The Contract Pre-Flight — 60-Min Training
The Contract Pre-Flight
A 60-Minute Team Working Session Where Reps Surface Legal and Security Landmines Before Procurement Goes Dark
Why Run This Session
Deals slip when legal and security surprises appear after verbal yes. Reps forecast Commit while MSA status, security questionnaire, data residency, and signature authority are still "unknown"—then procurement goes silent for six weeks.
Pre-flight is a checklist discipline run before forecast commit, not after the buyer ghosts legal. Early legal intro on a twenty-minute buyer call prevents redline ping-pong nobody modeled.
This session co-builds the checklist with legal/RevOps, applies it to top commits live, and downgrades any deal with unchecked unknowns until pre-flight is green.
Managers who skip this ritual pay for it in forecast calls: reps defend numbers they cannot tie to buyer-side evidence or CRM artifacts. Running the session quarterly keeps new hires from inheriting bad habits from shadow pipeline—and gives RevOps a consistent field to audit when conversion or stage velocity drops.
The hour is not enablement theater; it is the minimum viable discipline before you scale headcount or raise quota.
What Reps Will Walk Out With
- Ten-item pre-flight checklist agreed with legal and RevOps
- Checklist completed on each rep's top three commit deals
- Role-play script for early legal intro practiced
- Forecast rule: no Commit without completed pre-flight
- Unknowns logged as tasks with owners and dates in CRM
Who Should Be in the Room
Account executives, sales manager, and strongly recommended: legal counsel or deal desk plus RevOps. Reps bring top three forecast commits. Without legal present, use recorded checklist from last quarter and schedule legal office hours within a week.
Before the Meeting (Manager Prep — 15 Minutes)
- Legal/RevOps drafts draft checklist items before the room (MSA, security, insurance, residency, payment terms, authority).
- Reps pull status on each item for top three commits—honest unknowns allowed.
- Manager brings one slipped deal caused by late security review.
- CRM: ensure Pre-Flight Status field or note template exists.
The 60-Minute Agenda
This session runs 0:00 to 1:00. The agenda blocks below sum to exactly 60 minutes.
Frame — Late Legal Surprises (0:00–0:08, 8 minutes)
Walk through slipped commit: verbal yes in week four, security appeared week eight. Manager says: "Pre-flight is how we earn Commit, not how we decorate it."
Facilitator script: Legal states average security duration this quarter—write it on the board.
CRM setup (first two minutes): Open top commit opps; create Pre-Flight note stub on each.
Close this block: Agree: Unknown = not Commit until dated task exists.
Timer and room mechanics (Frame — Late Legal Surprises): Keep the countdown visible. At the halfway mark, pause only for CRM confirmation—not for open discussion. Facilitator circulate: Walk the perimeter; sit with the quietest pair first.
Ask each rep to show their screen: opportunity updated, task logged, or worksheet row complete before they earn the break. If someone finishes early: They peer-review a partner's CRM entry or listen for the pair role-play—never email or Slack. Manager line to repeat: "The artifact in CRM is how we know this hour worked—not attendance." Energy: Stand during pair work; sit only for solo CRM writing.
These norms keep the block dense and protect the sixty-minute boundary.
Build the Ten-Item Checklist (0:08–0:20, 12 minutes)
Legal and RevOps finalize yes/no/unknown items. Define evidence required for Yes (ticket ID, signed DPA, etc.).
Facilitator script: Reps ask clarifying questions—capture edge cases in footnotes on worksheet.
Live demo in CRM: Publish checklist link in CRM sidebar or sales wiki; pin in Slack.
Manager checkpoint: Align forecast stage definition with pre-flight complete.
Timer and room mechanics (Build the Ten-Item Checklist): Keep the countdown visible. At the halfway mark, pause only for CRM confirmation—not for open discussion. Facilitator circulate: Walk the perimeter; sit with the quietest pair first.
Ask each rep to show their screen: opportunity updated, task logged, or worksheet row complete before they earn the break. If someone finishes early: They peer-review a partner's CRM entry or listen for the pair role-play—never email or Slack. Manager line to repeat: "The artifact in CRM is how we know this hour worked—not attendance." Energy: Stand during pair work; sit only for solo CRM writing.
These norms keep the block dense and protect the sixty-minute boundary.
Apply to Live Commits (0:20–0:36, 16 minutes)
Each rep completes checklist for three commits. Manager and legal circulate—any Unknown without owner/date gets immediate downgrade discussion.
Facilitator script: Manager says: "Show me the task in CRM for every Unknown."
CRM action (required before timer ends): Create tasks for each Unknown with legal or buyer owner; set due dates.
Circulate and challenge: Legal flags deals that need buyer-side security contact this week.
Timer and room mechanics (Apply to Live Commits): Keep the countdown visible. At the halfway mark, pause only for CRM confirmation—not for open discussion. Facilitator circulate: Walk the perimeter; sit with the quietest pair first.
