(Ep 3) The Case of the Disappearing Win Rate: A RevOps Mystery

It started the way all false hope starts: a beautiful pipeline chart.

Marketing was bragging.

SDRs were buzzing.

Sales was feeling good.

Pipeline coverage was fat. Really fat. Like, “should-be-exceeding-every-number” fat.

And then…Q closed. The numbers came in. And they sucked.

Despite a pipeline that looked like it had been drinking protein shakes and doing deadlifts for months, the win rate was dropping. Deals were stalling, ghosting, slipping into oblivion.

RevOps put down the coffee. Again! It was time to dust off the trench coat and find out who was murdering the win rate, and it began with putting together a suspect list....

Suspect #1: The Bloated Pipeline

Alibi: We’ve got the coverage. It’s just taking longer to close.

Evidence: Classic move....stuff the pipeline with fluff to look busy. A closer inspection showed the truth:

• Opps created with no next steps.

• No recent activity.

• Contacts hadn’t responded in weeks.

🕵️ RevOps Note: It was pipeline theater. A performance of progress with no substance behind it. If it’s not moving, it’s not real. Let’s clean this mess and enforce exit criteria? Need to define when to call time of death.

Suspect #2: The Lead Quality Illusionist

Alibi: We’re driving top-of-funnel like never before!

Evidence: Sure, there were more leads. But were they qualified?

• The team had lowered the lead scoring for MQLs to hit volume targets.

• SDRs were booking meetings with anyone who made eye contact with the website.

• The pipeline had grown.....but not with people who could buy, or even wanted to.

🕵️ RevOps Note: More leads <> better pipeline. Time to re-align on ICP, refine scoring, and focuson quality over quantity.

Suspect #3: Sales Enablement: The Ghost at the Scene

Alibi: We gave them the decks. We ran the trainings. What more do they need?

Evidence: A forensic dive into Gong and CRM revealed

• Inconsistent messaging,

• Reps going rogue on pricing

• Widespread confusion around new product feature

• The tools were there, but they weren’t being used. (Or they weren’t landing.?)

🕵️ RevOps Note: Enablement isn’t a one-and-done. We need reinforced training, embedded content in the CRM, and real-time coaching. Otherwise, it’s just shelfware.

Suspect #4: Product The Overpromiser (or Under-Deliverer)

Alibi: We launched three major features this quarter. That should help close more deals, right?

Evidence: In theory, yes. In reality? Demos were buggy, adoption was low, and some features weren’t fully rolled out.

Deals that hinged on “coming soon” features were slipping. Reps were forced to sell what didn’t fully exist yet.

🕵️ RevOps Note: Let’s coordinate product marketing and sales enablement better. No more ‘just sell it now and we’ll build it later’ vibes.

Suspect #5: The Pricing & Packaging Puzzle

Alibi: Our model hasn’t changed. It worked before!

Evidence: Worked before… but now prospects were getting sticker shock. Competitors were undercutting. Sales was discounting more just to stay in the game. Win rate was suffering because buyers weren’t clear on value vs. cost.

🕵️ RevOps Note: Time for a pricing review. Let’s dig into win/loss data and figure out where we’re losing deals on value perception.

The Twist (Ending): It Was Never One Thing

Just like last time, there wasn’t one smoking gun—there were five.

• Pipeline bloated with bad opps.

• Poor lead quality up front.

• Inconsistent execution in the middle.

• Product not ready for primetime.

• Pricing that hadn’t evolved with the market.

Each team was doing something... but none of it was connected.

Case Closed: Here’s What RevOps Did

🔧 Cleaned the pipeline with enforced stage gates and hygiene audits

.📊 Refined lead scoring based on actual conversion data—not wishful thinking.

🧠 Rebuilt enablement content and launched in-the-flow training with Sales Managers.

🧪 Ran a pricing analysis with Finance and Product to explore bundling options.

📞 Kicked off structured win/loss interviews to uncover what buyers were really saying.

And just like that, win rate started inching back up..... Slowly..... Deliberately....

RevOps didn’t just solve the mystery. We made sure it didn’t happen again.