“The pipeline meeting delivers so much value; it's a strategic conversation around the best way to allocate resources.” – Adam Hale 

The finer details of this episode:

• Need for accurate data in pipeline management
• Strategic implications of pipeline meetings
• Challenges of waiting percentages in pipeline management
• Methods for evaluating and forecasting pipeline opportunities
• Tools and strategies for pipeline management
• Advice for looking forward and utilizing pipeline management

Timestamps:

Pipeline Management (00:00:44)

Importance of understanding sales cycle, activities creating pipeline, and strategic implications of pipeline meetings.

Data Analysis and Forecasting (00:02:47)

Evaluating committed projects, analyzing potential opportunities, and using historical data for forecasting.

Operational and Financial Alignment (00:03:36)

Bringing finance, operations, and pipeline management together in meetings, and using pipeline data as guardrails for improvement.

Strategic Resource Planning (00:09:49)

Evaluating the impact of big contracts on pipeline size, considering the need for increased resources, and the role of finance in decision-making.

Shortening Sales Cycle (00:12:21)

Advising on ways to shorten the sales cycle, improving sales efficiency, and the relationship between sales cycle length and pipeline size.

Challenges of Waiting Percentages (00:14:59)

Disadvantages of waiting percentages in pipeline management and the preference for categorizing deals into simple buckets.

Pipeline conversation for service-based clients (00:18:00)

Discussion on tools and strategies for service-based and project-based clients, including sales, pricing, and seasonality.

Strategic implications of pipeline management (00:19:20)

Importance of pipeline management for advising clients and looking forward, and the various ways it can help businesses.

Conclusion and call to action (00:19:36)

Promotion of the podcast's website for more tips and strategies for achieving success in the accounting industry.

Episode resources:

• Summit Virtual CFO by Anders website: https://www.summitcpa.net/
• If you have questions or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at mcpasuccessshow@anderscpa.com
• Check out the Virtual CFO Playbook Course: https://vcfoplaybook.summitcpa.net/