If you work in sales, you know the pain: deals that looked hot last month are now gathering dust in your pipeline. You’ve nudged, you’ve emailed, you’ve even tried calling after hours (don’t pretend you haven’t). But which deals are actually stalled—and which are just slow? More importantly, how do you stop wasting time on the ones that aren’t going anywhere?
This guide is for anyone who wants to use Revenuegrid to get real visibility into their pipeline, cut through the noise, and actually move stuck deals forward. No magic bullets, no “AI-powered paradigm shifts”—just practical steps, a few honest warnings, and a push to stop overcomplicating things.
Step 1: Get Your Data Right (Don’t Skip This)
Before you even open up Revenuegrid, check your CRM. If your data is a mess—missing contacts, wrong deal stages, ancient close dates—Revenuegrid’s insights will be, too. It’s not psychic. Garbage in, garbage out.
Checklist: - Make sure deals have up-to-date stages, owners, and expected close dates. - Log recent activities (calls, emails, meetings). If it’s not in the CRM, Revenuegrid won’t see it. - Remove obvious dead deals from the pipeline so you’re not chasing ghosts.
Pro tip: If you’re not sure what’s missing, Revenuegrid can highlight “data hygiene” issues. But it’s faster to spot the obvious gaps yourself first.
Step 2: Connect Revenuegrid and Set Up the Pipeline View
Assuming you’ve already hooked Revenuegrid up to your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, whatever), head to the pipeline section. This is where you’ll see deals, activities, and—most importantly—signals for what’s stalling out.
Set up your view: - Filter by current quarter or month. Looking at the whole year just muddies the water. - Focus on “Open” or “In Progress” deals only. - Add columns for Last Activity Date, Next Step, and Deal Owner.
What actually matters:
Don’t get distracted by “engagement scores” or fluffy metrics like “sentiment.” You want to see, at a glance:
- Which deals haven’t had a real touch in X days (you pick the number—usually 7–14 is a good start).
- Which ones have no next step scheduled.
- Which ones have been stuck in the same stage for longer than your typical sales cycle.
Step 3: Identify Stalled Deals—The Signals That Matter
Revenuegrid’s main value here is surfacing stalled deals without you having to play detective.
How to spot them:
-
No Recent Activity:
Revenuegrid marks deals that haven’t had an email, call, or meeting logged in however many days you set. These are your “at-risk” deals. -
No Next Step Planned:
If there’s no upcoming meeting or follow-up scheduled, that’s a huge red flag. Deals without next steps tend to die on the vine. -
Stuck in Stage:
The software can show you deals that haven’t moved stages in a while. If your average prospect moves from “Demo” to “Negotiation” in two weeks, but this deal’s been stuck for a month? That’s your stall. -
Custom Signals:
You can set up alerts for things like “No decision maker involved” or “No response to last 3 emails.” But honestly, don’t overdo it. Too many alerts and you’ll just start ignoring them.
What to ignore:
Don’t chase every deal that’s “low engagement” if it’s just a slow-moving client. Focus on ones where activity has dropped off and there’s no clear next step.
Step 4: Act on What You Find (Not All Stalls Are Worth Fixing)
Now you’ve got a list of stalled deals. Here’s what to do next:
Triage the List
Not every stalled deal is worth your time. Ask yourself: - Is this deal actually winnable, or is it just stale? - Does the buyer have a real budget and authority? - Has the prospect gone dark for months, or is this just a temporary pause?
If a deal is truly dead, close it out. Hanging onto zombie deals makes your pipeline look better, but it just wastes your time.
For Deals That Are Still Alive
Pick up the phone. Seriously, don’t just send another “Just checking in” email. Call, or send a direct, personalized message.
Reference their last activity. Revenuegrid can show you the last email or meeting. Mention it so you’re not just another generic salesperson.
Ask for a concrete next step. “Are you still interested?” isn’t a next step. “Can we schedule time this week to review your concerns?” is.
Set reminders in Revenuegrid. If they say “call me next month,” log it. Revenuegrid can nudge you when it’s time, so you don’t forget.
Step 5: Use Automated Nudges (But Don’t Spam People)
Revenuegrid lets you set up automated reminders and even sequences to nudge prospects. This can be helpful—but it’s easy to overdo.
What works: - Set reminders for yourself, not just auto-emails to prospects. - Use short, to-the-point templates. Personalize whenever you can. - Limit the number of automated touches. Two or three, max.
What doesn’t: - Blasting the same “checking in” email every week. It’s a one-way ticket to the spam folder. - Relying on automation to save deals that are already dead. If they haven’t replied after several attempts, let it go.
Step 6: Track Progress and Adjust
This is where most teams fall down. Don’t just run the “stalled deal” report once and call it a day.
- Review the list weekly. Markets move fast—so do deals.
- Track which nudges actually get responses. If your approach isn’t working, change it.
- Share what you’re learning with your team. If a certain type of deal keeps stalling, maybe it’s time to change your pitch—or stop chasing those types altogether.
Pro tip:
Revenuegrid’s analytics can show you how long deals sit in each stage. Use this to set realistic benchmarks for your team (and yourself), not just wishful thinking.
What to Ignore (and Where to Be Skeptical)
- Don’t chase every “stalled” deal. Some are just slow—especially in certain industries.
- Don’t obsess over every metric. Focus on activity, next steps, and actual buyer engagement.
- Don’t over-automate. People can tell when you’re using a robot. Save automation for reminders, not relationships.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Spotting and working stalled deals isn’t rocket science, and Revenuegrid’s tools can help—but only if you keep things simple. Get your data right, look for the signals that matter, and act on them quickly. Don’t let the software (or your own process) get in the way of actually talking to people and moving deals forward.
You’ll get better at spotting the true dead ends versus the slow burns over time. Don’t try to perfect it all at once. Iterate, learn, and don’t be afraid to walk away from deals that just aren’t moving. Your pipeline—and your sanity—will thank you.