Comments on: Successful Pipeline Management – It Really Is Not That Complicated! http://www.thejfblogit.co.uk/2009/06/30/successful-pipeline-management-it-really-is-not-that-complicated/ Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:28:36 +0100 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Matt Hyatt http://www.thejfblogit.co.uk/2009/06/30/successful-pipeline-management-it-really-is-not-that-complicated/comment-page-1/#comment-13182 Matt Hyatt Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:28:35 +0000 http://www.thejfblogit.co.uk/?p=2215#comment-13182 Great post, Jonathan! I like that your sales stages and probabilities are integrated. The CRM software we use tracks the Sales Stage and Probability separately, but it's still very simple to keep updated. Here's what we came up with: Sales Stages: 1. New 2. Qualified 3. Meeting Held 4. Proposed 5. Commitment Probability: 0% 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% 100% The Sales Stages are completed AFTER the related steps have been completed. There's no negotiation step because that's implied by Proposed. There's no Delivered / Paid For step because that's implied by marking the opportunity "Won" in the software. A sales funnel screen shows a graphic image of how many opportunities are at each stage. The Probability options are set to the smallest number of discernible choices, I think. I considered 0, 10, 20, 30..., but I don't think most people can tell the difference between being 30% sure a deal will close and being 40% sure a deal will close. At any rate, I love the simplicity of your model. Thanks for sharing! Matt Great post, Jonathan! I like that your sales stages and probabilities are integrated. The CRM software we use tracks the Sales Stage and Probability separately, but it’s still very simple to keep updated. Here’s what we came up with:

Sales Stages:
1. New
2. Qualified
3. Meeting Held
4. Proposed
5. Commitment

Probability:
0%
10%
25%
50%
75%
90%
100%

The Sales Stages are completed AFTER the related steps have been completed. There’s no negotiation step because that’s implied by Proposed. There’s no Delivered / Paid For step because that’s implied by marking the opportunity “Won” in the software. A sales funnel screen shows a graphic image of how many opportunities are at each stage.

The Probability options are set to the smallest number of discernible choices, I think. I considered 0, 10, 20, 30…, but I don’t think most people can tell the difference between being 30% sure a deal will close and being 40% sure a deal will close.

At any rate, I love the simplicity of your model. Thanks for sharing!

Matt

]]> By: Christian Maurer http://www.thejfblogit.co.uk/2009/06/30/successful-pipeline-management-it-really-is-not-that-complicated/comment-page-1/#comment-13158 Christian Maurer Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:05:07 +0000 http://www.thejfblogit.co.uk/?p=2215#comment-13158 I agree. Pipeline management is not complicated. Yet I meet many managers having difficulty adopting it. The are afraid of letting go their old rules of thumbs. Even if those rules are based on half truths or total nonsense. And yes, pipeline management provides a more objective view on your future buinsess and allows not so much for fumbling with the numbers. I agree. Pipeline management is not complicated. Yet I meet many managers having difficulty adopting it. The are afraid of letting go their old rules of thumbs. Even if those rules are based on half truths or total nonsense. And yes, pipeline management provides a more objective view on your future buinsess and allows not so much for fumbling with the numbers.

]]>