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Sales Strategy
What is a sales pipeline + 10 templates
Christina Miranda
May 8, 2024
|
7 min. read
Christina Miranda
LAST UPDATED
May 8, 2024
READING TIME
7 min.
Using a sales pipeline can increase your productivity by 18%.
However, setting it up can be time-consuming, which is why we’ve collected 10 templates for you.
These resources are particularly useful if you’re not sure you want to invest in a CRM just yet, as you don not need and account for them.
What is a sales pipeline?
A sales pipeline is a spreadsheet that outlines the process your leads are going through during the sales process.
It represents who they are, the stage of the funnel they’re at, and other relevant information concerning the end goal of the sales process.
Thanks to this sales pipeline, sales reps are able to see clearly how to track and manage their sales opportunities, allowing them to prioritize activities, forecast revenue, and identify potential bottlenecks or areas for improvement.
Sales pipeline vs sales funnel
Sales pipeline and sales funnel are two different terms that tend to get mixed up.
They are in fact related terms, as they both describe the sales process that your leads go until becoming customers.
However, these terms focus on different aspects.
The first difference between both terms is the fact that the sales funnel centers around the lead and is the journey that your lead takes down the sales process, whereas the sales pipeline is centered around the sales rep, who moves the lead toward a deal close.
The stages in a sales funnel are typically the following:
The stages in a sales pipeline include:
lead generation
lead nurturing
marketing qualified lead (MQL)
sales accepted lead (SAL)
sales qualified lead (SQL)
closed deal
post-sale
Why do you need a sales pipeline?
Making use of the sales pipeline per quarter and project is crucial for your business.
First and foremost, your leads and clients will be properly organized depending on several different factors, ensuring that you don’t lose them along the way, forget about them, or try to approach them twice in the same way.
You’ll also be able to record their preferences, therefore you will know how and where to contact them, resulting in higher conversion rates.
A proper sales pipeline strategy will avoid missed deals because they linger in space for too long.
Although our aim in any business endeavor is to make as many sales as possible, and sales pipelines help us achieve just that, the benefits are not limited to organizing data to contact your leads.
Sales pipelines allow you to gather data on your sales approaches so you can see it clearly. This information will help you define your strategies in the future. What information could you get?
➡️ How long it takes to fully close a deal
➡️ The period each stage typically lasts and where there may be bottlenecks
➡️ The amount of leads that are completing the entire sales process
➡️ The amount of leads that do not complete the process and where they lose interest
➡️ Track your team’s performance
Thanks to the weighted sales pipeline you will also be able to forecast your future revenue.
How does this work exactly?
A weighted sales pipeline is a method used by sales teams and managers to estimate the potential revenue or likelihood of closing deals at different stages of the sales pipeline.
To calculate its value you should first assign a probability or weight to each opportunity. However, this should not be a random estimate, you should base your value on historical data and specific criteria. For example, a qualified lead might be assigned a higher probability (e.g., 70%) of closing, while a prospect in the early stage of discovery might have a lower probability (e.g., 20%).
To calculate the weighted pipeline you multiply the value of each opportunity by its assigned probability.
📏 Deal Value x Probability of Closing = Forecasted Revenue
Sales pipeline components
Although you can add more information that is relevant to your sales pipeline or business, there are some components that are essential in your spreadsheet to know what to expect and organize your leads effectively.
These include:
Personal information (contact details, name)
You can include this in one or more tabs. Relevant information in this section includes your lead’s name, their company, their position within the company, the channel where you contact them, and other information that may seem important.
Type of Deal
Define the type of deal you may be closing with your leads, they may vary depending on product, service, duration, etc.
Probability
You may also order your leads depending on the probability there is that the deal may be successfully completed.
This can be done with percentages, icons, and number value (example 1 to 5).
Status
In this section include the status that the deal is in at the moment: Contacted, negotiation, pending payment, etc.
Projected closing date
Include the estimated date on which the deal will be closed.
