Common Issues

Solutions to frequently encountered Deal Pulse problems

This page covers solutions to frequently encountered problems with Deal Pulse scoring.

Score Not Updating

Symptoms

Score hasn't changed in several days
Today's activity not reflected in score
Score appears frozen

Causes and Solutions

Activity Happened Today

Issue: Scores update overnight, not in real-time.

Solution:

Wait until tomorrow morning to see today's activity reflected
Scores are calculated overnight (~2-3 AM)
Changes appear the next day

No New Activity

Issue: If you haven't done anything new, score won't change (or may decline due to time decay).

Solution:

Take some action (schedule meeting, add comment, update milestone)
Check that activity is actually being recorded in Decision Site
Ensure you're looking at the right Decision Site

Activity Outside Platform

Issue: External activities (emails, phone calls) don't count.

Solution:

Log external meetings in the platform
Get buyers to engage in Decision Site, not just email
Use platform for collaboration (comments, tasks)

Score Dropped Unexpectedly

Symptoms

Score decreased even though you've been active
Significant drop with no apparent cause
Score declining steadily over time

Causes and Solutions

Time Decay

Issue: Old activity losing value faster than new activity being added.

Example:

text

Had 10 meetings 2 months ago → now worth 70% credit each
Had 1 meeting last week → worth 100% credit
Net effect: score decreased

Solution:

Maintain consistent weekly activity
Don't rely on bursts of activity followed by silence
Schedule recurring meetings to prevent gaps

Activity Aged Out of 90-Day Window

Issue: Activity from 90+ days ago stopped counting.

Solution:

Normal behavior - only last 90 days count
Add new activity to replace old
This is working as designed

Meeting Cadence Slowed

Issue: Meetings stopped or became less frequent.

Solution:

Schedule next meeting (even just one gives future meeting credit)
Meetings are 70% of Engagement (50% of overall score)
Biggest impact activity - prioritize this

Buyer Went Dark

Issue: Buyer stopped logging in or participating.

Solution:

Re-engage buyer (email, phone call)
Give buyer reason to log in (share new content, assign task)
Buyer activity worth 1.5x - losing it hurts score significantly

Score Lower Than Expected

Symptoms

Score seems too low given activity level
Other deals with similar activity score higher
Can't understand why score is in AT_RISK range

Causes and Solutions

External Activity Not Counted

Issue: You're active via email/phone but score is low.

Solution:

System only sees platform activity
Log meetings in platform
Get buyers using Decision Site
Move collaboration to platform

Only Seller Activity

Issue: Only you (seller) are active; buyers aren't participating.

Solution:

Buyer activity counts 1.5x
Get buyers to log in, comment, complete tasks
One buyer action worth more than multiple seller actions

Weak Collaboration

Issue: Having meetings but no mutual plan.

Solution:

Collaboration is 25% of score
Create mutual action plan
Add milestones and action items
Apply a template for bonus points

Single-Threaded

Issue: Only one contact, narrow engagement.

Solution:

Add more stakeholders (boosts Diversity - 10% of score)
Engage multiple departments
Multi-threading reduces risk and improves score

No Recent Activity

Issue: Last activity was 2+ weeks ago.

Solution:

Recency is 10% of Engagement category
Take some action weekly minimum
Even small activity (comment, milestone update) resets recency

Activity Not Counting

Symptoms

Took action but score didn't change
Specific activities seem ignored
Doing lots but score not increasing

Causes and Solutions

Wrong Type of Activity

Issue: Some actions don't affect score.

Examples that DON'T count:

Editing/updating action items (only add/complete count)
Deleting items
Viewing without taking action
Navigation/browsing

Solution:

Focus on high-impact activities:
- Schedule meetings
- Add/complete milestones
- Add/complete action items
- Get buyers to log in

Activity Not in Platform

Issue: External activities don't count.

Not tracked:

Email exchanges
Phone calls (unless logged as meeting)
Slack/Teams messages
CRM notes

Solution: Use Decision Site for collaboration.

Waiting for Overnight Update

Issue: Activity recorded today won't show until tomorrow.

Solution: Be patient - scores update overnight, appear next morning.

Activity by Non-Buyer, Non-Seller Role

Issue: Contacts without buyer or seller roles don't affect scoring.

