How do I get my sales team to actually update their close dates?

Combine accountability with automation. Build a simple HubSpot workflow that automatically creates a task for the deal owner when a close date passes. Then, create a dashboard report showing all deals with past-due close dates and review it in your weekly sales meeting. The combination of automated nudges and public accountability works wonders.

Our deal stages are all over the place. Where do we even start to fix them?

Start by simplifying. You probably only need 5-7 stages. Get your team together and for each stage, define the verifiable 'exit criteria'. This is the one thing that must be true for a deal to move to the next stage. Focus on what the buyer has done or committed to, not just what your team has done. Write it down and pin it up.

Is this just a sales problem? What's marketing's role in pipeline health?

Marketing's role is critical. Pipeline health starts with lead quality. If marketing passes over leads that aren't a good fit or aren't ready for a sales conversation, they pollute the pipeline from day one. This wastes sales time and makes the forecast unreliable. Marketing and sales must agree on the definition of a 'sales-qualified lead' (SQL) that aligns with the first real stage of the sales pipeline.

Your Cash Buffer Isn't in Xero, It's in Your HubSpot Pipeline