Deal Pulse scores measure engagement health, not deal outcome. This guide helps you interpret scores correctly and avoid common misunderstandings.

What Scores Actually Tell You

✅ Scores Tell You

Engagement Health:

• Is there regular activity?
• Are buyers actively participating?
• Is the deal moving forward?
• Are stakeholders engaged?

Warning Signs:

• Score declining = losing momentum
• Very low score (< 25) = stalled or inactive
• Weak collaboration = lack of joint commitment

❌ Scores Don't Tell You

Deal Outcome:

• Whether the deal will close
• Probability of winning
• Deal timing or urgency
• Competitive position

External Factors:

• Budget approval status
• Internal politics
• Economic conditions
• Competitor activities

Important: Use Deal Pulse as ONE signal among many. Combine with CRM stage, pipeline value, qualitative judgment, and buyer conversations.

Score Ranges Explained

80-100: Exceptional Engagement

What it means:

• Multiple meetings per month (3+)
• Active mutual action plan with completions
• 5+ engaged stakeholders across departments
• Both buyer and seller contributing
• Recent activity (within 7 days)

Typical scenarios:

• Late-stage enterprise deal with active buying committee
• Complex deal with champion driving internal process
• Well-organized buyer with formal evaluation process

What to do:

• Maintain current engagement level
• Don't let momentum slip
• Continue executing mutual plan
• Keep all stakeholders engaged

Don't assume:

• "We'll definitely close" → Still need to execute
• "Nothing can go wrong" → Deals can still stall
• "Don't need to do anything" → Requires ongoing effort

60-79: Healthy Engagement

What it means:

• Regular meetings (2 per month)
• Some mutual plan activity
• 3-4 stakeholders involved
• Decent communication
• Activity within 14 days

Typical scenarios:

• Mid-stage deal progressing normally
• SMB deal with smaller buying team
• Enterprise deal in early/mid evaluation

What to do:

• Keep regular meeting cadence
• Strengthen weak categories (check breakdown)
• Ensure mutual plan stays active
• Monitor for declining trend

Watch for:

• Score dropping below 60
• Collaboration category weakening
• Narrowing stakeholder base
• Gaps in meeting schedule

50-59: Moderate Engagement

What it means:

• Meetings scheduled but infrequent (1 per month)
• Minimal collaboration activity
• Limited stakeholder engagement (2-3 people)
• Some communication
• Activity within 30 days

Typical scenarios:

• Early-stage deal still in discovery
• Deal on pause (budget cycle, org change)
• Single-threaded deal (one champion only)

What to do:

• Increase meeting frequency
• Create or activate mutual action plan
• Identify and engage additional stakeholders
• Assess if deal should remain in active pipeline

Red flags:

• Trend declining
• Champion going quiet
• No expansion beyond initial contact
• Vague next steps

40-49: Low Engagement

What it means:

• Infrequent or no recent meetings
• Little to no collaboration
• Narrow engagement (1-2 contacts)
• Minimal communication
• Last activity 30+ days ago

Typical scenarios:

• Deal stalled or on hold
• Lost champion or budget
• Wrong timing for buyer
• Early nurture (not true opportunity yet)

What to do:

• Urgently re-engage
• Qualify if deal is real
• Identify new champions if current one ghosted
• Consider moving to "on hold" in CRM

Critical questions:

• Is there actually a deal here?
• Do they have budget and timeline?
• Are we talking to the right people?
• Should this be in our active pipeline?

25-39: Very Low Engagement

What it means:

• No active meetings
• No collaboration
• Single contact or lost contact
• No communication
• Last activity 60+ days ago

Typical scenarios:

• Deal effectively dead
• Buyer went dark
• Lost to competitor
• No budget or authority

What to do:

• Reach out one last time
• If no response, mark as closed-lost or on hold
• Update CRM to reflect reality
• Focus energy on active deals

Be honest:

• This probably isn't a real deal anymore
• Don't count on revenue from these deals
• Better to focus on active opportunities

0-24: Inactive

What it means:

• No meaningful activity
• No stakeholder engagement
• Completely stalled
• Decision Site essentially abandoned

Typical scenarios:

• Long-dead deal
• Test or demo Decision Site
• Buyer completely unresponsive

What to do:

• Close as lost or mark inactive
• Remove from active pipeline
• Archive Decision Site if appropriate

Reading Score Trends

Trends matter MORE than absolute scores.

Positive Trends (Good)

Score increasing over time:

Week 1: 45
Week 2: 52
Week 3: 61
Week 4: 68

What it means: Growing engagement, deal momentum building

What to do: Keep current activities, don't change what's working

Score stable at high level:

Week 1: 75
Week 2: 73
Week 3: 76
Week 4: 74

What it means: Consistent healthy engagement

What to do: Maintain current level, watch for any decline

Warning Trends (Concerning)

Score declining steadily:

Week 1: 72
Week 2: 65
Week 3: 58
Week 4: 51

What it means: Losing momentum, engagement dropping

What to do: Identify cause (check category breakdown), re-engage buyer

Score dropped suddenly:

Week 1: 68
Week 2: 42

What it means: Something changed (champion left, priority shifted, went on hold)

What to do: Contact buyer immediately, assess situation

Score stuck at low level:

Week 1: 35
Week 2: 37
Week 3: 34
Week 4: 36

What it means: Deal isn't progressing, likely not real opportunity

What to do: Qualify hard, consider closing or putting on hold

Normal Fluctuations

Small changes (±5-10 points) are normal:

• Time decay affects scores
• Weekly activity patterns vary
• Scoring is aggregate, not precise to single digits

Don't overreact to:

• Score dropping 5 points in one week
• Score bouncing between 65 and 70
• Small variations within same state (both ON_TRACK)

Do pay attention to:

• Consistent decline over 3-4 weeks
• Drop of 20+ points
• Crossing state boundaries (ON_TRACK → AT_RISK)

Context Matters

Deal Stage

Early Stage (Discovery):

• Expected scores: 30-50
• Focus: Engagement category
• Normal: Lower collaboration (no mutual plan yet)

Mid Stage (Evaluation):

• Expected scores: 50-70
• Focus: Engagement + Collaboration
• Normal: Growing stakeholder base (Diversity)

Late Stage (Negotiation):

• Expected scores: 65-85
• Focus: All categories strong
• Warning: Scores below 60 at this stage concerning

Deal Complexity

Simple SMB Deal:

• Expected scores: 60-80 if moving
• Fewer stakeholders normal (Diversity lower)
• Quick cycles (may not need high Collaboration)

Complex Enterprise Deal:

• Expected scores: 50-70 during long evaluations
• Many stakeholders (high Diversity)
• Formal processes (high Organization)

Industry Patterns

High-touch industries (consulting, services):

• Higher engagement and communication scores typical
• Frequent meetings normal

Product-focused (SaaS, software):

• More self-serve evaluation
• Lower communication scores can be normal
• Template usage (Collaboration) matters

Using Category Breakdown

Don't just look at overall score - check which categories are weak.

Example 1: Low Engagement

Overall: 42 (AT_RISK)

Categories:
- Engagement: 25 (meetings stopped)
- Collaboration: 55 (mutual plan exists)
- Diversity: 60 (good stakeholders)
- Organization: 45 (average)
- Communication: 35 (minimal)

Diagnosis: Meetings stopped, need to re-engage
Action: Schedule next meeting

Example 2: Low Collaboration

Overall: 48 (AT_RISK)

Categories:
- Engagement: 70 (good meetings)
- Collaboration: 15 (no mutual plan)
- Diversity: 55 (decent stakeholders)
- Organization: 50 (average)
- Communication: 40 (some comments)

Diagnosis: Meetings happening but no joint commitment
Action: Create mutual action plan

Example 3: Narrow Stakeholders

Overall: 51 (ON_TRACK but barely)

Categories:
- Engagement: 65 (regular meetings)
- Collaboration: 60 (active plan)
- Diversity: 20 (single-threaded)
- Organization: 55 (organized)
- Communication: 50 (decent)

Diagnosis: Single point of failure (one champion)
Action: Expand to other stakeholders

Common Misinterpretations

"Score of 75 means 75% likely to close"

❌ Wrong: Score measures engagement, not close probability

✅ Right: Score of 75 means strong engagement; still need to qualify, compete, and execute

"Low score means deal is lost"

❌ Wrong: Low score could mean early stage, on hold, or wrong timing

✅ Right: Low score means weak engagement; assess if deal is real and re-engage if viable

"I can game the score by creating fake activity"

❌ Wrong: Gaming the score doesn't help you close deals

✅ Right: Score reflects real engagement; focus on genuine buyer involvement

"Score dropped 3 points, something is wrong"

❌ Wrong: Small fluctuations are normal due to time decay

✅ Right: Monitor trends over weeks, not day-to-day changes

"High score = stop worrying about the deal"

❌ Wrong: Even high-scoring deals can stall or be lost

✅ Right: High score = maintain momentum, don't let engagement drop

Combining with Other Signals

Use Deal Pulse alongside:

