Qualify Website Deals in Excel

Use Excel to qualify website deals, plan a close, and forecast revenue.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

When a small team has room for only one new customer, the wrong yes can block better work for weeks. The biggest price tag can hide unanswered questions about who decides or whether the work is realistic.

In this project, you will use Microsoft Excel to identify the most credible of five fictional website opportunities for Practice Website Studio. You will guide that opportunity toward a decision from the perspective of an acquisition director.

What You'll Build

Your finished workbook shows why Willow Legal deserves the firm's single delivery slot, backed by a buyer-focused closing plan plus a cautious forecast for the whole sales pipeline.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

A sortable deal review that ranks five fictional opportunities by value. A plain-language qualification scorecard then reveals why the largest deal is the riskiest.
A buyer-focused closing plan that connects Willow Legal's desired result to its budget, approver, scope, responsibilities, objections, and next decision.
A director review that compares USD 39,500 in raw deal value with an USD 11,700 weighted estimate. Coaching prompts give Amina one useful next action for each uncertain deal.
Secret Mission: Rescue Urban Dental's stalled proposal without giving away the same scope for less money.

Are there any prerequisites?

You need Microsoft Excel for Windows. No previous sales, forecasting, or management experience is required.

Before We Start

Before you work with the fictional deals, take a moment to commit to the decision you are learning to make. Your goal is to protect one open delivery slot by choosing a suitable prospect instead of chasing the biggest deal.

Set Up the Fictional Deal Room

Practising with real client information could expose details that do not belong in a training workbook. A fictional deal room gives you a safe place to make sales decisions.

In this step, you'll use Microsoft Excel to create one workbook with four worksheets. Only the Firm Brief will contain data at this stage.

In this step, get ready to:

Create a saved workbook with four named worksheets.
Record the studio's fictional constraints plus its simulation offers.
Add the proposal decision rule.

Create and name the workbook

A workbook is the complete Excel file. A worksheet is one tab inside that file.

Press the Windows key to open the Windows search bar.
Type Excel and press Enter to open Microsoft Excel.

You'll see the Excel start screen.

Select File in the left sidebar.

You'll see Excel's file options.

Select New.
Select Blank workbook.

You'll see an empty grid with a worksheet tab at the bottom.

Double-click the current worksheet tab.
Type Firm Brief and press Enter.

The first worksheet tab now reads Firm Brief.

Select the plus-shaped new worksheet control beside Firm Brief.

You'll see a new blank worksheet tab.

Double-click the new worksheet tab.
Type Deal Review and press Enter.

The second worksheet tab now reads Deal Review.

Select the plus-shaped new worksheet control beside Deal Review.

You'll see another blank worksheet tab.

Double-click the new worksheet tab.
Type Closing Plan and press Enter.

The third worksheet tab now reads Closing Plan.

Select the plus-shaped new worksheet control beside Closing Plan.

You'll see the final blank worksheet tab.

Double-click the new worksheet tab.
Type Team Review and press Enter.

You now have four visible worksheet tabs at the bottom of Excel.

Press Ctrl+S to begin the first save.

Excel opens the save screen because this workbook does not have a file name yet.

Choose a location on your computer where you can find the workbook again.
Enter Acquisition_Director_Practice.xlsx as the workbook's file name.

The save screen now shows Acquisition_Director_Practice.xlsx as the selected file name.

Select Save.

The workbook name at the top of Excel now shows Acquisition_Director_Practice.xlsx.

Add the fictional studio assumptions

An offer list states the fictional services available in this simulation. A clear note separates practice values from real market advice.

Simulation Data to Enter

Cell A1 contains Practice Website Studio.
Cell A2 contains Practice Website Studio is fictional.
Cell A3 contains One open project slot.
Cell A5 contains Fictional offer. Cell B5 contains Simulation price. Cell C5 contains Data note.
Cell A6 contains Business Site. Cell B6 contains USD 3,000. Cell C6 contains Simulation data, not a real market recommendation.
Cell A7 contains Growth Site. Cell B7 contains USD 7,500. Cell C7 contains Simulation data, not a real market recommendation.
Cell A8 contains Online Store. Cell B8 contains USD 14,000. Cell C8 contains Simulation data, not a real market recommendation.

