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Pipeline Review ≠ Sales Forecast
From a flat revenue curve to new business bookings growing by more than 30% YoY.
That’s Martin Mackay’s specialty. In our latest podcast episode, he delves deep into three themes that are crucial for effectively revamping revenue:
(1) Setting clear expectations for the team.
(2) Sales as a process: building pipeline, closing deals, and ensuring customer satisfaction.
(3) Cultivating a culture of continuous learning.
You can listen to the episode right here, or read along to get Martin’s insights on distinguishing between forecasting and pipeline review meetings.
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What I’m about to share isn’t necessarily new information, but rather something we regularly should be reminded of.
In our conversation, Martin discusses the concept of running forecasting and pipeline review meetings in parallel.
“We are paid as leaders to deliver the number, right? And that becomes the obsession every quarter. And rightly so, it has to. However, we’ve got to think about the future too.”
“You’ve got to run in parallel lines. You’ve got to have the short term focus and then, equally important, you’ve got to be thinking in 6-9-12 months out. And that’s quite difficult when you’re under that quarterly pressure.”
Let’s face it, we tend to just focus on that short-term forecast, quarter after quarter.
However, how about also having a weekly pipeline review meeting?
You know- a more holistic type of meeting that evaluates the stages of various opportunities, discusses potential new leads, and strategizes on moving deals through the pipeline.
The focus is on nurturing future opportunities and ensuring a consistent flow of business to meet long-term sales goals.
It’s not just about the current or next quarter, but about sustainable growth.
Martin emphasized the importance of keeping these meetings separate to ensure that both immediate and future goals are being adequately addressed:
“What I have learnt to put in place, is to run a weekly forecast meetings and then have separate pipeline review meetings, joined by the relevant marketing colleagues. Not to point fingers, but to solidify collaboration.”
Yes indeed, a pipeline review should be done together with the entire Go-To-Market team.
