Episode 127- How Healthy Is Your Sales Pipeline?

In this episode, we take a practical look at how to assess the true health of your sales pipeline. It’s a topic that frequently arises in client conversations, especially during due diligence, forecasting, or periods of commercial strain- yet many businesses still rely on surface-level metrics or default CRM settings. So we share the tools and thinking we use to dig deeper into: what's really driving pipeline performance?

By exploring concepts like data hygiene, deal velocity, and the importance of accurate forecasting, we highlight where typical sales metrics fall short and what to use instead. Whether you're managing a small sales team or scaling a more complex operation, we offer a set of insights and calculations that will help you understand your pipeline more clearly, act more deliberately, and forecast with greater confidence.

You can listen to the full episode here 

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Key Topics Discussed:

• Why data hygiene is the foundation of any meaningful pipeline metric
  
  
• The problem with universal “3x pipeline” rules – and what to do instead
  
  
• How to calculate true pipeline cover using weighted values and sales cycle length
  
  
• The importance of forecast accuracy and how to spot over-optimism
  
  
• Reframing your pipeline from the customer's perspective to identify bottlenecks
  
  

Who This Podcast Is For

This episode is designed for business owners, sales leaders, and commercial managers in growing SMEs. If you're responsible for driving revenue and making decisions based on pipeline data, this is a must-listen.

Quotes to Remember

“You’ve got to measure the health of your pipeline in the context of the health of your system.”

“Know your data intimately, the goal is to be able to talk about it almost fluently.”

“If you’re just selling what’s already in your pipeline and not replacing it, it’s not been a good month.”

Top Takeaways:

1. Audit your CRM for data hygiene
   Make sure every deal has a value, an expected close date, and is linked to a contact and company. Without this, pipeline reporting and forecasting quickly becomes unreliable.

2. Calculate true pipeline cover using weighted values and deal velocity
   Ditch the blanket 3× rule. Use weighted pipeline value and average deal length to assess whether you have enough activity to hit your annual sales target.

   Find the Formula Here:

   Pipeline Coverage (%) = (Weighted Pipeline Value × Churn Rate) ÷ Annual Sales Target × 100

3. Review forecast accuracy and correct optimism bias
   Compare forecasted win probabilities to actual results. If deals marked at 75% rarely close, recalibrate your model or coach your team to improve judgment.

4. Reframe pipeline stages from the customer’s perspective
   Instead of internal actions like “quote sent”, define stages based on what the customer is doing, i.e., reviewing, considering, deciding, to better align with their journey.

5. Segment win rate analysis by deal type and customer
   Look at win rates across deal size, salespeople, sectors, and customer types. This helps you spot patterns, allocate effort more effectively, and refine targeting.

Why This Matters

A healthy pipeline isn’t just about volume; it’s about clarity, accuracy, and momentum. Without good data, realistic forecasting, and customer-aligned processes, even the most active pipeline can give a false sense of confidence. These actions help business leaders move from guesswork to informed decisions, ensuring time, effort, and resources are focused on areas that deliver the highest returns.

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