Self-proclaimed “old school to new school” sales leader Richard Harris remembers the first time someone quit on him. “No resignation letter — she just left.”

The reason? A series of painful pipeline review meetings.

“During reviews, I would ask for X and she would give me Y. She had her own path to closing deals, but I never took the time to understand her process,” said Harris, who now runs the Harris Consulting Group, a sought-after sales training company. “One day, she walked out in frustration.”

While successful pipeline reviews identify ways reps can move deals ahead, they often fall flat. There are countless reasons — poor sales data, misaligned goals, lack of preparation, miscommunication, poor management skills — but with productive pipeline reviews at the core of accurate business forecasting, it’s critical sales teams get them right.

Responsibility for successful reviews rests on top-level sales leaders and CROs. These “buck stops here” C-levels need to frame pipeline review structure and cadence so reps and managers are set up for success.

Fortunately, it’s eminently doable. There are several simple methods for making pipeline reviews efficient and useful. Sales leaders, take note:

Self-proclaimed “old school to new school” sales leader Richard Harris remembers the first time someone quit on him. “No resignation letter — she just left.”

The reason? A series of painful pipeline review meetings.

“During reviews, I would ask for X and she would give me Y. She had her own path to closing deals, but I never took the time to understand her process,” said Harris, who now runs the Harris Consulting Group, a sought-after sales training company. “One day, she walked out in frustration.”

While successful pipeline reviews identify ways reps can move deals ahead, they often fall flat. There are countless reasons — poor sales data, misaligned goals, lack of preparation, miscommunication, poor management skills — but with productive pipeline reviews at the core of accurate business forecasting, it’s critical sales teams get them right.

Responsibility for successful reviews rests on top-level sales leaders and CROs. These “buck stops here” C-levels need to frame pipeline review structure and cadence so reps and managers are set up for success.

Fortunately, it’s eminently doable. There are several simple methods for making pipeline reviews efficient and useful. Sales leaders, take note: