pipeline-management · diff

v1.2.0 to v1.2.0

1 added, 1 removed. Audit A to A.

---

name: pipeline-management

description: >-

Design and manage B2B sales processes using Winning by Design's GTM Playbook Kit

— stage goals, in-stage actions, exit criteria, SPICED qualification fields,

conversion metrics, Bowtie handoffs, forecasting, and deal inspection cadences.

Use when designing sales process stages, building a GTM playbook, improving

forecast accuracy, or setting up pipeline reviews. Triggers on: "sales process

design", "GTM playbook", "pipeline management", "deal stages", "Winning by Design

process", "SPICED stages", "forecasting", "deal inspection", "CRM hygiene".

license: MIT

- compatibility: Claude Code, Jesse, Codex, Hermes, Windsurf, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, Copilot, Zed, VS Code, Goose

+ compatibility: Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Goose, Hermes, Jesse, Windsurf, Zed

metadata:

version: "1.2.0"

author: LeadMagic

category: sales-revops

tags: [pipeline, sales-process, spiced, forecasting, crm, deal-management, wbd]

related_skills: [gtm-system-architecture, sales-enablement, sales-coaching, buyer-indecision, founder-sales, sales-team-building, meeting-prep, gtm-metrics, crm-integration]

frameworks:

- "Winning by Design — GTM Playbook Development Kit"

- "Winning by Design — SPICED Qualification"

- "Keenan — Gap Selling"

- "Winning by Design — Bowtie Handoff Design"

- "Mark Roberge — The Sales Acceleration Formula"

- "Miller Heiman — Strategic Selling (buying influence)"

- "Andy Whyte — MEDDICC Qualification & Scorecard"

- "Force Management — MEDDICC Methodology"

- "Joey Gilkey — Disposition Science (top-of-funnel diagnostics)"

- "Ryan Reisert — CRM Activity Buckets (contact prioritization)"

- "John McMahon — MEDDICC inspection cadence, three-view forecast, anti–happy ears"

---

# Pipeline Management

## Overview

Most sales teams have CRM stages that describe rep activity, not buyer progress.

Winning by Design's GTM Playbook Kit fixes this: every stage needs a **Goal**

(what success looks like), **In-Stage Actions** (what the rep does), and **Exit

Criteria** (evidence required to advance). Without all three, pipeline reviews

degenerate into confidence theater.

This skill designs the full sales process — stages, SPICED fields per stage,

conversion metrics, Bowtie handoffs to CS, forecast categories, and inspection

cadences. Load `gtm-system-architecture` first if you have not scored the six

WbD models. Load `sales-enablement` after this to build the playbook assets

reps use at each stage.

## When to Use

- "Design our sales process" or "build a GTM playbook"

- "Winning by Design sales process"

- "Define deal stages with exit criteria"

- "Set up SPICED in our CRM"

- "Improve forecast accuracy"

- "Build a pipeline review cadence"

- "Design SDR-to-AE handoffs"

- "Our pipeline is unpredictable — fix it"

Do not use for org design or compensation — use `sales-team-building`. Do not

use for collateral creation — use `sales-enablement` after the process is defined.

## Authoritative Foundations

- **Winning by Design — GTM Playbook Development Kit.** The core structure: Goal

+ In-Stage Actions + Exit Criteria per stage. A stage is not "Demo scheduled" —

it is "buyer confirms solution maps to quantified pain" with evidence fields.

- **Winning by Design — SPICED.** Situation, Pain, Impact, Critical Event,

Decision — required qualification dimensions captured progressively through

Discovery and Solution stages, not dumped in one call.

- **Keenan — Gap Selling.** At Discovery/Solution stages, exit criteria should

evidence Current State + Future State + quantified Gap (not rep confidence).

Problem Identification Chart aligns product problems to discovery questions.

Discovery stage gate: no advance on happy ears — buyer-stated impact required.

Playbook → `meeting-prep/references/keenan-gap-selling.md`.