Switch back to the Firm Brief worksheet.
Select cell A1.

Enter the supplied reference values into their matching cells from A1 through C8.

You'll see the fictional studio name near the top. The three offers appear below with their simulation labels.

Add the proposal decision rule

A decision rule turns the studio's sales standards into a repeatable check. It protects the single delivery slot from proposals based on missing evidence.

Enter Proposal decision rule in cell A10.
Enter Do not send a proposal until we know the buyer's problem, budget, decision-maker, timing, and whether our team can deliver the work. in cell A11.

The Firm Brief now connects the fictional offers to a clear standard for deciding when a proposal is appropriate.

Before you check, do you expect the saved workbook to show four named worksheets with data only on Firm Brief?

Press Ctrl+S to save the completed Firm Brief.
Confirm the workbook name at the top of Excel.
Confirm the four worksheet tabs at the bottom of Excel.
Review the populated cells on Firm Brief.

Excel shows Acquisition_Director_Practice.xlsx as the workbook name. The bottom of the window shows Firm Brief, Deal Review, Closing Plan, and Team Review.

Firm Brief shows Practice Website Studio as fictional. It also shows one open project slot plus three simulation offers.

Each offer amount is labelled as simulation data. The proposal decision rule checks the buyer's problem, budget, decision-maker, timing, plus delivery fit.

You have the safe practice environment in place. Every sales decision from here can use fictional information without exposing a real firm's details.

Workbook Name or Tabs Don't Match?

Press Ctrl+S if the workbook name is missing from the top of Excel.
Double-click any incorrectly named worksheet tab to rename it.
Select the plus-shaped new worksheet control if fewer than four tabs are visible.

Help me fix my workbook tabs or file name.

✔️ Awesome, I've got everything!

Your saved workbook now matches the fictional deal room for this step.

ⓧ I'd like to double check the full workbook

Acquisition_Director_Practice.xlsx: Saved Excel workbook with worksheets Firm Brief, Deal Review, Closing Plan, and Team Review.
Closing Plan: Blank worksheet ready for the Willow Legal closing plan.
Deal Review: Blank worksheet ready for the fictional pipeline.
Firm Brief: Practice Website Studio is fictional. One open project slot. Fictional offers are marked as simulation data plus not real market recommendations. Business Site is USD 3,000. Growth Site is USD 7,500. Online Store is USD 14,000.
Firm Brief: Decision rule: Do not send a proposal until we know the buyer's problem, budget, decision-maker, timing, and whether our team can deliver the work.
Team Review: Blank worksheet ready for the forecast and coaching review.

Your fictional deal room is ready. Next up, you'll load five prospects and see why deal value can create false confidence.

Rank the Fictional Deals by Value

Your fictional firm now has clear proposal rules in Microsoft Excel. It also has one open project slot.

A prospect is a possible customer. A pipeline is the list of possible sales currently being considered.

Deal value creates a fast first ranking. You will let that ranking choose the apparent front-runner before inspecting the buyer evidence.

In this step, get ready to:

Enter five fictional website prospects on the Deal Review sheet.
Turn the range into an Excel table sorted by Deal Amount.
Capture a value-only first impression from the total.

Build the fictional pipeline

How do the deal stages work?

Discovery means the seller is still asking questions. The seller is also checking whether the prospect fits the service.

Proposal means the seller has already presented a recommended scope. The seller has also presented a price.

Vertical bars separate cells in the row guides. A slash inside Known Evidence represents a semicolon in the cell.

