Same Old Song and Dance Most revenue leaders at early-stage B2B ventures have heard of outbound sales development. Whether they worked directly with an SDR as a sales rep, were part of a larger team that included outbound outreach, or just heard about the idea from a peer or new board member, the majority of revenue […]
Tag: pipeline management
Shout
What Are the Best Lead Sources?
Same Old Song and Dance Revenue leaders in early-stage B2B companies have limited budgets. One of the hardest choices they make is where to invest when it comes to generating leads. It isn’t black and white: there are a seemingly endless number of sources: SEO, social media, form fills (website and social), conferences, webinars, white […]
A Little Less Conversation
How to Focus Your Deal Reviews
Same Old Song and Dance One thing that causes endless aggravation for early-stage B2B revenue leaders is deal reviews with their sales reps. Whenever these meetings take place, one thing is typically guaranteed to happen: the leader walks away having heard a lot of words but not getting a lot of answers about deals: are […]
Push
Why Deal Pushes Might Signal Bad Pipe
Same Old Song and Dance For early stage B2B revenue leaders, one of the hardest things to determine consistently is which deals are real and which aren’t. Whether leaders are following 20 deals or 220, their situation is the same: they’re trying to match reality versus what their reps are telling them across a variety […]
What’s My Age Again?
Why Deal Aging is Important
Same Old Song and Dance Few things worry B2B revenue leaders more than pipeline management. Of the 182 things leaders need to do each week, it’s one of the more difficult: dozens of deals, all with varying amounts and in different stages, all sitting at future dates on the calendar. Collectively, it’s supposed to represent […]
Even Flow (Part II)
Pipeline Flow Across Deal Stages
Same Old Song and Dance Sales leaders in complex B2B selling environments know that it’s not enough to know how much pipeline they’ve got. They also need to know how the pipeline got to that point. What changed in the last week, month, quarter, etc? Which deals increased or decreased? Which ones pushed? How about […]
Even Flow (Part I)
Pipeline Flow Across Reporting Periods
Same Old Song and Dance Sales leaders in complex B2B selling environments know that it’s not enough to know how much pipeline they’ve got. They also need to know how the pipeline got to that point. What changed in the last week, month, quarter, etc? Which deals increased or decreased? Which ones pushed? How about […]
I Can See Clearly Now
Forecasting Your Sales Pipeline
Same Old Song and Dance Forecasting sales pipeline accurately in a complex B2B environment is challenging: deciding when to start counting deals as pipeline, selecting the correct deal valuation, determining your weighting methodology, sorting through unclear deal stages, and knowing when you have enough forecasted pipeline to hit your number are typical hurdles sales leaders […]
How Will I Know?
Creating Verifiable Outcomes for Each Deal Stage
Same Old Song and Dance Complex B2B selling is hard. Multiple decision-makers, weeks or months of conversations, competitive offerings to overcome, several contract terms to negotiate…. So many things can go wrong along the way, even for the most experienced sellers. Keeping it all straight requires designing a sales process with several stages that reflect […]
Just Can’t Get Enough
Figuring Out Your Pipeline Coverage Multiple
Same Old Song and Dance Pipeline. The sum of all deals that a rep could potentially close at a future date (this month, quarter, year, etc.). It’s the lifeblood of B2B sales. No pipe, no chance of hitting the year. Too little pipe, same result. Why? Because reps can’t close what they don’t have, and […]