Collaboration Strategies to Improve Your Sales Pipeline

The fun of a heist movie—a la Ocean’s 11 or The Fast and The Furious—is watching a ragtag group of specialists come together to pull off the steal. In those films, every character has their own “particular set of skills” that complements the other members of the crew; the safecracker, the tech genius, the getaway driver, the strategic mastermind who puts it all together. 

Although your sales activities presumably do not (and, as our legal team insists we note, should not) involve breaking into bank vaults, the analogy stands: A strong sales pipeline strategy depends on the strengths of different teams working in sync to pull off the big score. In other words: the secret to a strong sales pipeline? Collaboration. 

But how do you ensure that your pipeline strategies involve effective collaboration, streamlined communication, and consistent results? We'll dive into it in this article, with practical collaboration strategies for transforming cross-functional teams into a cohesive revenue-generating machine. And no code names necessary! Unless you really want them. Let’s be honest, code names are pretty cool.

Key highlights:

• Learn how cross-departmental collaboration transforms deals into closed sales
• Master the seven sales pipeline stages and implement structured collaboration strategies
• Build a collaborative sales culture and boost your team's performance 
• Make use of collaborative tools to enhance sales pipeline management and keep everyone on the same page

Understanding collaboration strategies in sales

Big sales are rarely the  work of lone-wolf sales reps, and even when one rep is instrumental to closing the deal, they still need a strong support network to make the process go smoothly. 

Lasting sales relationships are not the result of a single conversation, but of an entire motion, developed by multiple teams working together in concert.  

Instead of going it alone, tap into your cross-functional partners, who can make your job easier while enabling you to focus on the work you do best. Develop a smart division of duties to  devise targeted sales strategies, featuring personalized, engaging  sales pitches that make prospects feel understood, close deals, and build strong relationships..

What are collaboration strategies?

The literal definition of collaboration strategies is self-explanatory; they’re “plans for working together.” Simple enough. 

But the reality is, far too often, companies collaborate without any strategy at all. Instead, they leave it up to the teams to figure it out, with lack of clarity around who’s calling the shots or which department is responsible for what. A successful, cross-functional collaboration strategy must align team communication, expertise, and efforts across different departments in a conscious pursuit of clear, defined sales objectives. 

Effective sales collaboration strategies might involve:

• Formalized information gathering and sharing between departments
• Joint account planning where multiple team members contribute to strategy
• Defined handoff processes to ensure smooth transitions between stages
• Cross-functional selling teams to provide different types of knowledge for complex deals
• Collaborative technology platforms that make sharing easy for everyone

Most importantly: the best collaboration strategies should make everyone’s life easier. They should be  designed with intention to make working together the default, rather than something that requires extra effort. 

Keep the sales pipeline flowing

A well-defined sales pipeline is the backbone of your sales process. Your pipeline should provide visibility into where each deal stands, help predict revenue, and identify areas that need attention.  And like a physical pipeline, it needs to be carefully managed to make sure everything is moving properly and there are no blockages getting in the way of your flow.

Manage your pipeline effectively by: 

• Regularly removing or reactivating stalled opportunities
• Establishing clear criteria for moving deals from one stage to another
• Setting realistic timeframes for how long deals should remain in each stage
• Identifying and addressing bottlenecks early on
• Focusing on quality over quantity of leads entering your pipeline

When your pipeline flows well, you can forecast more accurately, allocate resources more effectively, and ultimately close more deals. 

The role of team collaboration in sales pipeline management

Regular team communication keeps your teams aligned and your pipeline healthy. Let’s say your sales reps continually encounter similar objections or hesitancies from prospects. . Reps can track the patterns to help uncover what prospects need, then work with the  marketing team to create strategic content that directly addresses those issues.

Benefits of effective team collaboration

Effective team collaboration leads to measurable benefits. Teams that scored high on trust are 5.1 times more likely to produce results, while teams that scored high in communication are 2.8 times more efficient than their peers, according to McKinsey.