Switch back to the Deal Review sheet from earlier.
Enter these headers across row 1: Prospect | Website Service | Deal Amount | Current Stage | Owner | Known Evidence | Next Action.
Enter row 2 in this order: PeakFit Gyms | Online Store | 14000 | Discovery | You | Wants online membership sales in four weeks / contact cannot approve / content and product data are not ready | Unknown.

You should now see one opportunity worth fictional USD 14,000. Its supporting notes remain visible in the same row.

Enter row 3 in this order: Willow Legal | Growth Site | 7500 | Discovery | You | Wants more consultation requests / managing partner approves / budget is confirmed / target is eight weeks / office manager owns content | Confirm success measure.
Enter row 4 in this order: Harbor Cafe | Business Site | 3000 | Discovery | Amina | Owner decides / budget and six-week target are confirmed / catering copy is incomplete | Confirm content date.

Your pipeline now compares three possible customers. Each row keeps the amount beside the available evidence.

Enter row 5 in this order: Novo Tutors | Growth Site | 7500 | Discovery | Amina | Says it needs a modern site / budget, decision process, and timing are unknown | Ask qualification questions.
Enter row 6 in this order: Urban Dental | Growth Site | 7500 | Proposal | Amina | Wants more patient inquiries / owner and practice manager are involved / proposal stalled after a cheaper quote appeared | Diagnose price objection.

You should see five fictional prospects across rows 2 to 6. Every row has an amount plus a next action.

Turn the range into a ranked table

An Excel table adds controls to its headers. Those controls let you sort the prospects without separating each amount from its evidence.

Select the complete range from A1 through G6.
Press Ctrl+T to start the table conversion.

Excel shows a table confirmation dialog. The selected range should cover the header row plus all five prospects.

Confirm that the first row contains the table headers.
Complete the table conversion.

You should see table formatting across A1:G6. Each header should include a sorting arrow.

Missing a row or header arrow?

Check that the selected range covers A1:G6.
Recreate the table after confirming that row 1 contains headers if Excel treated a header as data.

Ask for help with the table range.

Before you sort, which prospect do you think a value-only ranking will place first?

Select the arrow in the Deal Amount header.
Choose the option that sorts the numbers from largest to smallest.

PeakFit Gyms moves to the first row because its fictional USD 14,000 amount is the largest. Willow Legal stays above Novo Tutors and Urban Dental among the fictional USD 7,500 deals.

Read the Known Evidence cell for PeakFit Gyms.

The contact cannot approve the purchase. The requested four-week target clashes with missing content plus missing product data.

What did the ranking miss?

The largest amount makes PeakFit Gyms look like the strongest opportunity. Its evidence shows weak decision access plus unsafe delivery readiness.

This shortfall is intentional. Deal value shows potential size without showing whether the deal is credible.

Calculate the first pipeline total

Raw pipeline value adds every possible deal at its full amount. It shows the total opportunity under consideration without estimating which deals are likely to close.

Select the empty cell directly below the deal amounts in column C.
Select AutoSum from the Home ribbon.

You should see 39500. This represents a fictional raw pipeline value of USD 39,500.

Total not showing 39500?

Check that the five Deal Amount cells contain 14000, 7500, 3000, 7500, plus 7500.
Check that the total uses only the five deal amount cells.

Ask for help with the pipeline total.

Select cell A9.
Enter this first impression: PeakFit looks best because it is worth the most, but I have not checked whether it is likely or safe to deliver.

Before the final check, which prospect should lead the table after a largest-to-smallest sort?

Select the arrow in the Deal Amount header.
Choose the option that sorts the numbers from largest to smallest.

PeakFit Gyms should appear first. Its notes should still show unsafe decision access plus unsafe delivery readiness.

Confirm that the total below Deal Amount is 39500.
Confirm that the first-impression note appears in A9.
Press Ctrl+S to save Acquisition_Director_Practice.xlsx.

What should I see?

The sorted table should begin with PeakFit Gyms. Harbor Cafe should appear last.

The raw total should represent USD 39,500. The note should capture why that value-only ranking still needs scrutiny.

Good work. Your first pipeline ranking now exposes why a large number can create false confidence.

Next, you will qualify each opportunity with evidence before protecting the firm's single delivery slot.

Qualify Opportunities with Evidence

The previous value sort put PeakFit Gyms first. Its evidence still shows unsafe decision access, timing, and delivery readiness.

A value-only pipeline creates false confidence. This step replaces that first impression with qualification evidence inside Microsoft Excel.

In this step, get ready to:

Score each prospect against five qualification checks.
Record the evidence missing from every uncertain opportunity.
Choose Willow Legal for the single open delivery slot.

Score each prospect against the same checks

Qualification checks whether a prospect is a sensible customer to pursue. Every prospect receives the same five checks so deal size cannot dominate the decision.

How does qualification work?

Need asks whether the prospect has a clear problem the website can help solve.
Budget asks whether the prospect can pay for the suitable service.
Decision Access asks whether you are speaking with the approver or someone who can involve them.
Timeline asks whether the requested decision date and delivery schedule are realistic.
Delivery Fit asks whether the team can complete the work well without unsafe promises.

Use 0 when evidence is absent or the fit is poor.
Use 1 when evidence is uncertain or partial.
Use 2 when evidence is confirmed and workable.

The following scores are supplied practice values. They are not industry benchmarks.

Use These Practice Scores

Each row lists the five scores followed by the total and decision.

PeakFit Gyms: Need 2. Budget 2. Decision Access 0. Timeline 0. Delivery Fit 0. Total 4. Decision Pause or renegotiate.
Willow Legal: Need 2. Budget 2. Decision Access 2. Timeline 2. Delivery Fit 2. Total 10. Decision Pursue.
Novo Tutors: Need 1. Budget 0. Decision Access 0. Timeline 0. Delivery Fit 1. Total 2. Decision Pause for evidence.
Urban Dental: Need 2. Budget 2. Decision Access 2. Timeline 1. Delivery Fit 2. Total 9. Decision Pursue after objection diagnosis.
Harbor Cafe: Need 2. Budget 2. Decision Access 2. Timeline 2. Delivery Fit 1. Total 9. Decision Pursue after content check.

Return to the Deal Review worksheet from the previous step.
Fill the eight empty header cells to the right of Next Action with Need, Budget, Decision Access, Timeline, Delivery Fit, Total, Decision, and Evidence Gap.

The table expands to include the eight new columns.

Fill the five prospect rows with the supplied scores, totals, and decisions.
Check the Total cells against the practice scores above.

That is the key shift: Willow Legal now leads on credibility with a total of 10. PeakFit Gyms has a total of only 4 despite having the largest deal amount.

Expose the missing evidence

An evidence gap names the information preventing a confident decision. A low score becomes useful when it points to a specific question or delivery risk.

Record These Evidence Gaps

Every score below 2 needs a visible explanation. Willow Legal also keeps its unanswered success measure visible.

PeakFit Gyms: Decision-maker not involved. Four-week timeline, content, and product data are not ready.
Willow Legal: Success measure not yet confirmed.
Novo Tutors: Budget and decision process unknown. Timing needs confirmation.
Urban Dental: Real reason for price objection unknown.
Harbor Cafe: Content date not confirmed.

Fill every Evidence Gap cell with the matching statement above.

Each uncertain score now points to information the seller can collect.

Use These Decision Labels

The controlled list keeps each decision consistent across all five prospects.

Pursue.
Pursue after content check.
Pursue after objection diagnosis.
Pause or renegotiate.
Pause for evidence.

Enter the five decision labels in the unused cells from Q2 through Q6.
Select the five populated cells in the Decision column.
Click the Data tab in the Excel ribbon.
Select Data Validation.
Select Settings in the dialog.
Choose List in the Allow field.
Use Q2:Q6 as the source range.
Confirm the data-validation dialog.

The five decision cells now use one controlled set of labels.

Select one populated cell in the Decision column.
Open the drop-down from the selected cell.

