Sales manager how-to

How to run deal reviews with Claude.

Deal reviews consume sales manager time without proportionate impact. The fix is not skipping them — it is changing the format. Claude prepares the analysis; the human conversation focuses on action. Here is the workflow.

The premise

Why deal reviews waste time

Most deal reviews are 60-90 minutes where the rep narrates each deal in their pipeline, the manager nods, and the meeting ends without specific commitments. Time consumed, action limited.

The AI-assisted version: Claude analyzes the pipeline data BEFORE the meeting and produces a prioritized list of deals that need attention. The meeting itself focuses on 3-5 deals where the manager actually adds value.

The pre-review prompt

Manager runs before the meeting

Here is [REP NAME]'s pipeline (paste CRM export with stages, amounts, last activity dates, and deal-stage history): [PASTE]

Their quota: [AMOUNT]
Days left in quarter: [N]
Historical win rate: [%]

Analyze:
1. Top 3-5 deals where I (the manager) can actually add value this week
2. Deals that should probably be closed-lost (no activity 30+ days at same stage)
3. Coverage analysis — are they on track?
4. Patterns across stalled deals (is there a common stage block?)
5. The 1 specific question I should ask this rep that they will not want to answer

Be direct. Do not soften. Manager needs the truth, not the comfortable version.
The in-meeting workflow

How to run the actual review

0-5 min: Manager shares the Claude-generated summary. Rep responds.

5-20 min: Deep dive on the 3 priority deals. Specific commitments from both sides.

20-25 min: Address the stall-out deals — keep or kill decisions.

25-30 min: Coaching point + this weeks priorities.

Total: 30 minutes. Half the time of traditional review. Better outcomes because focused on action.

Related

Related how-tos

Want this deployed for your sales team?
Implementation includes manager workflow setup.
See Implementation → See Fractional CRO