Inversion Kevin French - Inversion GTM
The Technology Services
Pipeline Problem
Pipeline problems in technology services companies almost always look like pipeline success until the forecast fails. Here is what the real problems look like and what fixes them.
01
The Full Pipeline Trap
A pipeline that looks healthy - lots of deals, reasonable stage distribution, plausible revenue potential - can be the most dangerous situation in technology services. False pipeline creates false confidence, delays real diagnosis, and consumes selling time on deals that will never close.
02
The Stage Definition Problem
In most technology services companies, pipeline stages are based on sales activity - meetings held, proposals sent - rather than buyer behavior. A deal moves to 'Proposed' when the seller sends a proposal, not when the buyer has made an internal commitment to buy. These are completely different things.
03
The Forecast Accuracy Problem
Technology services forecasts are almost always wrong in the same direction - optimistic. The deals that miss were always qualified as likely to close. The qualification criteria need to be rebuilt around the buyer's urgency to change, not the seller's confidence in winning.
04
The Deal Velocity Problem
When technology services sales cycles elongate - from 60 days to 90 days to 120 days - the instinct is to add more pipeline. The right move is to understand why deals are taking longer to close. Usually it's a qualification problem: the wrong buyers are in the pipeline.
"Most companies hire a CRO when they actually need a CGO. I know the difference - and I play both roles."
The Right Fit
This Is the Right Conversation If -
You're between revenue leadership hires
The highest-risk moment for a technology services company. A fractional CRO & CGO bridges it.
You're not sure which role you need
The Growth Audit answers that in 48-72 hours. Before committing to a full-time hire, know what you're hiring for.
Your current revenue model needs to change
Not improve - change. The person who runs the current model is not always the right person to design the next one.
You're PE-backed with a compressed timeline
A fractional CRO & CGO produces results in 60-90 days. A full-time hire produces results in 6-12 months.
If Any of This
Landed, Let's Talk.
If I'm wrong about your situation - if this is a product problem or a market problem instead of a revenue leadership problem - I'll tell you in the first 15 minutes. No deck. No demo.