--- title: Eliminate Pipeline Bloat AND Close an Easy Sale description: How to fix a bloated pipeline. --- # [SELLING IN THE 21ST CENTURY](https://www.rickroberge.com/) [![header-sm-linkedin-blue](https://www.rickroberge.com/hs-fs/file-465400397-png/images/header-sm-linkedin-blue.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/in/rickroberge) [![header-sm-twitter-blue](https://www.rickroberge.com/hs-fs/file-465371692-png/images/header-sm-twitter-blue.png)](https://twitter.com/RainMakerMaker) [![header-sm-google-plus-red](https://www.rickroberge.com/hs-fs/file-462412948-png/images/header-sm-google-plus-red.png)](https://plus.google.com/+RickRoberge/posts) [![header-sm-rss](https://www.rickroberge.com/hs-fs/file-480298330-png/images/header-sm-rss.png)](https://www.rickroberge.com/rss.xml) # [Science for Sales Rock Stars](https://www.rickroberge.com/) ## [Eliminate Pipeline Bloat AND Close an Easy Sale](https://www.rickroberge.com/eliminate-pipeline-bloat-and-close-an-easy-sale) ![](https://www.rickroberge.com/hs-fs/hubfs/RR.jpg?width=35&height=35&name=RR.jpg) By [Rick Roberge](https://www.rickroberge.com/author/rick-roberge)   Nov 21, 2014 9:47:00 PM Everybody, at some point has to deal with pipeline bloat. First, let's start with a laugh. **[This was how my mentor handled my pipeline bloat](http://therainmakermaker.com/2008/05/20/starting-over/)**. OK. You done laughing? It wasn't funny to me back then, but I did get the lesson. Fast forward to today. Think about these questions. Which would you prefer, to delete someone from your list of email addresses or to have them mark your email as spam? Which would you prefer, to wonder what someone is thinking or to know the truth? Which would you prefer, to send someone something that they never asked for or to have them tell you exactly what they want? It's not unusual that a new client will have 1,000 contacts in their funnel/pipeline in various stages of annoyance/interest. Each of my clients sees these contacts as potential customers and they're hoping that I'll be able to help them close all those deals. (Where's that shredder?) They've got workflows going on. They're sending nurturing emails. They're being helpful sending more stuff saying, "If you liked that, you'll love this." **RANDOM** **MEMORY:** Just this week, a client complained that he sent 10 emails and none of them got opened. We made one change and sent the same email to the same 10 recipients. 5 opens. 1 appointment. (Proof that it's better to be lucky than good.) OK, back to your bloated pipeline. How can you fix your bloated pipeline? Take a lesson from **[Mark Roberge](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20141117143330-14921470-do-you-keep-sales-human-while-using-automation-tools)**. If you're generating less than 100 leads per salesperson, turn off your automatic workflows. Contact every lead personally. Get real. Take out the garbage. I help my clients with email templates like: *It looks like you visited our "Get Leads" page last August 19th, but you've never been back. Not the right thing? Did you find the right thing elsewhere? Should I remove you from our database?* *BTW, do you remember what you were looking for?* ____________________________________________________ *We're cleaning up our database and notice that although you've downloaded several ebooks and watched our **[referrals video](https://www.rickroberge.com/how-to-get-referrals)**, it doesn't appear that anybody here as ever spoken to anybody there. Should we have or are we supposed to remove you from our database?* ____________________________________________________ I used this one yesterday. *Looks like you visited 30 pages on our website yesterday in a very short period of time.* *Did you find what you were looking for? (If not, what were you looking for? Maybe we can just send it to you.)* *Do you remember how you arrived on our website?We're talking Monday* Please don't be upset by my analogy, but if you have 1,000 pieces of garbage, try to take it out. If they say, "Hey wait a minute! I'm not garbage! They will tell you what they want to buy. If they don't say that they're not garbage, leave them at the curb. (Delete them.) OK. I get it. I'm not nice, but neither are prospects sometimes. Wanna talk about taking control in 2015? **[Can you answer, "Yes" to two of these questions](https://www.rickroberge.com/business-growth)**? - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ### Want updates as they're published? #### Enter your email: BTW, do you have an idea or question that would make a good article? Would you like to write or co-author it? Either way, **[ send me an email](mailto:therainmakermaker@gmail.com?Subject=Blog%20article/author%20idea)**. **[Rick Roberge](https://plus.google.com/116082120720832878924/posts?rel=author)** ## About this blog *This blog is for, by and about Sales Rock Stars, RainMakers, Entrepreneurs (and/or those that strive to be)* ## [Read My Articles on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/rickroberge) ## [About Rick](https://www.rickroberge.com/contact-me) **[The Original ](http://therainmakermaker.com/)****[RainMaker Maker Blog (pre-2012)](http://therainmakermaker.com/)** [**Remote Bookkeeping**](http://www.slcbookkeeping.com/blog/bid/116710/remote-bookkeeping-made-easy)[** Made Easy**](http://www.slcbookkeeping.com/blog/bid/116710/remote-bookkeeping-made-easy) [**Awesome Website Design**](https://www.inbounddesignstudio.com/contact/) Search RainMakers & Sales Rock Stars Search ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### Posts by Month - [November 2025 (19)](https://www.rickroberge.com/archive/2025/11) - 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