Fix a pipeline that stalled

Deals are sitting, the number is slipping, and nobody can say exactly why. Diagnose it in order.

4 steps, 16 questions underneath, read for doing the work

1. 1
   Who you sell to

   Picking a customer worth chasing, and knowing early when a deal is not one.

   How do I qualify a deal properly instead of just hoping the enthusiastic person can buy? 4 → Half my pipeline is outside our ICP because those are the leads that came in. Do I chase them? 5 → My list of target accounts is enormous and mostly cold. How do I find the ones that are ready to buy right now? 4 → Our CRM says we lose on price. I do not believe it. How do I find the real reason, and what does it say about who we should be selling to? 3 →
2. 2
   Outbound that works

   Cold email, cold calls, LinkedIn, sequences and lists. How to start conversations with people who have never heard of you.

   My cold calls die in the first ten seconds. What do I actually say when they pick up? 4 → How do I build a target list that is worth working instead of scraping ten thousand random companies? 4 → One email is not a sequence. How many follow-ups, how far apart, and what should go in each one? 3 → My champion went quiet and the deal stalled. How do I multithread an account without going over their head? 4 →
3. 3
   Running a sales process and closing

   Discovery, demos, qualification, champions, procurement and the last mile to a signature.

   How do I know if a deal is real or if I am being strung along? 4 → My demos go well and then the deal stalls. How do I stop that? 5 → They want a pilot before they commit. How do I run one that ends in a contract instead of a shrug? 4 → Procurement has entered the conversation and wants thirty percent off. How do I negotiate without gutting the deal? 4 →
4. 4
   Forecasting and GTM metrics

   Pipeline coverage, stage conversion, CAC payback, magic number, and calling a number you can defend to a board.

   How do I calculate conversion rates by stage, and what do I actually do once I have them? 4 → How do I forecast my own quarter as an AE so my manager stops overriding my number? 4 → Our win rate dropped this quarter. How do I work out why rather than just guessing? 4 → How do I tell whether my pipeline is real or just hopeful? 4 →