So maybe your sales pipeline doesn’t actually suck—but that would put you in a very small minority of salespeople. Throughout my work with thousands of salespeople over the years, I’ve found that 90 percent of sales pipelines are pure junk.
What’s amazing is that bad sales pipelines are totally avoidable. In this video, I’m going to show you why most salespeople’s sales pipelines suck—and I’ll teach you how to fix this simple problem. Check it out:
I want to hear from you. Which of the ideas in this video did you find most useful? Be sure to share in the comments section below. I’ll read every single comment.
Robyn Hatfield says
November 19, 2015 at 09:58Great video Marc! I sell to small businesses (typically under $2 million in sales) in a local, geographic area (Tampa, FL). I generate leads from networking, from in person visits, from appointments, referrals etc. What do you suggest as a different way to generate leads? Thank you! 🙂
Marc Wayshak says
November 20, 2015 at 07:42Hi Robyn, all great strategies. Have you ever hosted a local event where you invite both prospects and customers?
Robyn Hatfield says
November 20, 2015 at 08:00I have not used it in this area. Great suggestion I will put to use!
Marc Wayshak says
November 20, 2015 at 08:01Good luck!
Shirley Soltis says
November 19, 2015 at 10:06Asking “Does this make sense in your world” along the sales process seems so simple but really is effective.
Marc Wayshak says
November 20, 2015 at 07:41Glad to hear that you’re using that approach Shirley. Well done!
Donnie lugafet says
November 19, 2015 at 11:02Like the comments here. Most sales, especially new sales should have some tape to carry around to tape their mouth shut when they start their “pitch”. Questions – thumbs up / Pitch – tape.
Marc Wayshak says
November 20, 2015 at 07:41Well said Donnie.
Randy Spring says
November 23, 2015 at 09:35Marc thanks for the reminder on disqualifying….I guess I am just arrogant enough to figure I can convert everyone….Obviously that is not the case and I need to move out unresponsive prospects sooner.
Marc Wayshak says
December 2, 2015 at 08:40Very true Randy. Remember, it’s not just about nonresponsive prospects, but also people who simply aren’t the right fit for you.
Manon says
November 28, 2015 at 12:40What kind of response when your prospect tell you they don’t want to change product (company) now but they will contact you when they are changing the menu.
Marc Wayshak says
December 2, 2015 at 08:01Manon, great question. Stop focusing on your product in the first place. Start with their challenges, and you won’t be having this conversation.
Bill Paul says
December 2, 2015 at 08:10Manon – the bad news is that in the sales world you’ll always have to overcome objections. The good news is that there’s a fixed and finite number of them. You need to figure out what the objections are and anticipate having to overcome them so that you’ll be prepared in future. For example, the prospect might say, “I’m not interested” or “I’m happy with my current provider.” The prepared response will be something like, “Really? Why are you not interested?” and “What is your current provider doing that makes you so happy?” You could follow that up with, “I hear what you’re saying but if you could change one or two things about your current provider so that you went from “happy” to “ecstatic” with them, what would those changes be?” Good Luck!
Bill Paul says
December 2, 2015 at 07:54Great video, Marc. Another reason why so many salespeople’s pipelines suck is because they don’t prospect every day and therefore they don’t have enough (qualified) prospects. Let’s say that a company requires its salespeople to make 10 face-to-face sales calls per week. 100 prospects would likely yield reaching 10 decision makers over the phone to secure the appointment and what’s the likelihood that all 10 would agree to meet you next week? At best, 5 of the 10 will agree to a meeting leaving a shortfall of 5. Prospecting is a contact sport and salespeople need to make an appointment with themselves every day to do it.
Marc Wayshak says
December 2, 2015 at 07:57Very very well put Bill. I completely agree with everything you said. Right on my man!
Manon says
January 18, 2016 at 12:52Bill – I appreciate the information and I will view the video.
Thank you Bill and Mark
Marc Wayshak says
January 21, 2016 at 14:13Great to hear.