Learn the best Tips for Accelerating Your Sales Pipeline

2. THE SALES PIPELINE
REVEALED
Agenda
1. Pipeline definition and sales objectives
2. Basic phases of the sales process
3. Sales flow management
4. Tips for Accelerating your Pipeline

3. DEFINITION
The Sales Pipeline is a visualization
of the sales process based on the
progression of its opportunities
within the transactional sales cycle.
The Pipeline is one of the most
important reports for a sales leader,
it helps the team understand the
true potential of its prospects
and customers as well as improve
the effectiveness of the sales
process.
The Sales Pipeline should include
all qualified opportunities to ensure
a higher closing effectiveness rate.

4. OBJECTIVES
• Improve Sales
Management Effectiveness
• Improve Opportunities
closing rate
• Close More Opportunities
of Higher Value
• Project a More Reliable
Forecast
• Improve Sales Best
Practices

5. A research conducted by Vantage Point Performance and
the Sales Management Association revealed that 44% of
executives think their organization is ineffective at
managing their sales Pipeline. The survey included 62
B2B companies, 39% of which have revenue greater than
$1 billion and 37% of which have revenue greater than
$250 million.

6. Companies with
a Formal Sales
Process Generate
More Revenue

7. Phase 1: Prospecting
It is the stage in which we identify
and classify prospects (hunters)
and / or develop opportunities
(farmers).
CRM: At this stage we measure the
amounts of calls, visits, development
of opportunities, etc. If there are no
prospects, there will be no pipeline!
BASIC PHASES OF THE SALES PROCESS

8. Phase 2: Qualification
It is the stage in which we validate that the
customer has a real purchase potential.
• Budget
• Authority
• Need
• Timeline
This process serves as a filter to identify the
potential customer and their priority focus.
CRM: In this phase we monitor the adherence to
the qualification process and we "Rank" prospects
to identify those with the greatest potential. It is
also important to measure the conversion rate of
prospects into opportunities.
BASIC PHASES OF THE SALES PROCESS

9. Phase 3: Identifying Needs
At this stage, the goal is to learn more about the real
needs of the customer. Our mission is to find the
right product or service for the potential customer,
but the process only begins there.
Do not limit your efforts to basic needs, but also
invest time to meet personal goals, preferences,
desires and dreams of the customer. Get enough
information to know him better and become an
indispensable ally in value.
CRM: In this phase we monitor adherence to the
process of capturing personal, business and product
related needs.
BASIC PHASES OF THE SALES PROCESS

10. BASIC PHASES OF THE SALES PROCESS
Phase 4: Value Proposition
At this stage we strive to offer the right product
or service with benefits and value that exceeds
customer expectations.
Our goal is to show the customer a better future
with our company as their indispensable ally in
value.
CRM: At this stage we monitor the
implementation of best practices in the proposal
(Best-Fit, ROI, TCV, etc.) and validate a clear
identification of the decision maker and the
decision process (B2B).

11. Stage 5 : Negotiation
When the customer wants to change the
terms or conditions of the proposal, the
critical negotiation process starts.
The key to this process is to apply the
basic principles of pro- active listening,
handling objections assimilation and
always applying a Strategy: Win-Win
CRM: At this stage we monitor the
adherence to negotiation techniques and
coach our teams in objection handling
when applicable.
BASIC PHASES OF THE SALES PROCESS

12. BASIC PHASES OF THE SALES PROCESS
Phase 6: Closing
This is the final stage of the sales
pipeline and is met when the customer
accepts the order, purchase or service.
Congratulations!
CRM: At this stage we measure closing
time, duration of stages won, sales rate
and adherence to the process to validate
that best practices have been used,
collected, shared and automated as
applicable.

13. When you notice the pipeline slowing down, Ask
yourself:
• What is slowing the process?
• Are your salespeople wasting valuable time and
energy on prospects that aren’t going to pan
out?
• Are there too many decision makers in your
company, thus creating unnecessary steps?
• Is the business failing to follow up with potential
customers?
• Are prospects making it almost all of the way to
the end and then inexplicably dragging their
feet?
IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM

14. SALES PIPELINE MANAGEMENT

15. SALES PIPELINE MANAGEMENT

16. Sales Pipeline
Opportunity Contact Name Sales Stage Duration
Forecast
Amount
Probability
Weighted
Forecast
Expected
Close
Date
Aging
Sales
Rep
Next Steps Closing Plan Competitors
Q2 Deals $377,000 $316,950
Company A Sally Jones Negotiation 10 $128,000 90% $115,200 02/23/17 15 Craig Meeting with Decision
Maker
Review ROI
Present Success
Stories
Use John Smith as ref
Competitor 1 y
Competitor 3
Company B Horace Shackley Negotiation 1 $100,000 90% $90,000 01/30/17 2 Larry Review Solution
Design
Build trust Competitor 1,
Competitor 9
Company C John Smith Proposal 280 $84,000 75% $63,000 05/27/17 425 Sandra Review Proposal with
Customer to reconfirm
concessions and
payment terms
Invite our CEO to a
round of Golf with
Company C´s CEO.
we need a stronger
relationship.
Unknown RFP
Company D Jane Doe Proposal 5 $65,000 75% $48,750 06/30/11 10 Craig Work with Pre Sales
Team to complete
proposal
Offer good price Competitor 1
Q3 Deals $248,000 $124,000
Company E Ralph Finley Needs
Assessment
1 $75,000 50% $37,500 06/15/11 5 Craig Set up 2nd Discovery
Call
TBD Unknown
Company F Jennifer Mosely Qualification 2 $125,000 50% $62,500 06/03/11 7 Sandra Review Decision
Making Process
TBD Competitor 1 y
Competitor 4
Company G Grace Chu Needs
Assessment
6 $48,000 50% $24,000 06/10/11 8 Larry Coordinate Proposal
Presentation
TBD Competitor 1
SALES PIPELINE MANAGEMENT

17. TIPS FOR
ACCELERATING
YOUR PIPELINE

18. Standardize Your Best Practices:
The most effective sales team invest time in
identifying best practices, sharing them and
making them part of their process. They use sales
processes (Methodologies) with clearly defined
steps and activities that are universally understood
by all salespeople.
• Train your sales team in the "Cause" of its processes
• Automate their practices with notifications, flows and
automated tasks
• Use rules to ensure compliance approvals processes
(ex: discount approvals)
• Validate that the minimum requirements are met
(validations)
• Generate notifications involving stakeholders in a
timely manner

19. • Clearly define the sales
process and why
• Review Pipeline at least once
per week
• Train sales leaders on
pipeline management
TIPS FOR ACCELERATING
YOUR PIPELINE

20. Measure Efforts, Adherence
Processes & Results:
The most successful sales leaders measure all
aspects of your sales process to make better
decisions and act in a pro- active way rather than
re- actively way.
• Sales Pipeline *
• Top 10 Opportunities *
• Wins vs. Objectives *
• Number and Types of Prospects
• Opportunities Conversion rate (% Prospects= >
Opportunities )
• Adherence to Best Practices (Key Processes / Methodology)
• Closing rate (% Wins Opportunities )
• Accuracy of Forecasts
• Lost Sales Analysis (why are lost ?)
• Even measure " tactical activities " ... push new products, up-
selling , cross -selling, etc.

21. 5 KEY METRICS THAT YOU CAN
MEASURE AND IMPROVE TO BOOST
YOUR SALES PIPELINE VELOCITY:
1. Activities
2. Conversion Rates
3. Win Rates
4. Deal Size / # of
Transactions
5. Sales Cycle Length

22. Identify all aspects of the process and the results you can improve and promote
through collaboration & the collective IQ of the
commercial team.
• Use collaborative methods of sales. Example: Real-time collaboration with internal, external
(partners, channels , contractors ) and client computers (Chatter and Communities)
• Use a portal of ideas to promote internal and external innovation (Ideas)
• Involve related areas (Marketing, Management and Customer Orders) to develop joint initiatives
(campaigns , Acceleration Time to Cash , Process Improvement , etc.)
• Measure the qualitative performance of the sales teams (Work.com)
• Promote the professional development of teams with recognition, training opportunities,
certification & incentives (Work.com)
Create an Organizational
Dynamic Oriented to
Continuous Improvement:

23. Best practices are
born from
organizational
experience.
Unlock the potential
of your
organization!

24. Q&A

25. THANK YOU

26. w w w . d o b l e g r o u p . c o m
@doblegroup /doblegroup /+doblegroup
Company/doble-group-llc doblegroup /DobleGroup
Contact us!

27. Doble Group, LLC
Doble Group, LLC is a boutique consulting firm that focuses on improving commercial
business results through CRM solutions and the alignment of the organization, its processes
and teams for success. We deliver our services through highly customized consulting, training
and coaching programs and the world’s #1 CRM technologies.