Sales Funnel Stages, Definition, Process & Examples | Pipedrive

A sales funnel is a visual representation of the journey from your prospect's first contact with you until a completed purchase. It helps your sales team ... BlogSalesMarketingProductupdatesAllcategoriesBlogKnowledgeBaseAcademyCommunityBlogresultsSeeallBlogSelling&ScalingSalesMarketingProductupdatesSalesFunnels:Definition,Process,StagesandExamplesPipelineProcessImprovingsalesfunnelefficiencyshouldbeamongacompany’stopprioritiesinordertoturncoldprospectsintohotleadsandboostsalesperformance.Itmakessense,Agreatsalesfunnelgivessalespeoplekeyinsightsintotheirpotentialcustomer’sneeds,challengesanddecision-makingprocess. Withoutsolidsalesfunnelmanagementsoftware,it’sverydifficulttoefficientlyconvertleadsintosalesandgrowrevenueovertime.Inthisarticle,you’llfindoutwhatasuccessfulsalesfunnellookslikeandhowtobuildandmanageoneforyourteam. Tableofcontents Whatisasalesfunnel?StagesofasalesfunnelReal-lifeexamplesofsalesfunnelsThevalueofasalesfunnelHowtodefineyoursalesfunnelHowtofixaleakysalesfunnelHowtomanageyoursalesfunnelday-to-dayFinalthoughts Whatisasalesfunnel? Asalesfunnelisavisualrepresentationofthejourneyfromyourprospect’sfirstcontactwithyouuntilacompletedpurchase.Ithelpsyoursalesteamunderstandwheretheyneedtofollowuporalterthesalesprocessduetodropoffinthefunnel. Thesalesfunneldefinitionprescribesthatitliterallyactslikeafunnel,meaningitiswidestatthetopandnarrowestatitsthebottom.Eachstageofthefunnelpushesyourqualifiedprospectsintothenextstageanddropsthosethatarenotafitforwhatyouoffer. Asalesfunnelisdirectlyconnectedtothecustomerjourneyphases,whichcanbesortedintothreeparts:top,middle,andbottom. Thesalesfunnelstructureshowstheprocessthatprospectsgothrough:Untouched>Contactmade(Leads)>Qualified>Proposalpresented>Negotiation>Won. Studyingyoursalesfunnelcanhelpyouunderstandwhereyou’regoingwrongwithprospecting,exactlywhereleadsdropoffandwhatledexistingcustomerstofollowthesalesfunnelallthewaythrough.Optimizingyoursalesfunnelcanhaveanimmediate,lastingimpactonyoursalesgoals. Top-performingsalesrepsknowthestepsoftheirsalesfunnelinsideout,fromcoldcallingtofinalizingthesale.Thishelpsthemintwokeyways: Theycanaddresscustomer’skeyneedsanddelivertherightmessageattherighttime;Theycanscaletheirsalesprocessandforecasttheirsalesandrevenuetohittheirgoals. Inotherwords,awell-definedsalesfunnelimprovesthecustomer’sjourneyaswellasthecompany’sperformance. Stagesofasalesfunnel Inordertofullyanswerthequestion“Whatisasalesfunnel?”,weneedtotacklethedifferentstepsofthefunnel.Whiledifferentorganizationshavetheirownwaysofmanagingandnamingthesalesprocessandcustomertouchpoints,theseareusuallystructuredintothreedistinctstages. 1.Topofthesalesfunnel:Awarenessanddiscovery Earlyintheirjourney,yourpotentialcustomershaveaquestionorconcernandareresearchingandlearningaboutit,whichiswhentheydiscoveryourbusiness.Perhapstheyreceivedacoldcallfromamemberofyourteamwhowasfocusedonprospecting,ormaybetheyfoundyoursiteorcontactinformationontheirown. Atthisstage,they’restillidentifyingtheirchallenge.Theyhavemanyquestionsasthey’retryingtoverbalizetheirproblemandarelookingforatrustedsourceofinformation.Herearesomeexamplesofquestionstheymightbehavinghaveforspecificindustries: Acustomersupportsoftware.“Customersupportindustrybenchmarks”Amattressstore.“Whydoesmybackhurtaftersleeping?”Anelectricityprovider.