Every quarter begins with a quiet moment—father's ledger book on the table, Marley asleep at my feet, and the five phases laid out like stanzas in a hymn. This worksheet is where we sing that hymn into numbers.
What it is: Not every prospect is soil ready for planting. This phase filters the wind-blown seeds from the ones meant to grow.
The Metric: Qualified leads × Historical conversion rate = Seeds worthy of watering.
My grandmother taught me: "Don't waste water on stones."
What it is: Digging deep enough to find the water table. Discovery isn't asking questions; it's listening for the heartbeat beneath the soil.
The Metric: Opportunities with documented pain points × Budget verification = Rooted prospects.
What it is: Building the trellis that will bear the fruit. Every proposal must match the unique architecture of the client's needs.
The Metric: Proposals sent × Win-rate-at-this-stage = Stems ready to climb.
What it is: The moment the flower opens—fragile, precious, demanding perfect conditions. Negotiation is tending the bloom, not forcing it.
The Metric: Active negotiations × Average deal size × Close probability = Blooms on the vine.
What it is: Gathering what was grown. But even in harvest, we save seed for next season—referrals, renewals, expansion.
The Metric: Closed-won deals × Expansion multiplier = Harvest plus seed.
| Phase | Active Deals | Avg. Value ($) | Close % | Weighted Value ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I: Seed | $0 | |||
| II: Root | $0 | |||
| III: Stem | $0 | |||
| IV: Bloom | $0 | |||
| V: Harvest | $0 | |||
| TOTAL FORECAST: | $0 | |||
Grounded in reality: This worksheet draws from the Wikidata definition of forecasting (Q7216332)—"making predictions of the future based on past and present data"—and the economic concept of sales (Q194189) as "exchange of goods for money over a targeted time period."
Live knowledge:
Neighbor's wisdom: