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

playbooks

How to set up your CRM

How to set up your CRM

A poorly configured CRM becomes a graveyard of stale data and missed follow-ups. A properly set up CRM runs your sales process automatically, surfaces hot leads, and forecasts revenue accurately.

Sales process design

Sales process design

Map your customer journey from first contact to close, defining stages, exit criteria, handoffs, and activities that create consistent execution.

Discovery call framework

Discovery call framework

Qualify prospects and uncover needs through structured discovery conversations that build trust 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 leads from going cold.

Proposal templates

Proposal templates

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

How to create sales collateral

How to create sales collateral

Sales reps need more than a pitch deck. They need email templates that don't sound robotic, case studies that prospects recognise themselves in, calculators that quantify ROI, and videos that explain complex value quickly. Build the collateral that makes selling easier.

Sales pipeline

tools

HubSpot

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45

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HubSpot

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

Pipedrive

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24

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Pipedrive

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

Monday.com

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12

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Monday.com

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

ActiveCampaign

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15

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ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign combines email marketing, CRM, and marketing automation with sophisticated workflows and lead scoring for B2B companies.

Folk

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25

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Folk

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

Sales pipeline

books

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Sales pipeline

wiki

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.

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.

Qualification rate

Measure how many booked meetings result in qualified opportunities that match your ideal customer profile and buying criteria.

SQL

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

MQL

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

Win rate

Measure the percentage of proposals that convert to closed deals, reflecting your sales effectiveness and market fit.

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.

Gated content

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

Objection handling

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

Lead

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

Proposal rate

Track the percentage of qualified opportunities that progress to the proposal stage, indicating strong sales pipeline health.

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.

All

Sales pipeline

tools

Calendly

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12

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Calendly

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

Cal.com

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15

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Cal.com

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

Fireflies.ai

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18

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Fireflies.ai

Fireflies.ai transcribes meetings, extracts action items, and syncs notes to CRM with searchable meeting library for team collaboration.

PandaDoc

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35

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PandaDoc

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

Lemcal

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9

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Lemcal

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

DocuSign

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14

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DocuSign

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

Dropbox Sign

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17.5

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Dropbox Sign

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

Aircall

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40

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Aircall

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

Freshcaller

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15

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Freshcaller

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

Surfe

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29

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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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