Pipeline Priestess Play: Master New Stakeholders

When a new stakeholder enters a deal—especially someone with buying authority or leadership experience—the momentum can shift instantly. These transitions are frequent in modern B2B sales cycles, and without a clear playbook, opportunities can stall or slip through the cracks. Managing decision makers, economic buyers, or even newly promoted contacts entering your pipeline requires a deliberate strategy that addresses both their needs and your own goals. This process is where the pipeline priestess play excels, offering a structured, value-driven way to successfully onboard, engage, and convert key stakeholders.

Based on the original video:

Why the Pipeline Priestess Play Transforms Stakeholder Onboarding

Welcoming a new stakeholder—such as a fresh decision maker, economic buyer, or director—can make or break your sales process. The pipeline priestess play is a replicable strategy designed for these pivotal moments. Its focus is simple yet powerful: provide clear, relevant context and proactively guide new players so they can make informed decisions quickly and confidently.

This methodology is steeped in the experience of enterprise sales leaders who have reversed underperforming teams, sourced their own pipeline, and closed record-breaking deals. It’s particularly impactful when you:

• Inherit an account with new leadership
• Revive a previously lost or stalled opportunity
• Navigate organizational changes mid-deal
• See new economic buyers or executive sponsors show interest

With buyer turnover on the rise and B2B decision teams ever-expanding, mastering such a play sets high-performing reps apart in 2025’s competitive market.

The Key Principles of the Pipeline Priestess Play

This approach rests on several foundational principles, each designed to accelerate deal velocity and build trust with new contacts:

• Proactive engagement: Don’t wait for new stakeholders to reach out; greet them first with tailored, relevant information.
• Clear communication of history: Quickly bring new players up to speed so they feel empowered, not left out.
• Champion creation: Treat each arrival as an opportunity to build a new internal advocate for your solution.
• No-pressure introduction: Use a “no action required” message structure to inform and build goodwill, not to make demands.

Leveraging these tactics cuts through the confusion and inertia that can arise when team rosters shift, ensuring engagement doesn’t drop and your deal remains on track.

How to Identify New Stakeholders Entering the Pipeline

Speed matters. The sooner you spot new buying authorities or influencers joining your active opportunities, the more effectively you can guide them. Modern customer intelligence platforms monitor job changes, account activity, and decision-maker profiles to keep you updated.

For instance, you can set up automated alerts or pipeline segments based on:

• Opportunities with recent job changes (e.g., within the past six months)
• Buyer titles that match your ideal decision-makers (e.g., VP, Director, Economic Buyer)
• Prospects who have engaged with your website or digital touchpoints recently
• Accounts not yet marked as closed-won

With such filters, you can precisely pinpoint and prioritize outreach to those whose arrival signals a pivotal shift in momentum.

First Actions: Connecting and Starting the Conversation

Once you’ve identified a new stakeholder, it’s critical to act thoughtfully. The key is to establish rapport and relevance immediately—without adding friction. A proven tactic involves first connecting via LinkedIn, referencing shared objectives or existing conversations.

Example outreach message:

“Hi [Name], I’m chatting with [Existing Contact] about [Objective 1], [Objective 2], and [Objective 3]. Regardless of what happens with [company], I hope we can connect here.”

This approach is warm, informative, and non-transactional. It anchors your relevance and provides immediate social proof while minimizing the pressure to respond.

The Follow-Up: No Action Required Email Framework

After the initial connection, send a “no action required” email. This template builds goodwill by demonstrating that you respect the stakeholder’s time and don’t expect anything immediately. Frame your message using a PIS statement (Problem, Impact, Solution) format:

• Problem: Summarize the key pain points you’ve observed that matter to their business.
• Impact: Specify how these issues have impacted the organization and the team.
• Solution: Outline the steps your team has considered alongside theirs, highlighting potential results and next steps.

End the email with a clear offer for future engagement (e.g., your calendar link) but reiterate that action is optional. This reduces resistance and increases the likelihood of positive engagement down the line.

When Stakeholder Transitions Threaten Deals: How to Respond

Many sales professionals fear that a new stakeholder’s arrival means starting over, or worse, losing momentum entirely. In reality, these critical junctures can become the catalyst for renewed interest and faster movement—if managed with clarity and strategic intent.

Consider this real-world outcome: Onboarding a new director of sales using the pipeline priestess play transformed the stakeholder into an internal champion. Their advocacy subsequently drove the deal through to close after previously stagnating.

