Example: sales pipeline

What this is

A step-by-step story of one real question, from the first chat to ideas for what to change. It uses a demo, so you can follow along on your own computer and get the same numbers. Install glasstarn first if you have not yet.

This example follows a sales operations lead who wants to know where leads stall and why big deals take so long. Follow along by asking your agent to “set up the sales pipeline demo”. It has 1,600 leads.

The question

Where do our leads stall, and why do big deals take so long to close?

Getting the data

In real life, glasstarn can pull leads and opportunities straight from your CRM with your approval. See Salesforce, HubSpot or Dynamics 365.

Digging in

1. Compare lead sources. Ask your agent:

Which lead sources turn into deals, and which stall?

Webinar leads need several contact attempts and stall before qualification. Filter by lead source with + Filter → A field such as region or vendor to see their route on the map.

2. Find the loops. On Process, look for dashed amber arrows. They show work going back to an earlier step. Here deals go back to discount approval.

3. Check deal size. Filter to deals of 50,000 or more. These go round discount approval up to three times. Use Measure from the first discount request to approval to see how long the loop takes.

Deciding what to change

What could we simplify, and where could an agent help the sales team?

Ideas that fit this data:

• Set clear discount limits for large deals, so most get approved the first time.
• Rethink webinar follow-up. Fewer, better-timed contact attempts, or qualify interest during the webinar.
• Agent candidate. An agent could prepare the discount request with deal history and margin, so approval takes one round. A person still approves.

See Improve.