What is a sales pipeline? Not to be confused with a sales funnel, a sales pipeline details the steps on the buyer's journey from lead to customer, and describes what actions reps should take at each stage.
![sales pipeline stages: image shows sales people around a pipeline graphic](https://www.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Sales%20Pipeline%20%281%29.jpg?width=595&height=400&name=Sales%20Pipeline%20%281%29.jpg)
The sales pipeline stages allow reps to track their deals and manage their pipeline so they always know what their prospects need. The pipeline stages also help reps estimate when a deal might close.
For examples, if the average prospect spends 10 days in the "Sales accepted lead" stage, and 14 days in the following stages, you know that a prospect five days into the "Sales accepted lead" stage will likely close in approximately two and a half weeks.
Let's take a closer look at the stages of a sales pipeline, below.
Sales Pipeline Stages
Sales pipeline stages represent each step a prospect takes through your sales process, from becoming a lead to becoming a customer. The stages are lead generation, lead nurturing, marketing qualified lead, sales accepted lead, sales qualified lead, closed deal, post-sale.
The following infographic from Technology Advice provides an overview of seven basic sales pipeline stages.
- Lead generation
- Lead nurturing
- Marketing qualified lead
- Sales accepted lead
- Sales qualified lead
- Closed deal
- Post-sale
If you're just getting started out in sales, or need a sales pipeline step-by-step guide to systematize your process, consider printing this infographic out and keeping it on hand. After all, when it comes to sales, a well-defined process always beats flying by the seat of your pants.