BY Jessica Helinski
Smart sellers know that a mid-year sales funnel check ensures they’re on the right track. A lot can happen in the first six months of the year. Pausing to look over your funnel’s health helps identify any issues that can cause trouble ahead.
As SalesFuel has reported, most salespeople believe their sales funnel is “good enough.” But they also report struggling with closing sales in their prospected time frame. This indicates “a breakdown in their funnel management and pipeline review process.”
This can be a big issue when it comes to year-end and your quota is still out of reach. A concise health check-up ensures that your funnel isn’t just good enough. It confirms that it’s healthy and ready to deliver prospects straight to a deal through year-end.
What should you check during a mid-year sales funnel assessment?
There are specific questions that sellers can ask themselves as part of the check-up. The Brooks Group’s Dan Markin shares questions that can help sellers ensure their funnel is efficient.
One of the most important questions to ask is, “Do I still have a clear definition of my ideal (qualified) prospect?” Not every lead is ready for a sales conversation, and that may be something sellers stray from as the year goes on.
Without strict criteria, sales professionals can waste time chasing opportunities that aren’t yet ready to close – or never will be.
Revisiting and confirming what makes a prospect truly qualified will cut down bottlenecks in the sales funnel. Markin encourages sellers to consider these traits when defining their own qualified prospect:
- “Are aware they have a need.
- Have the authority and ability to buy.
- Have a sense of urgency.
- Trust your sales professional and your organization.
- Are willing to listen.”
If you need help defining, or even re-defining in light of changes, your qualified prospect, check out these guidelines for assistance.
How often are you “cleaning?”
By this, Markin isn’t referring to your house. Instead, he suggests sellers ask themselves about their funnel-cleaning schedule.
“Think of it like dusting,” he writes. “You don’t have to dust your house every day…”
“…but, if you don’t do it for a year, the dust is going to build up and people will notice.”
The middle of the year is a great time to reassess prospects and do a clean sweep. Keep in mind that doing so requires some honesty. Don’t be afraid to let go of any prospects that really don’t belong but still have gotten pushed forward.
As Aktify’s Jeff Lew points out, “Your sales funnel should move low-quality contacts out of the flow as soon as possible…”
This, he adds, allows “higher quality ones to more freely move forward …”
This reassessment of prospects is an important step in your mid-year sales funnel review. Doing so ensures that every person in your funnel is fully qualified and ready to keep moving closer to closing.
Is your CRM helping?
SalesFuel has already emphasized the importance of adopting digital tools to stay competitive. But these tools need to be monitored to ensure they are actually providing value. Based tips from the professionals at ProAptivity, ask yourself the following about your CRM:
- Can I see where each of my deals is in the sales funnel?
- Does the CRM help me track all my sales activities and know exactly what stage each opportunity is at?
- Do I understand why some of my deals are moving forward or stalling?
- Is the CRM helping me spot patterns or issues so I can improve my win rate?
Today’s check-in can secure tomorrow’s success
By taking time to do a mid-year sales funnel review, you’re proactively ensuring its health through year-end. This will allow qualified prospects to freely move through their journey and finish with closed deals.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels
