The Only Thing Worse Than an Empty Pipeline Is a Full One That’s Full of Lies.
On paper, things look great. The pipeline’s fat, full of “opportunities.” But dig deeper and you’ll find the same ugly truth: nothing’s moving. Deals have stalled. Decision-makers have vanished. And everyone’s pretending it’s fine. So what’s really going on here?
It’s that time of year again. Several companies I’ve been speaking with are dealing with the same seasonal sales disease: the bulging pipeline.
This happens every year. Sales teams spend months “building pipeline,” and now, just as the budget holders are about to disappear into year-end hibernation, it’s make-or-break time.
On paper, things look great. The pipeline’s fat, full of “opportunities.” But dig deeper and you’ll find the same ugly truth: nothing’s moving. Deals have stalled. Decision-makers have vanished. And everyone’s pretending it’s fine.
So what’s really going on here?
The Root Cause: Bad Qualification
The #1 reason pipelines don’t move isn’t lack of effort, or even bad timing. It’s bad qualification.
Most of what’s sitting in your CRM was never properly qualified in the first place. Qualification isn’t a mystery, it’s part science, part art.
The science is the structure. A clearly defined criteria for what is and isn’t a qualified opportunity. If you don’t have that, you’re not selling, you’re having meetings and hoping really hard.
The art is how you get that information to qualify deals in or out. That’s where skill, curiosity, and a bit of backbone come in.
Step 1: Review Every Deal
Go through each opportunity and ask: Is this truly qualified? Spoiler: it probably isn’t.
If you don’t have a checklist to measure qualification, you’ve got a structural sales problem. Fix that before you chase anything new.
Step 2: Re-Qualify or Kill
Go back through the list and qualify every deal in or out. Yes, this means you’ll lose “pipeline.” But don’t panic ... this is a good thing.
A collapsing pipeline is often the healthiest thing that can happen to a sales team. It’s like a detox: ugly at first, cleansing in the long run.
Just be ready to explain it. (Tip: distraction has worked for generations. Offer your boss a drink or start a conversation about AI. Or both.)
Step 3: Fall Back Before You Push Forward
If a deal is stuck in the late stages, don’t push harder ... go backwards. Revisit earlier qualification questions. Why was the prospect looking to make a change in the first place? What changed? Who dropped off? What assumption(s) was wrong? These days a common culprit is finding out there are additional decision makers who salespeople were not aware of.
It’s counterintuitive, but sometimes the fastest way forward is a few honest steps back.
And if a deal truly isn’t ready, don’t kill it, nurture it. Stay useful and don't be annoying. Send helpful content rather than empty calories of material no one will ever read. Keep the door open and your credibility intact.
Final Thought
A pipeline doesn’t close deals. People do. Prospects don’t buy because they’re sitting in your “Stage 4 – Proposal Sent” column. They buy because you’ve solved a real problem and stayed relevant.
If your pipeline looks big but feels broken, it’s time for a clear-out. Because the only thing worse than an empty pipeline … is a full one that’s full of lies.
If your team’s pipeline looks bloated and you want to fix it before year-end, I run a 2-hour “Pipeline Detox” workshop that gets reps qualifying again and deals moving. Message me or drop a comment if you want details.