You should see all five decision labels. This prevents small wording differences from breaking the filter later.

Don't see the decision drop-down?

Check that you selected the five Decision cells before applying data validation. Confirm that the source range contains one complete label in each cell from Q2 through Q6.

Help me fix the Decision drop-down in Excel.

Choose the open-slot opportunity

The scorecard now separates credible opportunities from large but unsafe ones. The single delivery slot should go to the prospect with the strongest complete evidence.

Before you filter, which prospect do you expect to lead the opportunities still worth pursuing?

Select the filter arrow in the Decision header.
Clear all currently selected decision values.
Select Pursue.
Select Pursue after content check.
Select Pursue after objection diagnosis.
Apply the filter.

You'll see Willow Legal at 10. Urban Dental and Harbor Cafe each show 9.

PeakFit Gyms is hidden because its decision removes it from immediate pursuit. Its earlier total of 4 confirms why the largest deal is unsafe.

Record Chosen opportunity: Willow Legal in an unused cell to the right of the table.
Record this model reasoning in the next unused cell: Willow Legal has a clear business need, confirmed budget, an identified approver, a realistic timeline, and workable delivery requirements. PeakFit is larger, but its decision access, deadline, and delivery readiness are unsafe.

Your worksheet now ties the single open slot to evidence instead of deal size.

Press Ctrl+S to save Acquisition_Director_Practice.xlsx.
Confirm that Willow Legal remains the highest pursued opportunity with a total of 10.
Confirm that PeakFit Gyms is absent from the filtered pursued rows.

You have protected the firm's delivery slot from the most tempting bad decision. Willow Legal now has the strongest evidence-based case for attention.

Is Willow Legal missing from the filtered table?

Check that Willow Legal's decision is exactly Pursue. Confirm that the filter includes all three pursued decision labels.

Help me fix my qualification filter in Excel.

The open slot now belongs to a credible opportunity. Next, you will turn Willow Legal's evidence into a buyer-focused closing plan.

Build Willow Legal's Closing Plan

Willow Legal now holds the single open delivery slot in your Microsoft Excel workbook. That choice is supported by a qualification score of 10.

A qualified prospect can still stall when the recommendation leaves the buyer's desired result unclear. A closing plan connects that result to the proposed scope.

Clear responsibilities protect the project from hidden work. A dated decision gives the buyer a specific next step.

In this step, get ready to:

Record Willow Legal's supported deal facts plus its workable scope.
Turn unknown buyer information into discovery questions plus evidence gaps.
Complete a safe recommendation covering objections plus a dated next decision.

Record the supported deal facts

Scope is the work included in the price. Your buyer snapshot gathers the facts that support Willow Legal's proposed Growth Site.

Switch back to the Closing Plan worksheet.
Enter Desired result: more consultation requests in cell A1.
Enter Approver: managing partner in cell A2.

The first two rows now connect Willow Legal's business goal to the person who can approve the project.

Enter Budget: fictional USD 7,500 in cell A3.
Enter Target: eight weeks in cell A4.

Rows 3 and 4 show that the price is fictional practice data. They also anchor the recommendation to a realistic eight-week target.

Enter Client responsibility: office manager supplies and approves content in cell A5.
Enter Working scope: eight-page Growth Site with an inquiry form and editable service and team profiles in cell A6.

The snapshot now states who supplies the content. It also defines the work currently under discussion.

Turn unknowns into discovery questions

Discovery means asking questions before recommending a solution. An Evidence Gap marks an answer that the buyer still needs to provide.

Enter Questions before the final proposal in cell A8.
Enter How many consultation requests do you receive now? with Evidence Gap in cell A9.

The first question establishes Willow Legal's current result. Its evidence gap prevents you from guessing a starting point.

Enter What result would make this project successful? with Evidence Gap in cell A10.
Enter What will the managing partner compare before deciding? with Evidence Gap in cell A11.

