{"id":9550,"date":"2024-07-31T09:04:58","date_gmt":"2024-07-31T09:04:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/?p=9550"},"modified":"2026-04-08T15:00:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T15:00:03","slug":"sales-pipeline-vs-sales-funnel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/sales-pipeline-vs-sales-funnel\/","title":{"rendered":"Sales Pipeline vs Sales Funnel: Yes, They&#8217;re Two Different Things"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The sales pipeline and the sales funnel are not the same.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The sales pipeline is <em>your system<\/em> of lead generation, qualification, and nurturing. The sales funnel is a visual representation of your potential customers moving through various stages in <em>their decision-making process.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The important thing to know about these two terms is that they don&#8217;t refer to one another; they&#8217;re both different concepts used for marketing purposes by companies looking for new business opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>If you notice, we&#8217;ve highlighted the difference in Italics. The key thing to understand is that the sales pipeline is designed from the perspective of the sales professionals \u2014 it is about the steps the sales guys must take, whereas the sales funnel is from the perspective of the potential buyer \u2014 what they are doing and might do next.<\/p>\n<p>If that&#8217;s a little confusing, don&#8217;t worry. In this blog post, we&#8217;ll explain <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sales pipeline vs sales funnel in detail.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/sales-pipeline-vs-sales-funnel\/#What_Is_a_Sales_Pipeline\" >What Is a Sales Pipeline?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/sales-pipeline-vs-sales-funnel\/#Sales_Pipeline_Stages\" >Sales Pipeline Stages<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/sales-pipeline-vs-sales-funnel\/#Why_Is_a_Sales_Pipeline_Important\" >Why Is a Sales Pipeline Important?&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/sales-pipeline-vs-sales-funnel\/#What_Is_a_Sales_Funnel_in_Business\" >What Is a Sales Funnel in Business?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/sales-pipeline-vs-sales-funnel\/#Sales_Pipeline_vs_Sales_Funnel\" >Sales Pipeline vs Sales Funnel<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/sales-pipeline-vs-sales-funnel\/#Do_I_Need_a_Sales_Pipeline_or_a_Sales_Funnel\" >Do I Need a Sales Pipeline or a Sales Funnel?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/sales-pipeline-vs-sales-funnel\/#Conclusion_Can_I_Use_a_Sales_Pipeline_and_Sales_Funnel_Together\" >Conclusion: Can I Use a Sales Pipeline and Sales Funnel Together?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_a_Sales_Pipeline\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #339966;\">What Is a Sales Pipeline?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A sales pipeline is a systematic approach to prospecting, qualifying leads, selling products or services, and retaining customers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A sales pipeline functions as the representation of the entire sales process for the sales team to follow and the sales manager to keep track of. Every sales pipeline has opportunities and distinct stages where different actions must be taken by the sales rep.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The sales pipeline consists of various sales activities that are typically divided into five distinct stages:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Lead generation<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Prospect qualification<\/li>\n<li>Sales meeting<\/li>\n<li>Sales proposal<\/li>\n<li>Closing the deal<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The length of time it takes for an opportunity to progress from one stage to another depends on how long it takes you to nurture your relationships with prospects before converting them into paying customers. This process is known as lead nurturing.<\/p>\n<p>A healthy sales pipeline is necessary for businesses of every size, especially a small business. They help you efficiently organize your revenue-generating activities and measure the efficiency of each stage in the pipeline so that you can consistently meet your sales target.<\/p>\n<p>Now, let&#8217;s look at how you should approach each of these sales pipeline stages.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9563\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9563\" style=\"width: 613px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.leadsquared.com\/stages-of-sales-pipeline\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9563 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Sales-Pipeline-Stages.png\" alt=\"Sales pipeline representation\" width=\"613\" height=\"296\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Sales-Pipeline-Stages.png 927w, https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Sales-Pipeline-Stages-300x145.png 300w, https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Sales-Pipeline-Stages-768x371.png 768w, https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Sales-Pipeline-Stages-595xh.png 595w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 613px) 100vw, 613px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9563\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Source: Leadsquared<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a class=\"fasc-button fasc-size-medium fasc-type-flat fasc-rounded-medium ico-fa fasc-ico-before fa-arrow-circle-right\" style=\"background-color: #33809e; color: #ffffff;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/what-is-a-sales-pipeline\/\">Read more: Sales Pipeline Guide for Dummies (with relatable memes)<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sales_Pipeline_Stages\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #339966;\">Sales Pipeline Stages<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When it comes to sales, there aren&#8217;t any hard-and-fast rules to guide teams. However, we can define what sales processes look like in general terms, so you can begin drafting your own sales pipeline and make changes to it as per your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/sales-opportunities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sales opportunities<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993300;\">Lead Generation<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first step in sales is to bring leads into the pipeline. That means <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">finding sales leads<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> who need your product or service. