No Sales Pipeline is leak proof. In fact, there are some people who you don’t wish to become your customers. They may be bargain hunters, time wasters or people who are poor credit risks. So there should be a screening process to remove people who are not qualified to become your customers. To be effective, this screening process should remove unqualified prospects early in pipeline, before you have invested too much time with them. But if you are turning away a high number of unqualified prospects, you should be looking at your enquiry generation strategy. If you sell luxury cruises, advertising in a tabloid newspaper will probably produce mostly unqualified enquiries.

All other prospects, however, are by definition, qualified. And their loss is one that you wish to minimise. If there is a large loss in getting that initial appointment, perhaps a script needs to be developed for staff to turn that initial enquiry into an appointment. If losses are large in getting a request for a proposal or quotation, sales training on establishing rapport and need, creating desire and building value should be considered. If proposals (or quotations) have a low rate of acceptance, there could be a problem with offer, or way sales person tried to close.

Put in place monitoring systems to measure movements of prospects through your Sales Pipeline. Analyse losses at each stage. By understanding your Sales Pipeline, you will understand what you are doing well, and where your pipeline leaks. Only then can you start plugging those leaks!

Step 6: Measure & Analyze

Finally, management is responsible for measurement and analysis of both processes and individuals. Employees must be made aware of their progress, in new and developing settings, as well as in familiar ones, in order to effectively draft and adjust personal goals and improve performance. Measurement and evaluation should be designed to reflect vision while motivating and initiating self-government of individual.

It is necessary to communicate a clear concept of point at which development issues end and performance issues begin. Growth is a process best achieved and assessed under relatively stable circumstances, though periods of transition are often an excellent proving ground in which star players often begin to shine.

Effective Skills

It goes without saying that challenges inherent in management process must be met with maturity and sophistication by each leader. The areas of interpersonal and leadership skills, as well as continued willingness to invest in self-awareness and personal growth are paramount in profile of great leaders who will guide organizations to effective change.

Interpersonal skills are of chief importance. Leaders must treat all staff equitably, developing solid working relationships across all levels. This may appear blatantly obvious, but sadly is all too often overlooked in name of accelerated progress.

A great leader has a sincere desire for universal success, treating staff members as individuals, giving credit, taking pleasure in achievements. A great leader keeps objective clear and uncomplicated, always acts as a role model, and stands back, letting others get on with their assignments.

A true leader will make difference between an effective period of change and failure of an otherwise brilliant plan. Do not overlook advantage of adjusting needs of plan to allow for needs of people. It is not necessary to prioritize purpose over people, or vice versa. If leadership has done its homework, everyone in organization will arrive at objective simultaneously.

In Closing...

Essential to process is an understanding of distinction between management and leadership.

Management ensures that things get done right, creating process and systems and insuring efficiency. A manager manages process and records efficiency.

Leadership revolves around people, concepts and ideas, establishing direction for those who will follow. It is discerning and articulating what is right, all while educating team to do right things and to do them right.

Manage process, lead people, and educate them along way - commonsense.