Why Sales Pipelines Are Optical Illusions

Look at the image of the two sets of balusters below.

The set of balusters on the left looks much larger and closer than the set of balusters on the right. Fact. They look larger, but they aren’t. They don’t even exist. It’s a shadow cast by the stairs on the right. An illusion.

That’s the illusion most salespeople live in with their opportunities.

They often carry these ten beliefs about every deal:

1. The opportunity is bigger than reality.
2. The prospect is more important than reality.
3. The close date is sooner than reality.
4. The likelihood of closing is greater than reality.
5. Their sales conversation went better than reality.
6. They don’t have any competition, unlike reality.
7. They need a lower price than reality.
8. The prospect loves them more than reality.
9. The prospect’s influence is much greater than reality.
10. The prospect’s dislike for their current vendor is much stronger than reality.

Not only are they often living on another planet about those ten beliefs, they also celebrate these nine fatal, faulty “wins”:

1. We got on the approved vendor list — a win! Big freakin’ deal. More often than not it’s a put-off. “Is John there?” “No, he’s not. Send me your info and I’ll get you on the approved vendor list.”
   
2. The receptionist asked for my business card — a win! Wow, that’s huge! This is always a put-off. “Is the person who handles mousetraps in?” “No, he’s not.” “Can I have his name and contact information?” “Give me your card and I’ll make sure he gets it.”
   
3. They asked for a proposal — a win! Can you believe it? “Can I ask you a few questions?” “We are definitely moving forward. Send me a proposal.”
   
4. They asked for more information — a win! Oh boy, you’re so fortunate. “Hi Joe, it’s Dave with XYZ. We provide mousetraps to companies that have mice.” “Oh great, send me some information and I’ll take a look at it.”
   
5. We got an RFP — a win! Sure. You and twelve other companies got the same RFP, and if you weren’t the person who helped write the spec, you’re not winning that RFP.
   
6. I got a 30-day trial — a win! Haha, right. If that 30-day free trial doesn’t include an automatic conversion to a one-year or longer contract, with clear criteria for what constitutes a successful trial, then you just caused your company to deliver a valuable service without getting paid for it.
   
7. I got introduced to the person in charge — a win! So you have a meeting scheduled? Of course not. You have the name of someone who doesn’t want to talk with you.
   
8. I added a new opportunity to the pipeline — a win! You had a first conversation and they shared a problem we can help with? No? Then what? “I drove by and noticed they needed our help.”
   
9. They agreed to a demo — a win! Big whoop. Who cares? Not them. After they see all the great things your thing can do, they’ll say it’s nice. Just nice. Not MUST have, just nice to have. And without MUST being in play, they have no reason to get the decision maker involved, engaged, or the spend approved.

What causes salespeople to be so delusional about their opportunities, leads, and contacts? It’s usually a combination of some of these five:

1. Their pipeline is half-empty. If it were full, they would be much more honest and discerning.
2. Their sales manager is pressuring them for meetings, demos, and proposals. So they manufacture activity that looks like progress even when nothing has actually moved.
3. They need to be liked and are afraid to push back on any of the nine stupid “wins” above.
4. They aren’t able to stay in the moment and quickly get excited.
5. They are suffering from an excess of hope. Hope is a feeling that clouds reality, and there are no feelings in a pipeline.

The real climb requires a shift in mindset plus the commitment, discipline, and consistency to follow best sales practices instead of celebrating shadows. How would you rate yourself or your salespeople on those three things?

Need help seeing the actual stairs? You can reach me here.