Quarter end is looming. Your pipeline looks good on paper, but you know the numbers rarely tell the full story. Deals slip. Reps get optimistic. Suddenly, you’re scrambling to explain why a “sure thing” ghosted you three weeks ago. If you’re responsible for a number—whether you’re a sales manager, a rep, or a RevOps pro—this guide is for you.
Let’s break down how to actually use Clari Co-Pilot to spot deals at risk of slipping before it’s too late. No vague dashboards. No “AI-powered” hand-waving. Just practical steps, honest takes, and a few reality checks.
Why “At Risk” Matters (And Why It’s Hard to Spot)
First, let’s get real: most CRMs are full of optimism and wishful thinking. If you rely just on forecast categories or rep notes, you’re flying blind. At-risk deals are sneaky: sometimes it’s a late-stage deal that’s gone strangely quiet; other times, it’s a new logo where the champion left last week and nobody updated Salesforce.
Clari Co-Pilot claims to surface these risks using conversation intelligence and activity analysis. In practice, it’s only as good as the way you use it. Here’s how to make it work for you.
Step 1: Set Up Your Deal “Watchlist” Early
Before you do anything fancy, get clear on which deals matter most. Don’t let Co-Pilot’s AI distract you from the basics.
- Filter ruthlessly: Focus on deals that are material to your quarter. Don’t waste cycles on $2k pilots when you’ve got $100k renewals to land.
- Custom lists: Use Clari Co-Pilot’s saved views or watchlists to isolate these deals. If your CRM hygiene is bad, fix it first—garbage in, garbage out.
- Reality check: If you can’t name your top 10 must-close deals right now, you’re not ready for the AI. Start there.
Pro tip: Ask your reps to flag their riskiest deals, not just their biggest. You’ll get more honest answers than from forecast calls.
Step 2: Use Conversation Insights, But Don’t Overthink the AI
Clari Co-Pilot records and analyzes sales calls, emails, and meetings. In theory, it flags risk based on things like:
- Gaps in next steps
- Single-threaded contacts (only talking to one person)
- Negative buyer sentiment
- Lack of engagement
This is useful—if you know what to look for.
What works:
- Watch for silence: If there’s been no customer activity (emails, meetings, calls) in 2+ weeks, that’s a red flag. Don’t let “AI confidence” scores lull you into complacency.
- Listen for buyer signals: Co-Pilot can surface objections or deal blockers (“We need to push to next quarter,” “Budget freeze,” etc.). Skim transcripts for these, but don’t rely on sentiment scores alone.
- Check for multi-threading: Deals where you’re only talking to one stakeholder are risky. Use Co-Pilot to spot these fast.
What to ignore:
- Fluffy AI-generated “deal health” scores without context. If you don’t know why a deal is “yellow,” dig deeper.
- Keyword alerts for generic terms: If your alerts are set for “budget” or “timeline,” you’ll drown in noise.
Reality check: AI is great at surfacing patterns, but you still need human judgment. Gut feel and context matter.
Step 3: Ruthlessly Audit Deal Activity
Now it’s time to get into the weeds. Pull up your watchlist in Clari Co-Pilot and look for these high-risk signals:
- Changed close dates: Frequent shifting is a classic sign of a deal in trouble.
- No clear next meeting: If there’s no future meeting on the books, assume the deal is drifting.
- Disappearing champions: If your main contact stopped showing up on calls, ask why.
- Long gaps between customer responses: If you’re chasing them more than they’re chasing you, it’s a bad sign.
How to use Co-Pilot here:
- Timeline view: Check the sequence of interactions. Healthy deals have a steady cadence.
- Call summaries: Use AI-generated summaries, but always spot-check with actual call recordings or transcripts before panicking.
- Email tracking: If the customer isn’t opening or replying to key emails, don’t kid yourself about “momentum.”
Pro tip: Make it a habit to review deal activity at least weekly. Don’t wait for the forecast call—by then it’s usually too late.
Step 4: Have Direct Conversations With Your Reps (Don’t Automate This)
Tech can only take you so far. Once you’ve identified risky deals, talk to your reps directly.
- Ask for specifics: “What’s the next step, and when?” If they can’t answer without checking notes, the deal’s probably not real.
- Push for honesty: Let them know you care about accuracy, not optimism.
- Use Co-Pilot transcripts: Pull up objection snippets or customer quotes and discuss them together. Sometimes reps miss subtle warning signs in the moment.
What doesn’t work:
- Relying on Slack or email check-ins to get the real story. Face-to-face (or video) is better.
- Punishing reps for bad news. If they get penalized for reporting risk, you’ll just get more sandbagging.
Step 5: Take Action—Don’t Just Flag
Identifying at-risk deals is pointless if you don’t do something about it. Here’s how to actually move the needle:
- Re-multi-thread: Use Co-Pilot’s contact mapping to find new stakeholders to engage. Don’t stay single-threaded.
- Escalate early: If you need exec sponsorship or help from another team, ask now—not after the deal slips.
- Update your forecast: Be brutally honest. If a deal is 50/50, move it down a stage or reduce the commit. Sandbagging only hurts later.
What to skip:
- Chasing every at-risk deal: Some aren’t worth saving. Focus on the ones that move the needle.
- Busywork tasks: Updating CRM fields for the sake of it won’t save a deal. Spend your time on real interactions.
Step 6: Review and Tune Your Process
No tool is perfect out of the box. Take time after each quarter to review what worked and what didn’t.
- Which risk flags actually predicted slippage?
- Which were just noise?
- Did your team actually act on the insights, or just watch them pile up?
Make small adjustments. Update your watchlist criteria. Refine your conversation keyword alerts. Don’t let the process get bloated.
Pro tip: Ask your team which Co-Pilot features are actually helpful. Ignore the rest, even if they’re “AI-powered.”
What to Watch Out For
Let’s level with each other: not everything about Clari Co-Pilot is magic. Here are a few honest truths:
- It can surface false positives. Not every deal with low activity is truly at risk—sometimes the buyer just works slow.
- It’s not a silver bullet. No tool will rescue a bad pipeline or make up for reps who don’t follow up.
- It can be overwhelming. Don’t try to use every feature. Pick a couple that fit your style and workflow.
Keep It Simple: Iterate, Don’t Overthink
You don’t need a 40-step process or a PhD in AI to spot at-risk deals. Start with the basics: know your key deals, watch for obvious warning signs, and take action early. Use Clari Co-Pilot as a practical assistant, not a crystal ball.
The goal isn’t to have a perfect pipeline forecast—it’s to avoid surprises and spend your energy where it counts. Keep it simple, review what’s working, and don’t be afraid to ignore the “next big thing” if it’s just adding noise. Quarter end will always be a scramble, but with the right habits, you’ll scramble a lot less.