As you strive to improve your company’s sales, understand which skills are required to meet your specific challenges. And do not expect equal results from sales methodologies. Understand the rationale behind what you are practicing, and require the same exercise form your salespeople.Tips for Effective Pipeline Reviews
Avoid standing in front of the board next month and telling your reps that you missed the target… AGAIN. A pipeline review gives you and your reps an opportunity to add fresh deals to the pipeline that have a chance to close in the next 90 days.
It appears that there were enough deals in the pipeline and yet here you are again, a few days left in the quarter, and you’re only at 52% of your goal. The quarter started out as it usually does; a “full” pipeline, reps confident they will hit quota this month, and you reporting the good news to the board. But with only a few days left, neither you nor your reps feel good about how the quarter will end.
I hear this struggle from founders and sales leaders all too often and my first thought is – your pipeline funnel is a fantasy. I don’t want to be right, but history tells me I probably am.
So I recommend that we sit down and review every single deal in the pipeline.
I know. It sounds painful. And it can be.
As we review each deal, here’s how I determine netherlands telegram data if a deal should stay in the pipeline or if I should move it to Closed/Lost.
The criteria for determining if a deal is qualified to be in the pipeline:
The discovery notes have clear pain that your product or service can solve
Your rep is dealing with a strong influencer or the decision maker directly
There has been consistent 2-way communication in the past 2-3 weeks
There is a FIRM next step on the calendar and the prospect has accepted that meeting invite
Your rep knows what the next step is that the moves the deal closer to close/won and can articulate it
You need to close out these deals in the pipeline as LOST:
The primary contact has been ghosting your rep… for weeks
The is no real pain or impact (impact is how that pain is financially affecting the organization)
There is a competing project, and the deal is going to have to wait a while
There is no FIRM next action on the calendar and your rep hasn’t had any 2-way communication with their contact in 30 days
They were told to “follow up” in a couple of weeks, but calls aren’t being returned and no reply to