When 78% of sales teams miss quota, it’s not because they’re lazy. The game has changed. Buying committees have ballooned, CFOs have veto power, and only 5% of the sales process actually happens in front of a rep.
The rest of the deal — the part that determines whether it closes or slips — happens in Slack threads, procurement queues, and ghosted email chains no one ever sees.
In a recent RevOps Co-op masterclass, Meredith Chandler, Head of Sales at Aligned, and Rebecca Elgin, Global VP of Sales Ops, Enablement & Training at Mood Media, dug into why forecasting feels impossible — and what RevOps leaders can do to bring clarity back to the chaos.
The Forecasting Reality Check
If your team missed quota last quarter, you’re not alone. According to Pavilion’s 2025 GTM Benchmarks, 78% of orgs missed quota, win rates dropped 18%, deal values fell 21%, and sales cycles stretched 16%.
The culprit? Complexity.
- Stakeholder sprawl — deals now involve three times more decision-makers than a decade ago.
- Information overload — 65% of buyers say there’s simply too much information to process.
- Fragmented attention — buyers jump between channels like LinkedIn, Slack, and email.
- Seller inconsistency — 65% of reps are “winging it” without a repeatable process.
“It’s not the sale that’s complex — it’s the buying process.” — Meredith Chandler
Why Forecasts Fail
Most forecasting still runs on gut feel. Reps update the CRM based on confidence levels (“I feel good about this deal”) instead of facts. The result? Deals slip for predictable, preventable reasons:
- Decision overwhelm — too many stakeholders, too many approvals.
- Ghosting — buyers lose momentum internally or get stuck after a CFO veto.
- Process misalignment — CRMs assume linear deal stages, but real buying journeys look like flowcharts with detours and dead ends.
“Salesforce makes it look like deals go from A to B to C. In reality, it’s more like Sorry! — you think you’re about to win, then you draw a card and go back six spaces.” — Rebecca Elgin
And because no one wants to move a deal backward in the CRM, you end up with false positives that corrupt the forecast from the ground up.
Where RevOps Comes In
RevOps was built to bring logic to the madness — but most teams are still flying blind. CRMs track activity, not intent. Calls, meetings, and notes don’t show whether a buyer shared your proposal internally or even opened it.
“RevOps can’t fix forecasting until we start tracking what happens in the 95% of the buying journey when we’re not in the room.” — Meredith Chandler
That’s where Aligned comes in.
1. Mutual Action Plans that Drive Accountability
Aligned’s digital Mutual Action Plans (MAPs) give both sides clarity on next steps, owners, and timelines. Reps and buyers stay in sync, momentum stays alive, and RevOps gets visibility into progress.
MAP analytics also expose blind spots. If the same buyer’s name shows up on every task, the rep isn’t multi-threading — a leading indicator of risk that RevOps can flag early.
Explore the Mutual Action Plan template →
2. Buyer Enablement that Matches How People Actually Buy
We’ve all mastered seller enablement — talk tracks, playbooks, training. But buyers still walk into internal meetings underprepared.
Aligned’s Digital Sales Rooms flip that dynamic. They equip champions with the right content for each stage — ROI models early, proof of concept data mid-stage, executive summaries late — automatically organized and personalized based on your deal context.
See the Digital Sales Room template →
3. Deal Analytics that Track Real Buyer Engagement
Since 95% of the buying process happens asynchronously, buyer signals are the new forecasting currency.
With Aligned, RevOps can see:
- How often proposals are opened
- Which stakeholders are engaging
- MAP completion rates
- When new participants join the buying process
Those insights make forecasting factual again — not emotional.
“Sales is emotional. RevOps is logical. We’re the BS filter that keeps both sides honest.” — Rebecca Elgin
The RevOps Mandate: Data Over Drama
Forecasting isn’t just a numbers exercise. It’s a truth exercise.
Sales wants to believe. Finance wants predictability. RevOps sits in the middle — translating optimism into operational reality.
When teams forecast based on buyer behavior instead of rep sentiment, the whole org gains credibility. Leaders can plan with confidence. Reps can sell without pressure.
And deals stop slipping into the unknown.
The Takeaway
Forecasting accuracy isn’t about getting the number “right.” It’s about understanding what’s really happening between meetings.
- Build shared accountability through mutual action plans
- Enable buyers, not just sellers
- Track buyer behavior, not seller activity
“Visibility is the new superpower.” — Meredith Chandler
Ready to Bring Visibility Back to Your Forecast?
Start by exploring how Aligned helps RevOps teams measure what matters.
Blog type
Selling tips
Related Resources
Close More Deals.
With Less Chasing.
Create your free Digital Sales Room in 60 seconds.
No pitch. No credit card. Just deals that move.
No credit card required
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Microsoft
