Some might think the title may be link baiting, but if you are an entrepreneur and you have a healthy and accurate B2B sales funnel it is significantly more fun than not having one at all. I am always amazed that many growing companies do not have processes in place for their funnel.

Here are some suggestions on how to have a better more predictable B2B sales funnel:

1. Use a CRM

This is an excellent place to have the information in a central location. Activities, contacts, and notes can all be associated with an opportunity. There are many affordable and even a few free options that are available. We recently wrote a blog that highlighted reasons startups should get a CRM system in place.

2. Funnel Reviews

Regular and consistent funnel reviews is an important aspect of having more predictable sales. This applies if you are a 2 person company or a company with a large sales team. I would recommend monthly or bi-weekly.

3. Assign Funnel % by Stage

I often see funnel % based on a sales reps gut feel on an opportunity. This can lead to huge variations from reps and even opportunities. Breaking down the funnel by sales stage and assigning a % will help make it more real. You can tweak the % over time as you get a better sense of your close rates. We recommend phases of prospecting, qualifying, proposing, closing, closed lost, and roll-out. Last year, we wrote a series on the funnel stages.

4. Understand Your Sales Cycle

One thing that affects both large and small organizations is forecasting opportunities closing faster than they actually do. It is important to understand how long the steps take to complete.

5. Inspect What You Expect

Don’t be afraid to go on sales meeting with your team. The goal is not necessarily to close every opportunity with the sales team if you are the owner or sales manager as that is not a sustainable or productive strategy longer term. It is good, especially with large opportunities, to be involved in order to provide some support and feedback to the sales team.