Dealflow: sourcing to memo

When to use

Use this compound skill when you need to simulate a full associate workflow:

• Build a sector view and generate targets
• Source and qualify companies
• Move a specific deal from first meeting to memo/IC
• Keep Salesforce current so the team can route work

Inputs you should request (only if missing)

• Thesis area (or a company to start from)
• Stage focus and decision timeline
• CRM conventions (Salesforce stages/fields) if known
• Sprint length: 3-day, 5-day, or 10-day

Outputs you must produce

Every workflow ends with one of two outcomes:

1. Partner-ready memo + scheduled IC - deal advances
2. Explicit kill decision with logged reason, "what would change our mind", and a follow-up reminder (e.g., "recheck in 6 months")

No deals in limbo. No "watching" without a recheck date.

Time-boxed workflow (default: 10-day sprint)

Phase 0: Set thesis (Day 0-1, max 8 hours)

Deliverables:

• Wedge + buyer + why now (1 page)
• Initial market map (50-150 companies in CSV)
• Top 10 force-ranked targets with "must be true" + fastest test
• Kill criteria for the thesis

Gate: Do you have a clear buyer, budget source, and trigger event? If no, iterate or kill the thesis.

Log: create Campaign Thesis: <topic> (YYYY-MM) in Salesforce

Phase 1: Source (Days 1-3)

Deliverables:

• Top 50 humans list (network cultivation)
• Weekly pipeline update with 10 new names (all in Salesforce)
• 5 outreach targets sent
• 3 meetings scheduled

Gate: Did you generate 3 qualified meeting candidates? If no, the thesis is too narrow or your signals are wrong. Iterate or kill.

Log: all Leads/Accounts created with next-step Tasks

Phase 2: First meetings (Days 3-5)

For each qualified company:

1. Write meeting brief (kill questions + wedge hypothesis + "must be true")
2. Run the meeting with structure and note-taking rules
3. Same-day follow-up (value + next steps) within 2 hours
4. 5-bullet recap logged to Salesforce within 2 hours

Gate (per company): Advance to diligence OR pass with reasons.

Pass requirements:

• Tagged reason in Salesforce
• "What would change our mind" documented
• Recheck date set (3/6/12 months)

Log: Event + Notes + Opportunity stage update

Phase 3: Diligence sprint (Days 5-8, max 3 days per deal)

Deliverables:

• Ranked risk register (MAX 4 risks)
• Fastest test per risk (time-boxed)
• Customer diligence (3 buyers, 2 users, 1 churned/lost - REQUIRED)
• Anti-confirmation evidence (competitor/alternative user)
• Evidence pack

Gate: For each risk, did the test produce decision-changing evidence? If a critical risk remains untestable, consider killing the deal.

Log: Tasks per workstream + Activity logs for calls

Phase 4: Memo + decision (Days 8-10)

Deliverables:

• Memo with clear recommendation in first line (no hedging)
• Steelman "best argument against"
• Decision log (what changed since first call)
• IC date scheduled OR explicit kill with recheck date

Final gate: One of two outcomes only:

1. ADVANCE: Partner-ready memo + IC scheduled
2. KILL: Pass logged with reason + "what would change our mind" + recheck date

Log: attach memo to Opportunity + update stage to "IC Scheduled" or "Passed"

Sprint variants

3-day sprint (urgent deal)

• Day 0: Thesis alignment + risk register (2 hours)
• Day 1: Customer diligence (3-5 calls)
• Day 2: Product/GTM validation
• Day 3: Memo draft + decision

Gate at end of Day 2: Kill or continue? No "need more time."

5-day sprint (standard deal)

• Days 0-1: Risk register + diligence plan
• Days 2-3: Customer + product + GTM diligence
• Day 4: Evidence synthesis
• Day 5: Memo + decision

Gate at end of Day 3: All top 4 risks tested? If not, why?

10-day sprint (new thesis + deal)

• Days 0-1: Thesis + market map
• Days 1-3: Sourcing
• Days 3-5: First meetings
• Days 5-8: Diligence
• Days 8-10: Memo + decision

Gate at each phase transition.

Decision gates (mandatory checkpoints)

At each gate, you must answer:

1. Kill? Is there a clear reason to stop? If yes, log it and set recheck date.
2. Continue? Is there enough signal to invest more time? What's the next deliverable?
3. Escalate? Does a partner need to weigh in before proceeding?

No "let's keep watching" without a concrete recheck date and trigger.

Guardrails

• Do not "diligence everything." Diligence the top 4 risks.
• Always write "must be true" claims early; update with evidence.
• Salesforce is the source of truth. If it's not logged, it didn't happen.
• Every active opportunity must have a dated next step task.
• Every meeting must have a 5-bullet recap within 2 hours.
• Every pass must have a tagged reason + "what would change our mind" + recheck date.

References

Use atomic skills as needed:

• thesis-market-mapping
• signal-sourcing-engine
• founder-meeting-runbook
• diligence-risk-burndown
• investment-memo-writing
• salesforce-crm-ops