9 Essential Stages For Every B2B Sales Pipeline

Staff WritersInfluencer MarketingLead Distribution & Call ManagementPipeline & Analytics

By STS Staff Writer On Feb 8, 2024

For contemporary sales professionals, a B2B sales pipeline works like a valuable tool that is ideal for measuring the success of the sales efforts taken by the team. It gives insights into conversion ratios and also highlights the areas where skill enhancement is needed. It gauges the performance of each salesperson in your team against the industry benchmarks.

Let’s explore further.

Origin Of Sales Funnel Concept:

The origin of the sales funnel concept can be traced back to the late 19th century when Chicago meatpackers like Armours, Swifts, and Morrises pioneered some strategies for selling their products to other businesses.

Even though the evolution of business practices and this technology has been quite old, the fundamental challenges in the modern B2B sales funnel are the same. The main goal of connecting with the potential buyers, delivering value, maintaining alignment, and driving conversions are still the same instead of following a very generic and rigid approach.

So whether you are planning to analyze the existing sales funnel or thinning, to begin with a new one, you must understand every stage of the B2B sales pipeline very cautiously. Let’s look at the in-depth examination of all the essential stages in the B2B sales funnel along with some actionable tips that can help you optimize the performance of your sales funnel at every phase.

Before we discuss these stages, let’s understand the importance and dynamics of B2B salespeople, what is it, and why it is important to understand these 9 essential stages for every B2B sales pipeline.

What Is A B2B Sales Funnel?

A B2B sales funnel includes every step that a potential buyer takes from the initial stage where the prospect shows interest in the products to finally being convinced and ready to be a new customer. Throughout the B2B funnel stages the marketers, sellers, and buyers take action and marketers engage with the prospects in different ways to convince the buyer.

When we refer to a sales pipeline that means we are referring to what a sales team does throughout this process. Usually, there are a few key stages involved in the sales pipeline. Generally, the sales pipeline includes some key tiers of its very own, adjoining to however intertwined with the other transferring components in the funnel: prospecting, qualification of opportunities, preliminary meetings, defining want, proposals and negotiation, and closing. A very important essential metric in any discussion of an income pipeline is the conversion price.

B2B Sales Pipeline: Understanding Its Importance and Dynamics

In the fast-paced world of business-to-business (B2B) sales, having a well-described and effectively controlled income pipeline is crucial for attaining success. A B2B sales pipeline offers sales groups an established framework for dealing with and monitoring their income sports from prospecting to closing offers.

It serves as a visible illustration of the numerous levels prospects undergo within the sales manner and permits sales experts to prioritize their efforts, be conscious of high-ability opportunities, and forecast revenue appropriately.

Key Components of a B2B Sales Pipeline:

Prospecting: This initial level includes figuring out and qualifying potential leads or prospects who have proven interest in the services or products offered by the company. Prospecting techniques may consist of bloodless calling, email outreach, networking occasions, and social promoting.
Qualification: Once leads are recognized, they need to be evaluated by the marketing team to decide whether the prospects are ready to purchase. Qualification standards include important elements like budget, authority, need, and timeline (BANT). Leads that meet those standards are moved to the following degree, whilst others can be disqualified or positioned on keep for future nurturing.
Needs Analysis: In this degree, income professionals engage with qualified leads to recognize their unique situations, desires, and necessities. By engaging in a thorough analysis of what a customer wants, sales reps can tailor their answers to cope with the possibility of pain factors efficaciously and function their services as the perfect answer.
Presentation and Demonstration: Once the news of the prospects is recognized, sales reps compellingly present their products or services, highlighting key capabilities, blessings, and price propositions. This stage may also involve product demonstrations, solution walkthroughs, and case research to showcase the abilities and benefits of the offers.
Proposal and Negotiation: Sales representatives highlight important characteristics, benefits, and value propositions of their goods or services in an engaging way while presenting them to prospects after determining their needs. Product walkthroughs, case studies, and demonstrations of the offering’s features and advantages may be part of this phase.
Closing: The very last stage of the sales process involves securing a dedication to the possibility of moving forward with the purchase. This may additionally involve signing a contract, processing the price, or obtaining the very last approval from key stakeholders. A successful close marks the fruits of the sales efforts and the start of the relationship with the customer.

So, a well-managed B2B sales pipeline empowers the sales teams to streamline their processes and identify the areas of improvement so the results can be driven consistently. By managing each stage effectively of the pipeline and leveraging data-driven insights, sales professionals can enhance the efficacy of their sales efforts. improves conversion rates and ultimately drives revenue growth for the organization.