“Averageelectricitybill” Atthetopofthesalesfunnel,yourprospectwantstofeelconfidentthatyoursolutionisthebestanswertotheirproblem. Fromadigitalmarketingperspective,prospectivecustomerswanteasilyaccessiblecontentthatwillguidethemthroughthetopicsthatmatterstothem,includingblogposts,videosandevenquizzes.Thisisthepartoftheprocesscalledleadgeneration. Inthisstage,yourUntouchedprospectsturnintoContactmadeprospects.Moreprecisely,theyarenowyourLeads.It’stimeforyou,thesalesrep,toaskrelevantquestionsandqualifyyourleadtomakesurethey’retherightcustomers,whichiswhatbringsustothenextstage. 2.Middleofthesalesfunnel:researchingsolutions Atthispoint,you’vefilteredyourprospectsandthosestillinthefunnelshouldbe“idealcustomers.”Questionsinthemiddleofthefunnelarenolongergeneric,asyourprospectshavenownamedanddefinedtheirproblem(s). Usingthesameindustriesasintheprevioussection,thesemightbetheirquestions: “Howtoprovidegoodcustomersupportoverthephone?”“Howtochoosethebestmattressfor[condition]?”“Howtobreakdownanelectricitybill?”or“Howtochooseanelectricityprovider?” Inthemiddleofthesalesfunnel,yourleadisdivingdeeperintothespecificsoftheproblem.Atthispoint,theymightnotnecessarilybeevaluatingsolutionproviderssuchasspecificcompaniesandtheirproductsorservices.Instead,they’relookingforthetypesofsolutionsavailabletothem. Inthefirstexample,theyhaveyettodecideiftheywillbuyasoftwaresolutionforin-housesupportteamsoroutsourcesupportaltogether.Inthenextexample,theyaren’tsureiftheyjustneedamattresstopperoriftheyshouldbuyanewmattress. Asyougettotalktothemandaskthemquestionstodeterminewhetheryourofferistherightfitfortheirproblem,yourLeadsbecomeQualified.Thecontentthatservesyourleadsbestinthisstageincludesin-depthguides,comparison-stylechecklistsandprosversusconslists.Thesewouldmakeiteasyforthedecision-makertomoveontothedecisionstage. 3.Bottomofthesalesfunnel:Makinganeducatedpurchasedecision Finally,thebottomofyourfunneliswhenyourleadsnowknoweverythingabouttheirproblem,thebesttypeofsolutionforthemandarereadytoselecttheprovidertopurchasethissolutionfrom. Thisiswhytheirquestionsandconcernsinthisstagebecomevendor-drivenandmorespecific,followingthenarrowingshapeofafunnel’sbottom.SoTheironlinesearches,aswellastheirquestionstoyou,mightlooksomethinglikethis: “Does[provider1]providebettersupportsoftwarefeaturesthan[provider2]?”“Whooffersthelongestandmostcompletewarrantypolicyformattresses?”“Whataretheelectricitycontracttermswith[provider1]versus[provider2]?” Atthisstage,long-tailSEOkeywordscanhelpleaduserstoinformationthatenablesthemtomakeadecisionthatsuitstheirexactneeds,specificproblemsandbudget. Thebestcontentforthebottomofthefunnelarefrequently-asked-questionspages,videosaboutproductfeatures,livedemosandside-to-sidecompetitivefeatureanalyses.Thesewillreinforcetheirconfidenceinyourofferastheykeepseeingitsfitfortheirspecificproblem. Thisiswhenyourqualifiedleadsgothroughsalesproposalandnegotiationphases,afterwhichyouideallywintheirbusiness. Real-lifeexamplesofsalesfunnels Let’slookatsomesalesfunnelexamplestofurtheranswerthequestionposedearlier:Whatisasalesfunnel?They’llshowhowasalespersoncanguidetheprospectfromthemomenttheybecomealeadthroughtopurchasingbyunderstandingtheirkeypainpointsandprovidingtherightanswersattherighttime. Example1:Twilio