Merge

Pipelines. Every sales guy has them and every sales guy probably hates them (when they're low that is).

At the time of this writing, Merge has a pretty good sales pipeline. It's amazing the confidence a good pipeline will give you. You can easily pass on prospects that don't fit your model. It's easier to stay true to what you do best and that in turn provides that much more value to your clients.

What does a bad pipeline get you? You take on work you know you shouldn't; you take on work that ends up being a lose/lose just to generate cash flow; you end up saying yes to prospects you should clearly say no to. And the biggest problem? You usually pay for it much later.

For many companies, a web site can be a pipeline filler. Also known as lead generation, a web site can play the role of putting one or two great prospects in your pipeline at any one time. Web sites offer so many intangible values such as this they are hard to measure. But for the company that has that extra boost of pipeline filler, they will tend to make better decisions.

Bottom Line: So often we look to the direct impact a web site can have on a business, but there are so many indirect benefits--like positively affecting a pipeline--that are of great value as well.