What Is a Sales Pipeline? (Plus Template and Example)

Sales Pipeline Template | Track your Sales Funnel!

What does a sales pipeline typically include?

Because they can be tailored to meet the requirements of any sales process, sales pipelines are used by both the sales teams of large corporations and small independent sellers. Consider your sales steps when creating your sales pipeline to choose the right fields that accurately reflect your process.

Additionally, you can alter the data you retain for each lead. For each lead in a sales pipeline, the following details could be present:

What is a sales pipeline?

The location of potential customers in the sales process, which is a series of specific steps a sales team takes to close sales, is tracked by sales teams using a sales pipeline. You can simplify the process of selling to new clients by recognizing these steps. Depending on your industry, the products you are selling, and your company’s policies, your sales process may vary.

Some steps in a general sales process include:

Many sales teams pursue multiple sales simultaneously. Using a sales pipeline, you can easily access data on both potential and completed sales. A sales pipeline can help you determine how to enhance your current sales process. This system works best when it is consistently updated with each action you take and any fresh leads, also referred to as potential customers.

If your business has a simple sales process or few leads, a spreadsheet for a sales pipeline format might be appropriate. Large businesses may want to spend money on a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system if they have numerous products, sales teams, or pipelines. You can track potential customers and integrate emails to track communication with them using a variety of CRM system software and websites to manage pipelines.

3 benefits of using a sales pipeline

Keeping track of prospective clients can be a crucial tool for expanding your business. Here are some benefits of using an effective sales pipeline:

1. Tracking sales leads

When you are organized and have multiple leads at once, you can close deals quickly and keep track of potential opportunities. A sales pipeline keeps track of all the sales data you can refer to later, including contact details and previous interactions with potential clients. By establishing a timeline and deciding when a sale needs to be taken further, you can use a pipeline to establish accountability on your part as a seller. Additionally, you can use it to keep track of the time when you want to generate more sales leads.

A pipeline can assist you in tracking the effectiveness of your team’s sales process as a sales manager. It’s crucial to adapt your sales procedures as your business expands and changes. If sales consistently stall at a certain stage of your process or if your sales team concentrates on leads that infrequently result in sales, you can find out using a sales pipeline. The number of sales leads your team can convert into customers, also known as your team’s conversion rates, can be optimized once you have visualized your team’s sales process.

2. Planning sales activities

A sales pipeline also aids in visualizing the activities of your sales team and potential revenue. It can be used by an individual seller to monitor their progress by showing the percentage of leads that became sales. They can use this information to adjust their focus accordingly.

A company-wide sales pipeline can also assist businesses in tracking their development across various sales teams and developing knowledgeable sales plans. Sales managers can forecast upcoming revenue using data from a pipeline and establish practical future goals.

3. Referencing past information and adjusting accordingly

For information on the aspects of your sales process that need to be improved, you might want to consult reports of sales you made or didn’t make. You can adjust your strategy going forward to concentrate more on events if, for instance, leads gathered through calling customers resulted in sales more frequently than leads gathered through events.

For information about the effectiveness of their sales teams, sales managers may want to consult reports from sales pipelines. Managers might not be aware of every potential customer update, but they can consult reports to learn more about the revenue and conversion rates for their teams as a whole.

Sales pipeline template

Sales pipelines function best when they are tailored by experts to the particular sales process being tracked. Here is a basic sales template that you can modify to suit your requirements:

Sales pipeline example

Here is an example of a completed sales pipeline:

FAQ

How do you structure a sales pipeline?

How to Build a Sales Pipeline
  1. Define the stages of your sales pipeline.
  2. Identify how many opportunities typically continue through each stage.
  3. Determine how many opportunities you’ll need at each stage to achieve your objectives.
  4. Understand the commonalities between opportunities that convert at each stage.

What should a sales pipeline include?

Tipsographic’s sales pipeline template allows you to adjust the win probability based on the deal stage and divides deals into quarters. The anticipated closing date, the salesperson dealing with this client, and notes on the following steps can also be included.

What does a sales pipeline show?

The seven key sales pipeline stages include:
  • Prospecting. Potential customers learn about your company’s existence through advertisements, public relations efforts, and other promotional activities.
  • Lead qualification. …
  • Demo or meeting. …
  • Proposal. …
  • Negotiation and commitment. …
  • Opportunity won. …
  • Post-purchase.

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