Thawing Your Pipeline

As we transition from the chill of winter to the promise of spring, many of us find ourselves facing a landscape where our pipelines, once flowing freely, have frozen. The journey to thawing these pipelines and ushering deals into the warmth of closure is taking longer than ever. The path a prospect takes is far from a straight line—it meanders, loops back, and often requires more hands to clear the way than we initially anticipate. 

The urgent need to accelerate deals was crystal clear in our February Peer Huddles and was the focus of intense discussions. While there are no magic wands to instantly melt away the obstacles, there are strategies—like the first rays of spring sun—worth embracing to gently warm and eventually unfreeze these stalled processes. Here are seven beams of light we've identified to help defrost our pipelines.

1. Ruthlessly Qualify Leads

Just as the harsh winter can distinguish the resilient from the fragile, so too must we discern which prospects are ready to bloom. As one Huddler noted, "There is no point in asking for the order if the prospect isn’t ready to buy." 

Our task is to nurture these seeds carefully, ensuring they're exposed to just the right conditions before passing them along to Sales, using precise scoring and tracking intent signals to avoid frostbite at this delicate stage.

2. Become the Trusted Advisor

In the thawing landscape, our brand must be the sun—constant, warm, and guiding. As one Huddler shared, "Our whole brand throughout the journey is the trusted adviser – that friend you want to study with." “We take that approach in content syndication, targeted field events, and even emails,” they added. 

To be trusted, you need to know your target wants and needs. The obvious example – a CFO won’t care about the same issues as a CTO. Understanding the unique needs of each role ensures that our warmth reaches the right places, encouraging growth and trust. 

3. Support Champions Not Buyers

Recognizing that prospects face multiple obstacles in getting to a purchase decision, many marketers create buyer’s guides. Unfortunately, these are often blatantly self-serving and incomplete. 

To fix this, multiple Huddlers recommend reframing these as “Champion’s Guides,” providing all the information that the champion needs to share with the other members of the buying committee. For example, the champion might be the end user, already eager to deploy your tool but needs the CFO and CTO to approve. Providing the ROI details for the CFO and the tech specs and security info for the CTO upfront ensures there will be fewer hiccups. By clearing the path with the right information, we help your champions bring everyone together.

4. Road Shows with Road-Tested Speakers 

Many marketers rely on small in-person events to help close late-stage deals. This direct engagement acts like a greenhouse, creating a microclimate where relationships can bloom in even the coldest of seasons. “We continue to find success with intimate events like wine tastings, blending prospects and customers,” explained one Huddler. 

However, your staffing choices are critical here. "Make sure your speakers are road-tested. They need to know the product inside-out and be able to converse with a wide range of people,” reminded one Huddler. 

5. Revisit Simple Direct Mail

Several Huddlers are finding success with simple direct mail. In a landscape blanketed by snow, the simplicity of a single green shoot breaking through the surface can capture the eye. 

As one Huddler explained, "People don't want to read big, long cover letters and brochures and prefer picture-oriented snappy pieces of information about their problems and how we can help," reminding us that sometimes, simplicity is key. 

6. Revisit Complicated Direct Mail

Other Huddlers are using high-value direct mail to successfully engage decision-makers in late-stage deals. These packages can prompt prospects into action especially if the gift is connected in some way to a clever campaign. But before you ship a single package, you need to make sure your list is accurate and that the individuals are allowed to accept your gifts. 

As one Huddler noted, “Start with digital, get them excited about an offer and they will give you their home address.” In this way, you’ll be certain your big investment has a big payout. 

7. Keep Optimizing Your Email

Email remains a vital tool, like the steady drip of melting ice, nurturing prospects toward the warmth of engagement. Importantly, emails should be part of campaigns, not one-offs. Explained one Huddler, "Every email we send has a call to action at the bottom that aligns with the content and typically drives to a demo." Other best practices for email include subject-line testing, list segmentation, and monitoring deliverability. 

These strategies, cultivated through our Peer Huddles, serve as our collective effort to usher in the spring for our sales landscapes. "There are lots of approaches worth testing," a reminder that, like the changing seasons, our efforts to warm, nurture, and eventually thaw our frozen pipelines require patience, persistence, and a willingness to embrace new growth strategies. As always, your feedback is welcome.