Use three separate questions
Ask whether the account can benefit from and adopt the standard offer. Then ask whether a relevant person wants to explore it. Finally ask whether there is an actual decision to make, with owners and a plausible process. Missing one condition changes what the seller should do.
A fit account with no active need may belong in a justified research or later-review state. A highly interested contact at an incompatible account may require an honest rejection. An active project outside your scope is not a good opportunity merely because urgency is high.
| Decision | Evidence to use | What changes next |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Operational problem and feasible adoption conditions | Decide whether selling effort is appropriate |
| Interest | Relevant engagement with a question or idea | Choose a useful conversation or response |
| Active decision | Change project, participants and mutual action | Accept and progress an opportunity under your rules |
Work through the decision
Illustrative account: a platform matches the ICP and a product manager asks for a demo. Discovery reveals curiosity about future options but no change project. Record strong fit, interest and no active decision. The next action may be a short useful resource and a buyer-defined review condition.
Another buyer has an urgent project but requires a deployment model you cannot support. Record active decision and poor adoption fit. Declining that case is responsible selling, not a failure to convert interest.
Urgency is invented to bridge the gap
When interest is high but a decision is absent, sellers may manufacture deadlines. Ask what event would make a change relevant and accept the answer. False urgency can create activity while weakening trust and forecast quality.
A concrete next step
Classify three active records across the three dimensions. Identify the single missing fact that would most change the next action and ask for it without assuming the answer.
Sources and research notes
- GitLab Command PlanCompany operating handbook
- GitLab commercial opportunity stagesCompany operating handbook
Primary sources reviewed October 6, 2026. The operating recommendations and worked scenarios are Daavid’s analysis. Illustrative numbers are assumptions, not measured client results. Company marks identify sources and prior experience; they do not imply a customer relationship or endorsement.
Schematic