CST Pipeline Management & Forecasting Flashcards

Which pipeline metric BEST indicates the overall health of a sales rep's pipeline?

Answer: Weighted pipeline value adjusted by stage probability

Weighted pipeline accounts for both deal value and likelihood of close at each stage, giving a realistic picture of expected revenue.

When training reps on pipeline hygiene, a CST trainer should emphasize that stale opportunities should be:

Answer: Regularly audited and either advanced, put on hold, or closed lost

Regular pipeline audits keep forecasts accurate and force reps to take clear next steps rather than letting deals stagnate.

A sales rep consistently overestimates their close probability on deals. As a CST trainer, the BEST intervention is to:

Answer: Coach the rep to use objective stage-exit criteria to validate probability

Stage-exit criteria provide an objective checklist that removes wishful thinking from probability estimates.

Which pipeline management concept describes ensuring enough early-stage deals exist to hit future quota given average conversion rates?

Answer: Coverage ratio

Coverage ratio compares total pipeline value to quota, helping sales trainers identify whether reps have enough early-stage opportunities to close future targets.

A CST trainer is educating a sales team on sales cycle length. Understanding average cycle length is MOST useful for:

Answer: Setting realistic close date expectations and forecasting future quarters

Average sales cycle length helps reps set accurate close dates and managers forecast revenue with appropriate lead times.

In a bottom-up sales forecast, data is primarily gathered from:

Answer: Each rep's individual deal-by-deal assessment rolled up to team and company level

Bottom-up forecasting aggregates individual rep opportunity data upward, making it more granular and deal-specific than top-down methods.