Building a qualified pipeline for automation and technology sellers
A five-line scorecard for robotics, vision, and factory software deals — and what each missing answer should change about your next step.
Automation deals stall for a familiar reason: the wrong person is enthusiastic. A plant engineer likes the demo, the budget owner has no cycle this year, and IT has security questions nobody has answered. The pipeline looks full and revenue does not move.
The fix is a short scorecard that everyone on the team fills in the same way before engineering time is committed. Below is one you can copy into your CRM, followed by what to do when an answer is missing.
The scorecard
Score each line 0, 1, or 2
| Area | Question | 0 | 1 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Problem owner | Who feels the downtime, scrap, or throughput loss, and what is the number? | No name | Name, no number | Name and baseline |
| Budget owner | Who can fund a pilot and a rollout this year? | Unknown | Suspected | Named and engaged |
| Installed systems | What controller, MES or ERP, and network is on the target line? | Unknown | Platform known | Model and interfaces known |
| Deployment constraints | Space, washdown, downtime window, IT and security rules? | Unknown | Some known | Documented |
| Proof requirement | What KPI, trial length, and acceptance criteria? | None | KPI only | KPI, length, and criteria agreed |
Total out of 10. Eight or more: plan the demo and pilot scope. Five to seven: hold a 20-minute scoping call and a technical discovery session first. Below five: no engineering time yet. These thresholds are a starting point; adjust them to your sales cycle.
When an answer is missing, change the next action
A scorecard only helps if a low score changes what you do. This table pairs each gap with a different next step.
| If this is missing | Do this next | Do not do this |
|---|---|---|
| Problem owner | Email the operations manager one question about the line's largest loss. | Book a demo with whoever replied first. |
| Budget owner | Hold a 20-minute scoping call and ask for an introduction. | Offer a free pilot. |
| Installed systems | Schedule technical discovery with the controls engineer before pricing. | Quote a fixed price. |
| Deployment constraints | Send a site survey checklist before the quote. | Promise an installation date. |
| Proof requirement | Agree KPI and acceptance criteria in writing before the pilot starts. | Start a pilot with success defined later. |
A scored example
Illustrative example — machine vision
Packaging plant adds a second line
- Signal
- Job post for a controls engineer naming Siemens S7 and vision inspection, plus a second-line announcement two weeks earlier.
- Problem owner: 1
- Operations manager likely, but no reject-rate figure is known.
- Budget owner: 0
- No evidence on whether inspection is funded with the line.
- Installed systems: 1
- Controller platform named in the posting; model and HMI unknown.
- Constraints: 1
- Food plant, so washdown is likely; space and network rules unknown.
- Proof: 0
- No KPI discussed.
- Total 3 of 10
- Below five. No demo. The next action is an email to the controls engineer offering a 20-minute scoping call and asking who owns the inspection budget.
Turn signals into weekly focus
Scan for plants hiring in controls and manufacturing engineering, announcing lines or retrofits, or already using vendors adjacent to your stack. Rank by fit with your strongest deployment pattern rather than by company size, and score the top accounts each week.
With one scorecard, forecasts get more honest. Your pipeline gets smaller and closes more of what it holds.
Useful next steps