9 Essential Stages For Each B2B Sales Pipeline

Here are 9 essential stages for each B2B sales pipeline:

Stage 1: Identify the Lead and the lead type

One of the most important steps in the sales process is finding leads and classifying them properly. Here’s a summary of the various lead kinds you might come across and how to categorize them:

Suspect: These are the businesses in your database that fit the characteristics of your ideal client and might buy your goods or services. They haven’t, however, indicated that they are in particular need of or interested in your service.
Prospect: A prospect is a contact within a suspicious organization who shows signs of need and might be looking for a solution in the upcoming twelve to twenty-four months. They have expressed some interest, but they haven’t done anything noteworthy as of yet.
Lead: A lead is a potential customer who has shown interest in your goods or services by acting or responding to a marketing or sales effort. There are various kinds of leads. Leads that convert immediately on your website, like completing a contact form or downloading content, are known as INBOUND leads.
SQL or MQL leads: Sales-qualified leads, also known as marketing-qualified leads, meet certain requirements to be pursued further in the sales process.
Warm Call Or Prospective leads: Leads who are a good fit for your offering but have not yet interacted with your website or other inbound channels are known as warm callers or prospective leads.
Targeted Accounts: Leads from specifically defined targeted accounts are referred to as target account leads.
Leads from friends and family: Referrals from people in your personal or professional network.
Event leads: Contacts made during trade exhibitions or business gatherings.
Referral leads: Leads derived from client recommendations: Leads derived from customer referrals.
Closed-lost or “ghosted” leads: These are past clients or prospects that have cooled down or stopped being engaged.

Sales teams can more efficiently allocate their resources by concentrating on the prospects who have the highest likelihood of becoming customers by precisely identifying and classifying leads. This strategy increases overall efficiency and simplifies the sales process.

Stage 2: Connected Call

A connect call is also known as the initial or discovery call which is a pivotal step in the sales process. At this stage, the salesperson needs to establish communication with the potential lead. The primary goal of the connect call is to initiate conversation and take important information about the needs of prospect. Understand the challenges, work through them, and meet the goals.

During a connect call, the salesperson commonly asks a series of simple questions to better apprehend the requirements and the specific hassle they’re seeking to solve. These questions might also include inquiries related to the potential contemporary demanding situations, pain factors, objectives, budget, timeline, selection-making procedure, and any current solutions that the prospects may be using.

The connect call serves as an opportunity for the sales representative to build rapport with the potential lead, build trust with the prospect or lead, and exhibit their information and know-how of the challenges that the lead is facing. It’s also an opportunity for the salesperson to thoroughly understand the customer and teach the prospect about their products or services and the way it can resolve their needs and provide value.

Additionally, the connect call helps the salesperson to qualify the lead and decide if they may be an amazing match for their product or service. By probing questions and actively paying attention to the prospect’s responses, the salesperson can verify the prospect’s level of interest in the service or product, and readiness to go ahead with the sales process.

Overall, the connect call sets the foundation for an effective and mutually useful relationship between the sales rep and the prospect. It provides good insights that can help in creating an effective sales strategy and the sales rep can tailor the pitch to meet the prospect’s choices and preferences.

Stage 3: Discovery Call

A crucial stage in the sales process is the discovery call, during which the salesperson speaks with a prospect in further detail to learn more about their needs and determine whether they would be a good fit for the offered good or service. The discovery call, which usually lasts 25 to 50 minutes, gives the salesperson a chance to learn more about the priorities, problems, and ambitions of the prospect.

To gain important insights about the prospect’s business, goals, pain spots, and decision-making process, the salesperson conducts a systematic question-and-answer session during the discovery call. During a discovery call, some of the subjects that are frequently covered include:

Objectives: Gaining insight into the prospect’s immediate and long-term goals, as well as their aspirations for the application of a solution.
Challenges: Determining the precise roadblocks or trouble spots that the potential customer is now dealing with in their business operations.
Timeline: Establishing the prospect’s timeline for putting a solution into practice as well as any due dates or benchmarks they must reach.
Authority level: Identifying the prospect’s organization’s major decision-makers and their degree of sway over the procurement process.
Market environment: To better comprehend the prospect’s place in the market, talk about the competitive environment and industry trends.
Sense of urgency: Determining how urgent or prepared the prospect is to face their problems and look into possible solutions.