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A sales lead enters at the top, usually unaware of your company or what you do. Interest is low, and they\u2019re reluctant to buy.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993300;\">Prospect Qualification<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prospect qualification or lead qualification is where you prune the list. Is the prospect a good fit or not? A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/buyer-persona-get-started-making\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">buyer persona<\/a> is the best way to answer this question, as it contains the characteristics of your ideal customer.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use lead scoring to<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/crm\/predictive-lead-scoring\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> assign a score to each <\/span><\/a>potential customer <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">based on specific criteria such as engagement, email activity, and pages clicked. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Usually, qualified leads are decision-makers at their company, such as the head of marketing, the CEO, or the director.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the most important sales pipeline stage as you\u2019ll end up with lower <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/lead-conversion\/\">conversion rates<\/a> if you send an unqualified lead through the pipeline.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"fasc-button fasc-size-medium fasc-type-flat fasc-rounded-medium ico-fa fasc-ico-before fa-arrow-circle-right\" style=\"background-color: #33809e; color: #ffffff;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/ecommerce-conversion-funnel\/\">Read more: eCommerce Conversion Funnel in 5 Stages<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993300;\">Sales Meeting<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A sales meeting is a great sales opportunity where the sales rep meets with the prospect to find the best solution for their needs. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The lead moves to the next sales stage if the meeting goes well and they request further information, such as a product demo.<\/span><\/p>\n\r\n            <script>\r\n                var EhAPI = EhAPI || {}; \r\n                EhAPI.after_load = function() {\r\n                    EhAPI.set_account('ktb76s1540fl2hnhbqnrtd2npb', 'our');\r\n                    EhAPI.execute('rules');\r\n                };\r\n                (function(d, s, f) {\r\n                    var sc = document.createElement(s);\r\n                    sc.type = 'text\/javascript';\r\n                    sc.async = true;\r\n                    sc.src = f;\r\n                    var m = document.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\r\n                    m.parentNode.insertBefore(sc, m);   \r\n                })(document, 'script', '\/\/d2p078bqz5urf7.cloudfront.net\/jsapi\/ehform.js');\r\n            <\/script>\r\n            <script>\r\n                function waitForEhForms() {\r\n                    const interval = 100; \/\/ Check every 100ms\r\n                    const checkAndLoad = () => {\r\n                        const params = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);\r\n                        const elementorPreviewParam = params.get('elementor-preview');\r\n                        if (elementorPreviewParam && typeof EhForms !== 'undefined' && typeof EhForms.loadForms === 'function') {\r\n                            EhForms.loadForms();\r\n                            console.log('EhForms.loadForms() called successfully.');\r\n                        } else {\r\n                            setTimeout(checkAndLoad, interval);\r\n                        }\r\n                    };\r\n                    checkAndLoad();\r\n                }\r\n                \/\/ Call the function\r\n                waitForEhForms();\r\n            <\/script>\r\n        <div class='engage-hub-form-embed' id='eh_form_5161654467690496' data-id='5161654467690496'><\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993300;\">Sales Proposal<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At this point, you have a clear picture of your prospect and the specific problem they have.&nbsp; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A sales rep puts together a proposal detailing how you intend to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/challenges-of-crm-implementation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">solve a problem<\/a> for them based on your sales meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993300;\">Closing the Deal<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The lead\u2019s journey through your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markinblog.com\/sales-funnel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sales pipeline<\/a> is complete when they sign the deal or you move them to \u201clost.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"How To Close ANY SALE (Hardcore Closing Techniques)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zDEcdnVx6f0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"fasc-button fasc-size-medium fasc-type-flat fasc-rounded-medium ico-fa fasc-ico-before fa-arrow-circle-right\" style=\"background-color: #33809e; color: #ffffff;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/sales-pipeline-stages\/\">Read more: Essential Sales Pipeline Stages Every Business Can Use<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Is_a_Sales_Pipeline_Important\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #339966;\">Why Is a Sales Pipeline Important?<\/span>&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2015\/01\/companies-with-a-formal-sales-process-generate-more-revenue\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Harvard Business Review<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> states that companies with effective sales pipeline management have an average growth rate of 15% increase.&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Companies that mastered three specific sales pipeline practices had a 28% higher revenue growth.