Solution:

Ensure contacts have correct roles assigned
Buyer-role contacts vs seller-role contacts matters
Other roles may not contribute to score

Buyer Engagement Issues

Problem: "Buyer Is Engaged But Score Is Low"

Symptoms:

Buyer active via email/phone
Regular communication happening
But Engagement score is low

Issue: External engagement doesn't count.

Solution:

Get buyer into platform:
- Share Decision Site link
- Walk through in meeting
- Send follow-up with specific content to review
Give buyer reasons to log in:
- Upload artifacts (they get notified)
- Assign them action items
- @mention them in comments
- Ask questions requiring their input
Make it valuable:
- Post meeting notes and recordings
- Share exclusive content
- Track their requirements
- Provide ROI calculations

Problem: "Buyer Won't Log In"

Symptoms:

Buyer hasn't accessed Decision Site
No buyer sessions recorded
Engagement score suffering

Solutions:

Reduce friction:

Ensure simple login process
Check if SSO is enabled
Make it mobile-friendly for busy executives

Increase value:

Put content they need in Decision Site
Reference it in conversations
Make it their single source of truth

Direct approach:

Ask buyer to review specific artifact
Walk through Decision Site in your next meeting
Demonstrate value live

Collaboration Issues

Problem: "No Mutual Plan Score"

Symptoms:

Collaboration category very low (0-20)
No mutual plan bonus
Missing 25% of overall score

Issue: Haven't started a mutual action plan.

Solution:

Apply a template:
- Choose appropriate mutual plan template
- Customize to your deal
- +20 point bonus for starting
Add 5-10 milestones:
- Map buying process steps
- Include decision gates
- Set realistic dates
Create action items:
- Every meeting should generate 2-3 tasks
- Assign to specific people
- Set due dates

Problem: "Milestones Created But Score Not Improving"

Symptoms:

Added milestones but Collaboration still low
One-time activity didn't sustain score
Score declining again

Issue: Milestones added but not being updated or completed.

Solution:

Update milestones regularly (weekly)
Complete milestones as you progress
Add new milestones as deal evolves
Sustained activity > one-time burst

Organization Issues

Problem: "Low Organization Score"

Symptoms:

Organization category 0-40
Tasks exist but score is low

Issue: Action items lack assignees or due dates.

Solution:

Assign every action item to someone:
- Use real names
- Include buyer-side assignees
- Clear ownership
Set due dates on all tasks:
- Realistic dates
- Based on mutual plan timeline
- Update if dates slip
Goal: 80%+ of tasks have assignee OR due date

Quick fix: Go through existing tasks and add assignees/dates now.

Understanding Score Changes

Problem: "Score Changes Don't Make Sense"

Symptoms:

Score increased but unsure why
Score decreased without obvious cause
Daily fluctuations confusing

Understanding changes:

Score increased - possible causes:

Scheduled a meeting (future meeting credit)
Buyer logged in (1.5x weight)
Completed milestones
Added stakeholders
Achieved one-time bonus (first artifact upload, etc.)

Score decreased - possible causes:

Time decay (old activity losing value)
Activity aged out of 90-day window
Buyer stopped logging in
No new activity added
Meetings stopped

Solution:

Check category breakdown to see what changed
Look at recent activity timeline
Compare to last week's activity level
Understand time decay is always happening

Debugging Steps

When Score Doesn't Make Sense

Step 1: Check category breakdown

text

Which category is low?
- Engagement? → Schedule meetings, get buyer logins
- Collaboration? → Create mutual plan, add milestones
- Diversity? → Add stakeholders
- Organization? → Assign tasks, set dates
- Communication? → Add comments, get buyer commenting

Step 2: Check recent activity

text

When was last activity?
- Today? → Wait for overnight update
- Last week? → Add more activity
- 2+ weeks ago? → Recency score dropping
- 30+ days ago? → Major score decline expected

Step 3: Check buyer participation

text

Are buyers active?
- Logging in? → Check session counts
- Commenting? → Review comments
- Completing tasks? → Check completions
- None? → That's your problem (1.5x weight missing)

Step 4: Check time decay

text

Where is most activity?
- Last 7 days? → Full credit, good
- Last 30 days? → 85% credit
- Last 90 days? → 70% credit, decaying
- 90+ days ago? → Fell out of window, no credit

Prevention

Maintain Healthy Scores

Weekly habits:

Schedule next meeting before current one ends
Update 1-2 milestones with progress
Add 2-3 new action items from meetings
Get buyer to log in at least once
Take some action to reset recency

Monthly habits:

Review stakeholder list - add anyone missing
Complete 1-2 milestones to show progress
Apply template if starting new phase
Upload new artifacts as created
Check category breakdown for weak areas

Don't:

Let more than 7 days pass without activity
Rely on bursts followed by silence
Expect buyer to engage without prompting
Ignore weak categories
Focus only on overall score (check breakdown!)

