Target ₹5 Cr. Pipeline ₹12 Cr. Revenue ₹90 lakh.
That looks like a padded pipeline.
The planning math looked simple: last year's conversion was 33%, so three times coverage should hit target. But ₹12 Cr of pipeline producing ₹90 lakh is a 7.5% conversion rate, not 33%. The pipeline is broken.
Most founders know two numbers
Another founder: "Pipeline has ₹3 Cr in it. Why did we close only ₹40 lakh?" I asked for stage-wise numbers. "What do you mean, stage-wise?" That is the problem. Most founders know how much is in the pipeline and how much closed. They do not know where the deals died.
The Three Leaks
Qualification
Leads that should never have entered the funnel — no criteria, or criteria nobody follows.
Discovery
Salespeople pitching before diagnosing, and proposals going to prospects who are not ready.
Follow-up
Two emails, then silence. Deals dying because nobody chased them.
Each leak has a completely different fix. If you cannot see which stage is leaking, you do what most founders do: blame the team, hire more salespeople, push for more leads — and the leak stays exactly where it was.
Your team does not need more activity. It needs a system that shows where every deal is, why it is stuck, and what to do next
Related: ₹22 Cr pipeline, 12 of 47 with the decision-maker — a qualification leak, measured.