A deal review with the ValueSelling Framework® is a conversation in which a manager and a rep read one live deal through the Qualified Prospect Formula®, find the term that is zero or weakest, and agree the next conversation with the buyer that would fix it. The frontline manager runs it with the account executive who owns the deal. It takes 20 to 30 minutes per deal, and it is a call: the rep talks the deal through out loud.
ValueSelling Associates, which owns the framework, says it "creates a common language for greater forecast accuracy, powerful deal reviews and effective sales coaching." This piece is the review itself, step by step. For how the framework compares with other methods, see the sales methodology guide; for deal reviews in any method, the deal coaching guide.
What a ValueSelling Framework® deal review is
The review tests the four terms of the Qualified Prospect Formula®: Differentiated VisionMatch™, Value, Power and Plan. The terms multiply. A deal with a strong vision and a large value case and no access to Power scores zero, however good the meetings have felt. The review's job is to find that zero before the forecast does.
- 01State the business issueAs the buyer would tell their boss
- 02Score each termZero, partial or confirmed
- 03Find the zeroThe weakest term decides the deal
- 04Advance, fix or walk away
- 05Brief the next conversationO-P-C questions, written down
- 06Update the PlanA dated step and a debrief
The rep brings the ValuePrompter® for the deal, the record of the business issue, the problems, the solution as the buyer sees it, the value, Power and the Plan. The manager's question throughout is the same: did the buyer say that, or did we? The four terms as ValueSelling Associates teaches them are on our ValueSelling Framework® page.
Scoring the four terms
Write this down before the first review. Our call scoring research found that even trained experts marking the same calls disagreed with each other on 18% of scores. A deal score with no written standard drifts the same way.
| Term | Zero | Partial | Confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Differentiated VisionMatch™ | The rep described the solution; the buyer nodded | The buyer described a solution that fits, without saying why yours is different | The buyer described the solution in their words, including why yours beats the alternatives and doing nothing |
| Value | No number, or the rep's number | The buyer agreed a number the rep proposed | The buyer stated the value, with a time frame, and the personal stake is known |
| Power | A name in the CRM | Power is named and the buyer has described what they care about | The rep has spoken with the person who can approve the decision, and they have confirmed the issue matters to them |
| Plan | A close date the rep chose | A sequence of steps the rep proposed | A mutual plan with names, dates and decisions, which the buyer has agreed and is acting on |
Seven steps through one deal
1. Pick the deal and ask for the ValuePrompter®
Choose a deal entering proposal or forecast, or one that has not moved in a month. Ask the rep to bring the ValuePrompter® as it stands. Good looks like: a document with the buyer's words in it, and gaps the rep is willing to admit.
2. Have the rep state the business issue as the buyer would
Say: "Tell me the business issue the way the buyer would tell their boss." Good looks like: one sentence, in the buyer's terms, with a consequence attached. If the rep describes a product need, the deal does not yet have a business issue.
3. Score each term against the table
Go through the four terms. For each, ask "how do you know?" and score it zero, partial or confirmed. Good looks like: the rep quoting the buyer for each confirmed term, and calling the rest partial or zero without being pushed.
4. Find the zero
Because the terms multiply, the weakest term decides the deal. If two terms are zero, start with the earlier one in the buyer's journey: a Plan built before Value is confirmed will be rewritten. Good looks like: one term, agreed by both of you, with a reason.
5. Decide: advance, fix or walk away
Advance if all four terms are confirmed. Fix if one term is partial or zero and there is a conversation that could change it. Walk away, or move the deal back to nurture, if the buyer will not engage on Value or will not give access to Power after being asked directly. Good looks like: a decision the rep can explain to their peers in one sentence.
6. Brief the next buyer conversation
Agree the one question that would move the weak term, who it goes to, and what answer would count as evidence. Use O-P-C questioning: an open question to get the buyer talking, a probe to test, and a confirming question to lock in what changed. Good looks like: a confirming question the rep has written down, for example "So if this is fixed by June, that is worth about $600,000 to the business. Is that right?"
7. Update the Plan and set the debrief
Add the step to the mutual Plan with a date, and agree when the rep will report back. In the debrief, move a term only on what the buyer said. Good looks like: a dated line in the Plan and a debrief within two days of the buyer conversation.
