By The PhantomBuster TeamThe B2B buying process rarely follows a straight line. To succeed, you need a clear plan that drives lead generation and helps you increase recurring revenue.
In this article, we'll break down everything you need to know about building and managing an effective B2B sales pipeline.
AI highlights
Building a B2B sales pipeline involves outlining the structured process a sales team follows to convert prospects into paying customers.
An up-to-date sales pipeline helps sales reps manage sales activities, pinpoint inefficiencies, accurately forecast revenue, and build stronger relationships with prospects.
Every effective B2B sales pipeline typically consists of seven key stages:
Stage | Description | Optimization Top Tip |
Lead generation and prospecting | Attract and identify potential prospects through targeted outreach. | Use automation tools for consistent, quality prospecting. |
Evaluate prospects to confirm their fit, intent, and buying ability. | Implement a lead scoring model to qualify leads automatically. | |
Needs assessments using meetings | Engage prospects in meetings to clearly uncover their specific needs. | Practice active listening and uncover deeper pain points in meetings/ |
Proposal and negotiation | Present tailored solutions, negotiating terms, and addressing concerns. | Anchor high, justify value clearly, and negotiate slowly. |
Closing deals | Finalize agreements by directly asking for the sale and summarizing value. | Create urgency and explicitly ask for the deal. |
Retention | Provide proactive support to maintain relationships and boost loyalty. | Offer personalized experiences and build genuine connection |
Referral | Leverage satisfied customers to gain introductions to new prospects. | Use incentives and referral programs to build trust with existing customers. |
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What exactly is a B2B sales pipeline?
A B2B sales pipeline is a step-by-step approach that sales reps use to engage and convert leads into buying customers. It is also a visual representation of what sales and marketing teams do at every stage of the sales process.
Think of a B2B sales pipeline as a roadmap.
It's a structured approach you use to engage with leads and convert them into paying customers. It covers every step, from identifying a sales opportunity to closing the deal and building a lasting customer relationship.
A good sales pipeline maps out your tasks, including:
Lead generation and prospecting
Lead nurturing and qualification
Meetings and needs assessment
Proposal and negotiation
Closing
Retention
The B2B sales pipeline helps identify target prospects, build tailored messages, and facilitate follow-up on leads.
The 7 B2B sales pipeline stages and how to manage each
The specific stages in your B2B sales pipeline can vary based on your business model (product-led vs. sales-led), the size of your team, and the complexity of your sales process.
However, most pipelines include these seven core stages, from initial discovery to securing referrals:
1. Lead generation and prospecting
This is the most important stage. It's where you identify potential leads who might be interested in your product or service.
This stage involves these two marketing or sales campaigns to identify or attract potential customers:
B2B Sales prospecting: Proactively identifying and reaching out to potential leads.
B2B lead generation: Attracting potential buyers through inbound marketing campaigns or outreach.
Understanding different lead types will help you choose effective prospecting strategies to move them through your sales funnel. Here's a quick overview of the main ones:
Lead types | Who are they? |
A prospect is a qualified lead who fits your ideal customer profile and has the potential to buy from you. | |
MQL (Marketing Qualified Leads) | Someone who has shown interest through marketing actions (e.g., downloading a guide). |
SQL (Sales-Qualified Leads) | A lead that meets your sales team's criteria for direct outreach. |
Someone who has shown some interest in what you offer. (requested a demo, engaged with your company's social media posts, etc.) | |
Cold leads | Someone with no prior contact with your business. |
How to generate B2B sales leads
To generate enough leads, you need two important things: a good lead source and the ability to pull contacts and emails automatically from that source.
So, let's say you want to find leads from people who liked a specific LinkedIn post.
You can use PhantomBuster’s LinkedIn post commenter and Liker scraper and add the post URL. The tool will extract all people who commented or liked that specific post.
You'll get a list that you can start qualifying (the automation will check for new leads daily and add them to the list).
2. Lead qualification
Lead qualification involves assessing the quality and potential of each lead to determine whether they are a good fit for the products or services a business sells.
Most B2B sales reps can relate to this example: You have 37 deals in your pipeline, but only 8 are progressing.
The rest?