Ask each rep to show their screen: opportunity updated, task logged, or worksheet row complete before they earn the break. If someone finishes early: They peer-review a partner's CRM entry or listen for the pair role-play—never email or Slack. Manager line to repeat: "The artifact in CRM is how we know this hour worked—not attendance." Energy: Stand during pair work; sit only for solo CRM writing.
These norms keep the block dense and protect the sixty-minute boundary.
Role-Play Early Legal Intro (0:36–0:49, 13 minutes)
Practice inviting legal to a short buyer call: champion present, agenda tight, no redline negotiation on the call.
Facilitator script: Interrupt if rep apologizes for legal—coach confidence framing.
Pair exercise rules: Buyer played by manager or legal; objections must be realistic.
CRM action after swap: Log scheduled legal intro as activity on opportunity.
Timer and room mechanics (Role-Play Early Legal Intro): Keep the countdown visible. At the halfway mark, pause only for CRM confirmation—not for open discussion. Facilitator circulate: Walk the perimeter; sit with the quietest pair first.
Ask each rep to show their screen: opportunity updated, task logged, or worksheet row complete before they earn the break. If someone finishes early: They peer-review a partner's CRM entry or listen for the pair role-play—never email or Slack. Manager line to repeat: "The artifact in CRM is how we know this hour worked—not attendance." Energy: Stand during pair work; sit only for solo CRM writing.
These norms keep the block dense and protect the sixty-minute boundary.
Forecast Hygiene Rule (0:49–0:56, 7 minutes)
Team adopts written rule: no Commit without completed pre-flight. RevOps describes audit cadence.
Facilitator script: Manager names first weekly audit date.
Capture on whiteboard: Document downgrade triggers.
Each rep commits: Each rep states one deal they downgraded today and why.
Timer and room mechanics (Forecast Hygiene Rule): Keep the countdown visible. At the halfway mark, pause only for CRM confirmation—not for open discussion. Facilitator circulate: Walk the perimeter; sit with the quietest pair first.
Ask each rep to show their screen: opportunity updated, task logged, or worksheet row complete before they earn the break. If someone finishes early: They peer-review a partner's CRM entry or listen for the pair role-play—never email or Slack. Manager line to repeat: "The artifact in CRM is how we know this hour worked—not attendance." Energy: Stand during pair work; sit only for solo CRM writing.
These norms keep the block dense and protect the sixty-minute boundary.
Close — Audit Promise (0:56–1:00, 4 minutes)
Legal/RevOps confirms support SLA for Unknown clearance.
Facilitator script: Thank legal for attending—reinforce partnership not police.
Forecast / pipeline tie-in: Pipeline review sorts Commit opps by pre-flight status first.
Manager records in CRM or tracker: RevOps saves report: Commit opps missing pre-flight note.
Timer and room mechanics (Close — Audit Promise): Keep the countdown visible. At the halfway mark, pause only for CRM confirmation—not for open discussion. Facilitator circulate: Walk the perimeter; sit with the quietest pair first.
Ask each rep to show their screen: opportunity updated, task logged, or worksheet row complete before they earn the break. If someone finishes early: They peer-review a partner's CRM entry or listen for the pair role-play—never email or Slack. Manager line to repeat: "The artifact in CRM is how we know this hour worked—not attendance." Energy: Stand during pair work; sit only for solo CRM writing.
These norms keep the block dense and protect the sixty-minute boundary.
Agenda check: 8 + 12 + 16 + 13 + 7 + 4 = 60 minutes.**
Worksheet / Artifact
| Pre-Flight Item | Y / N / Unknown | Owner | Target Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSA path (new vs. existing) | ___ | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Security questionnaire status | ___ | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Data residency / DPA | ___ | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Insurance / vendor onboarding | ___ | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Payment terms within policy | ___ | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Signature authority confirmed | ___ | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Procurement / PO process known | ___ | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Forecast category after pre-flight | ______ |
How to Use This With the Buyer
- Invite legal early as a service: "Twenty minutes to align on paper path" reduces buyer anxiety.
- Share checklist transparency with champion—shows you have closed similar deals.
- Use unknowns to co-build timeline with buyer procurement, not to hide internally.
- Reset close date when security queue length is buyer-confirmed, not rep-assumed.
Manager Coaching Notes
- Any Unknown on a commit deal triggers downgrade until resolved or dated.
- Reps who hide from legal get surprised—reward early introductions.
- RevOps audits pre-flight monthly on Commit stage opps.
- Pair with buying-process map when procurement steps were invisible.
- Celebrate downgrades that save forecast credibility.
The Bottom Line
Verbal yes is not commit-ready. Reps who run pre-flight before forecast calls surface landmines while buyers still care—and managers who enforce green pre-flight stop week-twelve collapses from invisible legal queues.