How to build a sales pipeline that works

A sales pipeline sounds complicated, but it's essentially about answering a simple question: "Where in the sales process is each potential customer?" For European small and medium-sized businesses selling subscriptions or licenses, a well-structured pipeline is the difference between chaos and control.

Step 1: Define your sales phases.

Before you open your CRM, you need to understand how your sales actually work. For most B2B companies, it looks something like this: . Lead - Someone has shown interest (filled out a form, called, emailed). Qualified - You have confirmed that they have a budget and need. Quote - You have sent a quote or made a presentation. Negotiation - You discuss price, delivery or terms. Close - Either a deal won or lost.

Pro tip: Keep it simple. Max 5-6 steps, otherwise it will be too complicated to follow.

Step 2: Assign probabilities to each phase.

This is where the magic happens. Give each phase a percentage probability of becoming a deal:

Leads: 10%

Qualified: 25%

Quote: 50%

Negotiation: 75%

Completion: 100% (won) or 0% (lost)

Now you can calculate your pipeline value and predict sales.

Step 3: Define what is required to move forward.

For each phase, clearly define what needs to happen for a deal to move forward: From Lead to Qualified: Budget set (over X kr), Decision maker identified, Timeline confirmed, Current solution mapped

From Qualified to Quote: Requirements specification completed, demo completed, references checked.

Step 4: Set time frames

How long should a deal be in each phase? If a lead doesn't qualify within two weeks, move it to "Resting" instead of cluttering up your active pipeline. Suggested timeframes:

Lead: 1 week

Qualified: 2 weeks

Quote: 3 weeks

Negotiation: 2 weeks

Step 5: Measure and improve each month, look at:

• Conversion rate between phases

• Average time per phase

• The value of your total pipeline

• Predictability in your forecasts

Common pitfalls to avoid:

Pipeline inflation: Not wanting to remove old, dead deals. Be brutal - if no contact has been made in 30 days, archive the deal.

Wishful thinking: Setting probabilities too high. Be conservative in your estimates.

Too many steps: Keep it simple. More than 6 steps and people stop using the system.

Bottom line: A functioning sales pipeline gives you three things: predictability, control, and focus. You know where the money is coming from next quarter, what you need to work on today, and which deals need extra attention. The best pipeline is one that mirrors how you already work, just more structured.

Are you curious about how much Remember CRM costs? Check out our pricing page.