What a healthy Stage 1 looks like on one page
A healthy Stage 1 pipeline fits on one page. What goes on it, what to leave off and how to read it in five minutes every Monday.
3 min read
Blog
Pipeline
Posts on pipeline for services firms selling $50K to $500K engagements.
Pipeline hygiene once a week
Pipeline hygiene works best as a short weekly habit, not a quarterly cleanup. A 30-minute routine for services sellers that keeps it honest.
3 min readDiscounting early to fill pipeline is a trap
Discounts that buy first meetings fill the pipeline with the wrong buyers and cap every deal. Why it backfires in services and what to offer.
3 min readWhy proposals stall and how to spot it early
Proposals stall for reasons you can see weeks before you send them. Here's what to watch for in services deals and what to do when the signs show up.
3 min readBuild a target account list that isn't a guess
Most target account lists are a guess dressed up as strategy. Here's how services firms build one from fit, evidence and live buying signals.
4 min readThe handoff from seller to delivery lead
When a services seller should bring the delivery lead into a deal, what the handoff carries, and how a late handoff stalls pipeline that looked healthy.
3 min readPipeline for a new region
How a services firm builds pipeline in a new region, from choosing the first accounts to borrowing trust through intros and local proof.
3 min readPipeline for a new practice or offering
How a services firm builds real pipeline for a brand new practice or offering, starting with the problem it solves and the accounts already showing it.
3 min readHow to size a pipeline gap honestly
How a services firm sizes the real gap between its revenue target and its pipeline, without padding stages or counting deals that aren't there.
3 min readConcentration risk and new logos
Why a services firm with one or two dominant clients needs a steady new logo motion, and how to build one before the big account changes its mind.
3 min readPipeline when a big client ends
When a big client engagement ends, the pipeline gap shows up months later. How to see it coming, rebuild fast, and use the ending to find new work.
3 min readJanuary pipeline resets
January is when services pipelines get honest. How to reset your list, re-engage accounts with fresh budgets, and use the first weeks of the year well.
3 min readSummer pipeline in services
Why summer feels slow for services sellers, what's happening inside buyer organizations, and how to use the season to build next year's pipeline.
3 min readReplies are where meetings are lost
Teams obsess over the first message and rush the reply. Here's how to read each kind of buyer reply and answer it so it turns into a real meeting.
4 min readQ4 pipeline for next year's Q1
Q1 deals are won in the planning cycle before them. How to build pipeline in Q4 that turns into signed work when next year's budgets open.
3 min readBuilding pipeline in a slow quarter
A slow quarter is the best time to build the pipeline that closes in the next one. Where to point the team, what to research and what to stop doing.
3 min readMeetings booked versus meetings held
Why meetings held is the number that matters for services pipeline, what a gap between booked and held tells you, and how to close it.
3 min readReply rate is the wrong north star
Reply rate rewards clever subject lines and volume. For large services deals, measure committee meetings and buyer corrections instead.
3 min read