Knowledge Library · pipeline-hygiene
Current Quality5/10?
What's the right way to clean up a pipeline that has 60% deals older than 90 days?
Brief
Stale pipeline chokes forecasting accuracy. Clean by requalifying deals against current priorities, archiving non-fits, and resetting engagement on salvageable opps.
Detail
A 60% stale rate signals a qualification problem, not a pipeline problem. Use this frame:
Step 1: Segment by recency
- 90–180 days: Low engagement or stalled negotiation
- 180+ days: Likely lost or deprioritized
- Label each deal: Won't Buy, Low Fit, Restart, or Advance
Step 2: Requalify against MEDDPICC
Apply Force Management MEDDPICC gates:
- Metrics: Does prospect still need this outcome?
- Economic Buyer: Can you reach them again?
- Champion: Gone or dormant?
If 2+ missing → archive.
Step 3: Archive & reset
- Move non-fits to Closed-Lost (shows pipeline health to board)
- Move "Restart" deals to early stage with new touch plan
- Assign to Pavilion-trained AE for re-engagement
Step 4: Prevent recurrence
- Clari or Salesforce stage gates: auto-flag stale deals at 60 days
- Gong review of stalled calls (why deals stuck?)
- Bridge Group benchmark: target 10–15% deals 90+ days (vs. your 60%)
Tools
| Tool | Use |
|---|---|
| Clari | Forecasting + stale deal auto-flag |
| Salesforce | Workflow to alert AE at 60/90 days |
| Gong | Analyze why deals stall |
| Pavilion | Train on requalification |
flowchart TD
A["Pipeline Audit<br/>60% Stale Rate"] --> B["Segment by Age<br/>90-180 / 180+ days"]
B --> C{"Meets MEDDPICC?"}
C -->|No: 2+ missing| D["Archive to<br/>Closed-Lost"]
C -->|Yes: 1-2 weak| E["Downstage +<br/>Re-engage Plan"]
C -->|Yes: Strong| F["Keep in Pipe<br/>Priority Touch"]
D --> G["Install Gates"]
E --> G
F --> G
G --> H["Clari 60-day Flag"]
G --> I["Salesforce Workflow"]
G --> J["Gong Review<br/>Stall Analysis"]
H --> K["Prevent Recurrence<br/>Target: 10-15% Stale"]
I --> K
J --> K
Why this works: Stale deals are usually bad fits with lost momentum. Requalifying creates honest pipeline; archiving removes forecast noise; gates prevent backslide.
TAGS: pipeline-hygiene,qualification,stale-deals,MEDDPICC,forecasting,Salesforce,Clari
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Sources cited
clari.comhttps://www.clari.com/blog/sales-pipeline-management/gong.iohttps://www.gong.io/blog/sales-pipeline/gartner.comhttps://www.gartner.com/en/sales/researchbvp.comhttps://www.bvp.com/atlas/state-of-the-cloud-2026news.crunchbase.comhttps://news.crunchbase.com/forcemanagement.comhttps://forcemanagement.com/meddpicc/⌬ Apply this in PULSE
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