Run deal reviews weekly, as a standing slot in each rep's 1:1, and give the slot to the deals with a buyer conversation coming up: review a deal before that conversation and again after it.
The weekly slot and which deal gets it
The weekly rhythm is the common answer, and it is right. Insight Partners recommends a weekly 1:1 between the first-line manager and the rep, 20 to 30 minutes per deal, with the manager choosing strategic and at-risk deals. That is a slot. It does not tell you which deal gets the slot this week, or when a deal should come back.
The buyer answers that. A deal moves when the buyer says or does something, and the review exists to plan that moment. So the useful cadence for any one deal is: a review before the next buyer conversation, where the rep plans what to ask and says the opening line out loud, and a short review after it, where the rep reports what the buyer said and the two of you decide the next gap. A deal with two buyer conversations this week may need two short reviews. A deal waiting for a budget cycle that opens in four months needs a date in the calendar and nothing more.
The weekly pipeline review picks the deals. Any deal where the CRM stage and the buyer evidence disagree, or where a conversation with the buyer is booked, goes on the shortlist. Two or three per rep is a realistic load. The forecast call then adds up what the reviews found. Our guide to deal coaching covers how the three meetings fit together.
Timing matters for a reason beyond scheduling. In the training research, what happens back at work is more strongly tied to whether people use a skill than what happens in a training room (Saks & Belcourt 2006; Blume et al. 2010, via our kickoff field study). A deal review is a small piece of coaching, and the same logic applies: advice given the day before a buyer call gets used on that call. A monthly review of everything is a history lesson.
What sets the timing for one deal
The next buyer conversation sets the timing: review before and after it, and sooner when the CRM stage runs ahead of the buyer evidence.
| Situation | When to review |
|---|---|
| Buyer conversation booked this week | Before it (plan and say the opening line), then within a day after it |
| CRM stage ahead of the buyer evidence | This week, to find the gap and plan the conversation that fills it |
| No buyer contact for two weeks or more | This week, as a stalled deal |
| Waiting on a dated buyer event weeks away | No review; check the date is still on their calendar |
| Closed won or lost | One debrief, then done |
An example week (illustrative)
The rep and numbers are fictional. Tasha has 14 open deals. Monday's pipeline review puts three on her shortlist: one in Proposal where the CFO has never been on a call, one with a security review booked for Thursday, and one that has been silent for 16 days. Tuesday's 1:1 covers the first two, 25 minutes each. Wednesday afternoon she gets ten minutes on the security review before the security call. Friday she reports what the IT lead asked, and the deal goes back on next Monday's list with a new gap. The silent deal gets its own review on Friday. The other eleven get none this week, because none has a buyer conversation that a review would change.
- MondayPipeline review
- Three of 14 deals shortlisted
- Tuesday1:1 on two deals
- 25 minutes each
- WednesdayTen minutes
- Before the security call
- FridayReport back
- What the IT lead asked
- The silent deal gets its review
What the review before and the review after each ask
The two reviews around one buyer conversation ask different questions, and keeping them separate is what keeps each one short.
Before the conversation (20 to 30 minutes):
- What is the one thing this deal is missing, in the buyer's words so far?
- What does the rep want the buyer to say or agree to on this call?
- What is the question that gets it? The rep says it out loud, as written.
- What will the buyer push back with, and what is the answer?
After the conversation (about ten minutes):
- What did the buyer say, word for word where possible?
- Did the gap close, partly close, or stay open?
- What did the buyer agree to do, and by when?
- What is the next gap, and when is the next conversation?
A manager listening to the after-review is checking one thing: whether the rep reports what the buyer said or what the rep did. "I walked them through the ROI" is the rep's activity. "The CFO said the number looks low and asked for the plant data" is evidence, and it sets the next review.
Related guides
The 30-minute agenda for one review is in how to run a deal review. For the silent deal, see how to coach a stalled deal.
A manager with eight reps cannot give every deal a review before every buyer call, which is why Tasha's other eleven deals wait. With our AI sales experts, a rep can run the review as a call whenever they need it, the night before a buyer conversation included. See how Caty works a live deal.
FAQ
How long should a deal review take?
A deal review should take 20 to 30 minutes for one deal, longer for a large strategic deal. Insight Partners uses the same range. A short follow-up after a buyer conversation can take ten minutes: what the buyer said, whether the gap closed, and what the next gap is.
Should every deal get a deal review every week?
No, only the deals where a conversation this week changes the outcome need a weekly review. Those are deals where a buyer meeting is booked, the CRM stage is ahead of the evidence, or the deal has gone quiet. A deal waiting on a dated buyer event weeks away needs a calendar check, and the time is better spent elsewhere.
What is the difference between a deal review and a pipeline review cadence?
A pipeline review runs weekly across a rep's whole book and picks the deals that need work. A deal review runs on each of those deals, timed around its next buyer conversation. The pipeline review sets the list; the buyer sets when each deal on it is reviewed.
Should deal reviews happen in the 1:1 or a separate meeting?
Many teams run them inside the weekly 1:1, which keeps the slot protected. Add a separate short review when a buyer conversation falls between 1:1s, because the review is worth most the day before that call.