Step 05 of 6 · Adjust · Stage–Readiness Alignment # Stage–Readiness Alignment compares where a deal sits in the CRM against what the buyer proved. Stage–Readiness Alignment is a comparison between where a deal sits in the CRM pipeline and what the Buyer Readiness Index measured, run to flag a gap while there is still time to close it. It runs after the Buyer Readiness Index has scored the call and before the Manager Coaching Report turns the week's pattern into a coaching focus. It compares two existing records instead of producing a new score. [Start now with a PitchGenius plan](https://pitchgenius.ai/pricing) [Watch Demo](https://pitchgenius.ai/product-demo) [Revenue Leak Calculator](https://pitchgenius.ai/roi-calculator) The two views, compared ## The stage says commit. The buyer says maybe. CRM view and buyer view are compared automatically. The divergence surfaces before the forecast call. Sample data · Stage–Readiness Alignment · Vanishlink CRM view - Stage: Negotiation - Confidence: Commit - Champion: Strong - Close date: 14 days Buyer view - No pricing discussion with the signer - Two open risks never revisited - Champion has not shared internally - No mutual plan beyond the next call In practice ## What the statuses tell you ### ALIGNED Stage and buyer evidence agree. Let the rep run. ### WATCH Readiness is lagging the stage. One specific gap to close this week. ### DIVERGED The deal is being carried by activity alone. Inspect before the forecast call. How it comes together ## Misalignment is an early signal of forecast risk. 1. 01 ### CRM stage where your process says the deal is 2. 02 ### Buyer evidence what the buyer demonstrated 3. 03 ### Compare the gap, named while it’s closable 4. 04 ### One status aligned, watch or diverged Trust ## Where the risk sits. DIVERGED, WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE > The deal is being carried by activity alone. Inspect before the forecast call. Source: Leadership statuses ## Frequently asked questions ### 01What does Stage–Readiness Alignment compare? Where the deal sits in the CRM pipeline against what the Buyer Readiness Index measured the buyer demonstrated. ### 02What do the three statuses mean? Aligned means the stage and the evidence agree, Watch means readiness is lagging with one specific gap to close, and Diverged means the deal is being carried by activity alone. ### 03When should a manager act on a Diverged deal? Before the forecast call, while there is still time to close the gap. ### 04Why does misalignment matter for forecasting? It is an early signal of forecast risk, surfaced before the CRM stage catches up to reality on its own. ### 05How does a VP of Sales use alignment before a forecast call? Each call is compared with the stage the CRM shows. Deals where the stage is ahead of what the buyer demonstrated appear as over-projected in the opportunities list, so the forecast conversation can start with those deals. ### 06Can this shorten the sales cycle? PitchGenius does not claim a shorter sales cycle and publishes no cycle-time figure. It flags the gap between where the deal sits in the CRM and what the buyer demonstrated, while there is still time to close it. See it on a sample deal ## Start with the deals whose stage and buyer evidence diverge. Deals marked over-projected in the opportunities list are where the forecast conversation starts. [Start now with a PitchGenius plan](https://pitchgenius.ai/pricing) [Watch Demo](https://pitchgenius.ai/product-demo) [Revenue Leak Calculator](https://pitchgenius.ai/roi-calculator) Keep exploring ## The six steps, end to end. Step 01 · Understand ### [Pre-Call Buyer Intelligence™](https://pitchgenius.ai/learn/pre-call-buyer-intelligence) A confidence-ranked brief on one buyer, short enough to read in the ninety seconds before the call. [Learn more about Pre-Call Buyer Intelligence™](https://pitchgenius.ai/learn/pre-call-buyer-intelligence) Step 02 · Prepare ### [Buyer's Blueprint™](https://pitchgenius.ai/learn/buyer-blueprint) A plan for how this call opens, built from your methodology and the pre-call evidence. [Learn more about Buyer's Blueprint™](https://pitchgenius.ai/learn/buyer-blueprint) Step 03 · Observe ### [Live Buyer-State Intelligence™](https://pitchgenius.ai/learn/live-buyer-state) A quiet cue with its reasoning, shown only when the buyer's signal changes during the call. [Learn more about Live Buyer-State Intelligence™](https://pitchgenius.ai/learn/live-buyer-state) Step 04 · Validate ### [Buyer Readiness Index™](https://pitchgenius.ai/learn/buyer-readiness-index) Five readiness dimensions scored after the call, each backed by something the buyer said or did. [Learn more about Buyer Readiness Index™](https://pitchgenius.ai/learn/buyer-readiness-index) Step 05 · Adjust ### Stage–Readiness Alignment Where a deal sits in your CRM, set against what the buyer has proved. You are here Step 06 · Learn ### [Manager Coaching Report™](https://pitchgenius.ai/learn/manager-coaching-report) A rep's week of calls reduced to the one skill to coach next. [Learn more about Manager Coaching Report™](https://pitchgenius.ai/learn/manager-coaching-report) [ Previous ← Buyer Readiness Index™](https://pitchgenius.ai/learn/buyer-readiness-index) [ Next Manager Coaching Report™ →](https://pitchgenius.ai/learn/manager-coaching-report)