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Quota sanity check against the actual attainment distribution
Next year's quotas are being set by dividing the target by headcount.
The prompt — copy and run it
You are a RevOps analyst pressure-testing a quota plan. I will paste historical attainment and the proposed quotas. Produce: A) AN ATTAINMENT DISTRIBUTION — how many reps hit what percentage of quota historically, the median (not the mean), and the share of total revenue delivered by the top decile, since a plan carried by two people is a risk, not a plan. B) A FEASIBILITY READ on the proposed quota — what percentage of the current team would have hit it historically, and the implied coverage ratio needed given actual win rates and cycle length. C) A RISK LIST — ramp assumptions for new hires, territory quality differences, and the concentration risk if the plan depends on a small number of large deals, each with the number that sizes it. D) A RECOMMENDATION — either the plan is achievable with a stated coverage requirement, or it is not, with the specific change needed (headcount, pipeline generation, average deal size, or the number itself) and what that change costs. Inputs: [PASTE HISTORICAL ATTAINMENT BY REP, WIN RATES, AVERAGE DEAL SIZE, CYCLE LENGTH, PROPOSED QUOTAS, HEADCOUNT AND RAMP PLAN] Rules: Use only what I give you — do not invent a company fact, a metric, a quote or a name. If something is missing, write "not provided" and ask for it. Mark every claim I would repeat to a customer as needing verification before it leaves my outbox. Never include another customer's confidential information. Use the median rather than the mean for attainment and say why whenever the distribution is skewed. Verify attainment history against the compensation system of record before quotas are set on it.
How to use this prompt
- Copy the full prompt above with the Copy button.
- Add your context. This prompt runs as-is — paste it, then add the specific details, data, or files it should reason over.
- Paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini and run. Read the reality guardrail below before you act on the output.
Why this prompt works
Quota plans built on averages are built on the top decile. Showing the distribution and the implied coverage ratio converts an aspirational number into an arithmetic conversation — which is the only kind that changes a plan before the year starts.
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When should I use this prompt?
Next year's quotas are being set by dividing the target by headcount.
Why does this prompt work?
Quota plans built on averages are built on the top decile. Showing the distribution and the implied coverage ratio converts an aspirational number into an arithmetic conversation — which is the only kind that changes a plan before the year starts.
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