- **Winning by Design — Bowtie.** Revenue continues after Closed Won. Define

handoff criteria from Sales → Onboarding (CS) with context package: SPICED

summary, stakeholders, success criteria, and expansion signals.

- **Mark Roberge — The Sales Acceleration Formula.** Measure conversion rate

between every stage. Inspect deals against exit criteria, not rep confidence.

- **Miller Heiman — Strategic Selling.** For enterprise deals, map buying

influences (Economic Buyer, User Buyer, Technical Buyer, Coach) alongside

stage progression.

- **Andy Whyte — MEDDICC (MEDDICC.com).** Seven qualification dimensions scored

continuously on every deal: Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision

Process, Identify Pain, Champion, Competition. The MEDDICC scorecard drives

go/no-go at stage gates — not rep confidence. "Always Be Qualifying" means

re-scoring after every customer interaction.

- **Force Management — MEDDICC Methodology.** Original enterprise qualification

framework (PTC/Force Management). Andy Whyte's scorecard operationalizes it for

deal inspection and CRM fields.

- **John McMahon — Inspection cadence.** MEDDICC is the CRO's **forecast language**:

weekly 1:1s inspect 2–3 deals with evidence per letter; slipping commits get

role-play coaching (Stage 2 Capital demos). Board forecast uses **commit / likely /

upside** tranches — each backed by MEDDICC proof and named mitigations. Pair Gap

Selling at Discovery to block happy ears. Canonical → `gtm-leadership/references/cro-enterprise-strategy.md`.

- **Joey Gilkey — Disposition Science.** Six **outcome** buckets per completed

conversation diagnose top-of-funnel list/message/rep problems before opportunities

enter pipeline stages. Map Meeting Scheduled + Activated → qualified handoff;

Not Now → nurture tier; Not Me/Referred → list rebuild signal. Requires 50+

completions. → `references/joey-gilkey-bucketing.md`

- **Ryan Reisert — CRM Activity Buckets.** Four **contact-level** stages

(Uncontacted, In Cadence, Priority, Scheduled) for SDR daily workflow — distinct

from Gilkey dispositions. Design CRM contact stages and SDR→AE handoff tiers at

top of funnel. → `references/ryan-reisert-cold-calling.md`

**SPICED + MEDDICC — complementary, not competing:**

|---|---|---|---|

Use SPICED in early calls. Use MEDDICC scorecard from Solution stage onward

and for any deal ≥$50K ACV. Never advance to Proposal without Champion named

and Economic Buyer engaged (Whyte's rule).

## Prerequisites

- CRM configured (HubSpot, Salesforce, or Attio)

- Average ACV and sales cycle length known

- ICP defined (`icp-scoring` or `gtm-context`)

- Motion selected: transactional, consultative, or strategic (`icp-targeting-tiers`)

## Step-by-Step Process

### Phase 1: Motion Selection (WbD by ACV)

|---|---|---|---|

Pick one motion per segment. Do not run enterprise stages on SMB deals.

### Phase 2: Stage Design (GTM Playbook Kit)

For each stage, document all three components:

|---|---|---|---|

**Consultative motion — reference stage map:**

| Stage | Goal | Key Exit Criteria (Evidence) |

|---|---|---|

| 1. Target | Account fits ICP | ICP score ≥ threshold, verified contacts |

| 2. Connect | Interest established | Reply received, Situation documented |

| 3. Discovery | Pain + Impact quantified | SPICED: Pain, Impact, Critical Event captured |

| 4. Solution | Solution validated | Demo complete, requirements confirmed, Champion named |

| 5. Proposal | Commercial terms presented | Proposal sent, Decision Process mapped |

| 6. Negotiation | Terms + procurement engaged | Redlines resolved, EB engaged, MEDDICC complete |

| 7. Closed Won | Contract executed | Signed agreement, handoff package to CS |

| 8. Closed Lost | Learning captured | Loss reason, competitor, stage-of-death |

**Strategic/enterprise additions:** add Technical Validation and Security Review

stages between Solution and Proposal. Require multi-thread map (`multi-thread-orchestration`).