During the discovery call, the salesperson can learn a great deal about the needs and priorities of the prospect as well as whether or not they are prepared to proceed with a purchase by obtaining this information.

This helps the salesperson frame their offering as a solution to the prospect’s problems and customize their proposal and sales pitch to match their unique needs. In the end, a discovery call serves to ascertain whether the salesperson and the prospect are a good fit and if it makes sense to carry on with the conversation and advance the sales process.

Stage 4: Opportunity Stage

The sales process’s opportunity stage is a critical turning point when a possible agreement starts to take shape based on the data acquired from earlier phases, especially the discovery call. The opportunity stage is when the salesperson begins to lay the groundwork for a potential sale, whereas prior phases concentrate on tracking and qualifying leads.

The salesperson’s goal at the opportunity stage is to obtain vital information that will enable them to evaluate the deal’s potential and devise a winning plan. This stage’s primary goals include:

Recognizing the prospect’s present supplier: The salesperson tries to find out if the prospect is currently using a different supplier for comparable goods or services. This knowledge aids in properly pitching the offering and resolving any worries or objections the prospect might have over changing providers.
Finding reasons to buy: The salesperson tries to find three strong reasons the prospect would decide to purchase from their business. These could be special features or advantages, financial savings, better customer support, or compatibility with the prospect’s corporate objectives.
Handling possible objections: It’s also critical to list three possible reasons why the prospect might decide not to purchase from the salesperson’s business. The salesperson can proactively allay worries and increase trust in the prospect’s decision to proceed by anticipatorily addressing these arguments.

Finding the person who makes economic decisions: During the opportunity phase, the sales representative looks for the person or people in the prospect’s company who are in charge of budgetary and purchasing choices. It is easier to customize the sales pitch and interact with the appropriate stakeholders when one is aware of the decision-making structure.

In general, the opportunity stage is a crucial phase in the sales process that lays the foundation for a possible agreement. A salesperson can improve the likelihood of success and effectively steer the prospect toward a wise purchase by obtaining crucial information and attending to important concerns.

Stage 5: Conducting A Demo

Performing a demonstration is a crucial phase in the sales process, especially for complicated goods or services where potential customers would rather watch the offering in use before deciding to buy. The prospect of closing a purchase can be greatly increased by the salesperson showcasing the features, benefits, and capabilities of the product or service by setting up a demo.

Following the demo, several outcomes are possible, all of which offer insightful information about the prospect’s degree of interest and readiness for the next steps:

Demo finished: In this case, the prospect chooses not to move further with the sales process despite the demo being delivered as scheduled. This result could mean that the prospect’s choice was influenced by external reasons or that the product or service did not fully meet their needs or expectations.
Second demo: As an alternative, after viewing the first demo, the prospect can show interest in the offering and want to see a second one to go over more features or functionalities. Several product demos may be necessary in many situations, especially for enterprise sales possibilities, to fully address the specific requirements of the prospect.

A crucial point in the sales process is the demo stage, which allows the salesperson to highlight the benefits of the product or service and answer any queries or worries the prospect might have. Sales professionals can enhance their chances of completing deals by conducting demos efficiently and responding to the prospect’s comments. This allows them to gain a deeper understanding of the prospect’s wants and preferences.

Stage 6: Influencer Buy-in

When a prospect recognizes the worth of the product or service and believes that their company will buy something in the future, they enter the influencer buy-in stage. Though they act as an influencer within their firm, the prospect may not hold the power to make the ultimate purchasing choice.

It is critical for the salesperson to comprehend the influencer’s function in the prospect’s organization at this point and to secure support from the decision-maker who has the final say over the purchase. To handle this stage successfully, the salesman needs to interact with the influencer to learn about their needs, pain areas, and points of view. Important things to do in the influencer buy-in phase are:

Finding the decision maker: The salesman should ask the prospect about the name and degree of involvement of the economic decision maker in their organization’s purchasing process.

Knowing the influencer’s stake: It’s critical to comprehend the influencer’s obligations, role, and interest in the purchase. This entails figuring out their goals, concerns, and any roadblocks to getting the decision-makers support.

Addressing the pain points: To show how the product or service may successfully meet the influencer’s unique demands and challenges, the salesman should proactively address any worries or pain points that they may have highlighted.

Salespeople can create a more seamless path to getting the decision maker’s permission and eventually sealing the business by interacting with influencers and winning their support. During this phase, developing a relationship and resolving issues can greatly boost the possibility of building a relationship.

