Opportunity Management: Maintain Your Focus

It is so easy to become laser focused on what is right in front of us! Falling into that trap could keep you away from strategic goals and progress. How many New Year goals were never attained because we focused too much on “today” and not the whole picture? It is easy for me to say “I won’t go to the gym today cause I am just too tired”. It's a lot harder to skip when I imagine how I will feel after a whole year of missed days!  Maintaining focus is also important to consider when managing your opportunities

Know What You Have

Block Time to Review Your Whole Pipeline

Make it a point to frequently monitor opportunities at the top of your sales funnel. This time should be spent considering the health of your sales pipeline: Is it getting larger? Do you have enough opportunities to meet your sales objectives? Are those opportunities up to date? Are you staying in touch with key contacts?  Reviewing your pipeline as a whole can help you get perspective on where you are going.

Prioritize Opportunities

Sales people and Sales Managers are often focused on opportunities that are approaching their due date. There are additional things to consider when prioritizing.

Size Matters

Opportunities that are significantly larger than your average sale may need additional support and attention as they can be complex and take longer to convert. Don’t wait for the last minute on these opportunities. Get the support necessary and keep these pogressing each week.

Age is Usually a Factor

The “age” of an opportunity can reveal its likelihood to convert to a sale. Sometimes we just can’t make progress with a prospect and opportunities stay in the same sales stage for way too long! These deals have an increased risk of NOT converting to a sale. If they have been pushed back several times before, they should not take up a lot of your time and focus now. Spend energy on deals that are more likely to close as a win

Prune the Pipeline

Don’t be overwhelmed by opportunities that are unlikely to be awarded. A smaller sales pipeline with high-quality opportunities is better than one filled with clutter!

We have all had opportunities that keep being pushed back when the close date approaches. You can then let these “stale” deals sit on a back burner...but seriously consider closing them out, or pushing them to a new sales person who has time to cultivate them. Keep your focus and energy on opportunities that help you meet your sales targets

Avoid focusing on the loudest people and the closest deadline. Remember to come back to your whole pipeline and ensure you are making progress toward your strategic goals. 

Best Wishes on your goals for the new year!

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