Next Steps

Understanding what scores mean: Understanding Scores
Improving specific categories: Improving Scores
Interpreting in context: Score Interpretation
Quick answers: FAQ

Score Issues

When your Deal Pulse score doesn't make sense or seems wrong, use this guide to diagnose the issue.

"My Score Is Too Low"

Check #1: Are You Comparing the Right Things?

Common mistake: Comparing your score to deals at different stages.

Example:

text

Your deal: Score 45 (Discovery stage) → Actually normal
Their deal: Score 75 (Negotiation stage) → Expected to be higher

Solution: Compare deals at similar stages. Early-stage deals naturally score lower.

Check #2: What's Your Weakest Category?

Don't just look at overall score - check the category breakdown.

Example diagnosis:

text

Overall: 45

Categories:
- Engagement: 30 ← THIS IS THE PROBLEM
- Collaboration: 60
- Diversity: 50
- Organization: 55
- Communication: 40

Diagnosis: Meetings stopped
Action: Schedule next meeting

Your weak category is dragging down your overall score.

Check #3: Is Most Activity Old?

Time decay reduces old activity value.

Check where your activity is:

text

Last 7 days: 1 comment
Last 30 days: 2 meetings (but 25 days ago)
Last 90 days: 10 milestones (but 75 days ago)

Analysis: Most activity is old (70% credit or less)
Action: Add new activity in last 7 days

Check #4: Is Buyer Participating?

Buyer activity counts 1.5x. Without it, scores suffer.

Check:

When did buyer last log in?
Are buyers commenting?
Are buyers completing tasks?

If buyers aren't active:

Seller activity alone won't get you above 60-70
System weights buyer engagement heavily
Get buyers into the platform

"My Score Is Too High"

Possible Explanations

1. One-time bonuses inflating score:

First buyer view: +37.5 points
First artifact upload: +20 points
Mutual plan started: +20 points

These bonuses don't decay - they're permanent once achieved.

2. Future meetings:

Future meetings count (at 80%)
Scheduled 3 meetings next month? That boosts score
Even though meetings haven't happened yet

3. Old stakeholders still counting:

Added 10 contacts 2 months ago
They still count toward Diversity
Contact counts don't decay

Is this a problem? Not necessarily. If score is "artificially" high but deal is actually healthy, that's fine. Score measures engagement patterns, not perfection.

"Score Dropped But I've Been Active"

Diagnosis Process

Step 1: Check what activity aged out

90 days ago, what happened?

text

Check date: Today minus 91 days
What activity occurred around that date?
- Big meeting burst? → Just fell out of window
- Added 5 milestones? → No longer counting
- Lots of comments? → All gone from scoring

If major activity aged out, score drops even if you're currently active.

Step 2: Check buyer activity trend

Buyer participation change?

text

3 weeks ago: Buyer logging in daily
2 weeks ago: Buyer logging in weekly
Last week: Buyer hasn't logged in

Buyer sessions: 5 per buyer → 1 per buyer → 0 per buyer
Impact: Engagement category dropped significantly

Buyer activity worth 1.5x - losing it hurts.

Step 3: Check meeting cadence

Meetings are 70% of Engagement (50% of overall score).

Meeting frequency change?

text

2 months ago: 3 meetings per month
Last month: 1 meeting
This month: 0 meetings scheduled

Meeting score declining steadily
Even with other activity, score drops

Step 4: Compare recent vs old activity

Where is your activity concentrated?

text

Scenario A (score dropping):
Last 7 days: 2 actions
Last 30 days: 5 actions total
Last 90 days: 25 actions total
→ Most activity is old (decaying)

Scenario B (score stable/rising):
Last 7 days: 8 actions
Last 30 days: 15 actions total
Last 90 days: 20 actions total
→ Activity concentrated recently

If activity is mostly old, score drops even with some new activity.

