Pipeline-stall play
Restart a deal that has gone quiet after a demo or proposal.
Last reviewed
Run it when
An open opportunity has had no meeting or reply for longer than your usual stage time.
Who owns it
Account executive, with sales leadership approving budget
Best suited: Sendoso
The send has to be triggered from the deal and logged against it. Sendoso integrates with Salesforce and Outreach, so reps send from where they work and the send shows on the opportunity.
What to send
- Something useful to the champion that refers back to the last conversation: a book on the problem you discussed, or a small gift with a note.
- A send to a new stakeholder the champion named, to widen the deal.
Steps
- Set a rule in the CRM: deals stalled past a set number of days in a stage are flagged for a send.
- Let the rep choose the item and write the note; the reason for the send must be specific to the deal.
- Confirm the address, then send from the CRM or sales engagement tool so it's logged on the opportunity.
- Follow up when it arrives with one clear ask: the next meeting.
How to measure it
- Share of stalled deals that book a next meeting after a send, compared with stalled deals that got no send.
- Time from send to next stage.
- Win rate of re-engaged deals.
The method behind these numbers is in how to measure direct mail ROI.
Pitfalls
- Sending to every stalled deal at once, so there's no comparison group.
- A gift that reads as a bribe: keep value modest and the note about the buyer's problem.