If you’ve ever stared at a sales forecast and thought, “This is just a fancy guess, isn’t it?”, you’re not alone. Forecasting is tough—even with powerful tools like Clari. But if you set things up right, you’ll get forecasts you can actually trust (and defend in meetings). This guide is for anyone who wants practical, no-nonsense steps for setting up accurate sales forecasts in Clari—whether you’re new to the platform or just tired of numbers that never quite add up.
Step 1: Get Your CRM Data in Order
Clari is only as good as the data you feed it. Garbage in, garbage out. Before you even open Clari, make sure your CRM (whether it's Salesforce, HubSpot, or whatever you use) is up to date:
- Clean up your pipeline. Close out dead deals, update stages, and make sure owners and close dates are accurate.
- Standardize fields. Clari syncs with your CRM fields, so be consistent—no custom fields for the sake of it.
- Double-check historical data. Clari uses past deal data for projections. If you have a bunch of junk (or missing) info, you’ll get garbage forecasts.
Pro tip: Don’t try to automate around bad data. Fix your source data first, even if it means a few tedious afternoons.
Step 2: Configure Your Clari Workspace
Once your CRM is cleaned up, it’s time to set up Clari itself. This step is mostly about making sure Clari knows what to track and how to show it.
- Integrate your CRM. Clari has connectors for the big names—follow the prompts and map your core fields (amount, stage, close date, owner).
- Set up teams and territories. If you want to slice forecasts by region or rep, define those groups now. Don’t overcomplicate it—start simple.
- Choose your forecasting cadence. Weekly? Monthly? Quarterly? Match your sales cycle, not someone else’s idea of “best practice.”
- Customize your forecast categories. Don’t stick with defaults unless they make sense. “Commit,” “Best Case,” and “Pipeline” are common, but tweak them to fit your process.
What to skip: Don’t get lost in customizing every dashboard or tinkering with advanced AI out of the gate. Focus on getting clean, essential views up and running.
Step 3: Define Your Forecast Categories (and Actually Use Them)
Clari’s forecast categories are supposed to help you sort deals by how likely they are to close. But if nobody uses them right, it’s just noise. Here’s how to make them useful:
- Keep it simple. Too many categories = confusion. Most teams should stick to 3–4: “Commit,” “Best Case,” “Pipeline,” and maybe “Omitted.”
- Train your team. Make it crystal clear what each category means. Put it in writing. “Commit” should mean “I’ll stake my job on this closing.”
- Review regularly. Don’t let reps treat everything as “Best Case.” Hold pipeline reviews and call out wishful thinking.
Reality check: AI can help, but human judgment matters most here. Don’t outsource common sense to an algorithm.
Step 4: Set Up Rollups and Manager Review
You want a forecast that reflects reality across your whole team—not just individual reps’ optimism. Clari’s rollup features help with this, but only if you use them right.
- Enable manager overrides. Sales managers should be able to adjust forecasts based on what they know (good or bad).
- Rollup by team, territory, or segment. Pick the view that matches how your business actually runs.
- Make changes transparent. Clari tracks adjustments, so use the audit trails to discuss why things move up or down.
What to avoid: Don’t let this become a “happy ears” exercise. If every manager just bumps numbers up to please their boss, you’re back to guessing.
Step 5: Use Clari’s AI and Insights (with a Grain of Salt)
Clari’s AI-powered insights can surface risks, show deal “health,” and even suggest forecast numbers. Here’s how to use them without getting burned:
- Look for outliers, not answers. AI can flag deals that look weird (pushed close dates, no recent activity, etc.), but it can’t read your customer’s mind.
- Trust, but verify. Use AI suggestions as a starting point for conversation, not gospel. Double-check anything that feels off.
- Monitor forecast changes. Clari will highlight when a forecast jumps unexpectedly—dig in and find out why.
Don’t ignore: Inconsistent activity (like no customer emails for weeks) is usually a red flag, even if the deal is “in commit.”
Step 6: Run Forecast Calls Using Clari
The real test of your setup is the forecast call. Here’s how to run one that actually helps, not just ticks a box.
- Share your screen with Clari up. Everyone should see the same numbers and deals.
- Work down the funnel. Start with “commit” deals: why are they in, what’s changed, what’s at risk? Move to “best case” and “pipeline.”
- Ask “why” a lot. If a deal hasn’t moved in weeks, or the amount keeps changing, dig in.
- Document changes in Clari. Update categories and notes during the call. Don’t rely on memory.
Skip: Endless debate about tiny deals that won’t move the needle. Focus on what really counts.
Step 7: Refine, Refine, Refine (You’re Never “Done”)
Forecasting isn’t a set-and-forget process. Even with Clari, you need to review and improve.
- Compare forecasts to actuals. At the end of each period, look at what you predicted vs. what closed. Where did you miss? Why?
- Tune your categories and stages. If everything is “commit” but half don’t close, tighten up criteria.
- Get feedback from the team. If reps find the process confusing or slow, streamline it.
- Keep data hygiene front and center. Make cleaning up your CRM a regular habit, not a once-a-year panic.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
What works: - Clean, up-to-date CRM data - Simple, well-understood forecast categories - Regular, honest review with your team - Using Clari’s AI for pattern-spotting, not as a magic 8-ball
What doesn’t: - Over-customizing dashboards before your basics are solid - Blind faith in AI predictions - Ignoring messy data and hoping for the best - Letting forecast calls turn into status updates instead of real discussions
What to ignore: - Fancy features you don’t need yet (predictive analytics, advanced scoring, etc.) - Pressure to roll out every new Clari gadget before you master the essentials
Keep It Simple—And Iterate
Clari is a powerful platform, but it won’t save you from bad data or wishful thinking. Start with clean data, simple categories, and regular review. Don’t get distracted by buzzwords or shiny features you’re not ready for. The more you refine your process (and keep it honest), the more accurate—and useful—your forecasts will be.
You don’t need perfection. Just keep it real, keep it simple, and keep getting better each cycle.