If you’re managing big, hairy deals with multiple stakeholders, you already know: the risks are everywhere. One missed cue, one silent decision-maker, and months of work can vanish. This guide is for sales teams, account managers, and anyone who deals with long, complex deal cycles and wants to use Revegy to actually get ahead of risks—without getting lost in feature overload or sales-y nonsense.
Let’s get into what actually works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to using Revegy to spot risks early and keep deals on track.
Why “Complex Deals” Are a Minefield
Before you try to throw technology at the problem, get clear on why these deals go sideways:
- Too many cooks: Multiple stakeholders, each with their own agenda.
- Opaque decision process: Who’s really calling the shots? Often, nobody knows for sure.
- Changing priorities: What was urgent last month isn’t urgent now.
- Info silos: Your team, the customer, even your own CRM—no one has the full picture.
Revegy promises tools to untangle this mess. But no tool is magic. Let’s walk step-by-step through how to actually use it to reduce risk, not just move colored boxes around.
Step 1: Map Stakeholders (Don’t Just Fill in Names)
What to do:
Start with Revegy’s relationship mapping feature, but don’t treat it as a data entry exercise. The goal isn’t to have a pretty chart—it’s to reveal who matters, who’s blocking you, and who’s quietly pulling strings.
How: - List every stakeholder you know—title, role, contact info. - Mark their influence and attitude (supporter, blocker, neutral). - Draw real connection lines: Who talks to whom? Who actually listens to whom? - Note missing links. If there’s a gap, flag it as a risk.
Pro tip:
Don’t trust org charts. Ask around, double-check, and update as you learn. The person with the flashiest title isn’t always the real decision-maker.
What works:
Revegy’s visual maps are genuinely useful here. Color-coding relationships and influence can make invisible politics visible.
What doesn’t:
Don’t waste hours making your map “perfect.” Stakeholder landscapes change fast. Good enough is good enough—update as you go.
Step 2: Surface Real Risks (Not Just “Red Flags”)
What to do:
Use Revegy’s risk-tracking or opportunity planning tools, but don’t just check boxes. Get specific.
How:
- For each key stakeholder, note what could go wrong.
- Example: “Procurement is slow and doesn’t know us.”
- Example: “IT is worried about integration headaches.”
- Use Revegy’s notes and risk fields to capture these. Tag by risk type (internal politics, budget, technical, etc.).
- Set reminders for review—risks change as deals progress.
Pro tip:
If a risk feels vague (“stakeholder may not be supportive”), dig deeper. Vague risks are easy to ignore—and easy to get blindsided by.
What works:
Revegy makes it easy to see risks alongside your relationship map and deal timeline. That’s actually helpful.
What doesn’t:
Don’t let risk fields become a dumping ground. If you’re copying and pasting generic risks, you’re wasting your time.
Step 3: Build a Win Plan That Addresses Risks Head-On
What to do:
Revegy’s playbooks and account plans aren’t just for show. Use them to set concrete actions that attack your biggest risks.
How:
- For each risk, write down what you’ll do about it.
- “Schedule call with procurement to speed up process.”
- “Provide IT with integration case studies.”
- Assign owners and deadlines inside Revegy.
- Set up alerts or task reminders.
- Share the plan with your team—transparency cuts down on surprises.
Pro tip:
Don’t try to solve every risk at once. Prioritize: What’s most likely to kill this deal? What’s most easily fixed?
What works:
Revegy’s task assignment and timeline features are solid—if you actually use them. It’s easy for plans to get stale, so check in weekly.
What doesn’t:
Don’t let “collaboration” turn into 10 people editing the account plan with no accountability. Someone needs to own each risk.
Step 4: Set Up Real-Time Deal Reviews (Without the Theater)
What to do:
Schedule regular deal reviews using Revegy’s dashboards. The key: focus on risks and next steps, not just updating status.
How: - Pull up the relationship map, risk log, and win plan. - Ask: What’s changed? Any new risks? Any old ones no longer relevant? - Use Revegy’s reporting to highlight stuck deals, unaddressed risks, or missing stakeholders. - Don’t get bogged down in slides—keep it practical.
Pro tip:
Encourage honest discussion. If people are just saying “we’re on track,” you’re missing the point.
What works:
Revegy’s dashboards can give everyone a shared, up-to-date view. This beats digging through email threads or spreadsheets.
What doesn’t:
Don’t turn reviews into a box-checking exercise. If you’re just updating fields to make the dashboard “look good,” you’re wasting everyone’s time.
Step 5: Iterate—Rinse and Repeat
What to do:
Complex deals don’t stand still. Make sure you’re updating your Revegy workspace as things evolve.
How: - After every major meeting or email, revisit your stakeholder map and risk log. - Adjust your win plan as priorities shift. - Don’t be afraid to remove risks that are no longer relevant—clutter kills focus. - Use Revegy’s history tracking to see what’s changed over time.
Pro tip:
The best teams treat Revegy like a living document, not a one-and-done project. If your deal plan is weeks out of date, it’s useless.
What to Ignore (Or at Least Not Obsess Over)
It’s easy to get distracted by bells and whistles. Here’s what you can safely skip:
- Over-engineering the process: Don’t automate for automation’s sake. Start simple.
- Filling in every field: Use the features that help you. Ignore the rest.
- Chasing “deal health” scores: These can be misleading. Focus on the specific risks you’ve identified, not some abstract number.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Stay Real
Revegy can help you get a handle on complex deals, but only if you use it to drive real conversations and action. The tech is solid for mapping relationships and tracking risks, but it won’t do the thinking for you. Start with the basics, update as you go, and don’t get sucked into “tool worship.” The goal isn’t to use every feature—it’s to close deals and avoid surprises.
Complex deals are messy by nature. Use Revegy to cut through the noise, but remember: what matters most is talking to people, spotting problems early, and actually doing something about them. Keep your process lean and keep iterating. That’s how you win.