Key tactics to remember:

• Use direct outreach to establish lines of communication early on.
• Share concise, relevant deal history to remove guesswork for new stakeholders.
• Position yourself as a guide and resource, not just a vendor eager for the close.
• Focus on aligned business objectives, making your value obvious and actionable.

Making the Pipeline Priestess Play Repeatable

What sets the pipeline priestess play apart is its repeatability. Elite sales teams codify this approach within their workflows, ensuring any AE or SDR can seamlessly enact the play when a new player arrives. Modern tools can flag job changes, recommend actions, and even supply message tracks so team members execute consistently.

Consider segmenting your pipeline by opportunity status, recency of stakeholder change, and buyer persona. When a new economic buyer, champion, or decision maker enters, have templates and sequences ready. This enables your team to:

• React quickly, reducing time-to-engagement for new contacts
• Deliver clear, relevant context at the opportune moment
• Build champions within complex buying groups
• Minimize disruption during account transitions

If you’re looking to scale outbound and multi-channel sales, also see this guide to activating intent-driven, multi-channel outreach for further strategies.

Why No Action Required Is So Powerful for Conversion

Many sales professionals default to requests or “next steps” in every communication. The no action required play flips this convention, providing value without expectation and nurturing trust. Here’s why it works:

• Builds trust quickly: You’re seen as a partner, not a pushy seller
• Reduces anxiety: New stakeholders won’t feel overwhelmed during a transition
• Promotes advocacy: Removing pressure helps recipients become internal champions
• Keeps lines of communication open: Stakeholders are more likely to engage when they’re ready

This approach aligns with modern B2B buying behaviors, where large committees and shifting priorities are the norm.

Real-World Example: Turning a Stakeholder Into a Champion

Let’s illustrate with a case: A new director of sales assumes responsibility for an ongoing opportunity. Rather than starting from scratch or overwhelming them with requests, the seller executes the pipeline priestess play—connecting on LinkedIn, sending a PIS email, and providing clear next steps and history.

The result? The director becomes invested in the process, provides critical internal context, and transitions into an internal champion who actively advocates for the solution. A deal previously at risk accelerates and closes successfully.

Best Practices for Scaling the Pipeline Priestess Play

Unlocking repeatable results means operationalizing this play. Here are the key best practices for success:

• Monitor accounts for job changes: Leverage customer intelligence platforms to automate alerts.
• Maintain updated sequencing and templates: Have emails and message tracks ready to personalize quickly.
• Segment your opportunities: Prioritize accounts most likely to turn with new decision makers or leadership transitions.
• Enable every AE/SDR on your team: Document the approach in your playbooks and reinforce with training.
• Review successful conversions: Analyze deals where the play led to internal champions and repeat the pattern.

Prioritizing these best practices ensures effective, consistent execution across your team—regardless of account complexity or industry vertical.

Key Takeaways for Modern Sales Teams

• New stakeholders in deals are opportunities, not risks—when managed deliberately.
• The pipeline priestess play provides a clear, repeatable process to welcome, inform, and convert new decision makers.
• Combining proactive outreach with no-pressure communication fast-tracks trust and accelerates deals.
• Using available tech and segmentation boosts your capacity to scale this strategy across your book of business.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the pipeline priestess play in sales?

The pipeline priestess play is a structured approach for onboarding new stakeholders—such as decision makers or economic buyers—into active sales opportunities. It combines proactive outreach, context-driven communication, and a “no action required” introduction to build trust and momentum.

Why is it important to contact new stakeholders quickly?

Reaching out quickly ensures new decision makers are brought up to speed, feel valued, and don’t slow down a deal’s progress. Delayed engagement can lead to confusion, indecision, or stalled opportunities.

How does sending a ‘no action required’ email help sales deals?

It removes pressure from the new stakeholder, fostering trust and goodwill. This information-rich, expectation-free outreach increases the likelihood of the recipient becoming an internal champion and accelerates deal movement.

What are the main benefits of integrating the pipeline priestess play in outbound sales strategy?

This play enables sales teams to dramatically reduce lost momentum during transitions, convert new contacts into champions, and maintain visibility and relevance in ever-evolving buying committees.

How can I track job changes and new stakeholders effectively?

Use customer intelligence and CRM platforms to set up automated alerts for job title changes and new decision makers joining target accounts. Segment your book of business to prioritize these triggers and act quickly.