In today’s complex sales environment, understanding where your customer truly stands in the buying process is invaluable. One of the most effective ways to gain this clarity is by using "customer verifiers." Customer verifiers offer sales professionals a reliable way to gauge an opportunity’s progress based on customer actions—not assumptions, gut feelings, or vague commitments. In this blog post, we'll explore what customer verifiers are, why they matter, and how to implement them effectively for a more robust pipeline.

What Are Customer Verifiers?

A customer verifier is an objective, action-based indicator that confirms a customer’s position along their buying journey. Unlike standard sales actions or assumptions, customer verifiers focus on customer behavior. This shift from “what we do” to “what they do” helps sales teams move beyond surface-level indications of interest.

For example, rather than taking a customer’s word at face value when they say, “We’re interested,” a customer verifier would look for clear, observable actions, such as:
- Attending a product demonstration.
- Signing off on a proposal.
- Sending a written approval for the next stage of evaluation.

In essence, a customer verifier relies on tangible actions, not just words.

The Three Key Characteristics of Customer Verifiers

To be effective, a customer verifier must meet three specific criteria:

1. Action-Based: The verifier should stem from a clear, customer-initiated action. Words or intentions alone aren’t reliable markers of progress—actions are.

2. Objective: Customer verifiers need to be free from subjective interpretation. Rather than interpreting a customer’s behavior to mean they’re ready, a verifier would require explicit actions that leave no room for doubt. 

3. Binary: A verifier is a simple yes-or-no measure. Either the customer has completed the action, or they haven’t. This binary approach further enhances objectivity and ensures that verifiers aren’t open to individual interpretation or assumption.

Why Customer Verifiers Matter More Than Ever

In the past, sales reps could reasonably predict customer behavior based on their own actions, such as making a follow-up call or sending additional materials. However, today’s buying process is more complex, with multiple stakeholders and an extended decision-making process. As a result, it’s increasingly difficult to predict customer actions based solely on sales activity. 

With customer verifiers, sales reps can gauge the real health and progress of a pipeline. This data-driven, behavior-based approach offers a more realistic picture of an opportunity’s status, avoiding common pitfalls associated with relying on assumptions or non-specific indicators.

Building a Customer-Verified Pipeline

When customer verifiers are used in sequence, they create a “customer-verified pipeline.” This approach is sometimes referred to as a “sequence of events” or “reverse timeline.” It involves working collaboratively with the customer to outline each step they need to take to make a decision confidently.

Here’s how to get started:
1. Collaborate on Steps: Sit down with your customer and discuss the key steps they’ll need to complete for a successful purchase. Ask open-ended questions to let them outline their process and provide recommendations based on past successful sales.
  
2. Identify Verifiers for Each Step: Once you understand the process, attach specific customer actions (verifiers) to each stage. For instance, if they need procurement involvement, a verifier could be scheduling a meeting with the procurement team or sending a document confirming alignment.

3. Monitor and Adjust: With each verifier marked off, track the deal’s movement through the pipeline. If there’s a delay in completing a step, this could be an early indicator of potential issues, allowing you to address them proactively.

Advantages of a Customer-Verified Pipeline

The beauty of using customer verifiers is that it moves your sales forecasting from guesswork to a more concrete process. By basing your pipeline stages on customer actions, you gain a clear understanding of where any given deal stands at any given moment. It’s no longer just about what the customer says, or what you hope; it’s about what the customer has objectively done.

This approach strengthens your forecast accuracy and improves your ability to anticipate roadblocks. Rather than relying on gut feelings, you’re leveraging a reliable framework built on customer behavior.

Final Thoughts

Customer verifiers provide a powerful lens into the customer’s journey, creating a more accurate and actionable view of your pipeline. By moving beyond assumptions and focusing on customer actions, sales teams can better understand each opportunity’s progress, align their efforts more effectively, and enhance overall sales performance.

In a world where complexity in buying behavior is the norm, customer verifiers offer an invaluable advantage, making your pipeline as transparent and reliable as it can be. So the next time you’re managing a deal, remember to ask: What has the customer done? Because in the end, actions truly do speak louder than words.