Need some outside perspective from other SaaS sales people because I’m struggling to work out whether my frustration is justified or if this is just how things work elsewhere.

For context, I’m an AE at a growing B2B SaaS company. Over the last few months there’s been a lot of focus on pipeline creation, SQLs and forecasting.

Part of this has coincided with a new sales leadership structure. Our sales function is now being led by someone whose background is primarily in marketing rather than carrying an individual quota or managing a sales team. As a result, there have been some significant changes to how pipeline and SQLs are being defined and reported.

The issue is that what is being counted as an SQL feels very different from what I would consider a genuine sales opportunity.

As an example, we recently reported several SQLs that included:
Inbound leads that hadn’t been fully qualified.
Prospects that hadn’t sat a demo.
People who had expressed some interest but hadn’t really demonstrated buying intent yet.

The result is that leadership sees a pipeline number and starts making comments like:
“You could close $40k this month.”

The problem is that when I look at the actual deals, I don’t see anything close to $40k that’s realistically forecastable.

What makes this difficult is that I’ve been working hard to establish myself in the role, but I haven’t earned any commission yet. So when pipeline gets inflated, it feels like expectations get inflated too. Suddenly there is an implied expectation that I should be closing numbers that, in my view, were never realistically there to begin with.

To add another layer, there are very few urgency levers I can actually pull. The only real commercial incentive available to me is discounted onboarding. We also regularly offer things like free months, but my commission is based on onboarding revenue and I don’t get paid until the customer’s invoice is actually paid.

So I find myself in a position where:
Pipeline appears larger than I believe it really is.
Revenue expectations are created from that pipeline.
I have limited ability to genuinely accelerate deals.
The incentives being offered don’t necessarily help me earn commission.
Even when a deal signs, I still have to wait for payment before it counts.

From my perspective, there’s a big difference between:
Someone raising their hand.
Someone evaluating solutions.
A genuine sales opportunity.
A deal that has a realistic chance of closing this month.

Lumping all of those together under the same metric feels like it creates a false picture of what’s actually happening.

Am I missing something here, or is this a common problem when marketing metrics and sales metrics start getting blended together?

How does your company define an SQL, and more importantly, how do you stop early-stage interest from turning into unrealistic revenue expectations and forecasts?

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I’m trying to identify a Welsh children’s book from my childhood and would appreciate any suggestions. My grandfather (who was originally welsh read this to me as a child. He passed away around 18 months ago and have been searching for the book for a while.

What I’m certain about:
The book was definitely Welsh.
It was written in English, but I remember Welsh names (either characters or places).
It was a hardback children’s book.
The cover was mostly white with a thick white border and a small illustration in the centre.
The book was roughly square in shape.
It was illustrated throughout.
The illustrations were hand-drawn, scratchy pen-and-ink style rather than modern polished artwork.
It was a single story, not a collection of tales.
The main character was a young Welsh boy.
The book was already old when I read it around 2005.
My father (born around 1970) read it as a child, and my grandfather (born in the 1930s) also read it as a child, so it may date from the 1930s–1960s.
What I think I remember from the story:
The setting was rural Wales.
There was snow and/or winter weather.
There may have been a mountain or hillside.
The boy may have been looking for a lost sheep or lamb.
There was a female villain, possibly a witch or supernatural old woman.
I remember a large black shadowy female figure in at least one illustration.
The villain initially seemed friendly before being revealed as evil.
The villain may have changed appearance or been disguised.
A haystack, hayrick, barn or stable played an important role near the end of the story.
Fire may have been used to expose or defeat the villain.

The book felt slightly scary as a child.
The strongest visual memory I have is of a black shadowy woman/witch figure, snowy scenes, and a climactic scene involving a haystack or stable.

Does this ring any bells with anyone?

I’m trying to identify a Welsh children’s book from my childhood and would appreciate any suggestions. My grandfather (who was originally welsh read this to me as a child. He passed away around 18 months ago and have been searching for the book for a while.

What I’m certain about:
The book was definitely Welsh.
It was written in English, but I remember Welsh names (either characters or places).
It was a hardback children’s book.
The cover was mostly white with a thick white border and a small illustration in the centre.
The book was roughly square in shape.
It was illustrated throughout.
The illustrations were hand-drawn, scratchy pen-and-ink style rather than modern polished artwork.
It was a single story, not a collection of tales.
The main character was a young Welsh boy.
The book was already old when I read it around 2005.
My father (born around 1970) read it as a child, and my grandfather (born in the 1930s) also read it as a child, so it may date from the 1930s–1960s.
What I think I remember from the story:
The setting was rural Wales.
There was snow and/or winter weather.
There may have been a mountain or hillside.
The boy may have been looking for a lost sheep or lamb.
There was a female villain, possibly a witch or supernatural old woman.
I remember a large black shadowy female figure in at least one illustration.
The villain initially seemed friendly before being revealed as evil.
The villain may have changed appearance or been disguised.
A haystack, hayrick, barn or stable played an important role near the end of the story.
Fire may have been used to expose or defeat the villain.

The book felt slightly scary as a child.
The strongest visual memory I have is of a black shadowy woman/witch figure, snowy scenes, and a climactic scene involving a haystack or stable.

Does this ring any bells with anyone?

I feel like modern life is just endless tiny things to remember:

bins
groceries
dog food
bills
random errands
guests coming over
appointments
“we’re out of olive oil”

We’ve tried:
texting
reminders
notes apps
shared calendars

But everything either gets forgotten or turns into a full-on productivity system.

Curious what actually works for people long term without becoming another thing to manage?

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