Leads and sales
Why aren't our quotes chased, and why is the forecast a guess?
By Doug Taylor and Jake Mayell, Co-Founders · Last reviewed 16 October 2026
Because the quote lives in a folder, the conversation lives in an inbox, and the win only shows up when the order lands, so the forecast becomes last year plus a bit. Following up every quote on a set date, recording a reason for every win and loss, and building the forecast from live deals gives the board a number you can stand behind.
Enquiry to order, and a forecast you can stand behind · 1 min
91%
admit quotes or follow-ups slip
82%
do not track systematically which quotes they win and lose, or why
What the video says
The quote went out three weeks ago. Has anyone chased it?
Most businesses can't say, because the quote lives in a folder, the conversation lives in an inbox, and the win only shows up when the order lands.
So the forecast is last year plus a bit, and the board gets a number nobody believes.
The fix is every quote followed up on a set date, every win and every loss recorded with a reason, and a forecast built from the deals that are actually live.
Then the number you take to the board is one you can stand behind.
Enquiry to order. We're here to help. Get in touch today.
So what would you like to know next?
How we fix it
What we do
Define the stages, the rules for following up, and the reasons recorded for every win and loss, and set out how the forecast is built from real deals rather than last year plus a percentage.
Where bad data gets in
Deals and quotes kept outside the CRM, stages updated late, and won work that never links back to its quote.
What it breaks further down
A forecast nobody trusts, capacity and stock planned on guesswork, and win rates nobody can explain.
What moves
Conversion rate, time to close, quotes followed up, and how close the forecast lands.
Usually owned by
Sales Director
An example
Example
Active-PCB Solutions
The challenge. A UK electronics manufacturer under new ownership, recovering from a ransomware attack, presenting a board forecast built on averages that nobody trusted. Deal changes weren’t even reaching it.
What changed. We worked with their commercial director to trace every number behind the forecast, fix the data that was breaking it, and rebuild it from live deals only.
The result. £2.6 million of phantom value removed from a £118 million forecast. The number the board sees is now the number in the system, and the team chases the deals that are actually live.
