If you’re suffering from a low-quality pipeline, insufficient volume, or low sales bandwidth, you’re definitely not alone. Pipeline challenges are rampant in sales today, and overcoming them requires more than just leads: It’s about getting the right leads at the right time and handling them the right way.
From startups to enterprise tech, we’ve helped clients solve (nearly) every type of pipeline challenge under the sun, from cold calling struggles to getting more qualified appointments on the books. The root cause is often much deeper than “not enough leads.”
Here are the strategies that work best to cure pipeline woes (once and for all), and to achieve the pipeline growth your business deserves.
1. Tighten Your Ideal Customer Profile and Messaging
Who are your top-of-funnel SDRs trying to reach? If they’re not focusing on the right prospects, your funnel simply won’t work.
That’s why, to drive pipeline growth, it’s critical to start by ironing out your ideal customer profile (ICP) and messaging.
Your ICP provides an in-depth description of the type of company that’s the best fit for your solution, based on factors such as industry, size, technology infrastructure, and even geography. It can help you focus efforts on the right companies (instead of just more companies), especially in tough technical verticals like cybersecurity or networking. Research shows that companies with less than 10% of their customer base fitting their ICP are 50% less likely to survive over the next 5 years.
Once your ICP is dialed in, use that to steer your outreach with precision. For example, align cold outreach messaging with high-intent pain points, not broad personas.
2. Fix the Follow-Up Lag That Kills Deals
Deal momentum is critical to outcomes. And while Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) are great—if they’re going stale from slow handoffs or messy workflows, they’re not going to be much help.
Studies show that in sales, speed matters, with up to 50% of sales going to the company that responds first. However, a long lag is all too common, whether it’s due to delayed routing, unclear ownership, or clunky workflows.
To fix this issue, tighten your processes with live alerts and real-time routing from marketing to SDRs and AEs to speed up your sales velocity. The faster your reps can engage while interest is high, the more likely they are to convert.
3. Treat SDRs Like Strategic Assets, Not Just Appointment-Setters
Sales development representatives (SDRs) are, too frequently, treated like entry-level box-checkers. They’re directed to hit quota, instead of driving real pipeline impact.
But whether they’re outsourced or in-house, your SDRs should be deeply integrated with GTM motions. This means aligning SDR efforts with marketing campaigns, sales priorities, and ICP refinement.
The best teams take things a step further, and run SDRs with tailored KPIs and sales feedback loops—not generic activity targets. This data-driven approach can transform your frontline into a smart, data-driven engine.
4. Layer Cold Calling into Your Multi-Channel Playbook
Email and LinkedIn can’t carry your entire motion—especially in crowded tech verticals. You should also be using cold calling, which can still be a highly effective outbound strategy (37% of salespeople say cold calls are the most effective form of cold outreach). It can cut through the noise, and it’s a channel most of your competitors avoid or automate poorly.
But the key is that cold calling has to be done right. A well-timed, relevant cold call can spark a high-quality conversation that an email never would. It adds a human touch, can quickly build trust, and gives your reps immediate feedback on messaging and objections.
5. Run Quarterly Pipeline Audits to Spot Drop-Offs
Your pipeline shouldn’t be on autopilot. Regular quarterly pipeline audits help you diagnose exactly where the pipeline is leaking. Are deals getting stuck post-demo? Are SDRs sourcing low-conversion accounts?
Use audits to get a pulse check on exactly how your pipeline is doing. Then, use those insights to inform decisions like campaign pivots, territory realignment, and coaching decisions.
6. Test Pay-for-Performance or Hybrid SDR Models
Outsourcing some (or all) of your top-of-funnel functions can help repair pipeline challenges, while freeing up your internal team members to take deals across the finish line.
And the good news? There are different types of outsourced SDR models to choose from.
Here at Inside Sales Solutions, some of the fastest-growing SaaS teams we work with utilize flexible outsourced SDR service models to achieve pipeline targets without incurring bloated headcount. For example, pay-for-performance SDR models can ramp top-of-funnel momentum while minimizing financial risk.
7. Revive Cold or Stale Deals With Reengagement Campaigns
Just because a deal went cold doesn’t mean it’s dead—especially in long-cycle SaaS or IT sales, where timing is everything and “no” often means “not right now.” That’s why smart reps who are looking to achieve pipeline growth regularly revisit dormant leads.
What’s the best way to do so? Use targeted outreach and social proof to re-engage quiet leads from the last 6–12 months.
Speak to current pain points, recent product updates, or new social proof that might shift the conversation. Think: Recent customer wins in similar verticals or new case studies.
With the right nudge, many stalled deals can come back to life and move forward faster than you expect
Let’s Talk About Your Pipeline Growth Strategy
Your pipeline is your lifeline. And if your pipeline feels stalled—or if your team is chasing too many dead-end leads—we can help.
Here at Inside Sales Solutions, we take a prescriptive, flexible approach to SDR as a Service, with cold calling expertise and multi-channel outreach built for SaaS and tech companies.
Whether you’re looking to scale fast, fix follow-up gaps, or focus your team on high-value targets, we can help.
Contact us to solve your pipeline challenges.