Deal Desk

Streamline approval for non-standard deals by enforcing discount limits, validating deal value, and managing custom terms to protect margin and speed closing.

Security Scan

The skill is an instruction-only Deal Desk framework whose requested assets and instructions are consistent with its stated purpose and do not ask for credentials or install code.

Purpose & Capability

Name, description, and content all describe a sales/deal-review framework. There are no unrelated required binaries, env vars, or config paths; nothing requested appears out of scope for a Deal Desk.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md provides step-by-step business guidance, templates, formulas, and approval workflows. It does not instruct the agent to read system files, use credentials, or call external APIs, but it does include external links to vendor pages and paid resources (afrexai-cto.github.io). If the agent is later configured to follow those links or to transmit deal data externally, that could expose confidential information — the instructions as-written do not mandate that.

Install Mechanism

No install spec and no code files. This is instruction-only, so nothing is downloaded or written to disk by the skill itself.

Credentials

The skill declares no required environment variables, credentials, or configuration paths. The scope of requested access (none) is proportional to the textual guidance it provides.

Persistence & Privilege

Flags show default behavior (always: false, agent invocation allowed). The skill does not request persistent presence or elevated system privileges.

Scan Findings in Context

[no-regex-findings] expected: Scanner found no code to analyze. That is expected for an instruction-only skill (SKILL.md + README). Absence of findings is not a guarantee of safety — review how your agent will use these instructions.

Assessment

This skill is a content-only Deal Desk playbook and is internally consistent with its stated purpose. Technical risk is low because it doesn't install code or request credentials. Before installing, consider: (1) If you will let an agent auto-run these instructions, ensure it is not configured to transmit confidential deal details to external sites or vendors referenced in the README; (2) Test with redacted/sample deals so sensitive customer data is not exposed; (3) Confirm organizational policy on sharing contract terms and legal redlines with third-party tools; (4) If you later add automation that posts deals to external endpoints, review and restrict those targets and require explicit approval. If you want higher assurance, ask the publisher for provenance (who maintains these resources) or request a version with no external links to vendor pages and no commercial offers embedded.

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

1. "We need 50% off to start" — They'll never pay full price. Walk away or repackage.
2. Unlimited liability demand — Legal trap. Cap at 12 months fees, firm.
3. "Our legal will redline everything" — Budget 4-6 weeks for legal cycle. Price it in.
4. Payment terms beyond Net-60 — Cash flow killer. Offer early payment discount instead.
5. Scope creep during negotiation — New requirements = new SOW, not same price.
6. No executive sponsor — Deal will stall. Get sponsor or pause.
7. 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