Developing a collaborative sales culture can help with:

• Faster sales cycles: When information flows freely between departments, decisions are made faster and deals move through your pipeline more quickly.
• Higher win rates: Teams who collaborate well can better leverage collective expertise to address customer concerns more effectively. When prospects see your team working together, they gain confidence in your solution.
• Enhanced customer and employee experiences: Happiness is contagious; teams who work together well create better outcomes and provide better customer service. A smooth buying experience differentiates you from competitors whose departments have disjointed workflows, and customers are more likely to stick with companies that are easy to work with.
  

Strategies to enhance team communication and focus

Between Slack, texts, email, video conferencing, and the good old-fashioned telephone, we have an abundance of ways to get in touch with each other — yet communication silos are worse than ever. Key to effective sales pipeline management is learning how to break down those silos and communicate clearly with your team and cross-functional partners. Consider these strategies to get teams aligned and communicating well: :

• Set structured communication cadences: Establish regular pipeline reviews, with appropriate frequency for each stage. 
• Design a clear accountability framework: Define who is responsible for which aspects of each deal, with clear handoff protocols between departments and team members.
• Map out efforts visually: Platforms like Mural help sales teams visualize their pipeline, track deal progress, and coordinate activities across departments. 
• Centralize information in one hub: Create a single, digital source of truth where all deal-related information lives. This is especially critical if your company is remote or distributed, so everyone on the team always knows where to go to find up-to-date information. 

Transform your sales pipeline management from a sequence of handoffs to a truly collaborative process, with each contributing member owning their steps for moving deals forward.

Work better with your team

The sales pipeline: Key stages and why collaboration matters

Setting up each sales pipeline stage

From the first hello to the final handshake and beyond, each phase of the sales pipeline has its own unique challenges and expectations. A smart collaboration strategy makes it clear which team is leading each stage of the pipeline, to maximize each team’s individual strengths at the stage where they can offer the most assistance.

1. Prospecting/Lead generation stage: In the first stage of the pipeline, marketing and sales should join forces to pinpoint and create ideal profiles for potential customers. The combination of marketing's insights into buyer personas and market trends, plus sales' understanding of lead conversion, ensures that only high-quality leads make their way into the pipeline, laying a solid foundation for the journey ahead.

 2. Qualification stage: The qualifying stage relies on a partnership between sales and customer success. Sales reps work with prospects to learn about their needs and challenges. Customer success then uses this information to craft a tailored implementation plan for seamless onboarding. 

 3. Demo/Meeting stage: Sales leads are the obvious main character in the demo/meeting stage, but PMM has an important role to play as well. Sales leads should focus on building rapport, uncovering needs, and handling objections. PMM can help them prepare with personalized research and an engaging, tailored pitch. Track success afterwards through meeting conversions, follow-ups, and feedback.

4. Proposal stage: In the proposal stage, sales, legal, and finance should work together to ensure that all terms and conditions are clear and favorable, facilitating a comprehensive and persuasive proposal that meets the customer’s needs and aligns with your company’s goals.

5. Negotiation stage: Your teams should start discussing expanding or shrinking the scope of work based on suggested pricing plans, and the finance team should set appropriate (or possibly flexible) payment options. Together, you should manage expectations for a mutually beneficial partnership. 

6. Closing stage: Finally, the last stretch to a closed deal! Sales, customer success, and implementation teams can collaborate to ensure a smooth handover. This is where we lay the foundation for lasting relationships. 

7. Post-sale retention stage: It doesn’t end at closing. Continuously check in with your customers, connect them with your support teams, and build rapport to ensure long-lasting relationships. Track retention, upsell success, and referrals.

Collaboration across different pipeline stages

To visualize how collaboration flows across your sales pipeline, consider mapping out key departments and their involvement intensity at each stage:

Understanding team dynamics allows you to plan resources effectively across departments, facilitate smoother handoff processes from one stage to the next, and lessen the possibility of roadblocks along the way. 

By mapping out collaboration points, you can structure your sales process to ensure the right people are involved at the right time, maximizing efficiency and effectiveness.

Effective collaboration techniques to optimize your sales processes

Let's put ideas into practice and explore how you can optimize your sales processes through better collaboration.

