{"id":2723,"date":"2021-07-26T21:04:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T21:04:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=2723"},"modified":"2023-10-31T10:17:20","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T10:17:20","slug":"sales-pipeline-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/sales-pipeline-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Pipeline Reviews are the Worst – Here Are 9 Easy Ways to Fix Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Self-proclaimed \u201cold school to new school\u201d sales leader Richard Harris remembers the first time someone quit on him. \u201cNo resignation letter \u2014 she just left.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason? A series of painful pipeline review meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring reviews, I would ask for X and she would give me Y. She had her own path to closing deals, but I never took the time to understand her process,\u201d said Harris, who now runs the Harris Consulting Group, a sought-after sales training company. \u201cOne day, she walked out in frustration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While successful pipeline reviews identify ways reps can move deals ahead, they often fall flat. There are countless reasons \u2014 poor sales data, misaligned goals, lack of preparation, miscommunication, and poor management skills \u2014 but with productive pipeline reviews at the core of accurate business forecasting, it\u2019s critical sales teams get them right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a pipeline review?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Held weekly or twice a month, a pipeline review is a meeting between a sales rep and manager to discuss the status of pending deals. These meetings solely focus on obstacles to closing deals and steps that the rep or the manager can take to remove those obstacles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responsibility for successful reviews rests on top-level sales leaders and CROs. These \u201cbuck stops here\u201d C-levels need to frame pipeline review structure and cadence so reps and managers are set up for success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, it\u2019s eminently doable. Over the years, I\u2019ve learned several simple methods for making pipeline reviews efficient and useful. Sales leaders: take note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Cancel teamwide pipeline reviews<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Group pipeline reviews are almost always a waste of time. Some managers may think this is the perfect way to coach \u2014 working through one rep\u2019s stalled deal and using it as a guidepost or lesson for the entire team. The truth is, reps don\u2019t pay attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep your pipeline reviews between individual reps and the manager. This ensures that both are focused on the deals that matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is one exception: when multiple reps are involved in a sale, managers should bring them together for collaborative strategising and problem-solving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Make pipeline maintenance easy with automation<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dirty data<\/a> is a pernicious sales problem. Busy reps often fail to update their company\u2019s dated customer relationship management (CRM<\/a>) platform or do piecemeal data entry. This makes pipeline reviews a mess; managers and reps can\u2019t accurately assess the status of leads when data is incomplete. The solution is a combination of process automation and updated team training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To assist busy reps, deploy artificial intelligence-enabled CRMs with automated workflows<\/a> that minimize manual data entry. Sales Cloud<\/a>, for example, automatically logs all of your calls, emails, and notes so that you don\u2019t have to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reps still need to enter some data, however. Be sure you train them to update critical deal information as they receive it. They\u2019ll need reminding, too, so encourage managers to check in regularly about data input.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, be sure managers and reps work with the same data set in your CRM, regardless of how dashboards<\/a> are configured. This ensures everyone can see the most critical lead data in the pipeline, even if dashboards are slightly different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Automate pipeline management with Sales Cloud<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Data syncing and AI-powered risk tracking improve sales efficiency for both reps and managers \u2014 while minimizing manual pipeline maintenance.
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3. Leave out the chitchat<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s tempting for reps and managers to go off on tangents during pipeline reviews, but this is not the time for idle chitchat or deeper strategy discussions. It\u2019s also not the place for training modules, extended coaching sessions, or company updates. Stick to leads and keep your reviews to no more than 30 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If managers have information they need to share with reps, they should use email or Slack. Not only does this create a \u201cpaper trail,\u201d but reps can review messages when they have time, outside of focused discussion on leads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Split meeting time among the three biggest opportunities<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s tempting to focus on one problem lead for the entire meeting, but this leaves other leads unaddressed. To avoid this, sales vets like Harris recommend creating a clear agenda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n