^{This 3-minute read brought to you by the team at Rogue Pine}

In this issue, you'll learn:

• The Illusion of Pipeline Health

• Why Pipeline Velocity Matters

• Frameworks Exist for a Reason

• A Brutal Question for Every Deal

• Marketing + Sales Alignment

• Key Takeaways

• Take the Next Step

Most sales pipelines look great on a dashboard—until they collapse under scrutiny.

CMOs, CROs, and sales leaders often point to a bloated pipeline as proof that revenue targets are within reach. 

But behind the impressive coverage numbers lurk unqualified prospects, stale opportunities, and “just checking in” leads that will never close.

The illusion of a healthy pipeline creates complacency. 

And that illusion is why companies report $10M+ in pipeline coverage but end the quarter with less than $2M in closed-won revenue.

The Illusion of Pipeline Health

A bloated pipeline isn’t a healthy pipeline.

In fact, it’s one of the biggest threats to hitting revenue targets.

Inflated dashboards create confidence in deals that were never real to begin with.

According to RevSure, sales leaders must look beyond the raw dollar totals.

High coverage ratios mean very little if 70% of those deals were never serious to begin with.

Why Pipeline Velocity Matters

B2B SaaS leaders are increasingly turning to pipeline velocity—the speed and quality of deals moving through each stage—as a truer measure of health.

A deal that’s been “stuck in proposal” for six months isn’t really in the pipeline.

Slow-moving opportunities clog forecasts and distract from the deals that actually matter.

It’s clear: velocity > volume.

Frameworks Exist for a Reason

Salesforce’s MEDDIC and BANT frameworks weren’t built to make life harder.

They exist to enforce rigor and brutal honesty to keep your pipeline full of actual qualified leads..

• Is there a budget?
  

• Is there authority?
  

• Is there urgency and pain?
  

If the answer is unclear, the deal shouldn’t sit in your pipeline and inflate your forecast. 

Frameworks protect leaders from “happy ears” and keep the pipeline grounded in real buying intent.

A Brutal Question for Every Deal

Here’s an actionable way to cut through the noise:

Start every pipeline review by asking, “Would I bet my paycheck this closes?”

If the answer is no, the deal either needs more qualification—or it shouldn’t be counted.

This simple discipline shifts focus from wishful thinking to real opportunities.

Marketing + Sales Alignment

Pipeline health isn’t just a sales problem.

• CMOs and CROs must align on qualification criteria and intent signals.

• Marketing can’t pass unqualified leads just to pad the funnel.

• Sales can’t cling to “maybe someday” prospects just to pad the forecast.

True alignment may mean fewer opportunities in the funnel, but that often means a higher percentage of deals that actually close.

Key Takeaways

• Big pipelines aren’t better. They’re often illusions.
  

• Velocity matters more than volume. Track movement, not just totals.
  

• Use frameworks. MEDDIC and BANT exist to track real metrics on leads.
  

• Start with honesty. If you wouldn’t bet your paycheck, don’t count it.
  

Take the Next Step

Healthy pipelines aren’t about size. They’re about truth. Help yourself be honest and take the next step toward improving your leads.

• Subscribe to Grow Rogue for more brutally honest growth insights.

• Share this with your CRO, CMO, or VP of Sales who might be mistaking pipeline coverage for real revenue.

• Check out the Grow Rogue podcast for more info to improve your marketing.