What is a sales pipeline?

Business & Management
1

A visual approach to managing your sales process. A sales pipeline reveals where each of your leads are in the buyer’s journey and helps you visualize how many ongoing opportunities you have.

A typical sales pipeline has 4-6 stages, which often include:
Initial Contact
Qualification
Meeting / Demoing
Proposal / Negotiation
Close

2

A sales pipeline covers all phases of your sales process. In order to successfully close deals, you need a large number of potential customers at various stages of interest and commitment in your pipeline.

Steps to build a sales pipeline :

  • Identify your ideal customer profile and target market.
  • Spot your target companies/target accounts.
  • Find internal contacts and do research.
  • Reach out to your internal contacts.
  • Segment and work your pipeline.
  • Move Your SQLs Further Down the Funnel/Book Demos.
  • Keeping the Pipeline Flowing
  • Keep as many leads as you can
  • Closing the Deal
3

Indeed, each stage in the pipeline represents progress in the buyer’s journey, and moving leads through these stages helps you understand where your sales efforts are paying off and where they may need adjustment. Visualizing the pipeline can also aid in forecasting and resource allocation, providing a comprehensive overview of your sales process at a glance.