### Phase 3: SPICED Field Mapping

Map SPICED dimensions to stages — capture progressively, not all at once:

| SPICED | Captured By Stage | CRM Field Examples |

|---|---|---|

| **S**ituation | Connect → Discovery | `current_tools`, `team_size`, `process_today` |

| **P**ain | Discovery | `primary_pain`, `pain_owner` |

| **I**mpact | Discovery | `impact_annual_cost`, `impact_metric` |

| **C**ritical Event | Discovery → Solution | `why_now`, `deadline_date` |

| **D**ecision | Solution → Proposal | `economic_buyer`, `decision_process`, `criteria` |

**Disqualification rule:** No Critical Event by end of Discovery → downgrade to

nurture or Closed Lost. No deal urgency = no deal timeline.

### Phase 4: MEDDICC Scorecard (Andy Whyte)

Score each dimension 0 (unknown), 1 (suspected), or 2 (confirmed with evidence).

Re-score after every meeting. Load `meeting-prep` for discovery questions and

`sales-coaching` for manager-led deal reviews.

|---|---|---|---|

**Andy Whyte — Champion test (all four required):**

1. Has power to influence the decision (not just enthusiasm)

2. Has a personal win if the deal closes

3. Can articulate the problem without your help

4. Has committed to sell internally when you are not in the room

**Stage gate minimums (consultative $5K–$50K):**

| Advance To | Minimum MEDDICC Score | Hard Requirements |

|---|---|---|

| Solution (from Discovery) | 6/14 | Pain=2, Metrics≥1 |

| Proposal | 10/14 | Champion=2, EB≥1, Decision Process≥1 |

| Negotiation | 12/14 | EB=2, Decision Criteria=2 |

| Commit forecast | 13/14 | All dimensions ≥1, no zeros on E/I/C |

**Enterprise ($50K+):** add Paper Process (`legal_review_steps`, `procurement_contact`)

and require multi-thread map before Proposal (`multi-thread-orchestration`).

**Go/No-Go:** Score <6 at Solution stage → nurture. Score <10 at Proposal → do not

send proposal. Score drops week-over-week → manager deal review within 48 hours.

### Phase 5: Conversion Metrics (Roberge + WbD)

Define target conversion rates between stages. Measure monthly:

| Conversion | Formula | Healthy Range (Consultative) |

|---|---|---|

| Target → Connect | Connects / Targets worked | 15–25% |

| Connect → Discovery | Meetings held / Connects | 40–60% |

| Discovery → Solution | Demos / Discoveries | 50–70% |

| Solution → Proposal | Proposals / Demos | 40–60% |

| Proposal → Closed Won | Wins / Proposals | 25–40% |

When a conversion drops >10 points below baseline, inspect exit criteria —

reps are advancing deals without evidence, or the stage Goal is wrong.

**Time-in-stage limits:** Discovery >21 days without Critical Event = stalled.

Alert + manager review. Proposal >30 days without EB engagement = at risk.

### Phase 6: Bowtie Handoffs

Sales process does not end at Closed Won. Define handoff packages:

|---|---|---|---|

Load `gtm-system-architecture` for the full Bowtie (Onboarding → Adoption →

Expansion → Renewal) and CS stage design.

### Phase 7: Forecast Categories

| Stage Group | Forecast Category | Confidence |

|---|---|---|

| Target, Connect | Pipeline | 10–20% |

| Discovery, Solution | Upside | 30–50% |

| Proposal, Negotiation | Commit | 70–85% |

| Closed Won | Won | 100% |

Commit deals require all Exit Criteria for Proposal stage met — not rep optimism.

### Phase 8: Deal Inspection Cadence

**Weekly pipeline review (60 min):**

1. New deals entered — exit criteria met for current stage?

2. Stalled >14 days — which SPICED/MEDDICC dimension is missing?

3. Commit at risk — what changed since last week?

4. Missing next steps — action assigned with date

5. Close date pushed — pattern or one-off?

**Deal review questions (never "how do you feel?"):**

- "Walk me through each SPICED field — what's the evidence?"

