Chorus Blog The Secret to Unstoppable Sales Momentum

Ever get that sinking feeling when the last day of the quarter is approaching and you realize multiple deals that you were depending on to make your quota have ground to a halt? If you know, you know. It’s very easy for a deal to start out hot, with healthy back-and-forth communication, before turning into a slow drip of “you there?” messages over time. It’s no wonder so many sales leaders are obsessed with deal momentum. As the laws of physics remind us, momentum makes an object in motion much harder to stop. The more movement you’re seeing in a deal cycle, the better your chances of hosting a big team celebration at your next revenue review. Noticeable or not, a slowdown in deal activity can be devastating — and in some cases, irreparable. Too often, when this news reaches a sales or revenue leader, there’s not enough time to take the actions required to salvage the deal. Identify risk signals early and act quicklySo what is the key to sustaining sales momentum for more predictable revenue growth? Being able to spot and counter the risks and outside forces that could slow down a deal — early enough to make a difference.Risk signals are the red flags that, when missed, can have a compounding effect on your sales deals, leading to missed quotas, inaccurate forecasting, and financial instability. For example, a critical personnel change on the buyer’s side could put the deal at risk and should be addressed by the account manager as soon as it happens. In longer sales cycles where buyers often take a more cautious and thoughtful approach to new products and services, it can be easy to dismiss risk signals like a lag between meetings or stakeholder absence late in the deal. Know your pipeline risk. Enjoy more wins. Learn more Short of being ghosted by your prospect, there are other indications that the deal may not have the momentum it needs to close on time:Competitor mentions: Early mentions are generally considered a good and expected part of the sales motion, but if competitors are being brought into the conversation late in the deal, it’s a sign that there’s a more serious “you vs. them” competitive situation happening.Budget or pricing concerns: A lack of pricing questions or budget discussions means you’re farther from contract signing than originally anticipated.Stakeholder buy-in: Missing stakeholders in a deal is a sign that something’s wrong and that it could be derailed. Engaging the entire buying committee increases trust and is key to getting everyone onboard to push the deal across the finish line.Once a risk signal has been surfaced, it’s up to reps and managers to quickly assess the situation and determine the best course of action, whether it’s bringing in executives or other support teams outside of sales, reviewing competitor talk tracks, or adjusting the forecast based on the latest account developments.Thankfully, with the right software to support their sales motions, managers and leaders no longer have to rely on intuition or guesswork to gauge pipeline health and find at-risk deals. Drive better outcomes with Chorus and ZoomInfoWhen you’re managing a team of 200 reps, how do you figure out what calls to listen to or what deals to focus on? There’s a lot to sift through.With Momentum Signals, the latest feature to be added to Chorus’ Momentum suite, you can spot warning signs and react faster. Know which deals need your attention at a glanceWith Momentum Signals, sales reps and leaders get timely alerts about key risk moments from the pipeline view. The risk alerts automatically appear based on account-level activity, CRM data, and Chorus conversation insights.Use past transcripts to re-engage with the prospectOnce you know where the risks are, you can begin managing them in an informed and efficient way. With the enhanced search capabilities in Chorus, you can find previous calls with a prospect and hone in on their most important topics in just one click. Key comments will also surface in the recording timeline. Within minutes, you have the pivotal insights you need to prepare for the next meeting and secure the win.Activate the right people at the right time with ZoomInfo dataNow that Chorus and ZoomInfo are integrated, you can find new contacts, like expanded buying committee members, to add into the deal cycle without leaving Chorus. You can also click to view ZoomInfo Scoops and receive the latest news on contacts and the company, for instance, if a CFO left the company in the middle of the deal. Forward motion for the winDeals don’t just suddenly die. There’s always a sign of what’s to come. But when you’re selling at scale, the red flags can be easy to miss. Unfortunately, all it takes is one stalled deal to throw off your forecast. If one turns into many, say hello to that sinking feeling. “Most companies don’t die because of lack of ideas, or innovation, or size of market,” says ZoomInfo CEO Henry Schuck. “They die because they just didn’t build a predictable, repeatable, and efficient motion around finding and keeping their next customer.” That’s why incorporating risk signal management into your sales process with conversation-level deal intelligence and automatic alerts is so important. Every time you spot and remove an obstacle from a deal, you move closer to contract signing. And as your team gets smarter and starts to recognize risk signals earlier, your go-to-market motion becomes stronger over time.