Forecasting Strategies at Different Company Sizes
A conversation with Keith Rabkin, Chief Revenue Officer at PandaDoc.
Revenue leaders are constantly under pressure to deliver predictability despite economic headwinds, fluctuating buyer behavior, and increasingly complex deal cycles. In this episode of The Revenue Lounge, we sit down with Keith Rabkin, the Chief Revenue Officer at PandaDoc, to understand how he builds a forecasting engine rooted in operational excellence, strategic RevOps partnership, and deep customer-centricity.
Keith’s journey spans two decades, including tenures at tech giants like Google and Adobe, where he mastered the intersection of data, GTM strategy, and customer satisfaction. At PandaDoc, he’s applying that same blend of analytical rigor and human insight to build predictable, scalable revenue engines.
From Strategy & Ops to CRO: Keith’s Unique Journey
“I think I’m a little bit of a non-traditional CRO.”
Keith didn’t take the usual route into the CRO chair. Instead, he rose through strategy and operations roles at Google, where he honed his ability to use data as a decision-making compass. At Adobe, he led GTM strategy and operations for their $9B digital media business, where he first saw how customer-centric data patterns could be used to optimize every element of a go-to-market motion — from self-service sales to channel revenue.
What hooked him? The satisfaction of being “obsessed with a number,” he says. Forecasting, for Keith, is a game of patterns and puzzle-solving — and the payoff is not just in numbers, but in the satisfaction of delivering a great customer experience.
Public vs. Private Forecasting: Two Worlds, One Philosophy
Forecasting at Adobe looked very different than forecasting at PandaDoc. Yet the underlying discipline — inspecting deals, applying data, and aligning cross-functional teams — remains the same.
| Forecasting Element | Public Companies | Private Companies |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure | Intense, stock-driven | High, but more flexible |
| Methodology | Automated, bottoms-up, segmented | Manual inspection, rep-specific |
| Timeline Sensitivity | Quarterly commitments drive urgency | More customer-aligned pacing |
| Discounting | End-of-quarter incentives common | Long-game view prioritized |
“At PandaDoc, I’d rather let a deal slip than pressure a customer to close just to hit a quarter.”
This mindset allows PandaDoc to prioritize relationships over revenue timing — which, ironically, improves long-term deal value and trust.
The Forecasting Playbook: A Blend of Art and Science
Keith emphasizes that while forecasting may appear like a data-driven function, it’s equally about human judgment.
Here’s what his playbook looks like:
| Forecasting Component | Description |
| Deal-by-deal inspection | Analyze every key opportunity through rep/manager reviews. |
| Historical trends | Weigh pipeline based on historical stage conversions, seasonal patterns, and rep accuracy. |
| Manager alignment | Collaborate with frontline managers and VPs to roll up forecasts with realism. |
| Gut check | Understand rep behavior: who’s conservative, who sandbags, who needs pushback. |
“You get to know who’s sandbagging and who’s just optimistic. That’s the art.”
He holds weekly meetings with his GTM leaders to walk through the forecast. But it’s not a top-down call — it’s a collaborative build-up, followed by his own adjustment based on trend recognition and leader context.
The Domino Effect of Dirty Data
“Bad data is a huge obstacle to an accurate forecast.”
Keith’s solution? A world-class RevOps team and weekly “D-DOM” meetings (Data Driven Operating Model), where every GTM leader sees and aligns on the same datasets. This operational cadence makes data central to every action — not just a reporting afterthought.
RevTech Isn’t the Answer. But It Helps.
While Keith is bullish on RevTech, he’s also cautious. He notes that no tool can replace fundamentals like deal inspection, rep performance analysis, and buyer engagement tracking.
That said, RevTech tools have made his life easier in the following ways:
| RevTech Function | Forecasting Value |
| Call & Email Data | Reveals real engagement and momentum. |
| PandaDoc Engagement | Tracks opens, page views, and forwards. |
| CI Tools | Helps uncover true multi-threading. |
| Forecast Software | (Under evaluation) Competing tools for visibility and roll-up support. |
“Forecasting tools are helpful, but the magic is in the intersections — rep + stage + seasonality.”
He predicts that AI will soon help revenue teams process these complex intersections more effectively.
Deal Inspection Checklist for Complex Sales
Champion Validated? Is it a true champion or just a coach?
Economic Buyer Identified? Can they sign off?
