Your pipeline is not a storage unit

A possible sale is not alive because its name sits in a spreadsheet. It is alive when the customer agrees to a next step and a date.

Try the three-question test

For every opportunity, ask: What problem are they trying to solve? Who owns the next move? When exactly does it happen? If any answer is vague, the forecast is wearing makeup.

Check the list every Friday. Move real deals forward. Put ‘maybe someday’ to one side. Remove dead deals without holding a small funeral.

The useful number

Track the percentage of live deals with a dated next action. That number tells you more about pipeline health than the total value at the top of the spreadsheet.

If your team needs a better weekly sales habit, start with the Revenue Engine Score. It will show whether the problem starts with the leads, the follow-up or the way you track them.