CRM Stage

• Deal Pulse = 70, Stage = Closed Won: Great, confirmed win
• Deal Pulse = 30, Stage = Negotiation: Mismatch - update stage or re-engage
• Deal Pulse = 55, Stage = Discovery: Normal, deal progressing

Pipeline Value

• High value + High score: Top priority
• High value + Low score: Needs immediate attention
• Low value + High score: Efficient deal, good process
• Low value + Low score: Deprioritize or close

Sales Judgment

• High score but bad gut feeling: Trust your gut, investigate
• Low score but strong buyer commitment: Re-engage to raise score
• High score and confident: Excellent, keep executing

Buyer Conversations

• Buyer says "hot deal", score is low: Something's wrong, dig deeper
• Buyer went quiet, score dropping: Confirm with outreach
• Buyer enthusiastic, score rising: Aligned signals, good sign

Next Steps

• Improve low scores: Improving Scores Guide
• Understand calculations: Category Breakdown
• Get more context: Score Interpretation

Still confused? Check FAQ or Common Issues

Additional Context from Interpretation

Score Interpretation

Deal Pulse scores don't exist in a vacuum. The same score means different things depending on deal stage, complexity, industry, and other factors. This guide helps you interpret scores correctly in context.

Why Context Matters

A score of 55 could mean:

• Early-stage enterprise deal: Healthy, on track
• Late-stage SMB deal: Warning sign, needs attention
• Technical evaluation: Normal during long assessment
• Budget approval stage: Concerning, expect higher

Don't interpret scores in isolation. Consider:

• Where is this deal in the sales cycle?
• What's normal for this industry?
• How complex is the buying process?
• What do other signals say?

Interpreting by Deal Stage

Discovery Stage

Expected scores: 30-50

What's normal:

• Lower Engagement (fewer meetings scheduled)
• Minimal Collaboration (no mutual plan yet)
• Low Diversity (single champion)
• Minimal Organization (few tasks)
• Low Communication (building relationship)

When to worry:

• Score below 25: No real engagement happening
• Trend declining: Champion going cold
• Stuck for 4+ weeks: Not progressing to next stage

Focus on:

• Engagement category (meetings, buyer logins)
• Finding additional stakeholders (Diversity)
• Qualifying the opportunity

Don't expect:

• High collaboration scores (too early for mutual plans)
• Multi-threading (usually one contact initially)
• Frequent meetings (discovery takes time)

Evaluation Stage

Expected scores: 50-70

What's normal:

• Regular meetings (2-3 per month)
• Active mutual plan starting
• Growing stakeholder base (3-5 contacts)
• Increasing organization (tasks, artifacts)
• Some back-and-forth (comments, questions)

When to worry:

• Score below 40: Evaluation not really happening
• Collaboration below 30: No joint commitment
• Diversity stuck at 1-2: Single point of failure
• Trend declining: Losing momentum

Focus on:

• Collaboration category (create mutual plan)
• Diversity (expand beyond champion)
• Maintaining meeting cadence

Don't expect:

• 80+ scores (rare during long evaluations)
• Daily buyer activity (they have other priorities)
• Perfect balance (buyer may be busier than seller)

Negotiation/Legal Stage

Expected scores: 65-85

What's normal:

• Frequent meetings (3+ per month)
• Very active mutual plan (closing milestones)
• Multiple stakeholders (legal, finance, procurement)
• High organization (contract tasks, approvals)
• Active communication (negotiation back-and-forth)

When to worry:

• Score below 60: Deal may be stalling
• Engagement dropping: Champion disengaging
• Collaboration weak: Not aligned on next steps
• Sudden drop (>20 points): Something changed

Focus on:

• Maintaining all categories strong
• Keeping all stakeholders engaged
• Executing toward close

Don't expect:

• Score to guarantee close (deals can still fall through)
• 100 scores (rare, not necessary to close)
• Perfect stability (legal stages have ups and downs)

Closed-Won

Score no longer matters - deal is closed.