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"fasc-button fasc-size-medium fasc-type-flat fasc-rounded-medium ico-fa fasc-ico-before fa-arrow-circle-right\" style=\"background-color: #33809e; color: #ffffff;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/sales-pipeline-stages\/\">Read more: Essential Sales Pipeline Stages Every Business Can Use<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993300;\">What are these practices?<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A clearly defined <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/sales-process\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sales process<\/a> that shows how the pipeline is designed, measured, and used to drive sales rep performance.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spend at least three hours every month on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/crm\/sales-pipeline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sales pipeline management<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Train sales managers on pipeline management.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But those aren&#8217;t the only reasons why you need a sales pipeline. Here are a few more:<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #666699;\">Accurate Sales Forecast<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You need a tool to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">forecast possible revenue<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on a month-to-month basis, quarterly, and annually. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A sales pipeline shows areas of your sales that are close to the quota and weak points that are far behind.&nbsp; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The data helps you determine leaks in your pipeline so you can adjust your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/sales-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sales strategy<\/a> and reach your financial goals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"fasc-button fasc-size-medium fasc-type-flat fasc-rounded-medium ico-fa fasc-ico-before fa-arrow-circle-right\" style=\"background-color: #33809e; color: #ffffff;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/ecommerce-email-conversion-funnel-analysis\/\">Read more: eCommerce Email Conversion Funnel Analysis Guide For Beginners<\/a><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #666699; font-size: 20.8px;\">Targeted Resources Allocation<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s easier and more efficient to allocate resources when you know which pipeline stage the prospect is at. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sales leaders can make decisions about new opportunities, goals, and individual targets that require more resources to close or those that need more oversight.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #666699;\">Improved Tracking<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/crm\/sales-pipeline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sales pipeline<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, team members can track pipeline deals in real-time throughout the year\u2019s sales cycle. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The sales pipeline metrics help managers to understand the volume of new and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/customer-service-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">repeat business<\/a> the team generates.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It also determines if you need to hire additional sales reps to meet demand and if you\u2019ll meet your sales goals for the year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"fasc-button fasc-size-medium fasc-type-flat fasc-rounded-medium ico-fa fasc-ico-before fa-arrow-circle-right\" style=\"background-color: #33809e; color: #ffffff;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/sales-tools\/\">Read more: 11 Sales Tools To Supercharge Your Sales Stack<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_a_Sales_Funnel_in_Business\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #339966; font-size: 27.2px;\">What Is a Sales Funnel in Business?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A sales funnel is where you put all of your leads, which includes your website visitors and customers, to determine the number of conversions (or sales).<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a way to visualize how many people are moving through your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/marketing-funnels-basics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">marketing funnel<\/a>\u2014in other words, it shows the pathway between potential customers first visiting your site or app and converting into a paying customer.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/marketing-qualified-leads\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">one thousand people visited your landing page<\/a> in January this year, but only twenty-five converted into paid customers during that same month, then around six percent of that traffic made an actionable step along the journey. The rest dropped off somewhere along the path. This path in the customer journey is called the sales funnel.<\/p>\n<p>A sales funnel is widest at the top, where awareness is low, and narrow at the bottom, where awareness is high.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"fasc-button fasc-size-medium fasc-type-flat fasc-rounded-medium ico-fa fasc-ico-before fa-arrow-circle-right\" style=\"background-color: #33809e; color: #ffffff;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/ecommerce-sales-funnels\/\">Read more: eCommerce Sales Funnels 101: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993300;\">Sales Funnel Stages<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><b>Awareness: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At this stage, the prospect is looking for resources to better understand the problem.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Research: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They\u2019ve defined the problem and are looking for possible solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Decision: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The prospect has defined the problem, knows about the existing solutions, and is ready to make a decision.