Forecasting used to be about gut instinct. Managers would grill their reps, eyeball the stages in CRM, maybe sniff out a lie or two—and hope it all came out in the wash by quarter close.
But let’s be real: that era is over.
The truth is, modern forecasting demands more than spreadsheets and good vibes. Reps are under pressure to commit, managers are overloaded, and somewhere between the training deck and the pipeline review, the whole process gets lost in translation. Forecasting becomes reactive instead of proactive, and the number you’re betting the business on? Built more on sand than stone.
That’s why AI isn’t a “nice to have” anymore—it’s a necessity. People.ai doesn’t just give you visibility. It gives you certainty. It flags what humans miss. It enforces your process even when nobody’s watching.
This post reveals five game-changing signals that only People.ai can surface. Learn how we’ve pioneered a new era of forecasting with AI that rips the blinders off pipeline reviews, exposes deal signals that used to stay buried, and helps convert red flags into a competitive advantage.
1. Stage Mismatch: Your Pipeline’s Dirty Little Secret
The red flag: Your reps are putting deals in the wrong stages. Sometimes because of forgetfulness or inconsistent training. Sometimes due to optimism. Sometimes they’re just plain old sandbagging.
The AI fix: People.ai looks beyond what stage a deal says it’s in and evaluates what’s actually happening. Based on emails, calls, meeting behavior, and deal progression, it flags misaligned stages automatically. It’s like having a deal cop gently whisper, “Hey, this doesn’t belong in commit yet,” before you make a forecasting mistake that costs the quarter.
Let’s be honest: if you can’t trust your sales stages, your whole pipeline is a house of cards. Want to rebuild that trust? Use AI to reinforce your sales process consistently—every day, every deal.
2. Qualification Gaps Hidden in Plain Sight
The red flag: Reps say qualification is done. But is it really? Too many reps treat qualification frameworks like a checkbox exercise. Whether it’s SPICED, MEDDPICC, or something else, just filling in the blanks doesn’t mean a deal is truly qualified.
The AI fix: AI doesn’t just confirm that framework was filled out: it analyzes actual conversations and call transcripts to see how well it was done. Did the rep genuinely dig into the pain? Did they identify a decision process? Is the economic buyer engaged…or just name-dropped?
People.ai helps reps up their qualification game and gives managers a clean lens into whether deals are ready to forecast or headed for trouble. In fact, it's helping teams seamlessly adopt frameworks like SPICED.
3. Confident Talk, No Data to Back It Up
The red flag: “We’re gonna close this one!” says the rep. But when you dig deeper…no engagement, no buyer alignment, no plan. Just noise. When confidence outweighs activity, forecasts become guesswork. Leadership sees a deal in “commit” but the signals just aren’t there.
The AI fix: Our AI-driven tools reveal the full story—signals you simply can’t get from a spreadsheet or a gut call. You see engagement levels, milestone completion, executive visibility, and more. With all these facts surfaced in one view, managers can coach reps proactively and spot deals that need attention. In other words: real forecasting, not forecasting theater.
4. Silent Deal Killers: Legal, Procurement, and the 11th Hour Slip
The red flag: That deal you’ve been banking on? Pushed again. And again. And again. Turns out no one looped in procurement, or started legal review. And the quarter ends… quietly.
The AI fix: People.ai watches for pattern slips across the pipeline—how many times a deal has been pushed, whether critical milestones (legal, pricing, procurement) have been met, and more. It raises the red flag before you even realize there’s a problem.
These are the kinds of risks that don’t show up in a CRM field. But they do show up in patterns…if you know where to look. See the before and after of a RevOps leader using People.ai for forecasting.
5. “Next Steps” That Mean Nothing
The red flag: CRM is full of vague or stale “next steps.” “Follow up next week” isn’t a strategy—it’s a shrug.
The AI fix: Our solution flags inconsistencies between rep-entered steps and what the system sees, pulling from real activity to suggest meaningful, time-bound next steps. Not what the rep thinks should happen, but what the deal needs to move forward. It's like having a brutally honest second opinion that keeps your pipeline from becoming a junk drawer of wishful thinking.
Bottom Line: Better Forecasting Starts with Better Signals
If these red flags aren’t visible in your forecast, you’re not just off—you’re at risk. You’re also not alone in trying to make sense of forecasts that never quite hit the mark. The good news is that with People.ai, you can spot and resolve issues early, standardize execution across your team, and build a more predictable path to revenue.
Want to learn how to strengthen your forecasting process with AI? Watch our on-demand webinar and see how leading revenue teams are using People.ai to move from reactive to reliable, and build forecasts they can stand behind.