{"skill":{"slug":"afrexai-deal-desk","displayName":"Deal Desk","summary":"Streamline approval for non-standard deals by enforcing discount limits, validating deal value, and managing custom terms to protect margin and speed closing.","description":"# Deal Desk — Structured Deal Review & Approval\n\nRun every non-standard deal through a repeatable review process. Catch margin leaks, enforce discount guardrails, and close faster with pre-approved terms.\n\n## When to Use\n- Custom pricing requests above standard discount thresholds\n- Multi-year contracts needing approval\n- Bundle or package deals outside published pricing\n- Enterprise deals with non-standard terms (payment, SLA, liability)\n- Partner/reseller margin negotiations\n\n## Deal Review Framework\n\n### 1. Deal Qualification Check\nBefore pricing, confirm the deal is worth pursuing:\n\n| Question | Red Flag If... |\n|----------|---------------|\n| Annual contract value (ACV) | Below $10K for enterprise motion |\n| Decision timeline | \"No urgency\" or 6+ months out |\n| Budget confirmed? | \"We'll find budget later\" |\n| Champion identified? | No internal advocate |\n| Technical fit validated? | Requirements don't match product |\n\n**Kill criteria:** 2+ red flags = send back to sales for re-qualification.\n\n### 2. Pricing Guardrails\n\n#### Standard Discount Authority\n| Discount Level | Approver | Conditions |\n|---------------|----------|------------|\n| 0-10% | AE (self-approve) | Standard annual contract |\n| 11-20% | Sales Manager | Multi-year or 3+ seat expansion |\n| 21-30% | VP Sales + Finance | Strategic account, logo value documented |\n| 31-40% | CRO/CEO | Exceptional — requires written business case |\n| 40%+ | Board/CEO only | Almost never. Document why. |\n\n#### Discount Offsets (Give to Get)\nNever discount without getting something back:\n- **Case study rights** → worth 5-10% discount\n- **Multi-year commitment** → 5% per additional year\n- **Upfront annual payment** → 5-10% (cash flow value)\n- **Reference calls** → worth 3-5%\n- **Expanded scope** → reduce per-unit but increase total ACV\n- **Shorter payment terms** → Net-15 vs Net-60 = real cash value\n\n### 3. Deal Structure Templates\n\n#### Template A: Standard Annual\n- Payment: Annual upfront\n- Term: 12 months, auto-renew\n- Discount: Per guardrails above\n- SLA: Standard published SLA\n\n#### Template B: Multi-Year\n- Payment: Annual upfront each year (not all upfront unless 10%+ discount warranted)\n- Term: 24-36 months\n- Price lock: Year 1 rate locked, 3-5% annual increase cap\n- Early termination: Remaining term billed at 50%\n\n#### Template C: Enterprise Custom\n- Payment: Quarterly or monthly (premium: +10-15% vs annual)\n- Term: Negotiable\n- SLA: Custom with defined penalties\n- Liability cap: 12 months of fees (standard), negotiate up only with legal review\n- Data processing: DPA required, included in standard terms\n\n#### Template D: Partner/Reseller\n- Margin: 20-30% off list (tiered by volume)\n- Deal registration: 90-day protection window\n- Co-sell vs resell: Define clearly — affects margin and support responsibility\n- Minimum commitment: Required for highest tier\n\n### 4. Approval Workflow\n```\nAE submits deal → Deal Desk reviews (same day) →\n  IF standard terms + approved discount: Auto-approve\n  IF non-standard: Route to approver chain →\n    Finance review (margin check) →\n    Legal review (if custom terms) →\n    Final approval →\nAE receives approved terms + redlines\n```\n\n**SLA:** Deal Desk responds within 4 business hours. Escalation if no response in 8.