RS / THE REVENUE SPECIALIST
NORTHSTAR PEOPLE / SAMPLE REPORT / ILLUSTRATIVE DATA ONLY | 1
NORTHSTAR PEOPLE / SAMPLE REPORT
Revenue Scan
For the CEO and leadership team | 28 September 2026
Gretchen Phillips | Founder, The Revenue Specialist
Executive Revenue Readout
62/100 Developing — Sales are happening, but results are not yet consistent.
Needs Attention
0–49
Major gaps are holding sales
back.
Developing
50–69
Sales happen; results are
inconsistent.
X Northstar is here · 62
Established
70–84
Core approach works; specific
gaps remain.
Strong
85–100
Repeatable results; assess
where to invest.
Tighten targeting and qualification before adding sales headcount. Focus on employers of 750–2,500 people: the
ideal customer profile (ICP), meaning customers most likely to buy, succeed and stay.
Do we have enough pipeline to hit the target
The $6.6M pipeline does not guarantee enough sales. Larger accounts win less often and take longer. Improve
qualification, then compare qualified deals expected to close in-period with the new-business requirement—not the
$7M ending ARR target.
Are our current salespeople doing what they should
Two of six account executives (AEs) meet quota, one is near 85% and three are below 60%. Coach qualification and
deal progression. Compare sellers working similar opportunities before judging individual ability or adding capacity.
Start Stop Continue
Build a named ICP account list. Train and
audit qualification. Put proven sellers on
the highest-fit opportunities.
Expanding SDR or AE headcount now.
Counting a demo as buying intent. Chasing
large contracts without considering effort
and likelihood of winning.
Selling to the core segment. Developing
referrals and inbound demand. Using the
founder selectively in strategic deals.
The decision for the next board meeting
Approve a 30-day targeting and qualification reset. Revisit hiring once core-deal conversion, sales-stage timing and
seller workload show a capacity need.
Recommendation confidence: high within this illustrative scenario. The new-business target and a matched external benchmark remain open checks. RS
score: a diagnostic, not a market ranking or forecast.
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RS / THE REVENUE SPECIALIST
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06 / REVENUE SCAN
Finding One
A busy pipeline is not the same as a productive pipeline
Northstar’s current entry standard is too loose: an HR discovery conversation, a relevant problem and agreement to
another meeting. The result is a broad set of opportunities competing for AE attention before there is enough
evidence of a purchase.
Illustrative qualified-pipeline models, not measured Northstar results. Shapes are conceptual and not drawn to a numeric scale. Marketing reach sits
above this funnel.
Aim for a champagne flute after qualification
A martini-glass funnel consumes selling time on many deals that fall out later. A champagne flute represents more
selective qualification and fewer avoidable losses. For Northstar, the fastest practical improvement is to redirect
time toward opportunities with a stronger expected return, rather than speculative large-account pursuits.
What the multiples require
To deliver the same quota, a 3–5× model needs roughly 20–33% of pipeline value to close; a 2–2.5× model needs
40% to 50%. These are arithmetic illustrations using matched periods and values. Northstar’s 31% core win rate
counts deals, not dollars, and does not establish 40% to 50% in-period value conversion. Earn a lower coverage
requirement through better results; do not simply shrink the target multiple.
What to change
Train the team to establish a business problem, priority, buyer access, buying intent, timing and an agreed next
step. Audit actual calls and deal records until the VP Sales has strong evidence that AEs apply those criteria
consistently. Expect weak opportunities to leave the pipeline earlier.
Finding confidence: HIGH for the need to improve qualification. The amount of revenue improvement will depend on execution; the diagram is a
management principle, not an external benchmark. [1–2]
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Sources [1-2]: RS illustrative Northstar intake and diagnostic analysis. No external benchmark asserted.
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09 / REVENUE SCAN
Three Priorities
Target precisely, qualify consistently and prove capacity
01 Build and work the tightened ICP list
Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator or comparable account-search technology to build a named list of U.S. employers with
750–2,500 employees. Filter by geography, size and relevant characteristics, then identify People/HR leaders and
likely economic buyers. Verify account fit manually where tool size bands are broader than the ICP. [5]
Assign accounts and a prospecting cadence. Match proven sellers to the best opportunities, while coaching others
to repeat the approach. Why now: the core segment wins more reliably and retains better. Owner: VP Sales with
marketing. Effort: moderate. Success: an approved list, named owners, clear exceptions and outreach concentrated
on that list.
02 Train qualification and audit the work
Train AEs, sales development representatives (SDRs) and marketing counterparts together on what makes a
qualified opportunity. Use real calls and role-play. Marketing should listen for core-buyer pain, questions and
message clarity, then connect product capabilities to the buyer’s business case. Review all 118 opportunities and
reclassify those that do not meet the standard.
