PROCESS AND STAGES

How to review your sales pipeline with the team in 45 minutes

“Pipeline Review in 45 Minutes” is a kit for a weekly meeting about deals that have stalled. Before the meeting, an Excel log counts the days each deal has gone without movement and flags risk signals, so you only discuss the flagged deals. For each one the team works through 12 questions and leaves with an action, an owner and a due date.

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  • English
  • updated October 13, 2026
A sheet of paper with an ink funnel of six bands, one band marked with a saffron highlighter

Who it is for

Who it is for

For the manager of a sales team of up to 10 people with 30 to 60 open deals in a CRM or a spreadsheet. The examples use six reference stages, from inquiry to after the sale. Your pipeline may look different: three stages or twelve, a CRM or a spreadsheet. The kit teaches the mechanics. It shows how to spot a deal with no next step, tell a stuck deal from a slow one and end the meeting with a decision on each deal. On the Settings tab you match your stages to the reference ones once, and from then on the log does the counting.

What this means for you

Pick the option that fits you, and the answer for your situation appears below.

Industry
Real estate and constructionRenovation and interiorsEducation and coursesHealthcare and beautyTravel and hospitalityManufacturing and wholesaleRetail and e-commerceBusiness services (consulting, marketing, IT, accounting)Auto and transportationFinance and insurance

Real estate and constructionA deal can sit still while the buyer waits for a mortgage or sells their current home. At the review, decide which answer you are waiting for and by what date.

Renovation and interiorsDeals most often stall between the site visit and the estimate. At the review, look for deals where the estimate has not gone out for more than three days, and who is preparing it.

Education and coursesPeople decide on a course within days, and once the course starts the deal usually loses its point. Start with deals where the customer went quiet after a trial class or a consultation.

Healthcare and beautyDeals are short, and 14 days without movement almost certainly means a lost client. Start with the signal “no next step with a date”: it shows up earlier.

Travel and hospitalityThe customer is comparing several offers, and the trip is close. Put deals with the nearest dates first and decide until what day you hold the booking.

Manufacturing and wholesaleThe cycle is long: samples, quotes, approval on the customer’s side, usually with a buyer and a technical specialist involved. Watch the signal “unclear who makes the decision” and quotes with no reply.

Retail and e-commerceIf a sale is a regular order, review only the large and wholesale deals where there is negotiation. Do not add small orders to the log.

Business services (consulting, marketing, IT, accounting)The cycle is long and several people are involved on the customer’s side. Watch the signal “unclear who makes the decision”: in these deals it is easy to miss.

Auto and transportationA deal often waits on the bank’s loan decision or on the valuation of the customer’s trade-in. At the review, decide which answer you are waiting for and by what date.

Finance and insuranceA deal can sit in document checks or with a partner bank while the customer does nothing. Mark whose side the next step is on: the customer’s, yours or the partner’s.

Team size
1–3 people4–10More than 10

1–3 peopleWith two or three salespeople, most deals will come up for review. You can shorten the agenda and keep the questions.

4–10The kit is built for a team this size: in one meeting you review up to four deals picked by the rule in the log.

More than 10Run the review by group, each with its own log. One 45-minute meeting for everyone will not fit.

The agenda is the same for a new and an experienced manager. If this is your first month in the role, the first review also shows which deals you inherited from the person before you.

What it does not do

  • it does not connect to a CRM: deals are entered in the log by hand or by copying;
  • it does not build a revenue forecast;
  • it does not replace the weekly numbers meeting: the review looks at individual deals.

What is inside

What you get

  • Start-here.pdf

    one page: where to begin, what is inside, how to print

  • Pipeline-Review-45-Minutes.pdf

    25 pages: preparation, a 45-minute agenda, 12 questions per deal, 8 risk signals and what to do about each

  • Review-sheet.pdf and Review-sheet-fillable.pdf

    3 pages each; the fillable version has 88 fields

  • Deal-action-log.xlsx

    formulas count days without movement and the risk signal for each deal; a filled example with 12 deals; a Review summary tab

  • Weekly-review-rules.docx

    Word, 2 pages, ready to edit

ZIP 735 KB, English; the spreadsheet uses Excel 2016 functions. Pages are A4; on US Letter, print with “fit to page”.

How it works

How it works

Six deal stages

Six deal stagesInquiryConversationProposalDecisionexample of a leakPaymentAfter the saleSix deal stagesInquiryConversationProposalDecisionexample of a leakPaymentAfter the sale
Where to look for a leak. Your stage names may differ; the idea is the same. At the review you look at which stage has deals sitting without a next step, and start there.

The 45-minute review

The 45-minute reviewDeal logdays withoutmovement counted8 risk signalspick the deals12 questionsfor each picked dealAction with a dateReview summarya sheet for the weekThe 45-minute reviewDeal logdays without movement counted for you8 risk signalspick the deals12 questionsfor each picked dealAction with a dateReview summarya sheet for the week
How it works. The log counts days without movement and risk signals before the meeting; at the meeting you only go through the flagged deals.

Questions

Questions and answers

How do I run a pipeline review with my team?

Pick up to four deals by the rule in the log, go through 12 questions for each and finish with a decision, an owner and a due date. The agenda takes 45 minutes.

Which deals should we review first?

The ones where the log shows a risk signal: no next step with a date, no one knows who makes the decision, or the deal has stood longer than the threshold.

When is a deal stuck?

When it has had no movement for 14 days, or 7 days at the Decision and Payment stages. Movement is a stage change, a customer reply or a written confirmation of what was agreed. The log counts the days from the dates.

How is a pipeline review different from a team meeting?

A team meeting looks at the week’s numbers as a whole. A pipeline review is a separate meeting about a few stuck deals, with a decision on each one.

Do I need a CRM?

No, the Excel log works without one. If you have a CRM, copy the deals into the log before the meeting.

How do I get the kit?

Click “Buy for $29” and pay on the Gumroad page. After payment is confirmed, we’ll email your download link. Your materials will also appear in your account. Questions about the files: info@headofsales.me.

Author

Who made this

Natalia Kotovich

Author: Natalia Kotovich. About the author: .
Updated .

Route

Before and after this

Before thisLead Response AuditBefore thisFirst 30 Days Sales Manager Operating KitAfter thisSeven Weekly NumbersAfter thisSales Manager Decisions

Every term on this page is explained in the sales manager’s glossary, the same one for all our materials. Free: the Sales Manager’s Map, the conversation with the owner, the first 30 days checklist, the guides “How to run a sales meeting” and “Sales funnel stages”.

Forty-five minutes a week, and every stuck deal has an action and a date.

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