These rows expose the missing success measure. They also show that the managing partner's decision criteria remain unknown.

Enter Who approves the content? with Office manager in cell A12.
Enter What work must not be included? with Evidence Gap in cell A13.

The content approver is already known. The scope boundary still needs confirmation.

Enter What must happen internally before approval? with Evidence Gap in cell A14.

You now have six discovery questions. Five rows clearly identify missing buyer evidence.

Write a safe recommendation

An objection is a concern that could stop the buyer from moving forward. A scope boundary records work outside the proposed price.

The recommendation keeps unsupported commitments as prompts. This stops the plan from inventing answers or promising unsafe delivery.

Enter Recommendation in cell A16.
Enter You want more consultation requests. in cell A17.

The recommendation now opens with Willow Legal's desired business result.

Enter We recommend an eight-page Growth Site with an inquiry form and editable service and team profiles for fictional USD 7,500 over eight weeks. in cell A18.
Enter Willow Legal will provide content through the office manager, who supplies and approves it. in cell A19.

The proposed work now connects to the fictional price. The client responsibility has a named owner.

Enter this sentence in cell A20: Practice Website Studio will provide seller responsibility.
Enter this sentence in cell A21: The scope does not include scope boundary.

These prompts make the seller's commitment explicit. They also prevent unlisted work from slipping into the price.

Enter this sentence in cell A22: If this reflects your needs, the next step is a managing-partner decision meeting on your practice decision date.

The recommendation now ends with a specific decision meeting. Its date remains a visible prompt until the buyer agrees to it.

Enter Objection responses in cell A24.
Enter Cheaper competitor: Compare the included work, responsibilities, and intended result before changing the proposal. in cell A25.

The cheaper quote now triggers a fair comparison of value plus responsibilities. It does not trigger an automatic price cut.

Enter Unlimited revisions: Use a limited revision process. Do not promise unlimited revisions. in cell A26.
Enter Four-week launch: Keep the realistic eight-week target. Do not promise a four-week launch. in cell A27.

Both responses protect delivery quality. Neither response promises work the team cannot safely complete.

Enter Owner: You in cell A29.
Enter this sentence in cell A30: Next action: confirm success measure and schedule the managing-partner decision meeting on your practice decision date.

Before you review the worksheet, which missing buyer answer do you expect to remain the clearest evidence gap?

Save Acquisition_Director_Practice.xlsx by pressing Ctrl+S.
Read cells A1 through A30 from top to bottom.

You'll see Willow Legal's desired result, approver, fictional budget, eight-week target, content responsibility, and working scope.

The discovery section shows five Evidence Gap entries. The missing success measure is one of them.

The recommendation includes prompts for the seller responsibility plus scope boundary. Its objection responses protect the realistic eight-week target.

The owner is You. The next action schedules the managing-partner decision meeting on your practice date.

That is the closing logic in place: Willow Legal now has a buyer-focused path to a decision without an unsafe delivery promise.

Missing or clipped plan text?

Check that you entered the plan on the Closing Plan worksheet.
Widen column A by dragging its right boundary when a sentence is clipped.

Help me check my Willow Legal closing plan.

Your closing plan turns Willow Legal's qualification evidence into a safe route toward approval. Next up, you'll compare the full pipeline value with a cautious forecast.

Run the Director Review and Forecast

Your Willow Legal closing plan now turns qualification evidence into a bounded recommendation. The next goal is to review every deal from the director's perspective.

A director must replace hopeful guesses with a cautious estimate. Each uncertain deal also needs one useful action that improves the available evidence.

You will use Microsoft Excel to compare the raw pipeline with weighted value. The supplied probabilities are exercise-only estimates.

In this step, get ready to:

Build a five-prospect forecast with supplied exercise probabilities.
Calculate the raw pipeline total and cautious weighted estimate.
Give each uncertain deal an evidence gap and a dated next action.

Build the exercise forecast

Raw pipeline value adds every possible deal at its full amount. An exercise probability represents a supplied practice estimate for one fictional opportunity.