Historical value:

• Compare what winning deals looked like
• Identify patterns in successful engagements
• Benchmark for future deals

Interpreting by Deal Complexity

Simple SMB Deal

Characteristics:

• 1-3 decision makers
• Short sales cycle (2-8 weeks)
• Straightforward evaluation
• Minimal procurement process

Expected score patterns:

• Overall: 60-80 if moving
• Engagement: High (frequent meetings)
• Collaboration: Moderate (may not need formal mutual plan)
• Diversity: Lower (fewer stakeholders is normal)
• Organization: Moderate (less formal process)
• Communication: High (direct access to decision maker)

What's normal:

• Lower Diversity scores (2-3 contacts)
• Faster movement through stages
• Higher relative Engagement and Communication
• Less structured Collaboration

When to worry:

• Overall below 50 after 3 weeks
• Single-threaded throughout (risk if champion leaves)
• No meetings scheduled (deal going dark)

Mid-Market Deal

Characteristics:

• 3-7 decision makers
• Medium sales cycle (8-16 weeks)
• Formal evaluation process
• Multiple departments involved

Expected score patterns:

• Overall: 55-75 during evaluation
• Engagement: Moderate to high
• Collaboration: High (mutual plan critical)
• Diversity: Moderate to high (multi-threading essential)
• Organization: High (structured process)
• Communication: Moderate (more stakeholders = less individual contact)

What's normal:

• Balanced category scores
• Gradual progression over weeks
• Growing Diversity as deal advances
• Structured Collaboration (templates, milestones)

When to worry:

• Overall below 45 in mid-evaluation
• Collaboration below 40 (no joint commitment)
• Diversity stuck at 2-3 (not multi-threaded)
• Trend flat for 4+ weeks

Complex Enterprise Deal

Characteristics:

• 7+ decision makers
• Long sales cycle (4-12 months)
• Formal RFP or evaluation
• Multiple buying centers
• Compliance/security reviews

Expected score patterns:

• Overall: 50-70 during long evaluation (lower is often normal)
• Engagement: Moderate (meetings less frequent but formal)
• Collaboration: Very high (essential for tracking complex process)
• Diversity: Very high (many stakeholders across departments)
• Organization: Very high (formal tasks, artifacts, approvals)
• Communication: Moderate (distributed across stakeholders)

What's normal:

• Lower Engagement (meetings monthly, not weekly)
• Slower movement (weeks between activities)
• Very high Diversity and Organization
• Periods of lower activity (reviews, internal processes)

When to worry:

• Overall below 40 for extended period
• Diversity below 50 (insufficient multi-threading)
• Collaboration below 40 (losing structure)
• Champion turnover without replacement

Special considerations:

• Pauses are normal: Budget cycles, legal reviews, holidays
• Lower Engagement OK: Monthly meetings sufficient if structured
• Focus on Diversity: Critical for complex deals (reduces risk)
• Organization matters most: Formal process requires high Organization scores

Interpreting by Industry

High-Touch Industries

Examples: Consulting, professional services, custom solutions

Typical patterns:

• Higher Engagement (frequent touch points)
• Higher Communication (relationship-driven)
• Moderate Collaboration (process varies)
• Lower Diversity (smaller buying teams)

What's normal:

• Engagement and Communication categories drive score
• More meetings and dialogue
• Fewer formal stakeholders

Product-Focused Industries

Examples: SaaS, software, cloud platforms

Typical patterns:

• Moderate Engagement (mix of meetings and self-serve)
• High Collaboration (mutual plans, templates)
• High Diversity (technical + business stakeholders)
• High Organization (structured evaluation)
• Lower Communication (more async, less real-time)

What's normal:

• Collaboration and Organization drive score
• Template usage (formal processes)
• Multi-department involvement
• Self-serve evaluation periods (lower Engagement)

Regulated Industries

Examples: Healthcare, finance, government

Typical patterns:

• Moderate Engagement (formal, scheduled)
• Very high Organization (compliance, approvals)
• High Diversity (security, legal, compliance stakeholders)
• Moderate Collaboration (formal processes)
• Lower Communication (formal channels)

What's normal:

• Organization category is critical
• Slow, methodical progression
• Extensive documentation (artifacts)
• Longer cycles with pauses

Using Deal Pulse with Other Signals

Deal Pulse is ONE indicator. Combine with:

1. CRM Stage

Aligned signals (good):

Deal Pulse: 70
CRM Stage: Proposal

→ Score matches stage, healthy

Misaligned signals (investigate):

Deal Pulse: 30
CRM Stage: Negotiation

→ Score too low for stage, may be stalled

Actions based on alignment:

2. Pipeline Value

Combine score + value for prioritization:

Examples:

• High score + High value: Most important deals, allocate best resources
• Low score + High value: At-risk deals, immediate intervention needed
• High score + Low value: Efficient deals, maintain but don't over-invest
• Low score + Low value: Close or de-prioritize

3. Sales Judgment

Trust your gut, but validate:

Gut says hot, score is low:

• Investigate: What's missing in platform?
• Action: Get buyer to engage in platform
• Possible: Buyer is engaged via email/phone (not tracked)

Gut says cold, score is high:

• Investigate: What's driving the score?
• Action: Dig into category breakdown
• Possible: Seller activity inflating score, buyer not engaged

Gut and score aligned:

• Both positive: High confidence, execute
• Both negative: Consider closing or putting on hold

When they conflict:

• Don't ignore your judgment
• Use category breakdown to diagnose
• Look for external factors (not captured in score)

4. Buyer Conversations

Buyer says vs Deal Pulse says:

Actions when misaligned:

• Ask buyer to engage in platform (share artifacts, comment)
• Clarify what "hot" or "ready" means (timeline, next steps)
• Check if there's external activity not captured

5. Time in Stage

How long has deal been at current stage?

