Discount approval matrix
Most discount policies only cover the percentage off list, so reps give away the things nobody is watching: net-90 payment terms, removed auto-renewal, uncapped liability, and custom SLAs. Those often cost more than the discount. This matrix sets approvers by discount band and deal size, puts non-price terms under the same discipline, and gives every approver an SLA so the deal desk speeds deals up instead of stalling them.
Download it
What you get
- A price approval grid: discount band by deal size, with the approver for each cell
- A non-price terms table covering payment terms, term length, auto-renewal, liability caps, and custom SLAs
- Approval SLAs per approver level, with escalation when an SLA is missed
- Rules for stacking (multiple concessions on one deal) and multi-year deals
- A policy checklist to publish alongside the matrix
Who it's for
- Deal desk managers formalizing who approves what
- Finance partners who want control over payment terms and margin
- RevOps teams configuring approval workflows in CPQ
What's inside
6 sections, each listed with its own size. The first is previewed below; the remaining 5 come with the download, with blank rows ready to fill in.
| Section | Size | Previewed |
|---|---|---|
| Price approval grid | 5 columns, 4 worked example rows | Below |
| Non-price terms | 6 columns, 6 worked example rows | In the download |
| Stacking and multi-year rules | 5 fields to complete | In the download |
| Approval log | 8 columns, 1 worked example rows | In the download |
| Publishing the policy | 8-point checklist | In the download |
| The terms that cost more than the discount | Guidance notes | In the download |
Preview of section 1
Price approval grid
Discount is measured off list price on first-year ACV. Bands and deal sizes are examples; set yours from your discount history. The highest approver in a cell also covers every level below.
| Discount off list | ACV under $50k | ACV $50k to $250k | ACV over $250k | Approval SLA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% to 10% | AE (no approval) | AE (no approval) | Sales manager | Same business day |
| 10.01% to 20% | Sales manager | Sales manager | Regional VP | 1 business day |
How to use it
1. Set bands from your own discount history
Pull the last four quarters of closed-won deals and plot discount against deal size. Set the self-approval band so it covers routine deals and the escalation bands where discounting starts to hurt margin. The bands in this template are an example; replace them with numbers from your data.
2. Give non-price terms their own approvers
Payment terms are a finance decision, liability caps are a legal decision, and custom SLAs are a support and engineering decision. A sales VP approving net-120 because the discount was within their band is how cash flow problems start.
3. Approve the deal, not each concession
When a deal asks for several concessions, the highest required approver sees the whole package once. Routing each concession to a different approver in sequence is how a deal desk becomes a two-week queue.
4. Publish SLAs and hold approvers to them
An approval matrix without SLAs just moves the bottleneck. Give each level a response time, escalate automatically when it is missed, and report approval cycle time monthly alongside win rate.
5. Review the matrix every two quarters
Look at how often each cell was used, how often approvers said no, and the win rate of heavily discounted deals. If a band is approved almost every time, it should probably be pushed down a level.
Frequently asked questions
What is a discount approval matrix?
A table that states who must approve a discount based on its size and the size of the deal, and often who approves non-standard contract terms. It gives reps a predictable path and keeps discounting inside limits finance has agreed to.
Who should approve discounts?
Small discounts on small deals should need no approval or only a front-line manager. Larger discounts escalate to regional or sales leadership, and the largest require finance. Non-price terms route to the function that carries the risk: finance for payment terms, legal for liability, support for custom SLAs.
How do you set discount approval thresholds?
From your own closed-won data. Look at the distribution of discounts by deal size over the last year, set self-approval to cover routine deals, and place escalation points where discounting stops improving win rate or starts hurting margin.
Should non-price terms be in the approval matrix?
Yes. Payment terms, auto-renewal removal, liability caps, termination rights, and custom SLAs can cost more than a price discount. Leaving them out means reps trade them freely because nobody is checking.