What do these forecast columns mean?

The deal amount shows the full fictional value of an opportunity. The exercise probability represents how strongly the available evidence supports that deal.

Weighted value multiplies those two values to produce a cautious practice estimate. Real firms calibrate probabilities using their own historical results.

Switch back to the Team Review worksheet from earlier.
Fill cells A3 through D3 with Prospect, Deal Amount, Exercise Probability, and Weighted Value in that order.

Row 3 should now show the four forecast headers across the top of the review.

Complete row 4 with PeakFit Gyms, 14000, and 0% across columns A to C.
Complete row 5 with Willow Legal, 7500, and 60% across columns A to C.

You should see PeakFit carrying the largest amount while Willow Legal carries the stronger exercise probability.

Complete row 6 with Harbor Cafe, 3000, and 40% across columns A to C.
Complete row 7 with Novo Tutors, 7500, and 20% across columns A to C.

Harbor Cafe should now have the smallest deal amount. Novo Tutors should share Willow Legal's amount with a lower exercise probability.

Complete row 8 with Urban Dental, 7500, and 60% across columns A to C.

You should now see all five prospects in rows 4 through 8. The percentages are supplied practice values instead of industry benchmarks.

Calculate cautious weighted values

The weighted calculation reduces each full deal amount according to its exercise probability. Copying the formula down lets Excel adjust the row references for every prospect.

Select cell D4.
Enter =B4*C4 into the cell.

Cell D4 should show zero because PeakFit Gyms has an exercise probability of zero percent.

Use the small square at the bottom-right corner of D4 to copy the formula down through D8.

You should see weighted values of 0, 4500, 1200, 1500, and 4500 from rows 4 through 8.

Before you total the columns, which figure do you expect to be lower? Hold that answer while you calculate.

Select cell B9.
Select Home on the Excel ribbon.
Select AutoSum.

You should see a raw pipeline total of USD 39,500 in B9.

Select cell D9.
Select Home on the Excel ribbon.
Select AutoSum.

You should see a cautious weighted estimate of USD 11,700 in D9. That calculation gives the director a more grounded view of the fictional pipeline.

Do your totals look different?

Check that the raw total includes the five deal amounts from rows 4 through 8. An omitted row changes the USD 39,500 result.

Check that the percentages are entered with percent signs. Confirm that D4 contains =B4*C4 before copying it down.

Ask for help with the forecast calculations.

Coach the next buyer action

A cautious number tells the director what the current evidence supports. Coaching turns each evidence gap into a specific buyer action with an owner and a date.

Fill cells E3 through H3 with Evidence Gap, Next Action, Owner, and Action Date in that order.
Fill cells E4 through G4 with decision-maker, timeline, content, and product-data readiness unsafe, pause or renegotiate after missing evidence is resolved, and You in that order.

PeakFit now has a director action that matches its qualification risks. Its large amount no longer hides the missing evidence.

Fill cells E5 through G5 with success measure not confirmed, confirm success measure and schedule managing-partner decision meeting, and You in that order.
Fill cells E6 through G6 with content date not confirmed, ask: When will the client supply final content?, and Amina in that order.

Willow Legal now has a decision-focused next step. Harbor Cafe gives Amina one question that tests delivery readiness.

Fill cells E7 through G7 with budget and decision process unknown, ask: What question will confirm budget and the approver?, and Amina in that order.
Fill cells E8 through G8 with real reason for price objection unknown, ask: What evidence shows whether price is the real concern?, and Amina in that order.

Novo Tutors now needs basic buying evidence. Urban Dental now needs an objection diagnosis before Amina changes the proposal.

Fill cells H4 through H8 with dated placeholder.
Enter Likely forecast: USD 11,700 in the first summary cell below the table.

The action-date column now makes timing part of the review. The first summary line records the cautious exercise estimate.

