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Decision Gates: how to know a relationship actually advanced
Decision Gates replace vague pipeline stages with evidence: a specific commitment from a specific person that proves the relationship moved.
Guides: Orientation pieces. What a concept is and how to think about it before you commit. · 6 min read
Stages lie, gates do not
Traditional pipeline stages measure your optimism. You move a deal to 'proposal' because you sent one, not because anyone agreed to anything.
A Decision Gate asks for evidence instead: who said yes, to what, and when. If you cannot name it, the relationship has not advanced.
Write gates as sentences, not labels
'Qualified' is a label. 'The executive pastor agreed to a pilot with two campuses starting in March' is a gate. The second one tells the next person exactly where things stand.
Gates written as sentences also survive turnover. Anyone can pick up the relationship and know what was actually promised.
Gates unlock automation safely
Once a gate is a real event, you can build sequences on top of it — thank-yous, onboarding steps, scheduled check-ins — without automating noise.
Automation triggered by wishful stages annoys people. Automation triggered by real commitments feels attentive.