Sales Strategy & Pipeline Management Flashcards

When qualifying an international prospect for your export pipeline, which factor is MOST critical to evaluate first?

Answer: The prospect's ability to pay and creditworthiness

Creditworthiness is the primary qualification factor because export transactions carry payment risk across borders with limited legal recourse.

A company using a 'pull' export sales strategy primarily relies on:

Answer: Creating end-user demand so channel partners seek out the product

A pull strategy generates demand at the end-user level, motivating distributors and retailers to carry the product.

Which export sales channel typically offers the LOWEST per-unit margin but the LOWEST market-entry cost for an SME?

Answer: Export management company (EMC)

EMCs handle export logistics and distribution for a commission or markup, reducing the exporter's net margin but requiring minimal upfront investment.

In the CES framework, 'pipeline velocity' measures:

Answer: How quickly deals move through each stage of the sales funnel

Pipeline velocity tracks the rate at which opportunities progress from prospecting to close, helping forecast revenue timing.

An exporter discovers that a key prospect in Germany is already working with a competitor. The BEST strategic response is to:

Answer: Identify unmet needs the competitor is not addressing and position accordingly

Identifying competitive gaps allows differentiated positioning rather than a destructive price war.

Which document is most commonly used to formally initiate an export sales relationship with a foreign distributor?

Answer: Distributor agreement

A distributor agreement defines territory, performance expectations, pricing, and terms governing the ongoing sales relationship.

A company sets a 'funnel conversion benchmark' of 20% from qualified lead to closed deal. If the pipeline has 50 qualified leads, the expected number of closed deals is:

Answer: 10

50 qualified leads × 20% conversion rate = 10 expected closed deals.