Stuck in limbo, prospects who downloaded your research report three months ago but haven't responded to follow-ups or 'interested' leads who disappeared after your first demo.
Without proper qualification, your pipeline becomes cluttered with stalled opportunities that consume your time and skew your forecasts.
Sales reps must implement lead scoring to score each lead based on their readiness to proceed to the next stage, because not all leads should make it there.
How to enrich your lead list to prepare for lead qualification
Use data touchpoints to segment and score your leads based on different qualities.
Start by giving points based on factors like engagement and demographic info to rank your leads. This way, you can zero in on those most likely to convert.
Use PhantomBuster's LinkedIn profile scraper to enrich your lead list with up-to-date data from LinkedIn public profiles.
All you need to do is add your lead list (this can be the list you created by exporting people who commented on a LinkedIn post).
The automation will then enrich your lead with data it can find on LinkedIn.
You can enrich 1,000 leads in just 30 minutes (it will take longer if email discovery is switched on). Plus, you get results in a cleaner, more organized format.
This automation also allows you to sync the data to HubSpot for better pipeline management.
How to use AI for lead qualification
Implementing a lead scoring model using AI is the quickest way to assess and prioritize leads based on readiness to buy and ICP match.
We recommend using a tool like PhantomBuster's AI LinkedIn Profile Enricher and defining specific criteria that are relevant to you.
The automation will use this to generate a score for each lead in your list.
That's not all. It can help clean your lead lists by standardizing job titles, filtering out competitors, auto-removing emojis from names, etc.
3. Needs assessment using meetings
Establishing initial contact to assess a prospect's needs is crucial in B2B sales. This engagement can occur during demos, discovery calls, or multiple meetings with decision-makers.
Peep Laja, co-founder of Wynter, emphasizes the significance of relationships in B2B sales, stating: "Your network and relationships are an underappreciated acquisition channel." He further advises, "Be deliberate about meeting people."
After interactions with your sales representatives, your potential clients and buyers should feel confident that your product aligns with their needs, fostering a desire to build a lasting relationship.
According to Adam Wessling, owner of Find My Factory: "A great sales meeting is when the potential customer has a clear need, sees the perfect fit in our demo, and starts making their own tweaks, suggesting ways we can improve together."
How to prepare for a meeting with prospects
Thoroughly research prospects to gather insights that help you create a tailored pitch.
Chris Walker, top GTM leader and CEO at Passeto highlights this clearly in a story he shared on LinkedIn:
“When I attended sales meetings live, I studied, listened, and observed. I picked up non-verbal cues that most marketers overlook and many sales reps miss because they're focused on selling. Being a live observer provides a uniquely effective perspective.”
💡Pro tip: Listen intently during meetings and respond directly to prospects’ concerns instead of focusing solely on your pitch.
4. Proposal and negotiation stage
The negotiation stage in a B2B sales pipeline is when the final price, terms, and contract are agreed upon and signed off.
At this stage, your prospect understands your product’s value. Negotiations now focus on finalizing the deal.
This stage demands active listening because buyers need assurance that their unique concerns and goals are fully understood.
Strive to answer their core question: “What's in it for me?” Provide tailored solutions aligned directly to their pain points.
How to increase your sales negotiation win rates
Conduct thorough research: Understand your prospect's pain points and objectives. This preparation enables you to tailor your approach effectively.
Resist the urge to rush: Moving slowly gives you leverage, ensures you don’t overlook details, and helps secure better terms.
Every concession should be a trade-off: If you offer discounts or extra features, always ask for something valuable in return, like longer contracts or quicker commitments.
5. Deal closing stage
This is the final and most rewarding stage of the sales pipeline, where prospects finally turn into paying customers, which is what all salespeople strive for.
“The simplest way to close a sale is to clearly show the decision-maker how they stand to benefit from your offering. Tell them exactly how you solve their problems and why you do it better than anyone else — says Steli Efti, CEO of Close
How to effectively close more deals
Ask directly for the sale: Summarize how your offer solves the prospect's pain points and explicitly request commitment.
Showcase clear value: Explain how your solution meets specific customer needs.
Create urgency: Highlight limited-time benefits or risks of delaying decisions.
Address objections confidently: Anticipate concerns and respond convincingly.
