Pipeline Review or Pulling Teeth?
Far too many pipeline reviews are painful, frustrating & stressful...
and can feel more like visiting the dentist for a double root canal than a business meeting.
Why is that?
The brutal truth - it's down to the salesperson, where, more often than not, they...
- failed to confirm concrete next steps
- accepted non-absolute answers
- didn't dig anywhere near deep enough to understand the prospect's problems
- accepted surface level responses
- didn't challenge or make the prospect think differently through skilled questioning
- allowed the prospect to control the conversation
- agreed to let the prospect 'think it over'
- didn't listen properly to both verbal and non verbal cues
This is the harsh reality of most pipeline reviews - where most salespeople lack any form of control.
This is exactly how I used to be.
It was painful, demotivating & uninspiring.
So I learnt the hard way.
Most posts on LinkedIn focus on cold outreach, yet deal management & running an effective sales meeting is far more critical to the bottom line.
Opportunities can always be created.
But closing them out in a predictable & realistic way with a consistently high conversion rate?
That's a whole different ball game.
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