Deal Desk — Structured Deal Review & Approval
Run every non-standard deal through a repeatable review process. Catch margin leaks, enforce discount guardrails, and close faster with pre-approved terms.
When to Use
- Custom pricing requests above standard discount thresholds
- Multi-year contracts needing approval
- Bundle or package deals outside published pricing
- Enterprise deals with non-standard terms (payment, SLA, liability)
- Partner/reseller margin negotiations
Deal Review Framework
1. Deal Qualification Check
Before pricing, confirm the deal is worth pursuing:
| Question | Red Flag If... |
|---|---|
| Annual contract value (ACV) | Below $10K for enterprise motion |
| Decision timeline | "No urgency" or 6+ months out |
| Budget confirmed? | "We'll find budget later" |
| Champion identified? | No internal advocate |
| Technical fit validated? | Requirements don't match product |
Kill criteria: 2+ red flags = send back to sales for re-qualification.
2. Pricing Guardrails
Standard Discount Authority
| Discount Level | Approver | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| 0-10% | AE (self-approve) | Standard annual contract |
| 11-20% | Sales Manager | Multi-year or 3+ seat expansion |
| 21-30% | VP Sales + Finance | Strategic account, logo value documented |
| 31-40% | CRO/CEO | Exceptional — requires written business case |
| 40%+ | Board/CEO only | Almost never. Document why. |
Discount Offsets (Give to Get)
Never discount without getting something back:
- Case study rights → worth 5-10% discount
- Multi-year commitment → 5% per additional year
- Upfront annual payment → 5-10% (cash flow value)
- Reference calls → worth 3-5%
- Expanded scope → reduce per-unit but increase total ACV
- Shorter payment terms → Net-15 vs Net-60 = real cash value
3. Deal Structure Templates
Template A: Standard Annual
- Payment: Annual upfront
- Term: 12 months, auto-renew
- Discount: Per guardrails above
- SLA: Standard published SLA
Template B: Multi-Year
- Payment: Annual upfront each year (not all upfront unless 10%+ discount warranted)
- Term: 24-36 months
- Price lock: Year 1 rate locked, 3-5% annual increase cap
- Early termination: Remaining term billed at 50%
Template C: Enterprise Custom
- Payment: Quarterly or monthly (premium: +10-15% vs annual)
- Term: Negotiable
- SLA: Custom with defined penalties
- Liability cap: 12 months of fees (standard), negotiate up only with legal review
- Data processing: DPA required, included in standard terms
Template D: Partner/Reseller
- Margin: 20-30% off list (tiered by volume)
- Deal registration: 90-day protection window
- Co-sell vs resell: Define clearly — affects margin and support responsibility
- Minimum commitment: Required for highest tier
4. Approval Workflow
AE submits deal → Deal Desk reviews (same day) →
IF standard terms + approved discount: Auto-approve
IF non-standard: Route to approver chain →
Finance review (margin check) →
Legal review (if custom terms) →
Final approval →
AE receives approved terms + redlines
SLA: Deal Desk responds within 4 business hours. Escalation if no response in 8.
5. Margin Analysis
For every deal, calculate:
- Gross margin % = (ACV - COGS) / ACV × 100
- Effective discount = (List price - Deal price) / List price × 100
- Payback period = CAC / (Monthly revenue × Gross margin %)
- LTV:CAC ratio = (ACV × Expected years × Margin) / Total CAC
Minimum thresholds:
- Gross margin: >65% (SaaS), >40% (services)
- LTV:CAC: >3:1
- Payback: <18 months
6. Red Flags That Kill Deals
- "We need 50% off to start" — They'll never pay full price. Walk away or repackage.
- Unlimited liability demand — Legal trap. Cap at 12 months fees, firm.
- "Our legal will redline everything" — Budget 4-6 weeks for legal cycle. Price it in.
- Payment terms beyond Net-60 — Cash flow killer. Offer early payment discount instead.
- Scope creep during negotiation — New requirements = new SOW, not same price.
- No executive sponsor — Deal will stall. Get sponsor or pause.
- Competitor benchmark bluff — "Company X offered us 40% less." Verify. Usually inflated.
7. Post-Close Handoff
Deal Desk creates handoff doc:
- Agreed pricing and terms
- Custom commitments (SLAs, deliverables, timelines)
- Discount justification (for renewal team context)
- Upsell/expansion opportunities identified during negotiation
- Key contacts and decision-maker map
Industry Deal Patterns
| Industry | Typical ACV | Common Ask | Watch For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fintech | $50K-$500K | SOC 2 + BAA | Compliance creep |
| Healthcare | $30K-$200K | HIPAA BAA mandatory | Slow procurement |
| Legal | $40K-$300K | Custom data retention | Scope inflation |
| Construction | $20K-$100K | Per-project pricing | Seasonal churn |
| Ecommerce | $25K-$150K | Revenue-share model | GMV volatility |
| SaaS | $30K-$250K | API/integration SLAs | Platform risk |
| Real Estate | $15K-$80K | Per-property pricing | Market sensitivity |
| Recruitment | $20K-$120K | Per-placement pricing | Volume variability |
| Manufacturing | $50K-$400K | On-prem/hybrid option | IT approval cycles |
| Professional Services | $25K-$200K | White-label rights | Margin compression |
Resources
- AI Revenue Leak Calculator — quantify what deals are costing you: https://afrexai-cto.github.io/ai-revenue-calculator/
- Industry Context Packs ($47 each) — deep frameworks for your vertical: https://afrexai-cto.github.io/context-packs/
- Agent Setup Wizard — deploy deal desk automation: https://afrexai-cto.github.io/agent-setup/
Bundle Deals
- Pick 3 packs: $97 (save $44)
- All 10 packs: $197 (save $273)
- Everything Bundle: $247