Your Pipeline’s Lying

What you see isn’t what you’ll close and here’s why

Sales Systems
June 09, 2025

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Your Pipeline’s Lying

What you see isn’t what you’ll close and here’s why

Let’s rip off the band-aid: your pipeline is padded with ghost deals, fake momentum, and overhyped maybes. It looks full, but it’s hollow. You’re being fed a dream while your forecast quietly falls apart.

Most managers don’t realize how deceptive pipeline data can be until it’s too late. Why? Because it’s built on rep optimism, not buyer commitment. A bloated pipeline isn’t a sign of success it’s a signal that your qualification standards are slipping.

Elite sales leaders treat the pipeline like a courtroom. Every deal needs evidence. Vague next steps? Toss it. No decision-maker contact? Dead weight.

It’s time to stop celebrating quantity and start demanding quality.

3 Steps to Clean Your Pipeline (And Close More)

Kill the “Hope” Stage
Get rid of any stage where the only evidence is a good conversation. If there’s no timeline or action, it’s not real.
Force a Deal Review Audit
Randomly pick 5 deals per rep and make them prove buyer intent, urgency, and a plan. You’ll learn more in an hour than any dashboard can tell you.
Upgrade Your Exit Criteria
Make it harder for a deal to move forward. The pipeline should be lean, mean, and built for speed, not bloated and polite.

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