Building an Active Pipeline
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Building an Active Pipeline
Transcript of Building an Active Pipeline
Building an Active
Pipeline
Different styles and schools of thoughtBAD Selling
50%Guess: How much of your current
pipeline is hot air?
PilotsInvolve
the sales people
Point to increased
effectiveness
Check-points
Sales process statistics
75% of new sales processesare not implementedby the sales team*
Making the sales process work in the field
Joint visitsSales leaders
driving change
Spread good news
External help to track progress
What does it mean?
A sales process used in the field
increases closing rates by
up to 48%
A thorough qualification
process increases your average deal size by 40%
Example: a “regular” sales process
Based on sales person’s agenda
Few customer contacts
Lots of quotes – few won deals
Few booked meetings
Best practice sales process
Based on customer buying process
Multiple customer contacts
Focus on the right opportunities
Structured process (get more done in shorter time)
Preparing
Before you build a house, you need
a foundation
Before selecting the foundation,you need
a blueprint!
Why prepare?Consider the following
Have a call script available before each sales call
Effort Result
Prepare for a meeting by learning about a customer’s industry challengesEnter a negotiation with a clear minimum outcome
You are clear and to the point, while sending a messageYou are considered a trusted advisor, not just another sales person
You’ll leave the negotiation satisfied
Right Focus
“If your ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step you take gets you to the wrong place faster”
- Stephen R. Covey
Activity
A Phone Call
A Meeting
A delivered quote
Progress
Right type of call with the right person, which leads to a clear next step!
A cancelled meeting that would have been pointless, giving us time to focus on what will bring us forward in the process
Conscious choice in our sales process, leading us to the end goal
vs
=
Why do deals stall?
The next step for the customer is not aligned with the seller’s next
step
No clear next step
No clear sales process in place
Why do closing dates keep moving forward?
=Often lacking the tools meant to help sales people in their
daily lives
(and complacent sales people)
The sales person are alleviated from responsibility as long as the
deal ”looks good”
The sales person is not in sync with the customer about if and when the project is set to close
Many opportunities in the pipeline are not supposed to be there
Sales Process - Preparation
Next meeting – Book on the spot
Gain commitment from the customer
Significantly reduce the sales cycle
• Up to 50% of your current pipeline is hot air!• Separate activities from progress to build a pipeline
based in reality!• The main reason for stalled opportunities is a lack of
qualification at the beginning of the sales process • Closing dates keep moving forward in time because we
do not control the process• Provide your sales people with the support and tools that
allow them to better evaluate their opportunities
In conclusion
Connect!
Oliver LopezStructsales
[email protected]: @oliverlopez
Henrik ÖquistMembrain
[email protected]: @henrikoquist
