8 Pipeline building tips for 2023

Written by Daniel Disney

If you work in sales you'll know that your pipeline is EVERYTHING.

Don't have enough pipeline and you'll struggle to hit your target.

Don't manage your pipeline and you'll struggle to hit your target.

Get it right though and you're on your way to sales success.

Today we are sharing 10 BIG pipeline tips to help you and your sales teams sell more in 2023.

1) Do a pipeline cleanse

A cluttered pipeline filled with opportunities that are unlikely to close wastes your time and resources—focus your efforts on the ones that will. Evaluate each opportunity and determine if it's worth pursuing or if it's better to move on. If you're not sure, reach out to the prospect to clarify their situation.

It's also important to qualify each opportunity properly. Have you understood your prospects' budget, buying process, and timeline? Are you even speaking to the right person? Answer these questions and you're on your way to a clean pipeline.

2) Get referrals from existing customers

Asking for referrals from your existing customers is one of the easiest and most effective ways to grow your pipeline. Referrals are a form of prospecting, but they don't require the same effort as traditional prospecting.

So don't be afraid to reach out to customers, even those you haven't worked with in a while. Go through your customer list and ask if they know anyone who might benefit from your products or services.

How to ask for referrals the right way:

Offer value upfront; share an article, or a video with tips, etc. Then ask if they know anyone else who might be interested in getting the same value they got from working with you.

It helps to get an email/LinkedIn intro via your customer (it's warmer and more neutral), but don't be afraid to reach out to the referral on your own.

3) Look for the upsell

Many salespeople assume customers don't need or want additional products or upgrades; that's not always the case. I try to make the most out of every conversation with my customers, and so should you. Don't leave money on the table.

Revisit your portfolio of products and identify opportunities to sell to your existing customers or the different departments within their company. By focusing on your existing customers, you can grow your pipeline without having to look for new opportunities.

4) Use this sales email template

Last year we shared an article with?nine cold sales email templates , here's one you can use to build your pipeline.

"Hi [recipient's name],

I noticed your website isn't optimized for mobile devices. This might be causing you to lose potential customers.

Our product is a tool that can optimize your website for mobile devices, providing a better experience for your visitors. Would you be interested in learning more?

Thanks"

The focus of the message should not be on what you are selling, but on the problems you can solve. The idea is to show how your product or service can help them achieve something they are not already achieving.

PS: I would change this depending on how I was using it, but the theme and general style remains. Use it as a backbone structure.

Here's how I would use it for my service (sales training):

"Hi [recipient's name],

I was just doing some research on your sales team on LinkedIn and I noticed that they aren't using it to its full potential.

Most of them don't have more than a thousand connections, don't post content, and their profiles aren't optimized.

This is something that we can help with through training, support, and consultancy.

Would it be possible to send you more information on how we might be able to help you and your team generate business through LinkedIn?

Thanks"

5) Leverage audio and video

Personalized audio and video messages can be incredibly engaging for prospects—can even revive dead leads. The key though, is to make the message relevant to the recipient, focusing on the solution, not just the product.

I've been sending audio and video messages more than I have done before over the last three months and the results have been great. Here's a script you can steal:

"Hey (NAME), (Congrats on the new job/I loved your post/How is everything going).

I wanted to pop you a quick (audio or video) message because I think I might be able to help you achieve (ROI).

Would it be possible to send you some more information?"

I sent this and my prospect said that they were settling into their new job and would reach out if there was an area I could help with.?A follow-up audio message a few months later led to a booked meeting.

To make the most of audio/video prospecting, it's important to personalize them and make them relevant to the prospect.

Instead of focusing on the product, I always try to highlight the solution and how it can benefit the recipient, whether it's by saving them money or helping their team achieve a certain goal.

6) Connect with everyone on LinkedIn

This is an under-used strategy. Connect with everyone you are trying to sell to on LinkedIn, including those who did not respond, rejected you or bought from a competitor.

Circumstances and needs change, and it's always good to have them in your network.

Go through your CRM and reach out to anyone you've cold-called, emailed, and interacted with but are not in your LinkedIn network.

(The CRM that we recommend is Pipedrive, the CRM built by salespeople for salespeople, used by over 100,000 companies and voted the easiest to use CRM (and cost-effective). You can try it completely free for a whole 30-days and if you like it, you'll also get 20% discount on your whole first year -?Find out more here )

7) Increase your pipeline 2-3x

If you're struggling to hit your sales target, aim to have 2-3 times your current pipeline ( accounting for varying close rates).

It sounds obvious, but some salespeople don't look at the numbers. If you need 10 prospects to hit your target, then you should probably have 20+ prospects in your pipeline. Just make sure they're the right opportunities.

To achieve this, reduce all non-profitable activities and reinvest that time into prospecting and creating opportunities.

(I'm living through this right now; I stopped wasting time on activities that weren't leading to business growth and switched to prospecting more—bigger opportunities too. They're resulting in sales that are going to help my business grow.)

8) Follow up more, including after work hours

Effective follow-up is crucial in sales, yet many salespeople give up too early or lack creativity in their follow-up strategy.?

We're used to a?9-5 routine, making calls, and following up at the same times every day. By default, this timing might not be a fit for a percentage of the prospects we reach out to.

So try multichannel follow-ups across LinkedIn, email, voicemail, texting, WhatsApp, and reaching out to other people in the organization. It may not be that the prospect doesn't want to buy from you, but, rather, that you haven't pushed enough.

Outreach outside of office hours is another big opportunity. Some salespeople are hesitant because prospects might hate it, but it can be effective if done in a professional and respectful manner.

If you're reaching out to the right prospects, and you believe you can help them, the benefits can outweigh the negatives. Consider early mornings, evenings, lunch breaks, and weekends when other salespeople are not actively reaching out.

Alternatively (if you're still hesitant), reach out via passive channels like email or LinkedIn, where you'd not be interrupting the prospect if they were not actively checking their messages outside working hours.?

Conclusion

Having a strong pipeline should be a top priority.?

For every sale you close, create several more opportunities to keep the pipeline growing. Think of your pipeline as a Hydra. When you chop one head off, three more pop up. It should keep growing as you close deals. This way, you'll have a constant flow of opportunities and sales that rarely slow down.

We hope you enjoy this article, please do click?LIKE?if you did and?SHARE?it with your network. If you have a skill you think is essential pop it into the?COMMENTS?as well!

This article is supported by?Pipedrive, one of the world's best CRM's that's built to help salespeople sell more. It's used by over 100,000 companies in 179 countries.?You can try it for free for 30-days right here.

They normally offer 14-day free trial but if you follow one of our links in this newsletter you'll be able to get an extended 30-day free trial and as a bonus, if you choose to use?Pipedrive?after your trial, you'll get?20% discount?on your first year.

If you're potentially interested in trying?Pipedrive ?out, we have a few extra resources that might help:

VIDEO -?The 5 best features of Pipedrive CRM

ATICLE -?10 reasons salespeople LOVE Pipedrive CRM

VIDEO -?Import prospect details instantly from LinkedIn using Pipedrive

ARTICLE -?Why salespeople are switching from their current CRM to Pipedrive CRM