Pipeline 101
Even if you are not a CRM user, Pipeline is a term you’ve probably heard a lot but may still be unfamiliar with. I define Pipeline as the production line of the sales process. It’s like when we used to hold our fingers one by one as kids and say, “This one has held, this one has cleaned, this one has cooked, this one has eaten,” exactly like that.
Every task on Earth actually has an algorithm, a process. If we simplify this process, we can see the entire flow on the Pipeline on a single screen. From the moment you touch the customer and say, “Yes, an opportunity can arise from here,” you can see everything on a single screen, from meetings, presentations, perhaps mutual meals, presenting products/services, proposals, to the step of completing the sale. These steps can be shaped entirely according to your workflow, whether the process consists of 10 steps or 3 steps. With a well-structured Pipeline, you can start reaping the fruits of your sales goals.
Pipeline in FowCRM
Let’s add a Pipeline first…
We have created a default Pipeline for you. In the default Pipeline, the following steps will greet you:
- Qualified Lead
- Technical Analysis
- Demo/Presentation
- Proposal
- Revised Proposal
But if you want, you can also create a custom, brand-new Pipeline for yourself 😀 You can even add 88 different Pipelines if you wish. And of course, you can add as many steps as you want, and you can name each step as you wish.
Don’t let opportunities slip away
After all, we are all human, and sometimes we can forget important points, so we might miss opportunities.
However, by creating future-oriented activities such as meetings and calls for your opportunities, you can minimize this risk.
You can quickly create activities by seeing that an opportunity has been in the “Proposal” step for 40 days or that opportunities have not been touched for a month, and with reminders, you can take your actions on time and easily.
Goals
If you are in a managerial position, don’t forget to set goals for users or teams!
I can almost hear you saying, “In which areas can we set goals?”
- How much sales should your sales staff make in the first quarter of the year?
- What should be the number of activities with potential customers?
In addition to these two examples, you can create and monitor many other goals. NOTE: Always make sure you are ahead of your goals!
They say, “It’s hard to manage what you can’t measure”…
On the Pipeline, you can turn all actions taken into meaningful data in the ‘Report’ screen in any point you want.
Tips
In the Pipeline, you can only see your open opportunities.
You will see every opportunity you add to the system in the Pipeline. There is no chance of overlooking.
You can also see the opportunities added by your teammates, but to see the opportunities you have won or lost, you need to switch to the list view.
You can filter and see only the won or lost opportunities as needed.
Let’s say you neither won nor lost the opportunity, but now you don’t want to see it in the Pipeline anymore. Then archive it, let it go 😀
Do you want to change the status of opportunities on the Pipeline?
Hold, drag, and drop; it’s that simple!
Customized Pipeline
Sometimes it can get crowded here. If you say, “I only want to see my own opportunities,” you can filter. But if you are in more than one team, you can make a team filter. Don’t forget to save frequently used filters and searches as views!
Estimate Your Revenue…
I hope you win all your open opportunities, but before winning, you can see your expected revenue.
The math here is simple:
Expected Amount = Percentage in the Pipeline Column x Opportunity Amount
Knowledge Base
You might want to read the article below:
The Pipeline is a visual dashboard in the system that allows easy tracking of ongoing opportunities that have not yet been concluded, making it possible to perform many operations related to open opportunities on a single screen.
See you soon 👋🏻
