Articles
Notes on testing the sales story in a deal.
“Inbound has run out”: what to ask before adding a channel
When management says demand has dried up, the useful question is what they have already tried to grow it, and what happened.
“The market is big enough”: count the buyers, not the market
A large market does not mean many buyers at the deal size the plan needs. Count the companies that can actually buy.
“We can switch on outbound”: look at the last ten wins
If outbound has worked before, the last ten deals it won will show it: where they came from, how long they took and who closed them.
“Small deals fund outbound”: the payback question
An outbound rep costs the same whatever the deal size. Ask how many deals each rep must close a month to pay for themselves.
“Our pipeline is healthy”: look past the coverage number
Old deals inflate coverage. Ask how many deals have been open for more than 90 days and how many of those close.