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As a sales professional, it’s easy to get caught up in chasing every lead, but quantity alone won’t keep your pipeline healthy—or profitable. In my second video of the Prospecting Essentials series, I explore how the right strategy and client selection can help you build a pipeline that delivers real results. This video introduces a practical framework for aligning your strategy with the opportunities that are most likely to convert. I dig into how your current client book, your revenue goals, and your win rates should guide your decisions about who belongs in your pipeline—and who doesn’t.
Key Takeaways
- Strategy is foundational: It influences every other aspect of pipeline building—outreach, access, and execution.
- Client selection is a strategic lever: It includes both your current clients and the prospects you aim to win. Knowing who belongs in your pipeline is the first step to filling it with the right opportunities.
- Know your win rate: Understanding your historical close rate is critical to determining how much pipeline coverage you actually need.
- Quota-based math: If your annual quota is $1M and your win rate is 50%, you need to build and manage $2M worth of pipeline to hit your targets.
- Territory insight drives precision: Use data from your current client mix to decide where to invest time—whether that’s deepening existing relationships or targeting new ones.
Who This Video Is For
This video is for professional sellers and sales leaders who want to build and maintain a strong, consistent sales pipeline. It’s especially relevant for those looking to improve their prospecting, outreach strategy, and sales conversations to drive both short- and long-term success.
If You Liked This Video…
If you liked this video, take the next step by downloading my Sales Strategy Index. This Sales Strategy Index worksheet will help you to assess the strength of your current sales strategy, with 10 key factors every sales organization requires for performance.
Get Ready to Transform Your Pipeline: Prospecting Essentials Launches This Summer
This video is part of an exclusive new series designed to prepare you for the upcoming Prospecting Essentials Sales Training Program, launching this summer. Whether you’re a seasoned sales professional or a sales leader looking to elevate your team’s results, this program will equip you with proven strategies, practical outreach tactics, and impactful sales conversation frameworks to help you build a high-performing pipeline—now and into the future. Stay tuned for more insights and actionable tips as we count down to the official launch. For more information, please contact me.
Frequently Asked Questions
Client selection refers to evaluating both current clients and desired new clients to determine which ones are most likely to produce high-quality opportunities. It involves understanding your current client mix, verticals of focus, and leveraging advisory intelligence to ensure you're targeting the right prospects to fill and advance your pipeline.
Start by calculating your win rate percentage—the ratio of opportunities you win versus those you lose. Then consider your revenue or profit quota. For instance, if you have a $1 million quota and a 50% win rate, you’ll need a $2 million pipeline to reach your goal. This helps guide how many existing clients to retain and how many new prospects to pursue.
Knowing your current territory—or client book—is essential for building a strategic pipeline. It helps you analyze which clients are producing results, assess your win/loss ratios, and determine how many new or existing opportunities you need to pursue. This clarity enables you to make informed decisions about where to focus your time and energy to maximize pipeline effectiveness and meet your sales goals.
Our Strategic Selling signature sales training program is now available online. This online sales learning program is ideal for professional services and B2B sales. Get started with 2 free lessons.