Enter Biggest risk: missing buyer evidence in the next summary cell.
Enter Coaching priority: agree one dated buyer action for each active deal in the next summary cell.

The summary now connects forecast risk to the director's coaching priority.

Enter Exercise probabilities and weighted value are practice estimates, not guaranteed revenue. below the three summary lines.

Before your final review, which total should remain lower because it applies the exercise probabilities? Keep your answer in mind while you check the worksheet.

Press Ctrl+S to save Acquisition_Director_Practice.xlsx.
Read the raw pipeline total in B9.
Read the weighted-value total in D9.
Scan rows 4 through 8 to confirm that every prospect has an evidence gap and a next action.
Scan columns G and H to confirm that every prospect has an owner and an action date.

You should see USD 39,500 under raw deal amount and USD 11,700 under weighted value. The three Amina-owned opportunities should each have a coaching question tied to missing buyer evidence.

Strong finish. You have turned five hopeful deal amounts into a cautious forecast with specific actions that a salesperson can use.

Missing part of the director review?

Check that the forecast starts in row 3. The five prospects should occupy rows 4 through 8 with totals directly below them.

Check that Amina owns Harbor Cafe, Novo Tutors, and Urban Dental. Each of those rows should contain its matching coaching question.

Ask for help checking the completed Team Review.

Secret mission

Rescue a Stalled Deal Without Discounting

Urban Dental's proposal has stalled after a cheaper quote. Build a re-engagement plan that diagnoses the real concern before changing price. Give Amina fair options that lead to a dated decision without discounting unchanged scope.

Clean Up Your Resources

Your saved workbook stays on your computer, so this project has no cloud resources or ongoing costs. Decide whether to keep it open, close it for later, or delete it entirely.

Resources you used:

The local Acquisition_Director_Practice.xlsx workbook in Microsoft Excel. It contains the Firm Brief, Deal Review, Closing Plan, and Team Review worksheets.

Keep everything running

No action is needed. Choose this option if you want to keep reviewing the fictional deals or practising different director decisions.

Leave Microsoft Excel open with Acquisition_Director_Practice.xlsx available.
Press Ctrl+S whenever you update the workbook.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

Close the workbook to free the Excel window while keeping every worksheet on your computer. You can reopen the same file when you return.

Save Acquisition_Director_Practice.xlsx by pressing Ctrl+S.
Close Microsoft Excel after the save finishes.
Use your Windows file manager later to locate Acquisition_Director_Practice.xlsx.
Select the matching workbook to reopen it.

When the workbook reopens, you should see all four worksheets with your qualification decisions, closing plan, forecast, and Urban Dental re-engagement plan intact.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Remove the workbook when you no longer need the simulation. Your practice work stays recoverable until the final permanent-delete action.

Close Microsoft Excel so the workbook is no longer in use.
Select the folder icon on the Windows taskbar to open your computer's file manager.
Search for Acquisition_Director_Practice.xlsx in the file manager's search box.
Select the matching workbook.
Use the file manager's deletion control to move the selected workbook to your computer's deleted-items area.
Switch to your computer's deleted-items area.
Select only Acquisition_Director_Practice.xlsx.
Use the permanent-delete action for the selected workbook.

Your fictional deal room is now permanently removed from the deleted-items area.

Confirm the cleanup by searching your computer again for Acquisition_Director_Practice.xlsx.

You should see no matching workbook in the search results.

Nice Work!

You did it! You built a fictional website-sales workbook in Microsoft Excel that protects one delivery slot with evidence.

You've learned how to:

Qualified five fictional prospects using evidence about need, budget, decision access, timeline, and delivery fit.
Built a buyer-focused closing plan that connects Willow Legal's desired result to a safe scope and a dated next decision.
Produced a director-ready forecast and coaching review that pairs a fictional USD 11,700 weighted estimate with evidence gaps and dated next actions.
Secret Mission: Rescued Urban Dental's stalled proposal with diagnosis questions, fair scope choices, and a dated decision request without discounting unchanged scope.

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