Sales pipeline

Your sales pipeline works exactly like a marketing funnel, you just need to know how to optimise it. Build the assets that help your team close: proposals that win, workflows that keep deals moving, and materials that answer objections before they kill opportunities.

Sales pipeline

Introduction

A healthy pipeline doesn’t just happen, it’s built. Marketers often hand leads to sales and hope for the best. The reality is, what happens after the handover determines your revenue.

In this section, I’ll show you how to align marketing with sales using CRM automation, proposal templates, and structured meeting flows. You’ll see how to reduce friction, shorten deal cycles, and measure conversion properly.

The goal is simple: a pipeline you can trust. One that turns interest into impact.

Sales pipeline

metrics

Qualification rate

The percentage of discovery calls where the prospect is confirmed as a qualified sales opportunity.

Proposal rate

The percentage of qualified opportunities that receive a formal proposal or quote.

Win rate

The percentage of proposals sent that result in a signed contract.

Foundation

Before we build, these need to be in place.

How to set up your CRM

How to set up your CRM

A properly configured CRM runs your sales process automatically, surfaces hot leads, forecasts revenue accurately, and prevents opportunities from slipping through the cracks.

Build

The core system we create together

Sales process design

Sales process design

Map your customer journey from first contact to signed contract. Define stages, exit criteria, and handoffs that create consistent execution across your entire sales team.

Discovery call framework

Discovery call framework

Qualify prospects and uncover needs through structured discovery conversations that build trust, surface pain points, and position your solution as the obvious choice.

Sales follow-up sequences

Sales follow-up sequences

Keep deals moving forward with automated outreach cadences, task reminders, and nurture sequences that prevent qualified leads from going cold or slipping through the cracks.

Proposal templates

Proposal templates

Close qualified opportunities with proposal formats that clearly communicate value, address objections before they arise, and make buying decisions straightforward.

Expand

What your team can run independently.

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Optimise

Once it's working, here's how to improve it.

Experimentation

Experimentation

Run tests across all growth engines using proper hypothesis formation, test design, and statistical significance. Build learning loops that compound improvements over time.

Automation

Automation

Identify repetitive tasks draining time and build workflows that run without you. Use HubSpot and Zapier to automate lead routing, follow-ups, notifications, and data entry.

Sales pipeline

resources

Recommended tools

Monday.com

Monday.com

Work OS with boards, automations and dashboards, flexible for marketing and ops when configured with restraint.

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12

per month

Folk

Folk

Simple CRM for relationships and outreach lists, useful for partnerships and light sales without heavy setup.

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25

per month

Keap

Keap

Small business CRM with email automation and invoicing, good when you want sales and marketing in one light tool.

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299

per month

Salesforce

Salesforce

Enterprise CRM with deep customisation and ecosystem, powerful but requires clear design and governance.

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25

per month

HubSpot

HubSpot

All in one CRM with marketing, sales and service, strong when you want one system that teams adopt.

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45

per month

Pipedrive

Pipedrive

Sales focused CRM with clean pipelines and activity tracking, ideal for small teams that value speed.

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24

per month

Surfe

Surfe

Surfe syncs LinkedIn profiles directly into your CRM with one click, capturing contact details, notes, and activities without manual data entry.

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29

per month

Freshcaller

Freshcaller

Freshcaller provides cloud phone system with call routing, IVR, and call management integrated with Freshworks support and CRM tools.

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15

per month

PandaDoc

PandaDoc

PandaDoc creates proposals, quotes, and contracts with content libraries, e-signature, and payment collection for sales teams.

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35

per month

DocuSign

DocuSign

DocuSign provides electronic signature, contract management, and workflow automation with legal validity and extensive integrations for enterprises.

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14

per month

Dropbox Sign

Dropbox Sign

Dropbox Sign provides electronic signatures with simple workflows, templates, and team features integrated with Dropbox for straightforward signing needs.

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17.5

per month

Aircall

Aircall

Aircall provides cloud phone system with CRM integrations, call routing, and analytics for sales and support teams working remotely.

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40

per month

Lemcal

Lemcal

Lemcal provides instant meeting scheduling optimised for speed with one-click booking, availability pools, and sales-focused features.

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9

per month

Calendly

Calendly

Calendly automates meeting scheduling with availability sync, booking pages, payment collection, and workflow integrations for professionals.

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12

per month

Cal.com

Cal.com

Cal.com provides meeting scheduling with calendar sync, booking pages, and workflow automation, available open-source or hosted for teams.

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15

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Sales pipeline

books

The 10X rule

The 10X rule

Grant Cardone

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A filter for action and attitude. Use big goals wisely, pair with systems and avoid noisy busyness.

Spin selling

Spin selling

Neil Rackham

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A clear walkthrough of Situation, Problem, Implication, Need payoff with examples that match complex deals.

The Science of Selling

The Science of Selling

David Hoffeld

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Research backed techniques for discovery, framing and closing that marketers can support with better assets.

Sales pipeline

wiki

Gated content

Require email addresses in exchange for valuable content to generate leads whilst ensuring the asset provides enough value to justify the friction.

SQL

Identify prospects that sales has vetted as qualified opportunities, establishing the handoff from marketing to active deal pursuit.

Proposal rate

The percentage of qualified opportunities that receive a formal proposal or quote.

BANT

Qualify leads systematically by assessing budget, authority, need, and timing to focus sales effort on high-potential opportunities.

Progressive profiling

Gradually collect information across multiple form submissions rather than overwhelming new leads with long forms that decrease conversion rates.

Qualification rate

The percentage of discovery calls where the prospect is confirmed as a qualified sales opportunity.

Closing techniques

Use specific tactics that ask for the sale and overcome final hesitation to convert qualified prospects who need a clear signal that it's time to commit.

Objection handling

Prepare responses to common purchase concerns to address doubts confidently and move deals forward rather than being surprised by predictable pushback.

Discovery call

Conduct exploratory conversations to understand prospect situations and qualify fit before investing time in demos or proposals that might waste both parties' time.

Content upgrade

Offer specific downloadable resources related to blog content to convert readers into leads by providing deeper value on topics they're already interested in.

Sales cadence

Sequence multiple touchpoints across channels and time to increase response rates through persistent but respectful follow-up that prospects don't perceive as harassment.

MQL

Flag leads who meet defined engagement or fit criteria, creating a qualified handoff between marketing and sales for efficient follow-up.

Win rate

The percentage of proposals sent that result in a signed contract.

Lead

Identify individuals who've shown initial interest in your offering, separating them from cold prospects for targeted nurture.

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