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Podcast Episode

The Questions You're Not Asking That Kill a Forecast in 5 Minutes

Surviving Sales Leadership··2 August 2026·35 min

About this episode

Most sales leaders have sat across from a rep who's fully convinced a deal is closing.  Champion engaged.  Proposal out.  Close date locked. And they're wrong.Richard Smith sits down with Chris Lingenfelter (VP Sales & CS, Level Up) and Nigel Arthur (former MD and SVP Sales, enterprise SaaS - now coach at MySalesCoach) to show exactly what separates pipeline from forecast - and how fast the difference becomes obvious when you ask the right questions.They cover why emotion is the single biggest killer of forecast accuracy, what entry/exit criteria your CRM stages are probably missing, and why a rep who "feels really good" about a deal is a red flag, not a green light. The session ends with a live deal review. Richard plays the rep. Nigel and Chris ask five questions. The deal doesn't make the forecast.Find out which questions did it.