Most Sales Pipelines Are Broken
85% of sales teams have a pipeline. Only 20% trust the data in it. The problem isn't the concept — it's the execution.
The 7-Stage Pipeline That Works
Stage 1: Lead Captured
Every inbound inquiry, form fill, or referral enters here. Automation: AI auto-enriches the contact with company data and assigns a preliminary score.
Stage 2: Qualified
Your team verifies fit. Key question: Do they have the budget, authority, need, and timeline (BANT)?
Stage 3: Discovery Call Scheduled
First real conversation booked. Automation: Send prep materials 24 hours before the call.
Stage 4: Proposal Sent
Scope and pricing delivered. Automation: AI drafts the proposal from your discovery notes.
Stage 5: Negotiation
Terms being discussed. Track objections and adjust scope.
Stage 6: Closed Won / Lost
Deal outcome recorded. Automation: Won → trigger onboarding sequence. Lost → trigger win-back campaign in 90 days.
Stage 7: Onboarding
Customer successfully activated. Automation: CRM record transitions to "Active Customer" with support and renewal tracking.
Building This in Automo
Automo's CRM lets you build this entire pipeline with drag-and-drop, then layer AI automations using natural language:
- "When a lead is captured, enrich the contact and score them based on company size and industry"
- "When a deal moves to Proposal, generate a pricing document from the scope notes"
- "When a deal is lost, add to win-back campaign and notify the manager"
Pipeline Metrics That Matter
| Metric | Target | How to Improve |
|--------|--------|---------------|
| Lead-to-Qualified Rate | 25-40% | Better lead scoring |
| Qualified-to-Proposal | 50-60% | Faster discovery calls |
| Proposal-to-Close | 25-35% | Stronger proposals |
| Average Deal Cycle | 14-30 days | Automation + follow-ups |
| Pipeline Velocity | Increasing MoM | Remove bottleneck stages |