"Score Isn't Changing"

Possible Causes

1. Took action today

Scores update overnight
Won't see change until tomorrow
Wait until tomorrow morning

2. No new net activity

Added 2 comments (recent)
Lost 2 comments from 91 days ago (aged out)
Net effect: zero change
Add more activity than what's aging out

3. Activity not in platform

Had 3 email exchanges (not counted)
Had 2 phone calls (not counted)
Score unchanged because platform didn't see activity
Use Decision Site for collaboration

4. Low-impact activity

Added 5 seller comments (Communication is 5% of overall)
Didn't move score much
Focus on high-impact: meetings, milestones, buyer activity

"Score Changes I Don't Understand"

Unexpected Increase

Check what might have triggered it:

One-time bonuses:

Did buyer log in for first time? → +37.5 points
Did buyer add a contact? → +37.5 points
Did you upload first artifact? → +20 points
Did you start mutual plan? → +20 points

Future meetings:

Did you schedule upcoming meetings? → Future meeting credit

Buyer activity:

Did buyer do something? → 1.5x weight

All of these can cause sudden jumps.

Unexpected Decrease

Check what might have caused it:

Activity aged out:

Check 91 days ago - what activity fell out of window?

Meetings stopped:

No meetings in last 30 days? → Engagement tanking

Buyer went dark:

Buyer stopped logging in? → Lost 1.5x weighted activity

Normal decay:

No new activity added but old activity decaying

"My Score Doesn't Match Reality"

Score Says "Healthy" But Deal Feels Cold

Possible explanations:

1. Historical bonuses:

Buyer logged in 6 months ago (permanent +37.5)
Mutual plan started long ago (permanent +20)
Old stakeholders still counting (Diversity)

2. Future meetings:

3 meetings scheduled (80% credit)
But buyer is non-responsive via other channels
Future meetings may not happen

3. Seller-heavy activity:

You're very active (comments, updates)
But buyer isn't participating
Score shows your activity, not buyer commitment

What to do:

Don't rely solely on score
Check category breakdown for buyer participation
Look at recent activity trend (not just overall number)
Combine with qualitative judgment

Score Says "At Risk" But Deal Feels Hot

Possible explanations:

1. External engagement:

Buyer very engaged via email/phone
But not using Decision Site
Score doesn't see that engagement

2. Early stage:

Deal just started
Naturally lower score (30-50 is normal for discovery)
Not a red flag

3. Long sales cycle:

Enterprise deal with quarterly meetings
Meeting cadence seems low to algorithm
But normal for industry

4. External collaboration:

Using email/Slack/Teams instead of Decision Site
Active deal but not in platform

What to do:

Understand score context (stage, complexity, industry)
Move collaboration to platform if possible
Don't panic - score measures one signal, not everything

Context Matters

When Low Scores Are Normal

Early-stage deals (Discovery):

Expected: 30-50
Why: No mutual plan yet, fewer meetings, limited stakeholders
Not a problem

Long sales cycles (Enterprise):

Expected: 45-60 during long evaluations
Why: Monthly meeting cadence, periods of internal work
Not necessarily at risk

Paused deals (Budget cycle, legal review):

Expected: 30-40 during pause
Why: Deal on hold waiting for external event
Score will rebound when deal reactivates

When Low Scores ARE a Problem

Late-stage deals (Negotiation):

Score below 60 is concerning
Should have high engagement and collaboration
Low score suggests stalled deal

Mid-stage deals stuck at low scores:

Score 35-45 for 4+ weeks with no improvement
Suggests deal isn't progressing
May not be real opportunity

Declining trend in active deals:

Score dropping 20+ points over 3-4 weeks
Engagement dying
Deal going cold

✅ Level of engagement in platform ✅ Whether activity is increasing or decreasing ✅ Which categories are weak (breakdown) ✅ Whether buyers are participating ✅ Relative health compared to your other deals

What Score DOESN'T Tell You

❌ Whether deal will close ❌ Buyer's budget status ❌ Competitive position ❌ External engagement (email/phone) ❌ Deal timing

Combine Score With

Your judgment (gut feeling about the deal)
CRM stage (where deal is in process)
Pipeline value (how important is this deal?)
Buyer conversations (what are they saying?)
External engagement (email/phone activity)

Score is ONE signal among many.

Next Steps

Detailed score meanings: Understanding Scores
Fixing specific issues: Common Issues
Improving scores: Improving Scores
Quick answers: FAQ