What Smart CROs Are Watching Now That the Market’s Shaky
“Our pipeline coverage looks solid at 3.1x.”
That might have been reassuring in 2023. But today, it’s the start of a dangerous mirage—one that could blindside your team’s ability to hit revenue targets, manage headcount, or defend the forecast in front of the board.
Rising tariffs, cautious buyers, and recession warnings have converged, creating challenging terrain for even the most seasoned revenue leaders. In times like these, top CROs aren't merely reacting; they're proactively shifting their focus from broad metrics to precise indicators of sales effectiveness and strategy resilience.
“Pipeline coverage alone can create a false sense of security,” said Luke Arno, CRO at Transcend. “What matters now is how effectively our team progresses the pipeline to meaningful outcomes.”
Pipeline coverage alone can create a false sense of security. What matters now is how effectively our team progresses the pipeline to meaningful outcomes.
What Pipeline Coverage Doesn’t Tell You
Pipeline coverage might show you quantity, but it doesn’t show quality. Smart CROs are drilling deeper into how deals actually move, where they get stuck, and what drives conversion.
“Boards aren’t looking for noise," said Daniel Spicer, Chief Marketing Officer at SureCloud. "They want clarity on what's measurable, repeatable, and adaptable. Pipeline resilience isn’t about volume anymore. It’s about conversion consistency across segments.”
That includes tracking pipeline coverage by stage, segment, and source. Why? Because not all deals behave the same. Some take longer to close, others come with higher ACV but lower conversion. By understanding these nuances, CROs can better allocate resources, set expectations, and call the forecast with confidence.
"Conversion ratios and velocity by stage are critical indicators that show whether our team is effectively driving sales engagement and managing the process with discipline," Arno explained.
Rep Productivity Is the Canary in the Coal Mine
If pipeline efficiency tells you how well the system is working, rep productivity shows you where it's breaking down.
“Boards continue to prioritize topline revenue, but what matters more now is its sustainability,” explained Jiaxi Zhu, Head of Insights & Analytics for Revenue Strategy & Operations, SMB at Google. “That means breaking topline metrics down into operational indicators like number of pitches, number of meetings, and pipeline conversion ratios. And enabling drill-downs to the individual sales team level.”
What matters now is revenue sustainability. That means breaking topline metrics down into operational indicators.
For Arno, rep productivity and win rate per rep are core indicators of rep health and effectiveness, helping his team identify where to coach, where to scale, and where the process might be breaking down.
In other words: don’t just track team-wide outcomes. Look at performance on a per-rep basis to identify top performers, bottlenecks, and trends that could shape your enablement playbook. Especially now, when teams are leaner and expectations are higher, every rep matters.
Expansion Is Your Quiet Power Play
When new business slows, existing customers become your biggest strategic lever. But expansion success isn’t about luck. It’s about focus.
“Boards are laser-focused on NRR and cross-sell momentum in key accounts,” Spicer said. “Especially in Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC), it’s not just about being compliant—it’s about capitalizing on regulatory shifts.”
Boards are laser-focused on NRR and cross-sell momentum in key accounts. Especially in GRC, it’s not just about being compliant—it’s about capitalizing on regulatory shifts.
That focus translates to disciplined account planning, deep customer insights, and cross-functional coordination. The CROs who treat expansion like a first-class GTM motion, not an afterthought, will find more stable ground to stand on in Q2.
“Top target account engagement and penetration ensure that our team is staying focused on the ICP and not just chasing activity,” Arno said.
While reps need to be increasingly efficient on net new customers, account managers and CSMs can have a big impact by building great relationships with your existing customer base.
Don’t be afraid to ask for that renewal or expansion earlier than you think. Customers are 3x more likely to upgrade in month two than in month nine, according to ChartMogul. It’s all about delivering on that promised ROI.
What the Smartest CROs Will Do Next
The leaders who win this quarter won’t be the ones clinging to optimistic forecasts. They’ll be the ones interrogating their pipeline, dialing into deal velocity, and coaching their teams with surgical precision.
“Model out strategic scenarios and simulate potential outcomes,” Zhu recommned. “Anchor updates in both outcome metrics and diagnostics like funnel velocity and lead quality. This builds credibility and helps the board focus on the signals that matter.”
To stay ahead, CROs are narrowing their focus to the metrics that reveal not just what’s happening, but why.
Watch these signals in Q2:
- Conversion velocity by stage, not just pipeline volume
- Rep-level win rates and activity-to-outcome ratios
- Expansion traction within top accounts
- Strategic alignment of GTM data with board-level outcomes
By shifting from surface stats to real performance signals, the smartest revenue leaders aren’t just reacting to the market—they’re engineering their next wave of growth.
Want more insights into the metrics that matter? Follow The CRO Club for tips, trends, and tools.