TwilioofferscommunicationAPIs,aservicethatdeveloperscanimplementtoembedvoicecallingandtextmessagingintoasoftwareapplicationoraproduct.Theyknowhowimportantitistocommunicatethesespecificstotheiraudience,andthey’rereallygoodatit. Twilio:Topofthefunnel PotentialcustomerscaneasilyfindTwilioastheirpotentialvendorwhentheysearchforakeyterm,“communicationAPIs,”forwhichTwiliorankshighly. Prospectscanalsofindthemonsocialmedia,throughtheirblogoraself-pacedgamemadeforlearningTwilio. Onceprospectsseethefitfortheirneeds,theycaneithercreateafreeTwilioaccountorrequesttotalktoasalesrep.Twilioevenusesdifferentcall-to-actionbuttonstohelpguideprospectswheretheywanttogonext. The“Notreadyyet?TalktoSales”buttontellsprospectsthattheyunderstandtheymaynotbereadytobuyyet,andaretheretohelpsimplifytheprocess. Whennewuserssignup,theyeithergetafreeaccounttostartwith(andeventuallyupgradetoapaidone),ortheylandinasalesrep’sinboxandwaittobecontacted. Twilio:Middleofthefunnel Nowthatawebsitevisitorhasbecomealead,thesalesrepcanleveragetheinformationcollectedintheopt-inform,suchasthecompanyname,jobtitleandtheproductthattheleadisinterestedin,todriveavaluablesalesconversationandasktherightquestions. Basedonthespecifictechnologies,categoriesandpastexperiencesthattheleadshared,thesalesrepisabletoinjectrelevant,personalizedcontentintotheinitialconversationsthat​​speaksdirectlytotheirproblems: Astheydothisandgaugetheresponsefromtheirlead,theyqualifythemfurtherandhelpthemprogressdownthefunnel. Twilio:Bottomofthefunnel Finally,theleadconsidersTwilioastheirsolution.However,theyhavequestionsaboutpricing,implementationandthereturnontheirinvestment. Thisiswherehyper-specificpagessuchascustomerstories,in-depthdocumentationandusecasescomeinhandy.Themorerelatabletheyaretothelead’sindustryandscenario,thebetter. Ifthesalesrepcansatisfactorilyaddressquestionsandconcernsatthebottomofthefunnel,andconveythematchbetweenthelead’sproblemandthesolution,it’shighlylikelytheywillconverttheleadintoacustomer. Example2:Tricentis Tricentisisasoftwaretestingtoolwithasuiteofproductsthatspansacrossautomation,integrationandoptimization.They’reoneofthemostinnovativetoolsforcontinuoussoftwaretesting. Tricentis:Topofthefunnel Tricentiscaneasilybefoundwhenyousearchforasoftwaretestingtool.SEO-wise,theyactuallyrankhighlyforrelatedkeywordterms.Becauseofthis,theycaneasilybuildawarenesswiththeirtargetaudience. Potentialcustomerswholandontheirwebsitecangetintouchwiththecompanyinseveralways,eitherbyrequestingademoorstartingafreetrial(topright)orhavingsomeonecontactthem(menubar). Tricentis:Middleofthefunnel Onceagain,asalesrephasplentyofinformationaboutthelead,suchastheirjobtitleandcompanyname.Thisisagreatfoundationforstartingaqualifyingsalesconversation. Furthermore,Tricentishasahugeresourcelibrary,whichmeansthattheycannurturetheirsalesleadsbysendingincrediblyspecificcontentforthechallengestheirleadisfacing. Whetherprospectsrequiremoreinformationintheformofinfopacks,videodemosorin-depthguides,aTricentissalespersoncaneasilyprovidethemwhattheyneedandmovethemfurtherdownthefunnel. Tricentis:Bottomofthefunnel Whenit’stimetomakeapurchasedecision,Tricentisleadsneedmoreinformationandreassurancethattheproductistherightwaytogo. ThisiswhereTricentissalesrepscandirecttheleadtowardtheirROIcalculator,theircustomersuccessstoriesandevenperksliketheirToscaCommunity.Bymatchingtheirprospect’sneedsandrequirements,andbyensuringgoodcustomerservice,theycaneasilywinoverhighlyqualifiedprospects. Example3:AnchorFabrication