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RevRise Pursuit Scorecard

Answer each question based on what you actually know — not what you hope is true. Ratings and your overall recommendation update in real time.

Before You Begin

Every pursuit carries a cost. The objective of this assessment is to determine whether this opportunity deserves additional investment — or whether it may become a Pursuit Tax.

Answer each question honestly based on what you actually know. Avoid assumptions, optimism, and internal narratives. If you don't know the answer, select "Unknown." Unknowns reveal where further client validation is needed before committing more time and resources.

Section ratings appear after each section is fully completed. Your overall recommendation updates automatically as you work through the scorecard.

Remember: qualification is not about proving a pursuit is winnable. It's about determining whether it is worth pursuing at all.

Pursuit Scorecard — Live Summary
1Why Would They Buy?—
2Differentiation—
3Why Buy Now?—
4Deal Size & Budget—
5Who Cares?—
6Who Matters?—
7What Next?—
— Overall
Answer questions to see your recommendation

Work through the sections below. Your pursuit recommendation will appear here.

Yes = Strong position · Partially = Gaps exist · No = Weakness · Unknown = Blind spot

0
Stakeholder Map
Optional — add players as you identify them
Reference Only

This section is optional and not scored. Add stakeholders as you identify them throughout the pursuit — one contact on day one, a full map by proposal stage. Use it to inform your answers in Sections 5 and 6.

Name Title Role Stance Notes
1
Why Would They Buy?
Pain & Value Proposition
Not started
⚠ At RiskYour understanding of the client's pain and priorities has significant gaps. Focus your next conversation on confirming what truly drives their decisions — not just what they say in meetings.
  • Do their stated priorities truly drive decisions and behavior — or are they mostly messaging?
  • Are those priorities reflected in what they measure, fund, and reward?
  • Have you validated your understanding externally (customers, analysts, partners, public sources)?
  • Can you link this opportunity to relevant industry trends and the client's KPIs?
  • Are any KPI shortfalls symptoms of deeper (dormant) pain you can address?
  • Are requirements clearly defined — and do you understand the business drivers behind them?
  • Can you ethically and credibly reframe the issues in your favor?
2
Differentiation
Your competitive position and winning strategy
Not started
⚠ At RiskYour competitive position needs significant work. If you can't clearly articulate why you win — neither can your champion. Sharpen your differentiation before advancing.
  • Do you know how the client views you relative to your competitors?
  • Are you doing work for any of the client's customers, competitors, or business partners — giving you an edge?
  • Have you clearly defined your winning strategy and how the competitor will try to neutralize it?
  • Do your strategic benefits tie directly to the critical business issues you've identified?
  • Are you proposing what the client says they want — or what they truly need?
  • Have you identified potential showstoppers and assessed mutual fit (methodology, price, culture)?
  • Do you have a mitigation plan for what could cause your strategy to fail?
3
Why Would They Buy Now?
Their Urgency
Not started
⚠ At RiskUrgency is unclear or unconfirmed. Without a compelling reason to act now, deals stall. Identify and validate the specific event, deadline, or consequence driving timing — with someone who has power.
  • Do you understand what the client is trying to accomplish and how you specifically fit?
  • Is this what senior management is focused on — and have you verified it directly?
  • Do you understand the full impact of inaction on their business — financial, operational, reputational?
  • Is there a specific impending event, deadline, or risk driving action now?
  • Have you confirmed the source of urgency with someone who has real decision-making power?
  • Do you know what could cause the urgency to change, fade, or disappear?
4
How Much Is the Opportunity?
Deal size, budget, and momentum
Not started
⚠ At RiskBudget, scope, or momentum are unclear. Investing significant resources in an unfunded or stalling opportunity is a common pursuit mistake. Confirm the financial reality before going deeper.
  • Do you have a confident estimate of value, discount, and scope?
  • Is the project budgeted — or can funding be secured, and by whom?
  • Is the business problem large enough to motivate the client to act and fund a solution?
  • Is your sales cycle in sync with their buying cycle — and do you know when they will decide?
  • Is deal momentum increasing — and does the process advantage you over competitors?
  • Is this initiative protected from competing priorities, budget shifts, or timeline delays?
5
Who Cares?
Stakeholder mapping and intelligence
Not started
⚠ At RiskStakeholder coverage is weak. Deals are rarely lost on merit — they're lost in rooms you weren't in. Expand your access and confirm your intelligence with multiple sources before you go further.
  • Have you spoken with people across the client organization — beyond your immediate contacts?
  • Do you know who will personally benefit from the outcomes you are proposing?
  • Do you have a power sponsor — politically astute, with the influence to drive the decision?
  • Who is giving you inside information, and have you confirmed it with multiple independent sources?
  • Do you know who supports your competitors — and why?
  • Do you have a strategy for managing competitor supporters?
6
Who Matters?
Decision Process & Politics
Not started
⚠ At RiskThe decision process and political landscape are unclear. This is where deals die in the Crucible. Map the power dynamics before you invest more — understand who decides, how they decide, and what could change it.
  • Do the benefits you're proposing tie directly to the agendas of the most powerful stakeholders?
  • If the client had to vote today — would you win or lose, and do you know why?
  • Is there a defined decision-making process, and do you know what phase they're in?
  • Do you know what could change the decision process — and who else could become involved?
  • If the process turns political (The Crucible), do you know what will happen and how you'll respond?
  • Have you identified everyone with major pain or power who you haven't yet called on?
7
What Next?
Action Plan
Not started
⚠ At RiskYour action plan needs structure. Reactive tactics and scattered effort are among the most common reasons deals slip. Get aligned on strategy, confirm your resources, and make sure every action addresses a real blind spot.
  • Do you have a clear pursuit strategy — and have you stress-tested it against the competitive landscape?
  • Do you have a plan to gain and document a clear client commitment at each stage?
  • Do you have the right people and resources to execute your strategy?
  • Are your tactics consistent with your strategy — or are you reacting to the client's agenda?
  • Do your action plans directly address the major blind spots identified in this scorecard?
Key Concept

The Canyon & The Crucible

Two critical, high-pressure phases in complex competitive evaluations where deals most often fail — due to political misalignment, information gaps, or buyer indecision.

The Canyon — The Information Gap

  • Momentum loss: early excitement fades and the deal enters a limbo state where stakeholders lose focus
  • Political disconnect: the sale stalls when the team relies on a funnel instead of understanding the internal champion's political power
  • Probability trap: pipelines may show 10–20% probability, but if momentum hasn't crossed a threshold, true probability can be near zero

The Crucible — The Pressure of Decision

  • Stakeholder division: buying organizations form divided camps with conflicting priorities, creating a political battleground
  • Indecision and fear: many losses are due to inability to commit — not preference for a competitor
  • JOLT response: high performers reduce indecision by judging it, offering recommendations, limiting exploration, and taking risk off the table
  • Identify the power championEnsure your sponsor has the political capital to push the deal through when momentum fades.
  • Focus on loss aversionAddress fear of messing up (FOMU) in addition to fear of missing out (FOMO).
  • Limit research late in the cyclePrevent analysis paralysis by keeping the team aligned and focused.
  • Control the narrativeFrame the decision as a necessary evolution, not a risky disruption.

Overall Notes & Observations

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