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#36Chapter 06 — Deal Intelligence: Strategy, Negotiation & Pipeline Mastery
I need a strategic coaching session for a complex deal. Play the role of a senior sales strategist. Challenge my assumptions. Tell me what I don't want to hear.

**Deal context:**
- What we sell: [product/service and price range]
- Deal size: [value]
- Sales stage: [current stage]
- Time in current stage: [weeks]
- Total cycle so far: [weeks since first contact]
- Deal momentum: [accelerating / steady / slowing / stalled]

**Stakeholder landscape:**
[Paste your stakeholder map from the previous prompt, or summarize: who's involved, their stance, their influence]

**Competitive positioning:**
- Known competitors in this deal: [who]
- Where we win vs. them: [specific advantages]
- Where we lose vs. them: [specific weaknesses — be honest]
- What the prospect has said about alternatives: [direct quotes if available]

**Current blockers:**
- What's preventing the deal from moving forward: [be specific]
- What we've tried to unblock it: [what actions, what result]
- Internal constraints: [pricing limits, resource availability, timeline restrictions]

**Produce a Deal Strategy Brief:**

1. **Deal Health Assessment** — Are we ahead, behind, or at parity? What's the honest evidence?
2. **Primary Path** — The most likely route to close. Specific next actions per stakeholder, with sequence and timing.
3. **Contingency Path** — If the primary path hits resistance, what's Plan B?
4. **Stakeholder-Specific Messaging** — For each key stakeholder: the one message that moves them from their current stance toward advocacy. What they need to hear, from whom.
5. **Risk Assessment** — What could kill this deal that we're not seeing? What questions should we ask to surface hidden risks?
6. **Competitive Counter-Moves** — If the competitor does [X], here's our response. If the prospect brings up [competitor strength], here's the reframe.
7. **Three Things to Do This Week** — Ranked by impact. Not "follow up" — specific actions with specific people.

Don't be polite. Be useful. If this deal is in worse shape than I think, say so.
Claude for Sales
Claude for Sales

These prompts are excerpts from the book. Get the full collection with explanations and use cases.

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