Identify key collaboration strategies

Every company is unique, and when you’re developing your collaboration strategies, it’s good to take a close look at how your particular teams interact to know what you need to work on most. Think about: 

• Cross-functional input: Determine which departments need to be involved at each sales stage. Is product knowledge a frequent roadblock? Are legal reviews causing delays? Map these dependencies to ensure you’re not waiting on input from teams that don’t really need to be involved. 
• Collaboration bottlenecks: Identify where deals typically slow down or stall. Typically, bottlenecks occur at handoff points between teams or in places where specialized knowledge is required.
• Communication channels: Consider which communication methods work best for different types of collaboration, and which collaborative communication tools can help for each step of the journey.
• Technology assessment: Evaluate your current tech stack to see if it supports collaboration. The right tools should make sharing information and working together easier, instead of creating silos.

Related: Team collaboration software: A buyer’s guide

Implement these strategies for sales teams

Now it's time to put your collaborative strategies into action with your sales team! To start, you can set up:

• Regular cross-collaboration meetings: Schedule monthly meetings between different departments to align priorities and address obstacles.
• Centralized information access: Document all up-to-date sales collateral, competitive intelligence, product information, and customer interactions on a single platform to ensure everyone’s in the loop. 
• Planned “deal desk” approach: A “deal desk” approach is an assembly line of sorts for sales, replacing the need for one person to switch between various types of tasks with a streamlined, repeatable process. Establish representatives from different departments who can quickly approve custom arrangements.‍
• Visualize the sales process: Use a digital collaboration platform to illustrate your processes and updates. Clear visuals keep everyone aligned, support quick strategy shifts, and encourage cross-team collaboration, leading to smarter decision-making and a faster sales cycle.

See sales collaboration use cases

Developing a collaborative sales culture

Fostering a culture of open communication

You can have all the collaboration strategies in the world, but they won't work if your culture doesn't support them. When you start from within, you can build a truly collaborative sales culture — and here’s how:

Team leads should model collaborative behavior by seeking input, acknowledging gaps in initial strategies, accepting and providing constructive feedback, and recognizing team wins, among other strategies suggested by Forbes. 

A collaborative sales culture won't happen overnight, but as your team begins reaping the benefits, it’s like to become self-reinforcing.

Related: 5 best practices for better group communication

Encouraging cross-functional collaboration with visual tools

Cross-functional collaboration happens when people across different teams work together on a specific project or goal.

In addition to regular, open communication, you need the right tools to break down silos between departments and create pathways for knowledge to flow freely. As PWC Australia reports, visual collaboration is not only a powerful tool but a core skill that is undervalued in many organizations, yet crucial in helping ideas be collectively understood.

Enable your teams to think together in real time, make ideas stick, and get the ball rolling with a robust, cross-functional digital mapping platform. 

Use Mural for better collaboration and sales pipeline management

Are you mapping out your sales pipeline in slide decks, docs, or, god forbid, spreadsheets? There’s a much better way to build clear, interactive pipelines that are easy to update and give everyone involved in the sales process a common source of truth — and that’s by using a visual collaboration platform like Mural. Specifically, Mural. You should use Mural. That’s our platform.

Tools and resources for enhanced communication 

With Mural’s easy-to-use visual tools, you can create visual representations of your sales pipeline, illustrate maps to identify key stakeholders and influencers within target accounts, collaborate on sales pitches, work together to align on proposals before creating formal documents, and much, much more.

Mural’s collaborative technology solutions for sales presentations

Improving your sales pipeline isn't about working harder, it's about working smarter together. When you harness the collective expertise of your entire organization in support of the sales process, you create a competitive advantage that's pretty hard to beat. 

With Mural, you can make your sales collaboration presentations visual and engaging, helping teams align easily, spot opportunities sooner, and build a clear path from prospect to close — all in one shared, interactive space.

Interested in using Mural to help improve cross-functional collaboration at your org? Chat with our sales team to learn more.

See Mural use cases to create a compelling sales collaboration strategy