If time in stage exceeds normal AND score is low:

• Likely stuck or not progressing
• Re-qualify the opportunity
• Consider moving to on-hold

If time in stage is normal AND score is healthy:

• Deal progressing as expected
• Continue current activities

Common Interpretation Mistakes

❌ Mistake #1: "Score = Close Probability"

Wrong: Score of 75 = 75% likely to close

Right: Score of 75 = strong engagement health; close probability depends on budget, competition, timing, fit, etc.

❌ Mistake #2: "High Score = Stop Worrying"

Wrong: Score is 85, I can relax

Right: Score is 85, maintain current activities to keep momentum

❌ Mistake #3: "Low Score = Lost Deal"

Wrong: Score is 35, deal is lost

Right: Score is 35, engagement is low; assess if deal is real, re-engage if viable

❌ Mistake #4: "Ignore Context"

Wrong: All deals with score of 60 are the same

Right: Score of 60 in early enterprise deal is great; score of 60 in late SMB deal is concerning

❌ Mistake #5: "Day-to-Day Fluctuations Matter"

Wrong: Score dropped 3 points today, something is wrong

Right: Small fluctuations are normal; watch trends over 2-3 weeks

❌ Mistake #6: "Only Look at Overall Score"

Wrong: Score is 50, it's average

Right: Score is 50 but Diversity is 20 (single-threaded risk) and Collaboration is 15 (no mutual plan) - address weak categories

❌ Mistake #7: "External Activity Doesn't Matter"

Wrong: We've had 10 email exchanges and 3 phone calls, but score is low - deal must be bad

Right: Score is low because platform activity is low; get buyer to engage in platform or accept score as incomplete picture

Advanced Interpretation Patterns

Pattern 1: High Engagement, Low Collaboration

Overall: 55
Engagement: 80
Collaboration: 20
Diversity: 50

Means: Lots of meetings, but no joint commitment

Action: Create mutual action plan to formalize process

Pattern 2: High Collaboration, Low Diversity

Overall: 58
Engagement: 65
Collaboration: 75
Diversity: 25

Means: Strong plan with champion, but single-threaded

Action: Expand to other stakeholders to reduce risk

Pattern 3: Balanced but Moderate

Overall: 55
All categories: 50-60

Means: Progressing normally, no red flags or standouts

Action: Maintain current level, watch for trends

Pattern 4: Declining Engagement

Week 1: Engagement 70
Week 2: Engagement 60
Week 3: Engagement 50
Week 4: Engagement 40

Means: Meetings stopping, buyer disengaging

Action: Urgent re-engagement, schedule next meeting

Pattern 5: Spiking then Dropping

Week 1: 45
Week 2: 70 (big activity surge)
Week 3: 50
Week 4: 45

Means: Temporary spike (demo week, pilot), not sustained

Action: Convert temporary activity into sustained engagement

Benchmark Expectations

By Deal Size

By Sales Cycle Length

By Number of Stakeholders

Note: More stakeholders generally correlates with higher overall scores, but also reflects deal complexity.

Interpreting Score Changes

What Causes Scores to Change?

1. New activity added (increases score)
2. Old activity decays (decreases score over time)
3. Category weight shifts (one category improves/declines)
4. Milestones completed (Collaboration increase)
5. Meetings stop (Engagement decline)

Expected Change Patterns

Normal weekly fluctuations: ±3-7 points

Significant changes to investigate:

• Drop of 15+ points in one week
• Sustained decline over 3+ weeks
• Crossing state boundaries (ON_TRACK → AT_RISK)

What to do:

1. Check category breakdown (which category changed?)
2. Review recent activity (what stopped or started?)
3. Look at time windows (did old activity decay out of 90-day window?)
4. Assess buyer engagement (are buyers still active?)

Next Steps

• Improve scores strategically: Improving Scores Guide
• Understand score calculation: Understanding Scores
• See detailed formulas: Category Breakdown

Still have questions? Check FAQ or Common Issues