- "Who is the Economic Buyer and when did you last speak to them?"

- "What is the Critical Event date and what happens if they miss it?"

- "What would cause this deal to die?"

Load `sales-coaching` for REKS-based manager coaching on process adherence.

## Output Format

GTM sales process document containing: motion selection rationale, full stage

table (Goal + Actions + Exit Criteria), SPICED/MEDDICC CRM field map, conversion

metric targets, time-in-stage rules, Bowtie handoff specs, forecast categories,

and weekly inspection agenda.

Use `templates/output-template.md` for the deliverable structure. Run

`scripts/check-output.py` on the finished document before delivery.

## Quality Check

Before delivering, verify:

- [ ] Every stage has Goal, In-Stage Actions, AND Exit Criteria — not just a label

- [ ] Exit criteria are evidence fields in CRM, not subjective judgments

- [ ] SPICED dimensions mapped to specific stages with disqualification rules

- [ ] MEDDICC scorecard defined with 0/1/2 scoring and stage gate minimums

- [ ] Champion test (Whyte) documented with four criteria

- [ ] SPICED + MEDDICC field mapping shows no duplicate/conflicting CRM fields

- [ ] Conversion rate targets defined between each stage pair

- [ ] Time-in-stage limits set with alert thresholds

- [ ] AE → CS handoff package defined (Bowtie continuity)

- [ ] Forecast categories tied to exit criteria, not rep confidence

- [ ] Weekly inspection agenda uses SPICED/MEDDICC questions

## Common Pitfalls

1. **Stages named after rep activity.** "Demo scheduled" is an action, not a

stage goal. Fix: name stages after buyer outcomes; actions live inside the stage.

2. **SPICED collected once, never updated.** SPICED fields go stale. Fix:

require re-validation at Proposal stage; Critical Event dates must be current.

3. **No conversion metrics.** You cannot diagnose a broken process without

stage-to-stage rates. Fix: baseline conversions, review monthly.

4. **Handoff to CS is an email.** CS starts blind, churn risk spikes. Fix:

structured handoff package with SPICED summary and success criteria.

5. **Too many stages.** More than 9 stages creates CRM friction without accuracy

gains. Fix: consolidate admin-heavy stages; keep 5–7 for consultative.

6. **Process without enablement.** Reps know the stages but lack talk tracks.

Fix: load `sales-enablement` to build playbook assets per stage.

## Execution Artifacts

- `references/framework-notes.md` — WbD Playbook Kit, SPICED, Bowtie, MEDDICC, Gap Selling anchors

- `templates/output-template.md` — copy-paste sales process deliverable

- `scripts/check-output.py` — validates required sections in finished output

- `../../management-leadership/gtm-leadership/references/cro-enterprise-strategy.md` — McMahon QBR inspection checklist, three-view forecast (Pattern 31)

- `references/cold-calling-experts-index.md` — Phone bucketing router (Gilkey vs Reisert)

- `references/joey-gilkey-bucketing.md` — Disposition Science → pipeline tiers (repo root)

- `references/ryan-reisert-cold-calling.md` — CRM Activity Buckets (repo root)

## Related Skills

- `gtm-system-architecture` — Six-model audit and Bowtie architecture

- `sales-enablement` — Playbook, battlecards, talk tracks per stage

- `sales-coaching` — REKS (Jacco van der Kooij), MEDDICC deal reviews, JOLT coaching, 1:1/call rubrics

- `meeting-prep` — SPICED/MEDDIC discovery question banks

- `multi-thread-orchestration` — Enterprise buying committee mapping

- `crm-integration` — CRM field and stage configuration

- `gtm-metrics` — Pipeline dashboards and conversion reporting

- `buyer-indecision` — JOLT for Proposal+ stalls ("think about it", FOMU)