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"fasc-button fasc-size-medium fasc-type-flat fasc-rounded-medium ico-fa fasc-ico-before fa-arrow-circle-right\" style=\"background-color: #33809e; color: #ffffff;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/cycle-time-vs-lead-time\/\">Read more: Cycle Time vs Lead Time: Definitions, Differences, and FAQs<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sales_Pipeline_vs_Sales_Funnel\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #339966;\">Sales Pipeline vs Sales Funnel<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<table style=\"height: 343px;\" width=\"723\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td><b>Sales Pipeline<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Sales Funnel<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Visualization<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shows the quantity, value, and stages of various open deals.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The funnel offers valuable insight into the volume of open deals at a given time.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Tracking<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tracks active leads at different stages of the pipeline.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tracks conversion of leads on a stage-by-stage basis.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Measurement<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Measures the quality of leads you drive to the pipeline.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Measures the efficiency of your lead generation efforts.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Reporting<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sales pipeline report shows lead activity during the sales process to help sales teams determine where to focus more resources for higher conversion rates.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sales funnel report shows conversion rates throughout the sales process. Sales teams use the data to improve individual stages of the sales process and prevent leaks in the funnel.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Buyer journey representation<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From the viewpoint of the sales rep.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From the viewpoint of the customer.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Focus<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Activity and value-oriented.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Performance and quota-oriented.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993300;\">Here\u2019s an example<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When a sales rep says a lead is stuck in the pipeline, that\u2019s means they understand that a prospect needs a little push to move them to the next stage. It could be a proposal or initiating contact.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But a prospect doesn\u2019t \u201cget stuck\u201d in the sales funnel because the funnel stages represent how successful or unsuccessful a prospect converts from the point of initial contact to decision making.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to identify drop-off points year-to-year, the sales funnel shows where deals fail and help your sales team brainstorm solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9564\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9564\" style=\"width: 521px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.activecampaign.com\/blog\/sales-pipeline\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9564 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Sales-Funnel-vs-Pipeline.png\" alt=\"Sales Funnel vs Sales Pipeline ActiveCampaign\" width=\"521\" height=\"315\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Sales-Funnel-vs-Pipeline.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Sales-Funnel-vs-Pipeline-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Sales-Funnel-vs-Pipeline-1024x619.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Sales-Funnel-vs-Pipeline-768x464.png 768w, https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Sales-Funnel-vs-Pipeline-595xh.png 595w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 521px) 100vw, 521px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9564\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Source: ActiveCampaign<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a class=\"fasc-button fasc-size-medium fasc-type-flat fasc-rounded-medium ico-fa fasc-ico-before fa-arrow-circle-right\" style=\"background-color: #33809e; color: #ffffff;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/lead-funnels\/\">Read more: A Beginner\u2019s Guide to Lead Funnels: How to Double Your Sales<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_I_Need_a_Sales_Pipeline_or_a_Sales_Funnel\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #339966;\">Do I Need a Sales Pipeline or a Sales Funnel?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s important to ask if your <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sales strategy<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> would benefit from one option or integrating both. The choice you make depends on what your sales process needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A sales pipeline streamlines the efforts of brands with high-value products that require complex buying processes. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It helps new sales reps quickly understand your sales strategy and track opportunities that may take longer to progress. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Depending on the complexity of the sales processes,<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;\"> multiple sales pipelines can be used as well.&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, if your company focuses on B2C or you have a shorter <a href=\"https:\/\/oroinc.com\/b2b-ecommerce\/blog\/b2b-sales-funnel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B2B sales cycle<\/a>, a funnel could be a better fit for your team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Focusing on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/lead-conversion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">conversion rate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> helps team members identify and eliminate problems while establishing a metric of success for each stage of the funnel in the customer journey. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance, if you notice lower conversion from the lead qualification stage to the proposal stage, you\u2019ll want to review your lead qualification process. