Spring Cleaning for Your Pipeline: What to Keep, What to Cut

April 6, 2025 | Sunday Sales Spark

There’s something about spring that makes you want to roll up your sleeves, throw open the windows, and start tossing stuff that’s been collecting dust for way too long.

Your pipeline deserves the same treatment.

Because just like that box of cords in your garage, you’ve probably got a few things sitting in there that you “might use someday,” but deep down, you know they’re not going anywhere.

Time to clean house—and make room for real movement.

What to Track

• Active Engagement
  If you’ve had recent, two-way communication with a prospect—email replies, meetings, even a phone call that ended with a defined next step—it stays. These are live wires. If someone’s showing interest and there’s a path forward, keep investing your time there.
• Focused Targets
  Keep opportunities that are aligned with what you actually sell and who you’re set up to serve. That means agencies where you’ve verified demand, know the buyers, or have already done some groundwork. Casting a wide net sounds smart until you spend all your time chasing leads that were never a fit.
• Past Clients and Buyers
  They’ve bought from you before—and if you delivered well, they’re far more likely to buy again. Even if there’s nothing active right now, these relationships are warm and worth nurturing. Don’t bury them under a pile of colder, unqualified leads.
• Qualified Bids with Real Timelines
  If there’s a solicitation you’ve prepared for, scoped out, and confirmed funding or timelines—it belongs in your pipeline. Bonus if you’ve had any communication with the contracting office. This is where good preparation meets actual opportunity.
• Subcontracting Opportunities
  Don’t overlook deals where you’re not the prime. Sub work can give you revenue, past performance, and access to agency buyers without carrying the full load. If you’re in talks with a solid teaming partner, that opportunity deserves a spot.

What to Toss

• The Dust Collectors
  If an opportunity hasn’t moved in 90 days, and there’s no new info, response, or next step—it’s not an active lead. Archive it or move it to a long-term nurture list. Your active pipeline should only include active opportunities.
• Name-Drops and Drive-Bys
  Just because someone downloaded your one-pager or stopped by your booth doesn’t mean they’re interested. If there’s been no follow-up or engagement, it’s not a lead—it’s a contact. Different buckets. Don’t confuse the two.
• Long-Shot Opportunities with No Strategy
  You saw a big-name agency on the bid and added it to your pipeline—except you have no past performance in that space, no intel, no relationships, and no teaming strategy. That’s not a lead, that’s a fantasy. Cut it and focus on what you can actually win.
• Bids with No Budget or Vehicle
  If you don’t know how the agency plans to buy or whether the funds have been allocated, it’s too early to treat it like a real opportunity. Keep it on your radar, but don’t let it clog your main pipeline.
• Recompetes You’re Guessing At
  If you’re chasing a recompete without researching the incumbent, pricing, or agency satisfaction—you’re walking in blind. These aren’t impossible to win, but if you’re not doing your homework, you’re wasting time. Cut it or come back once you’ve done the work.

Your Pipeline Should Feel Light and Focused

Think of your pipeline like your garage after a good purge. What’s left should be useful, ready, and easy to grab when you need it. It should give you clarity—not confusion.

And when it’s clean, something powerful happens: you stop feeling overwhelmed, and you start seeing what actually matters.

If you like what you see in this article and are ready to get to work on increasing your product sales margins, click here to schedule a call with me. Let’s put together a plan that works.

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