Pomio CRM shows every open deal with its expected close date, stage, owner, value and notes. In many SME pipelines that date drifts into the past and stays there. The board still looks full, the forecast still counts the deal, and nobody has said out loud that the original plan failed.
A past close date is not a reminder
Your expected close date is a commitment, not a decoration. Once it is in the past, the deal is late by definition. Leaving it unchanged does not keep pressure on the seller; it hides the slip from the rest of the team and from anyone reading the forecast.
Update on the day it slips
Make a same-day update the rule. When the date passes and the deal is still open, the owner sets a new date before the day ends — or before the next weekly pipeline review if the slip is noticed there first. Waiting until “we know more” usually means the old date sits for weeks.
Note why it moved
A new date without a reason invites the same slip again. Add a short note: budget delayed, champion on leave, legal review, competitor still in play. That fits the habit of a note on meaningful deal changes. The next person who opens the record sees what changed without asking.
Recheck the forecast category
A slipped close date often means the deal is less certain than the stage suggests. After you move the date, check the forecast category. If commit no longer fits, move it down the same day. That is how you stop unqualified optimism from poisoning the forecast.
When the date keeps slipping
If the same deal slips three times with weak reasons, treat that as a signal, not bad luck. Re-qualify, push it back a stage, or close it if there is no real next step. Endless new dates are how quiet deals clog the board; the inactivity rule for closing quiet open deals still applies.
How Pomio CRM helps
In Pomio CRM every deal keeps expected close date, stage, owner, value and notes in one record. Sort or filter by close date in the list view, and make “past close date” a fixed question in the weekly review. The update takes a minute; the honest pipeline is the payoff.
A practical checklist
Flag open deals whose close date is in the past; update the date the same day; write why it slipped; recheck forecast category; watch deals that slip repeatedly; close or re-qualify when there is no real next step.
Further reading
Who may change the expected close date?
Normally the deal owner. A manager may change it in the weekly review if the owner is absent, and should leave a note.
How far out may the new date be?
Far enough to be realistic, close enough that the next review will test it. A date six months out without a plan is usually a way to avoid the decision.
Should the stage change when the date slips?
Not automatically. Change stage when the buying process moved backwards; change the date when only the timing moved.
What if procurement gave no new date?
Set your best estimate, note that the customer has not confirmed, and put a next-step date to chase a real answer.