Double Your Pipeline With Simple Changes

Let's start off with a bang... What would doubling your pipeline over the next quarter do for you?

A. No impact B. Slight impact C. Major Impact

I'm willing to bet C... Major Impact.

Years ago I went to work for a company to help fix their outbound strategies because their pipeline SUCKED! The biggest advantage I had… I had been the potential customer about a year before and at that time had some serious pain points they solved.

In other words… I knew how we talked internally about the problem and what it would do for us if we solved it.

When I took over our messaging it came from marketing and it was horrible. I remember my first week they were doing a campaign and wanted the SDRs and AEs to push emails to prospects. The message they wrote was at least 8 paragraphs and all about our latest funding round. Don’t get me wrong, it was well put together and very professional.

I took it and made it into 3 sentences without clearing it through marketing first. They were pissed. BUT I wasn’t in the making Marketing happy business… my job was to drive PIPELINE!

What was missing from Marketing… it didn’t CONNECT with our buyers.

Let’s SAY your current world… The market is HUGE. The gap you fill over your competitor is a game changer. AND the segment you are focusing on needs you more than anything.

Here’s the thing… ready for the bombshell????

NONE OF THIS MATTERS IF YOU CAN’T FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET IN FRONT OF THEM.

Even if your product is a perfect fit for everyone… if you don’t know how to engage them, it doesn’t do you any good.

Sure, maybe some stumble across you.

Maybe some read between the lines with your bad messaging and figure out they love you.

That’s great for you but you’ll never scale with it all being done by your buyer figuring out you exist.

Goal isn’t to be harsh here… it’s supposed to kick you into gear and help you recognize that you are leaving money on the table EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

Common Problems:

• Misaligned Messaging: Getting messages to hit their inboxes isn’t enough. It needs to get them curious and raise their hand to say “That’s me… help me fix this”

• Too high level: Too broad comes from not wanting to exclude anyone but tends to exclude everyone. Being more specific is the only way to go so that the buyer can connect and see quickly that what you solve is for them.

• Too Sophisticated: The more educated you are, the more you want to have a well-crafted, educated message. What you really need… dumb it down! Make it so simple that at a glance they can understand it. Why? It takes energy to read something and when you are trying to capture their attention, make it so simple, that they get it without making the effort. (Talking 5th grade reading level)

• Too Long: You want to tell them everything. Problem is… longer the message, the less they read. Just like above… keep it simple. Give white space so they can skim it quickly and want to learn more.

• Images and Links: Thinking that pretty images will grab their attention and they can have all the links at their fingertips is a bad idea. WHY… first off, more likely to hit spam filters. Next… a lot of emails automatically block your images so instead of seeing pretty, they see blank areas with a big question mark. Instead, drop your images and your links (including your calendar link).

So how big of a deal is it, if your messaging isn’t up to snuff?

There are companies right now that are looking but don’t see you. They have the very problems YOU SOLVE. They are skipping right over every email and ad you are putting in front of them.

It’s not intentional on their part. (It can be if you have been over the top or obnoxious) They don’t see you because you don’t stand out.

Like above, bad messaging that is too long or complicated gets either spam blocked or mentally block because it looks spammy.

So what do you do about it?

Get Crystal Clear About Your Target Market

• How do they talk?

• What matters to them?

• What will your solution do for them?

Don’t make this up… find out. When I’m working with a group I talk with their customer success and sales reps to understand:

1. What exact words do they use to talk about their problems?

2. What do they get most excited about with your solution?

3. What problem do they have that makes your solution a no-brainer for them?

When creating your messaging… don’t go sophisticated, instead simplify it. Talk like they talk in casual conversation.

Get specific: It’s ok to exclude people that don’t have the problems you solve. It’s a double whammy for you… you get those that actually have those problems and don’t have to waste your time with those that don’t.

Last of all… make your messaging so good it makes them want to take action.

I will say in general, the closer you are to your product the harder it is to do all of the above. You love your product but you don’t talk like your buyer.

It’s a special skill set to separate yourself from your product and focus solely on your prospect. When you get it right… PIPELINE flows from the mountains.

Stop leaving money on the table and missing your sales targets.

Your pipeline is the holy grail of success for sales so figure it out… NOW!

PS… Once you learn the strategy and messaging, you will double your pipeline!