The Sales Forecast Template
For Sales Managers (Excel)
Stab-in-the-dark forecasting? Committed deals pushing out? Low quota attainment? Use this sales forecast template (we built it in Excel) to start forecasting with accuracy, identifying gaps in your pipeline, and ensuring your team hits their number.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
ROLL UP FORECAST
Use this Excel template to calculate your roll up forecast number using rep commits and information from pipeline reviews
FIND PIPELINE GAPS
Measure pipeline health and uncover spots where low pipeline coverage may hurt your forecast
DISCOVER MISSING PIPELINE
Get the truth about how much pipeline your reps still need to get to hit your number
HOW TO USE THE SALES
FORECAST TEMPLATE
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FILL-IN THE BLANKS SALES FORECAST TEMPLATE:
We did boring (yet critical) setup work leaving you with a few cells to input your team-specific numbers. Premade formulas make it super simple to see forecast data in minutes. -
SEE IT ALL:
Weekly Forecast, Total Pipeline Coverage, Weighted Pipeline Coverage, Pipeline Calculator, and more. You want reports, this Excel template has ‘em. -
EXPANDABLE & CUSTOMIZABLE:
From 2 sales reps to 20, this sales forecast template is completely expandable and customizable to fit all sized teams. It’s time to assess your goals with far more accuracy.
GET THE TEMPLATE AND WITHIN SECONDS YOU’LL LEARN:
REP COMMITS
This will help you estimate how reps will perform based on information from your pipeline review.
PIPELINE COVERAGE
Sometimes, at-a-glance pipeline coverage data only tells part of the story. Get a more nuanced look by seeing how much pipeline is in early-stage deals.
GAPS IN PIPELINE
See the critical gaps in your pipeline that will influence your forecast, including how much revenue is missing to hit quota.
PIPELINE BY STAGE
See how the pipeline breaks down by stage to get an idea of pipeline hygiene and the accuracy of your forecast.
WEEKLY OPP UPDATES
Get a quick snapshot of the current quarter’s open opps, which you can easily update on a weekly basis.
WEIGHTED PIPELINE
Even more nuance for your pipeline review. See the breakdown based on close probability (i.e., Commit, Best case, and Omitted).
What’s included in
this template
- Weekly Forecast: View your roll up forecast number — commits from your reps and your estimate of how they'll perform
- Weekly Total Pipeline Coverage: Review gaps in your pipeline that impact your forecast and increase chances you’ll finish below target.
- Weighted Pipeline Calculator: Break down pipeline by stage to highlight pipeline hygiene and forecast accuracy.
GET THE SALES FORECAST TEMPLATE
Superhuman forecast accuracy. All in a straightforward Excel template.
Questions About The Template? We've Got Answers
Q: Can I use the sales forecast template in Excel?
A: Yes, you can use this sales forecast template in Microsoft Excel, as well as Google Sheets.
Q: Can I edit the sales forecast template to make it specific for my team?
A: 100%, yes. We encourage this! This template was built and designed so that you can edit to fit your team. To build our formulas, we used standard forecast categories, closed-won probabilities, and win rates. Edit to match your historical data to get most accurate results without using sales forecasting software. Update certain fields weekly to stay up to date, such as Weekly Forecast, Weekly Total Pipeline Coverage, and Weekly Weighted Pipeline Coverage.
You’ll also find that the template includes some contextual notes on the left side to help you understand and get more out of each report.
Q: Who is the sales forecast template for?
A: Sales managers, sales directors, and the sales ops team can all use this template. Anyone who needs a no-BS dose of reality. What better way to make sound decisions and plan for the future than to remove opinion and inject reality?
Q: Do you have any more useful links about sales forecasting?
A. You can get a very clear high-level overview of how our software helps with forecasting on this page. From there, dig into one of the many resources our team of experts has published about forecasting:
- The Revenue Forecast Template: Learn how to better predict your revenue with this excel spreadsheet template.
Reality of Forecasting Report 2022: A comprehensive report based on a survey of more than 900 sales professionals.
Revenue Management Software: You can’t really talk about sales forecasting without talking about revenue. See how a revenue management software can help your revenue teams shine.
How To Unlock Predictable Growth With Reality-Based Forecasting: An expert webinar with practical tips for achieving growth goals by creating predictable revenue.
A: According to our research, only 22% of sales professionals think their organization’s forecasting process is efficient—27% said that it produces accurate results. One of the most common mistakes we see is a failure to uncover the data that really matters. Another is too much opinion and hunches, not enough realty-based assessments. Finally, we see too many teams with time-consuming processes that span multiple teams using different tools.
All of these mistakes are avoidable by adhering to R.E.A.L principles of forecasting:
- Reality-Based: Doesn’t rely on “I feel” or “I think”
Efficient: Automates what can be automated with AI.
Aligned: Centralizes the forecasting process in a single platform for all teams to see.
Leading: Doesn’t focus on historical data.