- April 16, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Although this article will provide a blueprint for building a strong, full, and sustainable pipeline, we begin with a hospital analogy.
When I was in the hospital for surgery in February, and during the recovery that followed, I had specific KPIs assigned at discharge that I was required to meet. After a few weeks, I chose and added some personal milestones to demonstrate progress in my recovery. First the Discharge KPI’s
Week 1 – Before I Could be Discharged
- 6 minute walk
- Breath into the spirometer 10x per hour
- 1 flight of stairs
- Shower
Week 2 – First Week at Home
- Walk 10 minutes/day
- Breath into the spirometer 10x per hour
- Shower every day
- No lifting, pushing or pulling, not even to help with sitting, standing or reclining
Week 3
- Walk 15 minutes/day
- All of the above
Week 4
- Walk 20 minutes/1 mile/day/
- Resume activities that don’t require pushing/pulling/lifting
- All of the above
These are the milestones that were important to me because they demonstrated that I was progressing in my return to normal:
- Stairs – Gradually progressing from walking up a flight of stairs without getting winded, to running up 2 flights of stairs without getting winded (week 6), to walking up 7 flights of stairs (week 8)
- Resumption of driving and normal activities (week 6)
- Return to work part-time (week 5) and then full-time (week 7)
- Progression of walking 5,000 steps/day, to 7,500 steps/day
- Gradual recovery of range of motion
- (Golf) putting in the house (week 7) and then swinging short irons in the yard (week 8)
- Play on golf course inclusive of swinging driver (projected for week 12)
A pipeline building, prospecting regimen for new and veteran salespeople alike can work/look much very similar:
Week 1 (per day)
- 40 Dials
Week 2 (per day)
- 60 Dials
- 8 Conversations
- 1 New Meeting Booked
Week 3 (per day)
- 60 Dials
- 10 Conversations
- 2 New Meetings Booked
Week 4 (per day)
- 40 Dials
- 8 Conversations
- 1 New Meeting Booked
Week 5 (per day)
- Continue the above activity
- 1-2 New Meetings Booked
- 1-2 sales calls
- Follow the sales process
Week 6 (per day)
- Continue the above activity
- Quality discovery conversation in each meeting
Week 7 (per day)
- Continue the above activity
- Quality qualification conversation in each meeting
Week 8 (per day)
- Continue the above activity
- Quality presentation/proposal for each qualified opportunity
After 8 weeks, a salesperson’s progress should net the following:
- 1,800 dials
- Minimum of 40 new meetings booked
- 40 new sales calls
- 20 quality opportunities
- 10 qualified or soon-to-be-qualified opportunities
- 2-7 closed or soon-to-be-closed deals/accounts depending on the salesperson’s win rate
The actual numbers will not apply to all businesses and models. For example, if you sell capital equipment to the C Suite and you have a 2-year sales cycle for a 7 to 8 figure sale, the rate of conversion from dials to conversations to meetings could be 15 dials to 1 conversation and 10 conversations to 1 new meeting. That would be 200 dials for 1 new meetings booked – per week. Additionally, the progress after 8 weeks would be limited to the identification of 4 new opportunities, only 2 of which will eventually be qualified, and only 1 (or fewer) will close – in 2 years!
There is no rocket science to this – only math. The reason that most companies don’t get the math to work is that one of the following scenarios is usually allowed to occur:
- They never put the plan in place
- They delegate outbound to young, inexperienced BDRs
- They don’t realize how much activity/opportunities are required to close even a single deal
- Salespeople give up on the plan and sales leadership fails to penalize, motivate, or act.
Sure it’s difficult.
Sure it’s frustrating
Sure it’s demotivating.
Sure it’s exhausting.
Sure it’s boring.
Sure it’s time-consuming.
I felt the same way each time I started a business. But I long ago committed to becoming so good at prospecting that it wouldn’t take much time, it wouldn’t be frustrating or demotivating, and it wouldn’t be exhausting and boring. When a salesperson commits to becoming great at prospecting, all of the conversion ratios change for the better. Think about what it would mean for 40 dials and 8 conversations to book 1 meeting become 10 dials and 2 conversations to book 1 meeting, or 20 dials and 4 conversations to book 2 meetings. Excellence is a game changer!
While excellence involves advanced sales training skills, extended practice sessions and coaching, the desire to improve is the most important element.
Building a strong, sustainable pipeline requires commitment and discipline, not only from salespeople, but also from sales leaders who cannot allow them to give up, give in, or take short cuts.
Now that you have a blueprint, do you need help getting your salespeople to perfect the outbound call?
On May 6, at 3pm ET, I am hosting a 30-minute walkthrough for CEOs on What Your Expectations of a Sales Leader Should Be. Learn More/Register
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