Ourfinalexampleisn’tasoftware,app,orSaaSproduct,butacontractmetalfabricationspartnercalledAnchorFabrication.You’llfindthematthetopofthesearchresultsfor“anchorfabrication”asthey’veoptimizedtheirwebsiteforthoselookingformetalfabricationcontractors. AnchorFabrication:Topofthefunnel Oncetheyattracttheirtargetvisitors,AnchorFabricationmakesthemostoutofeachpagetodrawthemfurtherintothewebsiteandgetthemtotakeanactionthatwillturnthemintoalead. Notonlydotheyreinforcethemessageofclient-centeredmanufacturingwiththeircertificationsandthe“Whyfabricatewithus”explanation,theyalsoofferinvaluableresourcesforarangeofissuestheirpotentialfirst-timecustomersmaybefacing.Theseuser-centricfeaturesplaytheroleofaleadmagnet. Forexample,rightonthehomepage,youcanwatchavideoonbenefitsofmanufacturingoutsourcing,gettwofreeguides,aswellascontactsales.Thesemightbeconsideredalotforahomepage,butthey’reabletoshowcasehowgoodtheyareatwhattheydoandtheyhitrightwherekeycustomerproblemsare. AnchorFabrication:Middleofthefunnel Asyouknowbynow,asalesmanagerorsalesrep’spriorityinthemiddleofthefunnelistoqualifytheleadasin-depthaspossible.Theydothisbypositioningthemselvesasexpertsandofferingguidancetheleadneedstobuildrapport. AnchorFabricationhasbuiltacomprehensiveresourcelibraryforthisexactpurpose,whichtheycanusetogobeyondjustansweringthequestionsfromtheirleads. Assalesrepsanswertheirlead’squestionsandbuildupAnchorFabrication’sservicesasapossiblesolution,theycanalsosparknewquestionsandgettheleadtonaturallyprogressdeeperintothecustomerjourney. AnchorFabrication:Bottomofthefunnel Finally,theleadwillwanttoknowifAnchorFabricationisthebestandmostreliableoptiontogofor. Thisiswherethesalesrepcangothroughindustry-specificcasestudies,theirstrategyinhandlingspecific-usecases,theexpectedresultsandtheassociatedtimelines. Whetherit’saboutbreakingdowncosts,thetimethatwillbesavedorsuccessfulpastprojects,theirsalespeoplecangaugewhichinformationwillhelppushtheprospecttosignupfortheirservices.Thankstothedetaileddescriptionsofservicestheyofferandtheindustriestheyserve,theycandoexactlythat. Theseexamplesshowhowsalesandmarketingworkinperfectharmonytoattract,nurtureandimpactthedecision-makingprocessofapotentialcustomer.Applyingtheseinsightswouldneedtakingadeeperlookintoyourmarketingfunnel,meaningthisiswhereyoucanseehowwellitalignswithyoursalesprocess.Thevalueofasalesfunnel Listedbelowarethebenefitsadefinedsalesfunnelbringstoyourorganization’'shealthandrevenueandtothecustomerjourney. 1.Howasolidsalesfunnelimpactsyourprospects Bynowyou’venoticedtheamountofquestionsyourpotentialcustomermighthavebeforeeventhinkingofpurchasingfromyou. Eventhoughtheseconcernsmayariseatadifferenttimeforeachofyourprospects,andlikelyeveninadifferentorder,yoursalesfunnelhelpsyouunderstandwhattheyneedtomovetothenextstep. Herearethreewaysthishappens. Asalesfunnelhelpsyoudelivertherightmessageattherightmoment.Imaginethisscenario:You’reshoppingforanewfridge.Youhaveaverybasicpictureofwhatyouwant,soyou’renotreadytobuyjustyet.Atthispoint,youwanttolearnmoreaboutthebenefitsanddisadvantagesofcertainmodels,featuresandsizes. However,asyougetonthephonewithasalesperson,theyimmediatelyjumpontopricingfortheirbest-sellingmodel.Whileyouappreciatetheeffort,youcan’thelpbutwonderiftheyevencarewhatyouneedorifthey’rejustlookingtoboostsalesactivitiesandmeetaquota. Withadetailedsalesfunnelinplace,includingamapofprospect’squestionsanddetailstheyneed,youcandelivertherightinformationandanalignedmessagetoyourprospectseverysingletime,andsaveyourfuturecustomerfromthefrustrationofthescenarioabove. Asalesfunnelenablesalignmentbetweenmarketingandsales.Remember,yourprospectscangetintouchwithyouatanystageofthesalesfunnel,whetherit’stheearlyresearchorlatedecisionphase.Thisiswhyit’scrucialtoalignyourmarketingandsaleseffortssothatpotentialcustomersreceivetheinformationtheyneedwhentheyneedit. Toaccomplishthis,yourmarketingteamcanleveragetheprospect’sonlinebehavior,suchasvisitingspecificlandingpagesontheirwebsiteoractivitylinkedtoyouremailmarketingcampaign.Youcanthenretargetthemwithpaidadsgearedtowardwheretheyareintheircustomerjourney,aswellasplanfuturecontentandeducationalresourcesbasedonthis. Asaresult,you’llconveytherightmessageoutsideofyoursalesconversations,too. Asalesfunnelcreatescommitmentandloyalty.Asyourprospectbeginstheirresearch(viaGooglesearchorothersearchengines)andlearnsaboutsolutions,theywillrealizehowmanyoptionstheyhave.Especiallyinthefirststageoftheirjourney,prospectivecustomerscaneasilyswitchtoanothersolutionprovidertoseetheiroffers. Thisiswhyit’simportantforyoutobepresentinthesalesfunnelearlyonandestablishtrustwithyourprospectbyaddressingalloftheconcernsthatwouldinfluencetheirbuyingdecision. 2.Howasolidsalesfunnelimpactsyourorganization “Asmokestack,aflue,ametalchimneyonasteamshiporasteamengine”areother“funnel”definitionsfoundintheAmericanEnglishdictionary,whichfigurativelyillustratesimilarfunctionsofthesalesfunnel.Thesalesfunnelisagreatindicatorofyourcompany’soperationsandhowthesalesprocesskeepstheorganizationsteamingalong. Inotherwords,asalesfunnelgivesyouanoverviewofwhereinthesalescycleyourmoneyis,whereyouropportunitiesforpotentialrevenueareandhowtoboostyourconversionrates.Awell-managedsalesfunnelmakesallofyoursaleseffortswellorganizedandgivesyoumorecontroloveryoursalesresults. Herearewaysahigh-qualitysalesfunnelworksforyourbusiness. Youcansavetimebydismissingunqualifiedprospectsandfocusingonhotorqualifiedleads.Abloatedsalespipelinecanbedeceivingforasalesrep.Youmightbelievethatyouhavealotgoingonbecausetherearealotofnewleads. Yetif,inreality,you’renotaddingnewdealsbecauseofthisfalsesenseofsafety,you’redoingyourselfadisservice.Aneffectivesalesprocessandfunnelwillfilteroutthewrongleadssoyoucanincreaseyoursalesandmarketingeffortsonthehighlyqualifiedones. Youcanmovedealsintonextstagesquicker.Thelongeryoursalesfunnelhasbeendefined,themoreyou’llbeabletonaildownexactlywhatittakestomoveyourprospectsdownthefunnel,fromtheawarenessstageorconsiderationstagetotheconversionstage. Thismeansyou’llbeabletodeliverrelevantinformationquickerandaddressyourlead’sconcernsupfront(oftenevenbeforetheyknowtheyhavethatconcern.)Thiswillshortenyourtimefrominitiallycontactinganewleadtoclosingthedeal. Youcantracksalesmetricsthatmatter.Tomakethemostofyoursalesfunnel,it’simportanttomonitorandkeeptrackofsomekeymetricsinyourfunnel.Thisisanothermethodthatwillensureyourfunnelishealthy,yoursalesareontrack,andyourtimeisspentwisely. Herearethemetricsyoushouldtrackatalltimes: NumberofdealsinyourfunnelAveragesizeofadealinyourfunnelCloseratiooraveragepercentageofdealsthatgetwonSalesvelocityoraveragedeallifetimebeforeit’swon