Sales pipeline is an image of deals progressing through stages — from new lead to closing. Building a pipeline helps you see clearly: how many deals are about to close, which deals are stuck for a long time, and the conversion rate at each stage. 7-stage pipeline suitable for B2B: new lead → contacted → consultation → quote → negotiation → closing → (after sale). Zenify records a reasonable LTV/CAC of 3-5x — the pipeline helps you sell at the right focus (approved).
TL;DR
- Pipeline = deals go through each stage until they are closed.
- 7 standard stages for B2B from new lead to closing.
- Measure the conversion rate of each stage to find stuck points.
- Deal is stuck for a long time at any stage → fix that process.
- Correct pipeline makes forecasting sales easier.
What is a sales pipeline
Sales Pipeline (sales pipeline) displays all open deals by stage:
Each column = one stage. Each card = one deal.
Drag deals through stages as they progress.
Look at one screen to know the whole sales picture.
Why is it needed: Without a pipeline, you can "guess" sales, you don't know where deals are stuck, you don't know who is selling weakly.
7 standard B2B pipeline stages
# | Phase | Description | Things to do
1 | New leads | Interested customer, haven't talked yet | Contact within 24-48h
2 | Contacted | First exchange | Verify need
3 | Consulting | Understand the problem, propose solutions | Demo, consulting
4 | Quotes | Quote sent | Follow feedback
5 | Negotiation | Negotiate price/conditions | Handling objections
6 | Closing | Guest agrees | Sign, pay
7 | After sale | Delivery, care | Handoff Customer Service (see Handoff sale-customer service)
Customized by industry: add/remove stages — important enough to see progress, not too cumbersome.
How to build a pipeline
1. Choose 5-7 stages according to your selling journey
Don't copy and paste — the stage should reflect how you actually sell.
2. Clearly define "conditions at each stage"
Go to "quote" when: quote has been sent. Enter "close" when: the customer agrees.
Not clearly defined → everyone pulls deals in their own way.
3. Estimate the value of each deal
Fill in the monetary value — to add pipeline = potential sales.
4. Measure conversion rate per stage
How many leads go to "consulting"? How much consultation constitutes a "quote"?
Period of sharp drop in ratio = bottleneck that needs fixing.
5. Xem tuổi deal
Deal stays in one stage for a long time → stuck — needs action or removed from pipeline.
Common pipeline errors
Unclear stage: The deal is "in limbo", no one knows where it really is.
"Virtual" pipeline: deal is set up to look beautiful, not capable of closing.
Do not measure the rate of each stage: do not know where the blockage is.
Deal stuck for a long time without processing: backfill, wrong pipeline.
Not cleaning the pipeline: Dead deals last forever, fake forecast numbers (see Sales Forecast).