Sales pipeline, explained
A sales pipeline is a picture of every open opportunity and where it stands. Each deal sits in one stage, such as Qualified, Meeting done, Quote sent and Negotiation, until it ends as Won or Lost. Looking across the stages tells a manager how much business is in play, where deals are getting stuck and which salesperson needs help.
A pipeline is not the same as a funnel, though people use the words loosely. A funnel describes volume: how many visitors became leads, how many leads became customers. A pipeline tracks individual deals and what has to happen next on each one. A lead usually enters the pipeline once it is qualified, becoming a deal with a value, an owner and an expected close date.
The pipeline is only useful if stages mean the same thing to everyone. Define each one by what must be true for a deal to enter it; for example, Quote sent means a written quotation has gone to the buyer, not that one is being prepared. Review stuck deals weekly, and record a reason whenever a deal is lost, so the losses teach you something. DigiPix Flow gives each workspace one pipeline, with stages shaped to how you sell and approvals before a big discount goes out.