Thesemetricsarecloselyrelatedtoeachother.Forexample,thenumberofdealsinyourfunnelmattersonlyifyouknowwhatpercentageofyourdealsyouwinonaverage.Theaveragesizeofadealimpactstheamountofdealsyoushouldbeclosinginordertohityourrevenuegoal.Andsalesvelocityhelpsyouunderstandhowmuchofyourtimecanandshouldgotowardeachqualitydeal,soyoucanmanageyourdayseffectively.Howtodefineyoursalesfunnel Wehopethatbygivingyouexamplesofthefunctionanddefinitionoffunnels,youhaveageneralideaonhowyoucanapplytheminyourspecificsalesscenarios. Here’sasimpleyetpowerfulprocessofdefiningyourownsalesfunnelandputtingitintopractice: Thinkthroughyourcustomer’sbuyingprocessandthemaindecisionpointsfromyourcustomers’pointofview.Thenwritedownthematchingsalesstagesforyourcompany.Itshouldtakenolongerthan10minutespercustomersegment(ifyouhavemorethanone).Discussthestageswithothersalespeopleandcolleagues.Ifyou’reaone-personoperation,askanindustrypeer.Asecondopinionoftenhelpsyouspotflawsinyourplanbeforeimplementation.Spendsometimereviewingwhetheryoursalespipelinestagesmatchyourtypicalsalesscenarios.Reviewthefinalstageswithothers(ifyouhaveateam).Makesureeveryoneunderstandstheaimofdefiningsalesstagesandagreesonmeasuringactivitiesateachstage.Revisethesalesstagesinamonthortwo.Ifastageseemstobeconfusing,thenrename,deleteoraddnewonestoreflectwhat’sreallyhappeningwithyoursalespipeline.Thisisalsoagoodtimetoseewhereyoucangetreferrals,whatyoucanupsellorhowyoucanimprovecustomerretention. Thekeyhereistounderstandthethoughtprocessofyourleadswhenthey’removingintothenextstageoftheirpurchasejourney.Thiswillhelpyoudeterminewhichcall-to-actionstouse.Forexample,whatdoesittakeforthemtoregisterforafreetrial?DownloadaneBook?Signupforalivedemo?Andultimately,makethatpurchase? Andontheothersideofthestory,findyourownkeyactivitiesthathelpthemachieveallthemilestonesyoulistedabove.Isitanemailthatincludesrelevantresourcesortestimonialsforsocialproof?Acallforyoutoanswertheirquestions?Aspecifictypeofdealyoucanoffer? Answerthesequestionsandyou’regoodtogo. Howtofixasalesfunnelthat’slosingyourleads Whileyoursalesfunnelcanbeagreatsourceofsuccessinyoursalesteam,itcanalsobecomeafrustrationifyounoticethat: Therateofleadsyou’vewonislowcomparedtothetotalnumberofleadsThesalesprocessistakingsignificantlylongerthanexpectedornecessaryManyleadsbecomeuninterestedorunresponsive Whilealeakysalesfunnelisfrustrating,thegoodnewsisthattherearesimplewaystodealwithit. Revisityoursalesfunnelfromleadtoclose.Earlierinthisguide,you’vealreadymappedthisout.Now,it’stimetothinkaboutpotentialflawsinyoursystemsuchasinternalprocessesthatmayaffectcustomerexperienceandmakeitharderforaprospecttodobusinesswithyou.Thiswillhelpyoubreakdownbarriersandmakeiteasierforprospectstoengagewithyouateverystage. Reviewyourinitialleadresponsetime.AccordingtoInsideSales.com,35-50percentofsalesgotothevendorthatrespondsfirst.Speedliterallywinsdeals!Thetimeittakesforyourcompanytorespondtoleadsoncetheyhityourinboxmaybethefirstsourceofaleak.Makesuretoreviewyourprocesstoprioritizeleadresponsetime. Identifywhyprospectsaredisqualified.Oneoftheoverarchingbenefitsofhavingasalesfunnelisdeliveringtheperfectmessagerightwhenyourprospectneedsit.Soifyourfunnelseemsleaky,it’stimetoanalyzetheleadsthataren’tworkingforyou. Didtheyfityouridealbuyerpersona,andifso,whydidtheynotshowinterestinyourcompany?Therecouldbeanynumberofreasonssuchaspricing,marketimmaturityoralengthyproductimplementationschedule–knowingtheseissuesisthefirststeptofindingwaystoaddressthem. Howtomanageyoursalesfunnelday-to-day