A few weeks ago I shared an article I wrote about a client who felt anxious about money, but when we mapped out her sales pipeline, she had more than enough potential revenue (and she felt much better). Today I’m sharing a story that’s the opposite, and you’ll learn how to tell if a potential sales lead is alive or dead.
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Have you ever had something happen that seems soul-crushing at the time, but in hindsight, you see that it led to something awesome?
For one of my clients, this was that moment.
We were looking at her sales pipeline in our SIGNED Quick Start Session. She had over 100 potential clients listed, and we were going through them one by one.
I asked, “What about this one? When’s the last time you were in touch with them?”
“About six months ago.”
“And this one?”
“We talked last year.” And on and on.
It turned out that of the 100 or so potential clients in her pipeline, only a handful were what I would consider “active opportunities.”
That’s when I knew I’d have to share some tough news. Those sales leads she thought were in her pipeline? They were dead.
And the million dollar pipeline she thought she had? She didn’t.
But instead of being bad news, it cleared the way for something awesome for her business.
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In my coaching, I focus a lot on the sales pipeline. Why? Because your sales pipeline because it’s a good measure of the health of your business.
If your pipeline is full, you’ll be on track to make the money you want to make.
If it’s empty, or close to empty, you’ll struggle for revenue.
But to know whether your pipeline is full or empty, you have to take a hard look at what’s in it. The potential clients in your pipeline – are they alive? Or dead?
Here’s how to tell if it’s a live opportunity. If it’s…
– Someone you’re actively talking to right now
– Someone you’ve talked to within the last 3 months or so
– Someone who, maybe it’s been longer than 3-6 months, but you could jumpstart it with an email
If it’s not active, you guessed it. It’s dead.
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So, back to my client. Her pipeline had been wiped clean, and instead of 100 potential clients, she had a handful.
But that presented a tremendous opportunity: the ability to build her pipeline with real potential clients tied to real revenue.
It was the chance to get clear on exactly how she was going to make the money she wanted to make. And to get the clients she really wanted, who were excited to work with her.
She had shed the “dead weight” and could start fresh.
So she focused on creating active sales opportunities. She identified her ideal clients, then focused on getting leads and getting to conversations.
Now she has 20 active opportunities. And while far fewer, these 20 are so much better than the 100 she had before.
They are her ideal clients.
They are very interested in moving forward.
They represent real revenue that could close at any time.
And that’s a healthy pipeline right there.
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Now it’s your turn to take the pulse of YOUR pipeline. Here are few steps to get started:
Step 1) Look at the potential clients in your sales pipeline. Using the criteria above, take the pulse of each one. Is it alive? Or is it dead?
Step 2) Leave the live ones where they are. Then delete all the dead ones.
What’s left? Are there enough opportunities to make the money you want to make? If not, then…
Step 3) It’s time to create some potential client opportunities. Focus on getting leads this month, so you can get them to a conversation.
And if you want my help to get leads and build your sales pipeline, reply back to this email with “Opportunities” in the subject line, and let’s chat.
To your success,
Leah
PS: Whenever you’re ready to finally feel comfortable selling to — and signing — the clients you really want, here are three ways I can help:
1. Catch me on the Soulful MBA podcast later this week – click here to subscribe and get the episode as soon as it comes out.
2. Learn how to get the clients you want, without feeling salesy, in 10 weeks
If you’re a smart, driven woman who wants to get clients for your business, but you’ve never had to sell before, you can finally learn how to do it in just 10 weeks. And you’ll learn alongside other badass women like you. Just send me a message with “10 weeks” in the subject line and I’ll get you the details.
3. Work with me privately
If you’d like to work directly with me to learn how to sell, get paid more, and get the clients you really want… just send me a message and put “Private” in the subject line. Tell me a little about your business and what you’re struggling with when it comes to selling, and I’ll get you all the details.
