervention. AI can validate close dates against actual buying behavior, catching drift before it derails a quarter. Deal health scores based on objective engagement metrics replace gut feel. Early risk detection flags slipping opportunities while they can still be saved. Pipeline reviews become data-driven, grounded in what’s actually happening in the deal.
Boards know that modern revenue intelligence can automatically capture customer interactions, score deal health in real time, flag forecast gaps, identify where to focus, and warn early of risks. The era of theatrical forecasting is ending. Teams that move to data-driven pipeline execution aren’t just improving accuracy, they’re reshaping how the board views the sales organization.
Leaders can keep up the performance, or they can build a forecasting system that earns trust through transparency, accuracy, and timely risk detection. The board already knows which they want.
About the Author
Dominic Cross is a GTM strategist and digital workforce leader known for scaling apprenticeship models and building strategic partnerships across the tech and education sectors. As co-founder of Intequal and Franklin Apprenticeships, he’s led commercial efforts to bring employer-aligned, scalable training programs to market—bridging the gap between workforce readiness and business growth.
At Intequal, Dominic played a pivotal role in shaping the GTM motion that established the company as a trusted digital apprenticeship provider to major UK employers. He drove partnerships with enterprise clients and vendors—including Microsoft—to deliver programs in IT infrastructure, data, software, and digital marketing. His work helped position Intequal for acquisition by Lifetime Training, where its national footprint expanded significantly.
In the U.S., Dominic co-founded Franklin Apprenticeships, helping design competency-based learning models tailored for American businesses. His ability to align policy, training delivery, and employer demand has made him a sought-after advisor on workforce development strategy.
Whether launching new training initiatives or entering new markets, Dominic leads with a commercial mindset—focused on partnership development, scalable delivery, and long-term customer success. His belief is simple: the best workforce solutions don’t just train—they accelerate GTM outcomes.