A $210,000 bank deal under review (illustrative)
This example is illustrative. A rep brings a $210,000 deal with a regional bank, at proposal, forecast to close next month.
Step 2: the rep says the bank needs "a better onboarding workflow." That is a product need. Asked again, the rep says the head of retail operations told them new business accounts take 11 days to open and that the bank is losing applicants to faster competitors. That is the business issue.
Step 3: the scores.
| Term | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Differentiated VisionMatch™ | Partial | The buyer described faster account opening; nobody has discussed why this approach beats the core banking vendor's own module |
| Value | Zero | The $2.4 million figure in the proposal is the rep's estimate of lost applicants; the buyer has not seen it |
| Power | Zero | The CRM lists the chief operating officer; the rep has never spoken to them |
| Plan | Partial | Steps the rep drafted; the buyer has not agreed them |
Step 4: two zeros. Value comes first, because the rep needs a number the buyer owns before asking the COO for time.
Step 5: fix. The head of retail operations has answered every question so far and owns the reporting that would show the number.
Step 6: the brief. The rep will ask the head of retail operations how many business account applications were abandoned last quarter and what an average account is worth to the bank, then confirm: "So at that rate, the delay is costing you around this much a year. Would your COO see it that way?" The answer gives Value and opens Power.
Step 7: the debrief. The buyer pulls the abandonment figure from their own reporting. It is lower than the rep's estimate and still large enough to matter, and the buyer offers to present it to the COO with the rep in the room. Value moves to confirmed, the meeting goes into the Plan with a date, and the deal moves from next month's forecast to the month after.
Where it goes wrong
Averaging the terms. A deal with three strong terms and one zero is not 75% qualified, because the formula multiplies. Treat the zero as the whole story until it is fixed.
Power as a name in the CRM. Knowing who the decision maker is and having their attention are different scores. Ask when the rep last spoke to them.
A Plan that lives in the rep's head. If the buyer has not agreed the steps, the dates are the rep's forecast. Ask to see where the buyer agreed them.
Reviewing the proposal deck. A deck shows what the rep plans to say, so review the ValuePrompter® and the buyer's quotes, which show what the buyer has said.
No walk-away rule. Without one, every deal stays in the pipeline. ValueSelling Associates' own site notes that "no-decision opps waste time." Write the rule down.
A deal review on every deal
A manager can review a few deals properly each week. The others are forecast on the rep's confidence.
Val, our AI sales expert built with ValueSelling Associates, runs this review on every deal. The rep talks the deal through with Val on a call, and Val scores each term on the buyer's evidence, finds the zero and helps write the O-P-C questions for the next conversation. Typing is the fallback when a call is impossible. After the buyer conversation, the rep comes back and Val moves the term only on what the buyer said. Managers get the same read across the team from Bryce. See also What is the ValueSelling Framework®?.
If the bank deal above sounds like one of yours, a proposal out and Power never confirmed, talk to us and hear Val find the zero.
FAQ
How do you review a deal with the Qualified Prospect Formula®?
Have the rep state the business issue in the buyer's words, then score each of the four terms (Differentiated VisionMatch™, Value, Power, Plan) as zero, partial or confirmed on buyer evidence. Find the weakest term, agree the conversation that would fix it, and debrief after. A review of one deal takes 20 to 30 minutes.
What does a zero in the Qualified Prospect Formula® mean?
A zero means the prospect is not qualified, whatever the other three terms look like. The formula multiplies its terms, so a deal with a strong vision and value but no access to Power is still a zero. The zero tells the rep what the next buyer conversation has to fix.
What is the difference between Power and the decision maker?
In a ValueSelling Framework® review, knowing who the decision maker is counts as partial at most. Power is confirmed when the rep has spoken with the person who has the authority to decide and they have said the business issue matters to them. A name in the CRM is a zero.
When should you walk away from a deal in a ValueSelling Framework® review?
Walk away, or move the deal back to nurture, when the buyer will not put a value on the business issue or will not give access to Power after being asked directly. Write the rule down so the decision comes from the evidence, and a rep can make it without feeling they have failed.
How often should you run ValueSelling Framework® deal reviews?
Run a ValueSelling Framework® deal review on every deal entering proposal or the forecast, and on any deal that has not moved in a month. Many managers hold a weekly slot for two or three deals. Each review ends with a debrief after the buyer conversation, usually within two days.