6. Retention stage
At the retention stage, the focus shifts to keeping customers engaged long-term.
Sales is handed over to Customer Success (CS), who ensures a smooth onboarding experience, provides proactive support, and identifies cross-sell and upsell opportunities.
Too often, the CS team is fixated on spotting trends. In reality, the goal should be to provide a great experience for clients.
How to improve the retention rate
Personalize experiences: Tailor interactions using customer data from your CRM to strengthen relationships. This fosters long-time client loyalty and affinity.
Deliver consistently: Always fulfill your commitments to build trust and loyalty. Don't overpromise and under-deliver.
Show appreciation: Use simple gestures, like personalized updates or special offers, to make customers feel valued.
7. Referral stage
This stage is one of the shortest and most fulfilling. It improves sales acceleration and customer lifetime value.
Let's face it; closing deals faster is every sales rep’s goal, especially in B2B, where cycles can stretch for months or even a year.
Referrals speed things up by providing instant credibility and trust from day one.
With referrals, you can generate high-quality B2B leads from existing customers.
According to Jimmy Kim, CEO eCom Email Marketer, people don't refer you unless it's fast, simple, and worth their effort.
Here's a simple process for using prospective leads and requesting referrals from existing customers:
Identify happy customers: Focus on those who have had positive experiences.
Schedule a brief feedback call: This lets them discuss their satisfaction and naturally transition to the referral request.
Simplify the process: Make it easy for them to connect you with potential leads.
Show appreciation: Thank your customers for their referrals.
Here's a sample referral request you can adapt: "Do you know other sales and marketing teams or directors in your network who have faced similar challenges? I'd appreciate it if you could introduce me to them."
đź’ˇPro tip: Regularly check in with your loyal customers about potential referrals and prioritize these valuable connections. Consistently following up with previous customers is key to a successful referral program.
FAQs about the B2B sales pipeline
B2B sales pipeline vs sales funnel
A sales pipeline outlines various steps that sales reps must take to close deals. It involves stages like lead generation, qualification, and outreach. On the other hand, a sales funnel looks at the stages a buyer goes through before making a purchase.
How to build a B2B pipeline
A well-defined and managed sales pipeline is essential for B2B due to the longer and more complex sales cycle. Here’s how to build one:
Define your ideal customer profile: Understand their industry, company size, and needs to attract qualified leads.
Map key stages (lead generation to retention): Structure your sales process, from initial contact to customer loyalty, for a clear team path.
Equip your team with essential tools & training: Provide a CRM to manage leads, prospecting tools to find them, sales automation to streamline outreach, and training for success.
Standardize the process for consistency: Create clear guidelines, set goals for each stage, track metrics and health, and regularly optimize for best results.
Examples of sales pipelines for different business sales processes
Sales pipelines differ for different businesses. For example, the SaaS sales Pipeline may be more complex than a field sales team. Below are examples of these various sales pipelines:
SaaS Sales Pipeline: SaaS pipelines generate high-volume leads via content marketing and freemium offers. Early demos quickly showcase product value, while negotiations are simple—focusing mainly on subscriptions, user count, and standardized pricing.
Enterprise Sales Pipeline: Enterprise pipelines target fewer high-value accounts through careful qualification and detailed discovery. Engagement is extensive, involving tailored demos and multiple stakeholders to ensure precise solution alignment.
Field Sales Pipeline: Field sales pipelines leverage local networking and face-to-face interactions for targeted leads. Personal meetings simplify negotiations and speed up deal closure through direct relationship-building despite higher travel costs.
Key metrics for analyzing B2b sales pipeline
The key metrics for B2B sales pipeline analysis include:
Conversion rate: Percentage of leads moving between pipeline stages, indicating pipeline effectiveness.
Sales cycle length: Average duration from initial contact to deal closure, showing sales efficiency.
Average deal size: Average revenue per closed deal, measuring individual deal value.
Pipeline velocity: Speed of deal progression, combining opportunities, win rate, deal size, and cycle length to forecast revenue.
Average deal size: Typical revenue per closed deal, assessing sales value.
Win rate: The Ratio of closed deals to total opportunities, measuring sales effectiveness.
