5 Must Haves That Drive Sales Pipeline Growth

In today’s evolving B2B landscape, generating quality leads and building a strong sales pipeline requires more than just traditional outreach. That’s why Change3 recently hosted an insightful event titled "What Are The 5 Must-Haves That Will Drive Your Sales Pipeline Growth?" featuring experts Kneko Burney Miller (CEO, Change3), William Freiwah (Principal Consultant, Lumo & Change3), Doug Lotierzo (President & Owner, Sadler by the Lotierzo Group), and Ella Fernandez (Sr. Manager of Outbound Team, Change3).

The panelists tackled the most pressing challenges and shared actionable strategies that businesses can implement right now to improve their pipeline outcomes. Here are the key takeaways:

1. Choosing the Right Tactics Is Still a Struggle

One of the event's most cited pain points was, unsurprisingly, figuring out which marketing tactics to use. According to survey data shared during the session (see Graph A), 25% of respondents said their biggest challenge was choosing the best marketing tactics. That’s a clear sign that many businesses are unsure of where to invest their limited resources.

2. Email & Social Are King

Despite new channels emerging, email and social media advertising remain foundational for outreach. In fact, 52% of respondents reported using social media advertising, while 50% rely on email campaigns to reach new customers (see Graph B).

As Kneko emphasized, email remains "dollar for dollar the most effective way to engage." It supports both bulk outreach and personalized follow-ups from salespeople.

3. Lead Quality and Nurturing Need More Attention

Poor lead quality (15%) and ineffective nurturing strategies (15%) were cited as top challenges by respondents (see Graph A). Panelist Ella Fernandez noted that her team often sees breakdowns in these areas due to misalignment between marketing and sales and a lack of follow-up.

Doug Lotierzo reinforced this by stating that sellers must break through the “wall of resistance” with personalized, well-researched messages that show prospects they matter.

4. The Power of Personal Connection

Doug and Will emphasized the value of building personal rapport through networking and strategic outreach. Doug shared that referencing a "trigger event" — like a company receiving an award, having big event coming up, or seeing a post on their LinkedIn that you like — helps break through initial resistance and creates trust.

5. Your Website Still Matters

While flashy tactics may grab attention, Kneko reminded attendees that maintaining an accurate, functional website is critical. You’d be surprised how many well-known companies neglect their sites, creating a credibility gap at a key moment in the buyer journey.

Graph A:

Graph B:

Check out the full replay here, and stay tuned for more expert discussions and data-backed strategies from Change3!