--- title: Time to Unclog the Pipeline! description: B2B sales organisations need to identify the deals with momentum - and concentrate their attentions on facilitating the buying process. --- This is a search field with an autosuggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # Time to Unclog the Pipeline! ![Bob Apollo](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/78fa41976d534cacbb0e22e151bc6816) Post by [Bob Apollo](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/author/bob-apollo) January 20, 2009 Deals seem to be taking longer, more decision-makers are getting involved, and more deals just keep slipping from quarter to quarter without ever coming to a decision.  As a result, many sales pipelines are getting clogged up with deals that are going nowhere fast - and have been for ages. At first glance, it might appear comforting that at least the deals haven't gone away or worse, been lost to a competitor.  But all these go-nowhere deals are hardening the arteries of sales pipelines and making it difficult to move the fast-moving deals through to completion. Most organisations would benefit from a rigorous re-qualification of every deal in the pipeline based on a evidence-driven evaluation of their true potential.  What should we be looking for?  Evidence of buyer intent, expressed through actions that take their buying process forward, and clear championship within the buying organisation. Establishing evidence of buyer intent is a key element of [proactive pipeline management](https://www.inflexion-point.com/home/proactive-pipeline-management/).  In these risk-averse times, one of the most powerful signs of buyer intent - in addition the their observed behaviour - is an identified and acknowledged "cost of inaction": what would the potential costs, consequences and risks be to the buyer if they made a decision to do nothing at this stage?  If it's proving difficult to get your champion to articulate this clearly both to you and to their colleagues on your prospect's buying team, it may be time to focus your energies on others that show greater promise. Almost every pipeline would benefit from moving the faster moving deals into the middle of the flow - where they can enjoy the best attention - and gently moving the slower moving projects to the side where they are less likely to stand in the way. ###### Tags: [Scalable Systems, ](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/scalable-systems) [Revenue Management, ](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/revenue-management) [Complex Sales](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/complex-sales) ![Bob Apollo](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/78fa41976d534cacbb0e22e151bc6816) Post by [Bob Apollo](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/author/bob-apollo) January 20, 2009 Bob Apollo is a Fellow of the Institute of Sales Professionals, a regular contributor to the International Journal of Sales Transformation and Top Sales World Magazine, and the driving force behind Inflexion-Point Strategy Partners, the leading proponents of outcome-centric selling. Following a successful corporate career spanning start-ups, scale-ups and market leaders, Bob now works as a strategic advisor, mentor, trainer and coach to ambitious B2B sales organisations - teaching them how to differentiate themselves through their provably superior approach to achieving their customer's desired outcomes. [Follow me on my website](https://www.inflexion-point.com) [Follow me on LinkedIn ](https://uk.linkedin.com/in/bobapollo) [Follow me on Twitter ](https://twitter.com/bobapollo) ### Comments ###### Related Articles ### [The Buyer's Journey Revisited ... Part Two](https://www.inflexion-point.com/Blog/bid/38920/The-Buyer-s-Journey-Revisited-Part-Two) Posted by **[Bob Apollo](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/author/bob-apollo),** **Aug 24, 2010** In my previous article on the Buyer's Journey, I set out our latest thinking on the nature of the B2B Buying Process. In ... ### [Revisiting the Buyers Journey](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/revisiting-the-buyers-journey) Posted by **[Bob Apollo](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/author/bob-apollo),** **Oct 05, 2017** I can still remember the powerful inspiration I gained from my first reading of Hugh Macfarlane’s “The Leaky Funnel” – the ... ### [3 Revenue-Driving New Year Resolutions](https://www.inflexion-point.com/Blog/bid/53123/3-Revenue-Driving-New-Year-Resolutions) Posted by **[Bob Apollo](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/author/bob-apollo),** **Dec 22, 2010** It’s the time of year when we all get showered with recommendations for New Year Resolutions, and as if you haven’t already ... [![Outcome-Centric Selling Academy offer](https://www.inflexion-point.com/hubfs/OCSA%20CTA%20300x300.png) ](https://inflexion-point.thinkific.com/) Subscribe Categories - [Complex Sales (375)](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/complex-sales) - [B2B Marketing (200)](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/b2b-marketing) - [B2B Buying Process (122)](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/b2b-buying-process) - [Value Selling System (114)](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/value-selling-system) - [Outcome-Centric Selling (100)](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/outcome-centric-selling) - [Scalable Systems (89)](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/scalable-systems) - [Thought Leaders (75)](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/thought-leaders) - [Revenue Management (59)](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/revenue-management) - [Opportunity Qualification (36)](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/opportunity-qualification) - [Intelligent Targeting (35)](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/intelligent-targeting) - [CSO Insights (32)](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/cso-insights) - [Sales Enablement (31)](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/sales-enablement) - [Selling in the Breakthrough Zone (31)](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/selling-in-the-breakthrough-zone) - [Sales + Marketing Alignment (30)](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/sales-marketing-alignment) - [CRM (24)](https://www.inflexion-point.com/blog/topic/crm)