Themoredealsyouworkonatthesametime,theeasieritisforthemtoslipthroughandgocold.Keepinganeyeonallofthematoncecanbechallenging. Thisiswhyit’scrucialtoimplementanautomatedsystemthatwillgiveyouavisualoverviewofwhat’shappeningineachofyoursalesfunnelstages,aswellassendyouremindersforkeyactionstomovethedealforwardforeachindividuallead. Thesolution?ACRMsoftware.Itwillhelpyou: ForecastyoursalesfortheupcomingmonthorquarterKeeptrackoflead’sactivitiesLeverageremindersandstayontopofhotdealsOrganizeyourdaytomakethemostofthehoursyouspendwithyourleadsClosedealsfasterAutomatecertainsalesactivities Afteryou’vedefinedyoursalesfunnelinanearlierstep,takethetimetotransferthedifferentstagesintoyourCRM.Ifyou’renotusingonealready,makesuretochooseonethatmakesyoumoreefficientandproductive. WhenchoosingyourCRM,askthefollowing: DoesyourCRMhelpyoufocusonthemostimportantactivities?Areyouabletoseeeverythingthat’shappeninginyourdeals?Howdoesitallowyoutostayorganized? Remember,onlytheCRMtoolthatactuallygivesyoubetter-qualityleadsandmakesyourdealsmoveatafasterpacewillmakeapositiveimpactonyourorganization,sotakeyourtimetounderstandwhatyoursalesfunnelrequires.Finalthoughts Withyourpotentialcustomer’spainpointsandquestionsinmind,youcannowmapoutandimplementastart-to-finishsalesfunnelthatwillmakeyouamoreefficientsalesperson. Herearethemainpointsforyoutotakeawayfromthisarticle: Thetop,middle,andbottomofthesalesfunneldefinetherangeanddepthoftheinformationyourleadsneedateachstageoftheirpurchasejourneyAwell-definedsalesfunnelaffectsthewayyourprospectsseeyou,aswellastheoperationsofyourorganizationAstructuredapproachiskeyindefiningyoursalesfunnelandinfixinganysalesfunnelleaksAgoodsalesfunnelsoftware,likeaCRM,willamplifythevalueofyoursalesfunnel Takeactionwithyoursalesfunnelnowtogetthemostoutofyoursalesleads,optimizeyoursalesanddigitalmarketingeffortsandbuildlastingcustomerrelationships. FindmoreofthebestleadsfastwithyourleadqualificationebookLearnhowtofindmoreoftherightleadsfaster.This22-pageebookwillhelpyoubuildascalableleadqualificationprocessforyourteam.SendtomeTickformoreofourbesthow-toguides,templatesandebooksviaemailYourdataisprocessedaccordingtoourprivacypolicy.Youmayunsubscribeatanytime.ShareyourthoughtswithourCommunityStartorcontinuetheconversationwithlike-mindedsalesandmarketingprofessionalsonourCommunity.JoinourCommunityRecommendedSalesPipelineManagement:TheIn-DepthGuideAsalespipelineisanintuitivewaytomanageyoursalesprocessandwinmoredeals.Readourarticleforaclearpipelinemanagementdefinitionandtipsonhowyoucangetyoursright.SalespipelinemanagementisatthecoreofPipedriveandyoucantryitfree.SalesPlan:7StepstoCreatingonethatGrowsYourPipelineArefinedsalesplanisago-toresourceforyourreps.Ithelpsthembetterunderstandtheirrole,responsibilities,targets,tacticsandmethods.Doneright,itempowersyourrepstoperformattheirhighestlevel.Inthisarticle,we’lloutlinesomebusinesssalesplanexamplesandtemplates,whyit’simportanttocreateoneandexactlywhatyoushouldincludeinyourownplan.Whatisasalespipelineandhowdoyoubuildone?‘Salespipeline’isoneofthosesalestermsthatgetsthrownaroundalot.Butwhatisasalespipeline?Asalespipelinecanhelpyouvisualizeyoursalesprocess.Itwillshowyouwhereinthesalesfunnelyourdealsare,wherethey’restallingandwhichsalesactivitiesgeneraterevenue.Here’showyoubuildasalespipeline.