When the forecast looks thin, the instinct is to work harder on the deals already in the pipeline. Chase, push, discount. Sometimes that helps. Often it treats the wrong problem.
Pipeline management versus pipeline creation
Pipeline management is about the deals you have. Pipeline creation is about the deals you will have. A team can be excellent at the first and quietly starved on the second.
Signs it is creation
- Win rates look reasonable, but the number of qualified opportunities is low.
- Every quarter begins with a scramble for new opportunities.
- The pipeline is old. Most deals were created months ago.
- Outbound activity is high but meetings are few, or meetings are many and opportunities are few.
The arithmetic
Work backwards from the number. How many deals do you need to win? At your win rate, how many opportunities does that take? At your meeting-to-opportunity rate, how many meetings? That tells you the creation target, and the timing, since deals created now will not close inside a short cycle.
Where to look
- Aim. Are you creating pipeline with the accounts most likely to buy?
- Triggers. Are you reaching them when they are most likely to act?
- Conversion. Which step loses the most: conversations, meetings or opportunities?
- Capacity. Is anyone responsible for pipeline creation at all?
More activity on the same aim is just more noise.
The Coverage and Velocity Calculator shows how much pipeline you still need to create, and how much per month, given your cycle.