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conversely, if you have trouble booking meetings with a&nbsp;<span style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\">sales<a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/marketing-qualified-leads\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">-qualified<\/a><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/marketing-qualified-leads\/\">&nbsp;lead<\/a>, you may need to adjust your sales qualifiers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diversify your efforts through activities like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/content-marketing-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">content marketing<\/a> to drive more qualified leads into your sales pipeline rather than generic prospecting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"fasc-button fasc-size-medium fasc-type-flat fasc-rounded-medium ico-fa fasc-ico-before fa-arrow-circle-right\" style=\"background-color: #33809e; color: #ffffff;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/marketing-automation-funnel\/\">Read more: Marketing Automation Funnel Explained For Beginners<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion_Can_I_Use_a_Sales_Pipeline_and_Sales_Funnel_Together\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #339966;\">Conclusion: Can I Use a Sales Pipeline and Sales Funnel Together?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why choose one when you can go for both options? For sustainable sales management, we recommend integrating a sales pipeline and a sales funnel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Together, they offer valuable insight into how your sales strategies can evolve for higher conversion and close rates. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using both sales visualizations <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/identify-sales-opportunities-and-close-the-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">enables the sales team<\/a> to identify if your sales process needs more steps or less and improve sales performance accordingly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sales professionals can <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/sales-process\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tweak the sales process<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to include multiple stages such as product demos, reviewing proposals, identifying decision-makers, and having more sales meetings with leads.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>This leads us to the big question. How do you combine both a sales pipeline and a sales funnel?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/crm\/sales-crm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A sales CRM<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> simplifies the process for you. The built-in lead gen tracker automates the movement of leads through the pipeline.&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can also track performance at each stage of the pipeline, monitor growth, and adjust the sales process when needed so that you consistently meet your revenue goals.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Discover how Engagebay can help you to increase sales. Our <\/i><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><i>award-winning CRM solution<\/i><\/b><\/a><b><i> enables instant lead follow-up for a higher conversion rate and continued lead tracking for improved efficiency.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\r\n            <script>\r\n                var EhAPI = EhAPI || {}; \r\n                EhAPI.after_load = function() {\r\n                    EhAPI.set_account('ktb76s1540fl2hnhbqnrtd2npb', 'our');\r\n                    EhAPI.execute('rules');\r\n                };\r\n                (function(d, s, f) {\r\n                    var sc = document.createElement(s);\r\n                    sc.type = 'text\/javascript';\r\n                    sc.async = true;\r\n                    sc.src = f;\r\n                    var m = document.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\r\n                    m.parentNode.insertBefore(sc, m);   \r\n                })(document, 'script', '\/\/d2p078bqz5urf7.cloudfront.net\/jsapi\/ehform.js');\r\n            <\/script>\r\n            <script>\r\n                function waitForEhForms() {\r\n                    const interval = 100; \/\/ Check every 100ms\r\n                    const checkAndLoad = () => {\r\n                        const params = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);\r\n                        const elementorPreviewParam = params.get('elementor-preview');\r\n                        if (elementorPreviewParam && typeof EhForms !== 'undefined' && typeof EhForms.loadForms === 'function') {\r\n                            EhForms.loadForms();\r\n                            console.log('EhForms.loadForms() called successfully.');\r\n                        } else {\r\n                            setTimeout(checkAndLoad, interval);\r\n                        }\r\n                    };\r\n                    checkAndLoad();\r\n                }\r\n                \/\/ Call the function\r\n                waitForEhForms();\r\n            <\/script>\r\n        <div class='engage-hub-form-embed' id='eh_form_6268678992035840' data-id='6268678992035840'><\/div>\n<p><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">Content updated for freshness and SEO by&nbsp;<\/i><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\"><a class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/author\/swastik_sahu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https:\/\/www.engagebay.com\/blog\/author\/swastik_sahu\/\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">Swastik Sahu<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The sales pipeline and the sales funnel are not the same. The sales pipeline is your system of lead generation, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":17544,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[136,2561,187],"class_list":["post-9550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sales","tag-sales","tag-sales-funnel","tag-sales-pipeline"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.3 (Yoast SEO v25.3.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Sales Pipeline vs Sales Funnel - What Is the Difference Between Both<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do sales pipeline and sales funnel mean the same thing? 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