01
Pipeline Coverage Index score
A single number between 0 and 5, plus the breakdown by segment and stage. The same scoring model used by 200+ RevOps teams on the RevOps Co‑op Slack, contextualized for your ARR band.
Issue No. 047 · The Diagnostic
A paid 60‑minute audit of your revenue engine — priced, time‑boxed, and operator‑grade.
One hour with Rob Macklem. You leave with a Pipeline Coverage Index score, a forecast gap in dollars, and a list of the three things to fix in the next 90 days. No discovery call theatrics, no slideware, no follow‑up sequence.
Roster & alumni paths
Algolia alumni · Calendly alumni · Loom alumni · 9 companies now Series C or beyond
§ 01 — The Agenda
Six chapters, one hour, no detours.
The diagnostic is structured so you and Rob know exactly what is happening at every minute. No "let me tell you about my methodology." No scoping on your dime. The hour is yours.
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I
Context intake (10 min)
You walk Rob through the current state of the revenue org: stage definitions, headcount, stack, last quarter's numbers. He listens. He asks the three questions that surface the actual constraint.
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II
Pipeline audit (15 min)
Rob scores your pipeline against the Pipeline Coverage Index. Where is coverage thin? Where is it inflated? Which segments are carrying the forecast and which are decorative?
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III
Forecast gap (10 min)
The dollar gap between what the board thinks is coming and what the pipeline will actually produce. Decomposed by segment, channel, and stage.
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IV
Process audit (10 min)
Where the handoffs break, where the CRM lies to you, where the AEs are spending their week. One or two specific examples, not a generic list.
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V
90‑day priorities (10 min)
Three things to fix in the next quarter, ranked by leverage. Concrete enough to act on Monday morning. Realistic enough that your team will actually do them.
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VI
Decide what's next (5 min)
If the priorities point to a longer engagement, Rob sketches a scope. If they don't, Rob tells you so. Either way, the call ends on time.
§ 02 — Deliverables
What you leave the hour with.
Four artifacts. The first three are written up before the call ends; the fourth arrives 48 hours later. You can forward them to your board, your CFO, or your head of sales without a rewrite.
02
Forecast gap, in dollars
The honest delta between your committed number and what the pipeline will likely produce. Broken out by quarter, segment, and stage conversion. No sandbagging, no optimism tax.
03
90‑day priorities list
Three fixes, ranked by leverage. Each item has an owner, a definition of done, and a checkpoint at the 30, 60, and 90‑day mark. Tied directly to the gaps surfaced in chapters II and III.
04
Recorded walkthrough
A 10–15 minute Loom summarizing the call, captioned, with the three PDFs attached. Delivered within 48 hours. Shareable internally without an NDA, because nothing said on the call is confidential.
§ 03 — Fit
The diagnostic is designed for four specific readers.
If you are one of these, the hour will repay itself. If you are not, this page will save you $450 and Rob will save you a calendar invite.
Founder‑CEOs at $2M–$10M ARR
You are still the closer. The pipeline is whatever your last three AEs put into Salesforce. The forecast is a feeling. You want a second opinion from someone who has audited 6,200+ deals and won't sugarcoat the result.
Heads of Revenue at $10M–$30M ARR
You inherited a process built by a founder who has since changed role. The board wants a forecast. Your team wants clarity. You need a diagnostic that produces artifacts you can hand to the board on Monday.
Newly hired RevOps leaders
You are 90 days into the role and the previous operator left nothing. You need a baseline assessment of the pipeline, the process, and the system without spending six months discovering it the slow way.
Boards and investors
You are funding a portfolio company whose forecast does not match its pipeline. You want an independent read from an operator who has audited companies at this stage 80+ times and will not be on the cap table.
Not a fit if
You are pre‑revenue, below $2M ARR, or looking for a fractional CRO. Rob does not hold executive titles at client companies and will not pretend to be your VP of Sales for the hour.
§ 04 — Independent verification
4.97/5
Avg. client rating across 84 engagements on Clutch
6,200+
B2B opportunities audited, closed, or reviewed since 2014
92%
Of clients renew or expand scope within 12 months
11,500 readers
Weekly revenue digest, published Fridays since 2019
600+
Win/loss findings published across 11 verticals
Recognition
Pavilion Top 30 Sales Operations Consultant (2022, 2023) · Sales Hacker Ops Contributor of the Year (2021) · Stanford GSB & INSEAD executive guest lecturer (2019–2024)
§ 05 — Before you book
Eight questions founders actually ask.
If the answer below is not what you needed, write to [email protected] and Rob will reply directly.
- Why is the diagnostic $450 instead of free?
- Free calls attract tire‑kickers and become discovery sessions in disguise. A paid, time‑boxed hour forces both sides to prepare. It also signals that Rob is not pitching you a six‑figure engagement — the diagnostic is a product, not a funnel for one.
- How is this different from a free intro call?
- A free intro call is Rob figuring out whether to work with you. A diagnostic is Rob working with you, in writing, on a defined output. You leave with a PCI score, a forecast gap, and a 90‑day list. A free call leaves you with a proposal.
- Is the fee refundable?
- Yes, in full, if you cancel at least 24 hours before the call. If Rob has to cancel, you are refunded the same day and offered the next available slot. If the call happens and you are unsatisfied, write within 48 hours and the fee is refunded — no debate.
- Will the call be recorded?
- Yes, with your consent at the top of the hour. The recording and the three deliverables are delivered as a Loom within 48 hours. You can share the Loom internally without an NDA because nothing on the call is confidential unless you volunteer it.
- Do you work with companies outside North America?
- Yes. Rob is based in Toronto and serves clients across North America, the UK, and the EU. Calls are scheduled in your local time zone. The diagnostic format works the same in London, Austin, or Berlin.
- How should I prepare?
- A short form arrives 72 hours before the call asking for your ARR, headcount, current pipeline coverage, and the last quarter's actuals. No deck, no pre‑read longer than two pages. Rob does the rest of the homework.
- Will anything I share stay confidential?
- Yes. Rob is a solo consultant, not a firm. There are no junior analysts, no offshore delivery team, no case study pipeline. Specific numbers from your call are never used in published benchmarks. Win/loss findings are aggregated across 600+ deals and never attributed.
- What happens after the call?
- Within 48 hours you receive the Loom, the PCI score, the forecast gap, and the 90‑day priorities. If you want help executing the list, Rob will scope a fixed‑fee engagement during the closing chapter of the diagnostic. If you do not, the artifacts stand on their own.
§ 06 — Booking
Book a Revenue Diagnostic