What is Sales Pipeline?
A visual representation of where prospects are in the sales process, from initial contact to closed deal.
Definition
A sales pipeline maps the stages a prospect moves through before becoming a customer. Typical B2B pipeline stages: prospecting, qualification (BANT or MEDDIC), discovery/demo, proposal, negotiation, and closed-won/lost. Pipeline management involves tracking deal values, stage durations, conversion rates between stages, and pipeline velocity. CRM tools (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive) visualize the pipeline, while sales engagement tools (Salesloft, Outreach) drive prospects through it.
Why It Matters
Pipeline is the leading indicator of revenue. Sales leaders use pipeline metrics (coverage ratio, velocity, conversion rates) to forecast quarterly results and identify bottlenecks. A healthy pipeline typically has 3-5x coverage of quota. Data tools impact every pipeline stage: enrichment tools improve qualification, intent data prioritizes outreach, and revenue intelligence tools (Gong) identify deal risks.
Example
A VP of Sales reviews the pipeline: $2M in deals across 40 opportunities. Average deal size is $50K, win rate is 25%, and average cycle length is 90 days. To hit a $500K quarterly target, they need $2M in pipeline (4x coverage). The team uses ZoomInfo to build prospecting lists, Salesloft to run outreach sequences, and Gong to coach reps on discovery calls that aren't converting.