Next steps
This is an important section to include in your sales pipeline, as you are able to see clearly what your next tasks are with each lead. Send follow-ups, sending additional information, offer promotions or special discounts, continue negotiation, phone calls, closing the deal…
10 sales pipeline templates
A sales pipeline is going to increase your productivity and organize your leads much more efficiently. But we are aware that setting it up or finding a suitable one can be quite time-consuming (and dreary).
So fear not, we’ve listed 10 of our favorite sales pipeline templates, so you just have to click on the link, download, and you’ll be ready to go.
1. Breakcold
Breakcold offers 22 different templates based on the use case you have planned for the sales pipeline and your industry.
These templates are particularly useful if you’re looking for something very specific to your industry and task.
The templates are available for different apps including Excel, Breakcold, Notion, Slack, Google Sheets…
To access the templates available you need to sign in to breakcold.
2. OnePageCRM
OnePage offers a template available in Excel and Google Sheets.
To download the template you do not have to send any personal information, simply click on the link and open the document.
When you download this sales pipeline template you can then copy the Google Sheet with the implemented formulas so you can automatically calculate deal amounts for every quarter.
The document also includes 2 additional tabs for reporting and useful instructions to use the template effectively.
3. Asana
To use Asana’s template, type in your work email account and you will receive the template.
The interesting feature that Asana’s template has is the possibility to change the template view in a list, a board, a calendar, or a timeline. You can also include the information you wish in the custom fields.
You can also add notes for different tasks and follow-ups or Rules that will automatically reassign tasks or updates with certain triggers.
4. Smartsheets
Use the Smartsheets sales pipeline template to track your leads, finances, and actions per quarter.
Click on download, enter your work email, and access the templates. You can download the templates for Smartsheets, Excel, Google Docs, and Google Sheets.
5. HubSpot
To download the Hubspot fill in the short questionnaire with your personal information and you will receive an email. You can download the Sales Plan template in Microsoft Word or copy in into Google Drive.
In the template, you can click, drag, and drop your information into pipelines, customized deal stages, and deal records.
With standard Deals Board and Custom Vies you can schedule follow-up emails and phone calls.
6. Tipsographic
Tipsographic offers 24 CRM templates, including this sales pipeline template.
The Excel document has two separate tabs. In the first you will find the sales pipeline template for 4 quarters, and in the next tab you will find “template information”, where you can include probabilities.
7. Salesmate
With Salesmate you simply have to fill in your contact information and they will email you your template.
With the Salesmate template, you can identify deals that are new, in progress and closed.
you can filter the fields so you only see the information that is relevant to you and focus on more important deals.
With Salesmate you can calculate your deal won amount, and forecast your sales based on your previous sales performance.
8. Airtable
You can use the Airtable sales pipeline template online or add a new workspace for it to your Airtable account, where you can change the view into Google Sheets or Excel.
This template is suitable for anyone who takes part in the sales process. Whether these may be sales reps, managers, or leads. You will be able to share real-time data with your team.
This template is for anyone on your team who participates in the sales process. That includes sales reps, managers, and leads. The template is your team’s go-to sales pipeline tracker, so everyone can access the same real-time sales information.
9. Notion
Notion offers a template that is useful for the app. The template can be used in the free version as well as the paid version, which is preferable as you can share the data with your team immediately.
The cost of this sales pipeline template is of $7.
10. Pipedrive
To access the Pipedrive sales pipeline template, simply enter your email address and you will receive the Excel template instantly.
The template is divided by quarters and has a final Grand Total amount.
You can edit and customize each field to best fit your business’ needs.
Key Takeaways
Staying on top of all your leads and potential leads can be tough.
For this reason, you can save hours of admin and avoid losing deals along the way by using a sales pipeline template, like one of the ones we have shared with you.
Additionally, you’ll be able to forecast the future of your business and fix any issues that may arise.
Christina Miranda
Content creator and translator @ lempire
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