Discovery Depth: Have we uncovered real pain and urgency?
Multi-threaded? Are 2–3 stakeholders from different teams engaged?
Next Steps Documented? Is there clear mutual action?
PandaDoc Activity? Has the proposal been opened and reviewed?
“We’ve locked down our stages with no judgment calls — just concrete criteria.”
If a deal regresses — for example, the buyer leaves or restarts the evaluation — Keith prefers to roll it back rather than falsely keep it in an advanced stage.
Revenue Doesn’t Stop at Closed-Won: Expansion and Renewals
PandaDoc’s post-sale strategy mirrors its new business motion — highly structured, data-backed, and RevOps-enabled.
| Function | Role |
| Customer Experience (CX) | Drives adoption, feedback, early risk signals. |
| Account Management (AM) | Owns renewals, expansion, and commercial negotiations. |
“We separate value delivery from commercial transactions. That builds trust.”
Forecasting on the renewal side follows the same rigor — stage tracking, risk reviews, and AM-manager forecasts. High-risk or high-value accounts get escalated for deeper review.
Winback Motion: Closed-Lost ≠ Lost Forever
Keith and team recently launched a Closed-Lost Nurture Program:
Targeted drip campaigns
Scheduled rep check-ins
Competitor contract timeline tracking
Stakeholder remarketing (when contacts weren’t captured in CRM)
“Buyers come in 6–9 months before a competitor renewal. If we stay top-of-mind, we win the re-evaluation.”
This motion ensures that timing—not interest—is the only reason a deal is lost.
Killing the MQL Debate: Pipeline is the Real Metric
Keith doesn’t ignore MQLs, but he’s shifted PandaDoc’s GTM model toward pipeline accountability.
| GTM Metric | Marketing Role | Sales Role | Shared Outcome |
| MQLs | Generate quality leads | Qualify accurately | Feedback loop only |
| Pipeline | Source and nurture | Accept and close | Joint ownership |
“Both teams are goaled on pipeline — and both refuse to blame each other.”
He calls this alignment “the maturity signal of a true GTM engine.”
Operating Rhythm: Weekly Forecasting with Discipline
Every Monday, Keith sits down with his VPs to:
Inspect the forecast
Track closed-won vs. commit
Dig into high-risk deals
Calibrate assumptions and push for clarity
He also inspects call notes, listens to recordings, and personally engages with large or strategic deals — especially if there’s a co-sell opportunity or long-term strategic value.
“I follow my curiosity. Sometimes I see a logo and think: wait, this could be huge for us.”
Final Word: Forecasting is Decision-Making Discipline
Keith leaves us with this:
“Forecasting is just decision-making under uncertainty. The tighter your ops, the cleaner your data, and the more customer-first your mindset — the fewer surprises you’ll face.”
In a world chasing predictability, leaders like Keith prove it’s possible to forecast with confidence — not just by looking at dashboards, but by embedding forecasting into every conversation, every inspection, and every interaction across the revenue org.
Want to hear more stories from revenue leaders? Subscribe to The Revenue Lounge podcast to never miss an episode!
More Resources
Sales Development in the Era of Buying Groups
Learn how revenue teams are operationalizing buying groups to escape lead-based inefficiency, multi-thread deals & improve pipeline conversion.
How to Strategically Engage and Conquer Buying committees
Delve into the complexities of engaging buying groups and unveiling strategic approaches to conquer the challenges that arise. In Sales, the key to accelerating deals lies in understanding the nuances of buying group dynamics.
