Create a calculation – Showpad Help Center

A calculation is what you create when you choose a value model, answer discovery questions, and enter the inputs that describe a prospect's situation. The model uses those inputs to compute results: the numbers you'll share with the prospect. You can save a calculation as a draft to finish later, or complete it and move on to sharing.

See how it looks

You need this to succeed

Access to Showpad Value Factory in Showpad. See Access Showpad Value Factory in Showpad.
At least one published value model available to your user or group.

The quick way

Open Showpad Value Factory from an Experience or Asset Viewer.
Select a Value Model.
Enter the Prospect Email and Opportunity Name, then set the Visibility.
Choose a Discovery Mode and complete the input values.
Select Save, Save & View Report, or Save as draft to finish later.

Do this step by step

Navigate to the Content tab and select Experiences. Choose the relevant Experience containing the value model.
Select the model that fits the prospect's situation and the type of conversation you're preparing for. If you're not sure which model to use, check with the model owner or your Showpad administrator.
Click Create calculation.
Complete the Prospect Details:
- Prospect Email: Enter the email address of your potential client. Opportunity Name: Enter a name for the calculation. Use something you'll recognize when it’s displayed in Past Calculations.
- Visibility: Controls who in your organization can see this calculation. Choose Everyone at my organization or Only me. Note that this is separate from report sharing controls, which you set when sharing with prospects. If the option is not available, your administrator has set a visibility policy for this model.
Choose a Discovery Mode and enter the required information:
- Basic Discovery: This uses default assumptions for inputs you haven't collected yet, so you can reach a result with fewer questions. Use it when you're early in a conversation, in a live meeting and need a number fast, or when the prospect hasn't shared detailed data yet. You can always reopen the calculation and switch to Enhanced Discovery to refine the result as the conversation develops.
- Enhanced Discovery: This asks for more detail and uses fewer background assumptions, so the result reflects the prospect's specific situation more closely. Use it when you've had time with the prospect and have real data to work with. Expect more questions than Basic Discovery.
  
  Select the mode that fits where you are in the conversation with the prospect. For guidance on answering the questions, see Sales Organization Profile & Discovery Items below.
Save the calculation:
- Click Save to complete the calculation. All required fields must be filled.
- Click Save as draft to save and return later. A draft still requires a valid prospect email, visibility setting, and any required discovery items, but you can leave other fields incomplete.
- Click Save & View Report to save the completed calculation and go directly to the report view. Select Preliminary or Qualified Lead.

You can't return a completed calculation to draft status. To update a completed calculation, open it from Past Calculations and save again.

Sales Organization Profile & Discovery Items

The calculator is organized into two parts:

Sales Organization Profile: This appears in both basic and advanced discovery modes
Discovery Items: Appears in both Basic and Enhanced Discovery. Basic Discovery shows required questions and inputs. Enhanced Discovery exposes the full set configured by your administrator.

The model computes results automatically as you fill in fields. You can review the output at any time before saving.

Note: The fields below are from an example value model. Your administrator defines the inputs, discovery questions, and groups for your organization's models, so your calculator may look different.

Sales Organization Profile (example)

This section collects the core numerical inputs about the prospect's sales organization. It appears in both Basic and Enhanced Discovery.

Profile Item	Description
Total Sales Reps	The number of sales representatives the calculation applies to. Use the count for the relevant team, not the whole company if the tool covers a subset.
Average Annual Salary	The average base salary for a sales rep on that team. Use an estimate based on role and location if the prospect doesn't have an exact figure.
Average Annual Quota	The average annual revenue target per rep for the current period. Check the prospect's CRM or sales operations team if it's not immediately known.
Current Win Rate	The percentage of qualified opportunities the team closes. If the prospect doesn't track this formally, help them estimate from recent pipeline data.
Sales Cycle Length (Days)	The average number of days from first contact to closed deal. The prospect's CRM is usually the best source.
Content Search Hours/Week	The average time a rep spends each week searching for sales content such as presentations, case studies, and data sheets. Estimate if not formally measured.
Training Hours/Week	The average time per rep spent on training or onboarding activities each week.
Onboarding Cycles/Year	The number of new hire onboarding cycles run per year, typically tied to how often the organization brings on new reps.

Discovery Items (example)

Discovery Items are qualitative fields organized into groups. Use the prospect's own language and framing where possible. This content typically flows into the report.

Section	Field	Description
Business Challenges	Business Challenge Title	A short label for a key challenge the prospect is facing. Aim for something recognizable as a report heading.
	Business Challenge Description	A more detailed description of that challenge. Use the prospect's words where possible.
	Major Pain Point:	The single most pressing problem driving the prospect's interest in a solution.
Business Impact	Business Impact Description	How the challenge is affecting the prospect's business. Focus on measurable or observable consequences.
	Key Interest Areas	The outcomes the prospect most wants to improve. These often map to the model's value categories.
Executive Summary	Executive Summary	A concise summary of the business case in the prospect's context. This typically appears near the top of the report, so write it as you'd want an executive to read it.
	Executive Value Metrics	The top metrics that best represent the value the prospect will gain. Choose the numbers most relevant to the executive audience.
Next Steps	Next Steps	The agreed or proposed actions after this conversation. Keep these specific and time-bound where possible.
Proposed Product and Key Features	Proposed Product:	The product or solution being proposed.
	Proposed Product Description	A brief explanation of how the proposed product addresses the prospect's situation.
	Key Feature Title	The name of a feature relevant to this prospect's challenges.
	Key Feature Description	A brief explanation of why that feature matters for this prospect specifically.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
A calculation won't save	Review all required fields. A draft still requires a valid prospect email, visibility, and required discovery items.
Results look unexpected	Check input units, currency, dates, and percentages. Review your discovery answers. Compare default assumptions against what the prospect has confirmed. If a formula or default value appears wrong, contact the model owner.
A past calculation won't open	The value model may have been unpublished or removed by your administrator. Ask your administrator to check the model's publication status.
A discovery question or input isn't appearing	The form filters questions and inputs by discovery mode and whether they are marked as required. Check that you are in the correct discovery mode. If a field is still missing, contact the model owner.
Changes don't appear after saving	Return to Past Calculations and reopen the calculation. If you exported a PDF before the update, generate a new one. PDFs are snapshots and don't update automatically.

Showpad Value Factory