Read More: Remote Work Is Alive and Kicking… if Done Well

Stage 7: Decision Maker Buy -in

Once the consent is received from the buyer, the salesperson can move forward. As the economic decision maker is ok to proceed with things then the negotiation stage can be initiated. Price can be finalized and necessary agreements can be made so the deal can close.

Stage 8: Negotiation

Following the prospect’s expression of interest in making a purchase, both parties start the negotiating step, which involves settling on the terms and agreements of the contract. The legal department of the potential employer frequently gets engaged at this point to examine and discuss contractual duties.

Important elements of the negotiation phase consist of:

Finalizing terms and price: The salesperson and the prospect have talks at the negotiation stage to decide on the deal’s final terms, conditions, and price. This could involve changes to the price, terms of payment, delivery dates, and other information from the contract.
Legal evaluation and approval: To guarantee that the proposed contract complies with legal requirements and safeguards the company’s interests, the legal team of the potential employer evaluates it. Changes to the terms or language of the contract may come up during negotiations.
Sustaining communication: Throughout the negotiation process, the salesman must keep lines of contact open with the prospect. Frequent check-ins guarantee that the negotiation remains on course and that any issues or objections are immediately resolved.
Resolving objections: The salesperson may run into obstacles or objections from the prospect during the negotiation stage. Addressing these concerns, offering concessions or solutions, and attempting to reach a win-win compromise are all components of effective negotiation techniques.
Closing the deal: The transaction is completed and contracts are signed by all parties when both sides agree on the terms and conditions. With this, the negotiation stage comes to a successful end and the implementation or delivery phase begins.

It is imperative that the salesperson remain proactive, remain receptive to the demands of the prospect, and exhibit flexibility and a readiness to grant acceptable requests during the negotiating stage. Through skillful negotiation management, sales representatives may close deals and build enduring relationships with their customers.

Stage 9: Closed Lost or Closed Won

“Closed-won” and “closed-lost” are terms used in sales to describe how a sales deal turned out.

1. Closed-Won:

Closed-won denotes a successful conclusion in which the buyer consents to proceed with the purchase and pays the balance due, so closing the transaction.
Following the closing of a contract, the customer uses the acquired good or service as part of the onboarding process.
To guarantee client happiness and retention, the sales team must fulfill their commitments by offering top-notch products, unmatched customer care, and continuous support.
Content clients are more inclined to recommend business to the organization, which could result in prospects for expansion through word-of-mouth recommendations.

2. Closed-Lost:

Closed-lost refers to a situation in which the buyer decides not to move on with the purchase after the prospect rejects the last offer.
A closed-lost contract may result from choosing a rival’s offering, financial limitations, or the choice not to buy the good or service.
Closed losses may feel like a setback, but salespeople must be careful not to completely write off missed chances.
Examining the causes behind the deal’s failure can yield important information for enhancing sales tactics, resolving client issues, and enhancing product offerings.
Furthermore, keeping a good rapport with prospects who have chosen a closed-lost transaction may open up other opportunities in the future, including reviewing the offering later on or looking at other options that better meet their needs.

Ultimately, there are chances for development and learning in both closed-won and closed-lost transactions. Sales teams may improve their strategy, foster closer ties with clients, and propel future sales efforts by knowing the elements that influence each result.

Final Thoughts:

To sum up, the several phases of the business-to-business sales funnel represent significant turning points in the process of completing a deal. Every phase offers a chance for participation, comprehension, and advancement toward a fruitful conclusion. Every stage of the sales process, from finding leads and reaching out to negotiating terms and finally closing the business, is crucial.

Sales professionals must continue to be aggressive, flexible, and customer-focused as they move through these stages. Key characteristics that can propel success at every point of the funnel include smart decision-making, active listening, and effective communication. In addition, increasing sales effectiveness and efficiency can be achieved by utilizing technology, data insights, and client feedback.

Moreover, there is no closed-lost or closed-won agreement at the end of the voyage. Rather, it provides an opportunity for learning to hone tactics, deal with obstacles, and consistently raise performance. Sales teams may boost relationships with prospects and customers, find areas for optimization, and propel long-term business success by evaluating the results of each step.

All things considered, the B2B sales funnel is a dynamic architecture that directs salespeople toward accomplishing their objectives and providing value to clients, not only a list of steps. Sales teams can successfully navigate the intricacies of the sales process and achieve long-term success by embracing the subtleties of each step and utilizing best practices.