Pipeline Problems? These 8 Sales Levers Usually Explain Why
- Sara Osterholzer
- Sep 2
- 5 min read
Because “just do more outbound” is not a strategy - it’s a cry for help.
If your sales team is active but not productive, you’re not alone.
You’ve got tools, targets, team meetings - maybe even a nice-looking dashboard. But pipeline still feels like it’s stuck in second gear.
And here’s the kicker: it’s not because your people are lazy. Or that your data's that bad. It’s usually because the key levers in your sales engine just aren’t being pulled - or they’re misaligned.
The good news? You don’t need a total overhaul. You just need to zoom out, find the gaps, and deliberately dial in what’s missing.
Let’s break down the 8 levers that quietly make or break pipeline in modern B2B service businesses - especially the ones trying to grow sustainably (without burning out their team or blowing up their budget).
🎯 1. Audience
“If we just speak to more people, something will land...”
Spoiler: it rarely does.
When your team is targeting everyone, they’re actually connecting with no one. Vague messaging might get a few polite replies - but not the kind that convert.
❌ Common Pitfall:
“Decision-makers in B2B” is not an audience. It’s a hope.
✅ What To Do Instead:
Narrow in on who’s most likely to buy and why now. Use data from your best customers. Spot patterns in industry, size, trigger events, and role.
🚀 Why It Works:
When your reps know exactly who they’re solving for - and what’s keeping them up at night - your messaging suddenly cuts through. Fewer conversations, better outcomes.
🧠 2. Positioning
“We’re innovative, customer-first, and scalable.” Cool story.
If your pitch sounds like every other provider in the market, your prospect will treat you like every other provider - easily ignored.
❌ Common Pitfall:
Generic messaging that doesn’t create urgency or differentiation.
✅ What To Do Instead:
Get brutally clear on:
Why you’re the best next step
What makes your offer non-optional for your target buyer
What belief or behaviour you need to challenge
🚀 Why It Works:
When positioning is sharp, the best-fit prospects lean in - because they feel seen. And you stop wasting time convincing the wrong people.
📉 3. Data
“We’ve got loads of leads — they’re just not replying.”
Cold truth? If your data’s rubbish, your outreach doesn’t stand a chance.
You can’t personalise when you’ve got the wrong job titles.
You can’t build pipeline from people who left the company last year.
❌ Common Pitfall:
One data provider, never audited, full of half-correct contacts.
✅ What To Do Instead:
Invest in multi-source data. Audit for recency, accuracy, and fit - not just volume. Clean it often (monthly, minimum).
🚀 Why It Works:
Reps spend less time chasing ghosts and more time speaking to real buyers. Efficiency goes up. Frustration goes down.
🛠 4. Infrastructure
“We’ve got tools for everything. Shame they don’t talk to each other.”
A bloated tech stack can be worse than having no tools at all.
When systems are clunky or disconnected, reps revert to Post-it notes and Google Sheets. Not ideal.
❌ Common Pitfall:
Overcomplicated CRMs, too many point solutions, zero adoption.
✅ What To Do Instead:
Map your sales process to your tools - not the other way around. Ask your team what’s slowing them down. Kill what’s not being used.
🚀 Why It Works:
A lean, logical tech stack frees up headspace and time. Reps sell more. Leaders get visibility. Everyone wins.
🔁 5. Process
“We’ve got a process… somewhere in a Notion doc from last year.”
Inconsistent process = inconsistent results.
If every rep is making it up as they go, good luck forecasting.
❌ Common Pitfall:
Processes that are either too vague to follow or too rigid to flex.
✅ What To Do Instead:
Build a playbook that’s practical, adaptable, and visible. Include cadences, objection handling, qualification criteria, and follow-ups. Iterate based on data.
🚀 Why It Works:
You create a shared rhythm. You can test what works. You spot and fix bottlenecks faster. And onboarding new hires? Much easier.
👥 6. People
“We hired based on their CV… but they’re not landing meetings.”
Hiring for experience alone is risky.
You don’t need someone who did it five years ago - you need someone who can do this job, now, in this environment.
❌ Common Pitfall:
Hiring based on years of experience, not fit for outcomes.
✅ What To Do Instead:
Define the outcomes each role is accountable for. Hire against skills and mindset, not just previous titles. Prioritise coachability and cultural fit.
🚀 Why It Works:
You build a team aligned on mission, not ego. And with the right culture, they’ll help each other win - not just compete for credit.
📈 7. Ability
“They had a great first month… and then flatlined.”
Sales isn’t “set and forget.” Even top reps plateau without regular feedback, coaching, and skills development.
❌ Common Pitfall:
One-and-done onboarding with no ongoing enablement.
✅ What To Do Instead:
Implement a competency framework. Coach to it weekly. Use live calls and outcomes as the basis for development.
🚀 Why It Works:
Skills sharpen. Confidence grows. Underperformance becomes a coaching opportunity - not a mystery.
🔓 8. Sales Enablement
“Our reps would hit target… if they weren’t also building decks and fixing HubSpot.”
Every hour your reps spend on non-sales activity is a missed opportunity.
Don’t let admin, content creation, or manual processes eat into their selling time.
❌ Common Pitfall:
Reps doing their own lead gen, writing their own emails, chasing their own assets.
✅ What To Do Instead:
Systematise the support. Centralise resources. Use automation and AI where it makes sense. And ask: “What’s stopping my team from selling right now?”
🚀 Why It Works:
Your reps stay in their zone of genius: speaking to prospects, closing deals, building pipeline. Everything else is just noise.
Final Thought: If Pipeline Feels Flat, Start Here
You don’t need a new sales team, a new market, or a new strategy.
You need to inspect the levers.
Audit where you’re strong. Identify where you’re slipping. Then make deliberate, practical improvements - not guesswork disguised as growth hacks.
And remember: pipeline problems aren’t solved with hustle alone.
They’re solved with structure, clarity, and the right team pulling in sync.
Want help diagnosing and dialling in your sales function?
Second Voice helps B2B teams build consistent, scalable outbound - without gimmicks, burnout, or wild hiring sprees.
If your sales is slow and you'd value another perspective on what to action to fix it - always happy to share ideas. Let's talk.
