Hi Friends,
Here is your end-of-the-week insight into what I see going on in the business world, what I’m thinking about, and what I’m learning about. Forward anything that you feel inspired to share. If this was forwarded to you and you found value, subscribe here for a weekly edition!
“Pressure makes diamonds or bursts pipes.”
Things are getting tense in some industries as revenue projections are slipping further and further away. This week, I spent time with many executives discussing the back half of the year and setting up 2026.
For some of the executives, it was a cold wake-up call to hot wash the pipeline, look at pipeline trends and historicals, dig deep into the sales cycle, and review past engagement from prospects in the pipeline in June, July, August, and September.
The first step for me when looking at forecasts with executives is to start with the current pipeline. The most important thing is to understand whether it is accurate. That means looking at the traditional accuracy of the pipeline AND hot washing every deal over 50% to close.
What is hot washing? It’s digging deep and scrubbing out all the dirt (risk) in the deal. Then, moving the deal to the appropriate stage (even closed lost). Once I have done that, I look at average sales cycle and average lost cycle. This will help me get an even better assessment of what is left in the pipeline. Essentially, these are warning signals for deals that, after being hot washed, are in jeopardy.
Given where we are in the year, on the cusp of summer, I then look at traditional rates of engagement in deals for June to September. Why? Well, this has a profound effect on whether deals that are being forecast to close in those months actually will.
If my client does not have that data in their CRM, we use industry standards and research to get a directionally accurate picture. Even in the most dire situations, not all is lost.
Doing this type of work allows us to focus our time and energy on ensuring that the deals that are in the pipeline have the best chance of being won, that we implement the right strategies to grow pipeline for 2026, and that we make decisions based on what is likely to happen, not what we wish will.
If you are wondering what the rest of the year is going to look like, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Happy to spend some time digging in.
My son, G, suffers from Alice in Wonderland Syndrome. Yes, it is a real thing. No, he doesn’t really suffer from it, but when he tells me how big his muscles are, I think he might. Anyway, the pic below perfectly captures him:
One of my favorite sayings to explain my intensity is, “No one is going to determine what my kid eats.” I am not sure where I picked it up.
Maybe I saw the sign that Ken Griffin of Citadel speaks about HERE. “If we are all going to eat, someone has to sell.”
The video is definitely well worth a watch. It is quick, and it touches on sales, business, failures, and getting specific, tough feedback.
Potpourri for 800
Potpourri (shoutout to Jeopardy!) is a category that covers a variety of topics.
I love watching videos of people doing epic things. This video did not disappoint. I found myself asking “How?” so many times!
Quote for My Son
G is gearing up to get back on the field. Actually, he is gearing up to be able to do anything active. I know he wants to go do the “big things,” e.g., scrimmage, tournament play, etc., but for him, it’s all the little things that probably have deteriorated, so like Blink-182, we are focusing on all the small things.
This was the quote that I left him earlier this week to lay the groundwork:
“Excellence often hides at the edges.” – Unknown
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Let me know what you think about this week’s edition of Fuentes Fridays. Which section was your favorite? How can I make this better? Shoot me a message on LinkedIn @willfuentes.
Until next week!
Thanks,