I’ve noticed a pattern in the way my customers who have adopted a strong revenue cadence are using Flow Widgets in Dashboards at the beginning, midpoint, and end of the quarter.
Beginning of Quarter
What I recommend and what I've seen succeed at the beginning of a quarter is to look at Flow Widgets to see which deals from the previous quarter slipped into the current one. In this new quarter, prioritize closing the deals that slipped last quarter to ensure they don't slip further.
This is really important, and I’ve noticed that some customers pick a title for these Flow Widgets according to their purpose, like "Current Quarter Slips To Focus On" or "State Views." Picking a title in the form of a question you want to answer about your book of business (i.e. “What slipped last quarter?”) is also effective.
Additionally, look at deals that have been idle as you enter the new quarter. This helps prioritize deals at the start of the quarter to ensure they don’t lose momentum.
Mid-Quarter
Around week six of the quarter, you likely have a grasp of which deals in your current book have progressed or regressed. You have a better sense of how deals are moving. At this point, I recommend using Flow Widgets to track which deals have gained momentum. For example, look at the deals that have upgraded (or progressed) through your forecast categories or stages.
You should also look for deals that have downgraded (or regressed) through your stages or forecast categories to understand which deals are at risk.
Some customers look at upgraded and downgraded deals over the past month, the past 2 weeks, or the past 7 days. The point is to keep track of deals that have downgraded, catch them early, and proactively address the lost momentum before they slip or are lost.
End of Quarter
Around week 10 of the quarter and beyond, it's sprint mode, the end-of-quarter rush to capitalize on any remaining deals. At this point, if you’re able to, it’s best to be proactive and look ahead to next quarter. Use Flow Widgets to track deals that have entered the pipeline in the last 14 days to help ensure a smooth transition into next quarter.
Also look at deals that were pushed into the next quarter in the last 14 days, so you can focus on these deals to ensure they close next quarter (sound familiar? we’re coming first circle here).
