When pipeline is down, the default reaction is to increase volume (more SDRs, more events). This is a flawed guess that ignores process efficiency. The real leverage comes from understanding the conversion effectiveness of existing activities, not just adding more inputs to a broken system.

Traditional funnels jump from a marketing signal (like an MQL) to an opportunity, creating a blind spot. They miss the 'Engagement' period of initial interaction and the 'Prospecting' phase of active sales pursuit. Ignoring these stages makes it impossible to diagnose performance issues or identify improvement levers.

The unmeasured activities between lead generation and opportunity creation—the "pipeline black box"—is the biggest failure point for B2B companies. Analyzing this SDR/BDR process for patterns is the key to systematically engineering pipeline growth, not just guessing.

Top-performing companies are abandoning traditional metrics like MQLs. They now focus on understanding the entire prospecting process—from lead creation to BDR/SDR engagement—to generate stronger pipeline, higher win rates, and more revenue with less wasted effort.

Instead of debating multi-touch attribution, first identify the single, independent event that caused a sales rep to engage a prospect. This "trigger" (e.g., demo request, MQL score) reveals the true efficiency of your GTM motions, which is a more fundamental problem to solve.

Many salespeople fill pipelines with leads showing mere interest. Elite performers differentiate this from true buyer intent—the willingness to buy now. They actively disqualify prospects who lack intent, allowing them to focus on fewer, more qualified opportunities and avoid wasting time on conversations that won't convert.

The company had a significant 'prospecting black box.' For 40% of all opportunities, there was no traceable sales trigger or activity log, such as logged calls. This meant they couldn't measure or optimize a huge portion of their pipeline creation process, particularly SDR outbound efforts.

FloQast segments webinar leads beyond just 'attended.' Prospects who actively engage by asking questions are prioritized for sales follow-up within hours. This signals high intent and is treated as a more valuable lead than someone who simply attended passively, leading to more efficient sales outreach.

SDR teams often ignore complex dashboards with too many metrics. Simplify reporting to four key numbers: dials (effort), connections (quality), meetings scheduled (conversion), and meetings ran (outcome). This clarity increases trust, accountability, and focus on the activities that drive results.