Continue weekly call and CRM audits, with coaching after each review. A proposed training exit standard is at least
90% agreement with the manager’s qualification assessment across three consecutive weekly reviews, with every
AE represented and critical omissions corrected. This is a proposed management standard, not an external
benchmark. Owner: VP Sales with marketing. Effort: moderate.
03 Reallocate effort and measure the hiring case
Compare lead source and customer size together, then run small, controlled prospecting tests. Set the account list,
time budget, spend cap, owner and review date in advance; change one main variable where practical. Compare
qualified opportunities and progression first, then wins when enough time has passed.
Track stage conversion, stage duration and hands-on opportunity time for the core ICP. Shift effort toward
combinations that earn it, and hire only when proven demand exceeds serviceable AE capacity. Owner: VP Sales
with marketing and finance. Effort: moderate to high. Success: an evidence-backed allocation and capacity decision.
A small, controlled test limits cost and scope while giving leadership a specific decision to make at an agreed review date.
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[5] LinkedIn, How to Use Sales Navigator (accessed 28 September 2026):
https://business.linkedin.com/sell/sales-navigator/how-to-use
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11 / REVENUE SCAN
90 Day Revenue Roadmap
Create evidence for decisions, not another reporting burden
When Start and deliver Evidence of progress
Days 1–30
Assign the ICP list. Train sales and marketing in
qualification. Audit 118 deals and listen to core-buyer
calls. Reconcile the target.
Named accounts and owners; corrected pipeline;
individual coaching plans; agreed stage definitions.
Days 31–60 Coach from weekly audits. Run controlled source-by-
segment tests. Track stage movement and AE hours.
Qualification accuracy improves; fewer weak deals
enter; promising sources and selling bottlenecks
become visible.
Days 61–90 Compare results on similar opportunities. Reallocate
effort. Bring a conditional hiring case to the board.
Clear evidence of what to expand, what to fix and
whether good demand exceeds capacity.
Stop immediately
Pause the proposed two SDR hires and extra AE. Stop broad prospecting outside the agreed ICP without an
exception. Stop treating a next meeting or a CRM probability as proof of buying intent. Avoid keeping weak deals
open to preserve a reassuring pipeline total.
Continue deliberately
Keep the core segment supplied with focused prospecting. Continue referrals and inbound development while
measuring where they work best. Preserve productive seller time, customer retention work and strategic founder
involvement.
Set a weekly management rhythm
VP Sales reviews qualification audits, next steps, stalled deals and workload. Marketing and sales jointly review
source and customer-group results, plus call evidence about pain points, questions and whether the message
resonates. Turn that evidence into clearer buyer-specific messages and business cases. The CEO reviews decisions
and obstacles, rather than asking only whether pipeline dollars increased.
Allow sales outcomes time to mature
At a 74-day core sales cycle, early improvements in qualification and deal progression should appear before a full
set of wins does. The 171-day large-account cycle extends beyond this roadmap. Judge early tests by better inputs
and movement; judge hiring by enough completed sales evidence and sustained workload.
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12 / REVENUE SCAN
Gretchen’s Take
If this were my revenue organization
I would put our best people on our best opportunities. Northstar’s strongest customer group is employers with 750–
2,500 people. Compared with larger accounts, they buy more often and move faster; they also retain better. Build
the named account list and make the team’s week reflect it.
For Northstar, the fastest practical route to better revenue is to focus time on work with a strong expected return. A
large potential contract is not enough. We need a credible buying project, a path to a decision and a sensible return
on the hours required to win.
I would train sales and marketing together on qualification. Marketing counterparts should listen to calls with
buyers in the tightened ICP: what hurts, what questions recur, what is unclear and which messages resonate. They
need to explain what the software does for that buyer, the problems it solves and the business case—including the
buyer’s expected return on investment. Turn those insights into sharper campaigns, content and sales materials.
The champagne-flute picture captures the aim: qualify carefully and lose less good selling time later. The 2–2.5×
model must be earned through conversion and timing; it is not permission to assume fewer pipeline dollars will be
enough.
Two AEs meet quota; four do not. I would aim for at least 80% of fully ramped AEs meeting or exceeding credible
quotas—five of six here. That is the management standard I would work toward, not an industry average. Coach
specific behaviors and compare similar assignments before deciding who has a skill problem.
Before hiring, I would want to know where core deals fall out, how long each stage takes and how many hours an AE
spends on an opportunity. Take that evidence to the board: focus prospecting, improve qualification and messaging,
then invest where demand and results justify it.
Gretchen Phillips | Founder, The Revenue Specialist
Your next step with RS
Your Scan includes an optional 15-minute Q&A to clarify the findings and priorities. Reply to your delivery email to
arrange it.
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Depending on your needs, that could include a sharper customer profile and buyer messaging, qualification criteria
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