63% of Americans are overweight, and I would argue the statistics of sales opportunity pipelines for small to mid-sized B2B companies are comparable. Just like homosapiens in developed countries, obesity is the leading cause of death for mid-sized B2B companies when you consider all of the complications that directly correlate to an obese pipeline. The sales opportunity pipeline is the biggest visible indicator of the overall health of a company, yet few companies manage their pipeline. I hope this blog post helps you improve your waistline and overall health of your company.

   

Breaking news, there is more than just a top to the sales funnel, there's a middle and bottom too; And if they aren't in balance they pose significant risk to the ability of your business to produce a consistent predictable revenue stream! I feel companies are getting caught up in all kinds of crazy buzz about social media, inbound marketing and the like, and they've forgotten about actually having to sell (close win/close lose). In a way, people treat social media, and all that good stuff, like a fad diet. They don't get to the root cause of the problem, which is poor eating habits. The sale is what brings in the "cha ching," and without it your business is dead.

Though Hubspot is making lead generation and the top of the funnel more predictable and financially viable, this is the means and not the end. You can't eat Big Macs (poorly scored/qualified opportunities), Large Fries (weak consultative sales approach) and drink Diet Coke ( Hubspot, Visible Gains, Effective Lead Generation) and expect to maintain a healthy body (ROI). The dirty little secret is that those responsible for selling need to hyper focus and prioritize their efforts based on what the sales pipeline is telling them.

    

To that end, you really need to make sure your plan to implement inbound marketing and direct sales is designed end to end, from click to close. Thoughtful planning with someone that is experienced in both sales and marketing is imperative and will deliver a much higher ROI than implementing an inbound marketing strategy alone. What is most challenging is that the marketing team, as well as the sales team, needs to work collaboratively to develop and implement stringent criteria for scoring leads and working sales opportunities.

Signs Your Pipeline is a Wee Bit on the Husky Side

1. There is a variance of more than 25% between what you close on a monhtly basis and what you forecast to close.
2. You have no goals or expectations for the opportunities you are working on.
3. All deals are treated equally; without objective qualifiers. In other words, I've never eaten ice cream I didn't like.
4. Evaluating the pipeline is daunting and leaves you winded and frustrated at the lack of faith you can put into being able to predict which deals will close.
5. You are afraid to examine (weigh the pipeline) because the number might be bigger/smaller than you thought.

Guaranteed Gut Busters

1. Work with the sales team to clearly define which prospects, that have converted to leads, have the greatest likelihood of closing. Use these joint insights to drive the design of your website and assets to attract only the highest quality prospects.
2. Work to develop inbound marketing assets the sales team can use during the sales process. These assets can help get commitment and pull leads through the sales pipeline as efficiently as possible. Inbound marketing creates possibilities in that you have more healthy lead choices to work through the sales process.
3. Set regular meetings between sales and marketing to review the sales pipeline performance characteristics. Revise goals, messages and call-to-actions to improve the quality of leads coming into the pipeline, as this optimizes for maximum efficiency through the entire sales funnel.
4. Never lose sight of all dimensions of the sales funnel. Moreover, never lose sight of the fact that a lead is the means and not the end.
5. Make sure you are carefully measuring what goes in, what comes out, and what gets stuck and covers up your six pack.
6. You may need help from someone with experience to trim the fat. Your proximity to opportunities can cloud your judgement, and an accountability partner might be the key to success.
7. Make sure there is a steady flow in and out of the sales opportunity pipeline. If there isn't healthy flow, work with an expert to help fix the problem and get/keep you on track.

I'm still blown away at how few people actually try to figure this stuff out on their own, yet they will run to a mechanic or a doctor at the slightest hint of trouble. This is not trivial stuff, and i think this is part of the reason so many companies miss their sales targets.

We are here to help! Hopefully the next time we speak to you your sales opportunity pipeline with will be happy and healthy.