5 Steps to Navigate Buying Groups in 2025: A RevOps Guide
5 Steps to Navigate Buying Groups in 2025: A RevOps Guide RevOps 10 min In today’s business environment, B2B buying is never just one person. According to Forrester Research, more than half of global business buyers purchase in complex buying scenarios that include more people, more departments, and generally higher price points. And this buying group can be made up of 7 to 20 people! Unlocking the power of buying groups is a crucial aspect of the B2B landscape. This blog is a synopsis of our conversation with revenue operations leader, Nandini Karkare. She is currently the SVP of RevOps at Zywave. Nandini suggests strategic steps to navigate through the realms of Revenue Operations and helps uncover the strategies, insights, and best practices that constitute a comprehensive guide to mastering the dynamics of buying groups. Read on to get actionable tips on how you can navigate buying groups in 2025 (and beyond). And implement the learnings to create a winning GTM motion. Here are the 5 steps Nandini recommends: 1. Decode Your Buying Groups The buying groups typically consist of members from departments and they all contribute different aspects. It is critical to understand the scope of decision-making including the people who play the most significant roles in making the call. Gartner’s report on B2B Buying highlights that 77% of B2B purchases involve a buying group of four or more people. PS: The key stakeholder can turn out someone altogether different from who you had building a relationship with all along. a. Capturing Buying Group Members Effective buying group management means considering not just decision-makers but influential stakeholders across departments. Misidentifying key players or focusing solely on the main contact risks derailing the sale. (i) How can you map the entire buying group efficiently? Leverage internal and external data to identify the key players Segment the Group by Role and Influence (ii) Not everyone in the buying group holds equal power or influence. Segment them into categories: Decision-makers (who give the final heads-up) Influencers (who sway the decision) Users (who use the product and provide feedback) Budget owners b. The Role Transition Within a Buying Group Moving the focus from a buying group to a renewal or expansion committee includes knowing precisely who remains in the relationship, as well as who becomes more active as an account grows. (i) New roles may emerge in a Buying Group Technical or operational leaders may become more influential post sale, since they are now using the product. (ii) The focus shifts from buying to renewal The interaction should be more about the return on investment (ROI) of the product placed on the market, ongoing value delivery, and ongoing needs. (iii) Alignment between the buying groups and renewal committee Leveraging the same enthusiasm and relationships generated at the first-buying stage helps in anchoring the transitions and preventing any drop-offs in engagement. Related Resource: Navigate Enterprise Buying Committees: Strategies for Driving Alignment c. Understand the Personal and Collective Priorities of a Buying Group As per McKinsey & Company, B2B buying decisions increasingly require engagement across departments, with 60% of purchasing committees including members from outside traditional procurement, like IT and HR. (i)Alignment Between C-Suite and Technical Teams Decisions aren’t Made in a Vacuum Collaboration between C-suite and technical teams ensures a holistic approach to solving customer problems, creating stronger, more sustainable relationships Their cross departmental collaboration can help with: (ii) Alignment on Strategic Goals C suite executives need technical assistance to translate their strategic vision to reality that also aligns with company-wide objectives. (iii) Technical Validation These insights guide the C-suite in making informed decisions that fit technical infrastructure and future-proofing. (iv) Cross-functional Communication Bridging the gap between these two groups involves continuous, open communication, ensuring that technical evaluations don’t delay business goals but instead support them cohesively. iii. Understand the Product Take product demos, listen to sales calls, and use tools that show how the product is sold. This helps in understanding the customer needs better. iv. Dive into Your CRM Understand your CRM (whether Salesforce or HubSpot) to assess how the data is organized. This is to check whether it’s easy to use, and identify immediate improvements. The CRM should be the central source of truth, with other tools supporting it. The data should be unified with easier adoption for the teams. v. Build Trust Internally Establish trust within your teams by listening carefully, asking questions about how RevOps can help, and addressing quick fixes to show you’re there to help. Having this trust shows them that you’re here to support their success. Quick wins, such as small fixes that make people’s jobs easier, helps in establishing credibility early. 2. Establish Clear KPIs i. Understanding Team KPIs It is important to ask you stakeholders about the KPIs that matter to understand their goals and what their expectations are. ii. Aligning KPIs Across Teams Different departments oftentimes work in silos. RevOps should strive to align these departments and check if these KPIs match the overall business objectives. Gaps must be closed if their KPIs don’t align. iii. Setting RevOps KPIs As you approach the end of the first 30 days, start establishing RevOps-specific KPIs that match company goals, which may involve metrics like revenue increase, conversion rates, or improvements in overall efficiency. 3. Tech Stack Audit Deep dive into the existing tools that your company is using. Identify all redundancies, and find opportunities to streamline the entire tech stack. i. Map Out Tools Compile a list of all tools used by teams, noting their purpose and how they work with the CRM. ii. Evaluate Use and Cost Determine if tools are actively used or if there are duplicates. Look for cost-saving opportunities by consolidating tools when possible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVDJ9KI1tGw&t=869s Next 30 days – Alignment and Control The next 30 days marks a shift from discovery to alignment. The goals should be to create cohesion between departments (e.g., Sales, Marketing) and laying down effective controls. The improvements need to be implemented without overwhelming the teams. This phase combines