CSM Sales Strategy & Pipeline Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A sales manager notices that deals are consistently stalling at the proposal stage. What is the BEST first action?
- Increase the number of proposals sent each week
- Analyze lost deals to identify common objections at proposal stage (Correct answer)
- Require reps to discount proposals by 10% to increase win rates
- Move stalled deals directly to closed-lost to clean the pipeline
Correct answer: Analyze lost deals to identify common objections at proposal stage
Analyzing lost deals at the proposal stage reveals the root cause of stalls so targeted improvements can be made.
Question 2: Which metric best measures how efficiently a sales team converts pipeline into revenue?
- Average deal size
- Pipeline coverage ratio
- Win rate (Correct answer)
- Number of activities per rep
Correct answer: Win rate
Win rate directly measures the percentage of opportunities that convert to closed-won revenue.
Question 3: A company wants to expand into a new vertical market. Which strategic approach should a sales manager prioritize first?
- Immediately hire additional reps dedicated to the new vertical
- Conduct market research and develop an ideal customer profile for the vertical (Correct answer)
- Replicate existing sales playbooks without modification
- Launch a broad advertising campaign to generate brand awareness
Correct answer: Conduct market research and develop an ideal customer profile for the vertical
Developing an ICP for the new vertical ensures the team targets the right prospects before investing in headcount or campaigns.
Question 4: What does a pipeline coverage ratio of 3:1 indicate?
- The team has three times the quota in open pipeline opportunities (Correct answer)
- Three reps are needed to cover each sales territory
- The team closes one deal for every three proposals
- Three products are available for every customer segment
Correct answer: The team has three times the quota in open pipeline opportunities
A 3:1 coverage ratio means pipeline value is three times the revenue target, providing a buffer for expected losses.
Question 5: Which qualification framework focuses on evaluating the customer's identified pain, authority, consequence, and target profile?
- BANT
- MEDDIC
- SPIN
- PACT (Correct answer)
Correct answer: PACT
PACT (Pain, Authority, Consequence, Target Profile) is a qualification framework that assesses buyer readiness and fit.
Question 6: A rep's pipeline is large but has many opportunities that have not advanced in 60+ days. A sales manager should MOST LIKELY:
- Praise the rep for having a full pipeline
- Require the rep to add more deals to compensate
- Conduct a deal review to remove or re-qualify stagnant opportunities (Correct answer)
- Transfer the stagnant deals to another rep immediately
Correct answer: Conduct a deal review to remove or re-qualify stagnant opportunities
Stagnant opportunities inflate pipeline metrics and distort forecasts; reviewing and re-qualifying them improves pipeline accuracy.
Question 7: When designing a go-to-market strategy for a new product, which element should be defined LAST?
- Target customer segments
- Value proposition
- Pricing model
- Sales channel selection (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Sales channel selection
Sales channel selection is typically finalized after understanding the target segment, value proposition, and pricing, as channels depend on those decisions.
CSM Sales Strategy & Pipeline Management 2
A sales manager notices that deals are consistently stalling at the proposal stage.
What is the BEST first action?