\n\n### 5. Margin Analysis\n\nFor every deal, calculate:\n\n- **Gross margin %** = (ACV - COGS) / ACV × 100\n- **Effective discount** = (List price - Deal price) / List price × 100\n- **Payback period** = CAC / (Monthly revenue × Gross margin %)\n- **LTV:CAC ratio** = (ACV × Expected years × Margin) / Total CAC\n\n**Minimum thresholds:**\n- Gross margin: >65% (SaaS), >40% (services)\n- LTV:CAC: >3:1\n- Payback: <18 months\n\n### 6. Red Flags That Kill Deals\n\n1. **\"We need 50% off to start\"** — They'll never pay full price. Walk away or repackage.\n2. **Unlimited liability demand** — Legal trap. Cap at 12 months fees, firm.\n3. **\"Our legal will redline everything\"** — Budget 4-6 weeks for legal cycle. Price it in.\n4. **Payment terms beyond Net-60** — Cash flow killer. Offer early payment discount instead.\n5. **Scope creep during negotiation** — New requirements = new SOW, not same price.\n6. **No executive sponsor** — Deal will stall. Get sponsor or pause.\n7. **Competitor benchmark bluff** — \"Company X offered us 40% less.\" Verify. Usually inflated.\n\n### 7. Post-Close Handoff\n\nDeal Desk creates handoff doc:\n- Agreed pricing and terms\n- Custom commitments (SLAs, deliverables, timelines)\n- Discount justification (for renewal team context)\n- Upsell/expansion opportunities identified during negotiation\n- Key contacts and decision-maker map\n\n## Industry Deal Patterns\n\n| Industry | Typical ACV | Common Ask | Watch For |\n|----------|------------|------------|-----------|\n| **Fintech** | $50K-$500K | SOC 2 + BAA | Compliance creep |\n| **Healthcare** | $30K-$200K | HIPAA BAA mandatory | Slow procurement |\n| **Legal** | $40K-$300K | Custom data retention | Scope inflation |\n| **Construction** | $20K-$100K | Per-project pricing | Seasonal churn |\n| **Ecommerce** | $25K-$150K | Revenue-share model | GMV volatility |\n| **SaaS** | $30K-$250K | API/integration SLAs | Platform risk |\n| **Real Estate** | $15K-$80K | Per-property pricing | Market sensitivity |\n| **Recruitment** | $20K-$120K | Per-placement pricing | Volume variability |\n| **Manufacturing** | $50K-$400K | On-prem/hybrid option | IT approval cycles |\n| **Professional Services** | $25K-$200K | White-label rights | Margin compression |\n\n## Resources\n\n- **AI Revenue Leak Calculator** — quantify what deals are costing you: https://afrexai-cto.github.io/ai-revenue-calculator/\n- **Industry Context Packs** ($47 each) — deep frameworks for your vertical: https://afrexai-cto.github.io/context-packs/\n- **Agent Setup Wizard** — deploy deal desk automation: https://afrexai-cto.github.io/agent-setup/\n\n### Bundle Deals\n- Pick 3 packs: $97 (save $44)\n- All 10 packs: $197 (save $273)\n- Everything Bundle: $247\n","tags":{"B2B":"1.0.0","deal desk":"1.0.0","discount":"1.0.0","latest":"1.0.0","pricing":"1.0.0","revenue":"1.0.0","sales":"1.0.0"},"stats":{"comments":0,"downloads":774,"installsAllTime":0,"installsCurrent":0,"stars":0,"versions":1},"createdAt":1771591446866,"updatedAt":1778491590632},"latestVersion":{"version":"1.0.0","createdAt":1771591446866,"changelog":"Deal Desk 1.0.0 introduces a comprehensive, structured framework for reviewing and approving non-standard deals.\n\n- Provides step-by-step deal qualification, discount guardrails, and structured templates for various deal types.\n- Outlines clear approval workflows, including margin and legal checks.\n- Includes margin analysis best practices with minimum thresholds for SaaS and services.\n- Lists red flags to quickly identify and halt high-risk deals.\n- Offers industry-specific deal patterns and benchmarks.\n- Supplies resources and calculators to improve deal desk efficiency.","license":null},"metadata":null,"owner":{"handle":"1kalin","userId":"s17e1q0nx23qnh4n429zzqc05x83hvsw","displayName":"1kalin","image":"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/15705344?v=4"},"moderation":null}