Do You Know What “Good” Looks Like in Your Funnel?
Every growth-focused firm wants to scale. But scaling isn’t about pushing harder or hiring faster. It’s about knowing whether your funnel can actually sustain that growth. And the first question to ask is deceptively simple:
Do you know what “good” looks like in your funnel?
A Funnel Health Index is one way to answer that. It’s a diagnostic lens that evaluates the shape, velocity, ownership, and adaptability of your pipeline. But the tool itself isn’t the point. The point is clarity: understanding whether your funnel is healthy enough to support the growth you want.
Funnel Diagnostics Matter in Every State
Most leaders think funnel diagnostics are only for when things are going wrong. The reality is: they matter just as much when you’re doing well, and even more when you’re coasting.
1. When You’re Doing Well
This is when diagnostics help you codify what “good” looks like.
What shape does your pipeline take when conversion rates are strong?
How fast do deals move when velocity is healthy?
What’s the blend of early, mid, and late-stage opportunities that drives consistent growth?
This becomes your baseline. A clear, evidence-based definition of health for your firm, not some generic industry benchmark.
2. When You’re Not Doing Well
Here, diagnostics help you find the breakage.
Which stages are leaking?
Where are deals stalling, and why?
Is the issue qualification, ownership, enablement, or something structural in the funnel?
Without diagnostics, it’s guesswork. With diagnostics, you can target the real problem and fix it.
3. When You’re Coasting
This is the most dangerous state of all: steady, predictable growth at 10–15% a year. It feels safe, but it’s often stagnation in disguise.
Diagnostics here help you learn your own engine:
Where are your true strengths, the parts of the funnel that always perform?
Where are the chronic weak spots you’ve been ignoring?
What needs codification now, before you push for the next plateau?
This is the moment to get ahead of the curve. To study, systematize, and strengthen before complacency sets in.
What Good Looks Like: Five Dimensions of Funnel Health
When we run a Funnel Health Index, we’re looking at five dimensions. These aren’t abstract. They’re the practical signals of whether your funnel can sustain growth.
1. Stage Anchoring & Deal Motion Health
Are stages clearly defined and applied consistently?
Do salespeople know exactly what actions are expected at each stage?
Are velocity benchmarks and stall triggers in place to prevent any deal from getting lost in limbo?
Good looks like: a funnel where everyone agrees on stage definitions, interventions are triggered automatically, and leadership attention is focused on deals that matter.
2. Pipeline Shape, Quality & Energy
Does your pipeline taper naturally, or collapse stage by stage?
Are duplicates and stale entries polluting your CRM?
Do you know how long healthy deals should spend in each stage?
Good looks like: a funnel that has genuine volume, healthy distribution across stages, and deals that move with energy instead of stalling in mid-funnel purgatory.
3. Nurture & Reactivation Strength
Are dormant deals re-engaged systematically?
Do you have tailored nurture interventions based on stage and behavior?
Are high-value prospects nurtured over multiple cycles, not abandoned after a demo?
Good looks like: a funnel where nurture isn’t a campaign. It’s a system that accelerates movement and keeps opportunities alive.
4. Ownership & Enablement
Is it clear who owns each part of the funnel, from lead to close?
Do escalation paths exist for stalled high-value deals?
Are non-sales contributors (product, delivery, analysts) supported with the right context?
Good looks like: a funnel where role clarity exists, frontline insights loop back into GTM design, and every actor in the sales motion is enabled.
5. Strategic Alignment & Adaptability
Do your GTM priorities (regions, deal sizes, motion types) match your actual capabilities?
Do marketing, sales, customer success, and delivery operate in rhythm?
Can your funnel flex across different motions, or does it force every deal into one rigid mold?
Good looks like: a funnel aligned to strategy, flexible across contexts, and designed for future moves, not just current momentum.
The Bottom Line
Whether you’re thriving, struggling, or coasting, the real question is the same:
Do you know what “good” looks like in your funnel?
Without that clarity, growth is guesswork. With it, you can baseline, repair, or reinvent your funnel with intent.
The Funnel Health Index is one proven way to get that clarity. But whatever lens you use, make sure you’re asking the right question. Because the future of your growth depends on it.