Pipeline generation calculator
Find out if your team is on track to meet their pipeline goal this quarter.
Use the pipeline generation calculator to reverse-engineer the volume of calls, emails, and booked meetings your reps need to complete daily to hit your pipeline goals this quarter — then take action to improve your conversion rates.
Consider this your personal revenue strike zone.
Decoding the pipeline generation calculator
This pipeline generation calculator is designed to help sales leaders and sales managers understand the number of activities required to meet their pipeline goals. It works by taking specific inputs like your pipeline goal, the number of sales reps on your team, and your average opportunity size.
Working backward from your goal, the calculator runs your numbers against several of Outreach’s industry benchmarks:
- Correct connect rate: 10%
- Meeting booked rate: 10%
- Meeting held rate: 80%
- Meeting conversion rate (to qualified opportunities): 70%
- Average selling days in a quarter: 60
- Call tasks per prospect: 7
Based on these benchmarks and your unique pipeline goals, you’ll get an estimate of the number of outbound calls, meetings booked, and new prospects to be added to sequences each day.
In sales, the “strike zone” refers to the key metrics — Correct Connect Rate (CCR) and Meeting Booked Rate (MBR) — that indicate whether your reps are talking to the right people and converting those conversations into meetings. By improving these metrics, you can ensure your team is hitting their targets and driving pipeline growth effectively.
Remember: these benchmark rates will vary from business to business. For the most accurate assessment, chat with our team about Outreach’s new pipeline generation report — available exclusively to Outreach users.
“It’s not about doing more activities, it’s about doing the right activities.”
What is pipeline generation?
Pipeline generation refers to the process of identifying, nurturing, and managing potential customers through various stages of the sales funnel. It encompasses the entire journey from making initial contact to closing deals. Pipeline generation is crucial in sales and marketing strategies as it ensures a steady flow of qualified leads, enabling your sales team to meet their targets and drive revenue growth.
By consistently filling and managing the sales pipeline, businesses can maintain momentum, predict future sales, and make informed decisions to optimize their sales processes.
Why is pipeline generation so important in 2024?
The selling landscape has changed dramatically in just a few short years. Across the millions of opportunities in Outreach’s database, sales cycles are 21% longer, and win rates are 2% lower than they were in 2020 alone. And we all know why: As growth-at-all-costs has evolved into a profitable growth mentality, more can say “no,” and fewer are willing to say “yes,” making negotiations even longer.
To stay competitive, strong pipeline management is crucial. Effective pipeline management helps sales teams stay organized, qualify leads that have the greatest chance at turning into potential customers, and ultimately close more deals.
3 strategic benefits of pipeline generation
By focusing on building a robust sales pipeline, companies can reap significant benefits that enhance lead quality, improve sales forecasting, and foster alignment between sales and marketing teams. Here's how:
Improved lead qualification
By implementing a structured strategy, businesses can better identify high-quality leads that are more likely to convert. This targeted approach saves time and resources, allowing your sales team to focus on prospects with the highest potential for revenue growth.
Enhanced sales forecasting
With a clear understanding of average lead volume and conversion rates through the sales funnel, businesses can estimate closed-won revenue and average deal size with greater precision. This data-driven approach helps sales leaders set realistic targets and make informed decisions.
Better alignment between teams
A well-defined pipeline brings sales, marketing, and customer success teams together with shared goals. This teamwork attracts more customers, enhances their experience, and improves retention rates, boosting overall productivity and revenue growth.
How to overcome common pipeline generation challenges
Pipeline generation isn’t without its challenges, but facing them head-on is key to maintaining a strong sales funnel. Here’s how to overcome some of the most common hurdles:
Data accuracy
Inaccurate or outdated information can lead to poor decision-making and missed opportunities. Ensuring data integrity involves regular data cleansing, validation, and updates to reflect the current state of leads and opportunities. Accurate data helps sales teams track progress, forecast revenue growth, and make strategic adjustments.
Integration with existing systems
Many organizations use multiple tools and platforms, which can lead to data silos and inefficiencies. Seamless integration ensures that data flows smoothly between systems, providing a unified view of your sales funnel This requires careful planning, selecting compatible tools, and possibly customizing integrations to meet specific business needs.
Maintaining momentum
Sales teams need to stay motivated and focused on their targets throughout the quarter — not just in the home stretch. This involves setting achievable goals, regularly reviewing progress, and providing ongoing sales coaching and support. By encouraging a culture of continuous improvement and recognizing achievements, organizations can keep their teams engaged and productive from day one.
Steps to creating a successful pipeline generation strategy
To achieve your pipeline goals, make sure your sales reps and the larger organization are set up for success:
1. Identify your target audience
Identify your ideal customer profile, conduct market research to understand their needs and pain points, and define buyer personas to target with personalized messages.
2. Set clear goals
Determine the specific goals needed to create your pipeline generation strategy, align those goals to your overall business objectives, and establish measurable sales KPIs for success.
3. Set daily activity targets
Benchmark the required number of daily activities for sales reps to achieve pipeline goals, including outbound phone calls, meetings booked, and prospects added to sequences. Try the strike zone calculator on this page to get recommended benchmarks; Outreach users can leverage the full pipeline generation report to see exactly how their teams are pacing on the activities they need to generate enough pipeline in the current quarter.
4. Qualify and nurture leads
Implement processes to qualify leads effectively, ensuring that your sales team focuses on the most promising opportunities. Evaluate lead nurturing strategies to build trust and move prospects through the sales funnel.
5. Align teams
Ensure alignment between sales and marketing teams to support a cohesive pipeline strategy. Consider the marketing automation tools and sales software in your revops tech stack.
6. Monitor and optimize
Continuously monitor the performance of your pipeline generation strategy. Analyze metrics such as website traffic, lead generation, and conversion rates. Then, make adjustments based on your data-driven insights.
More FAQs about pipeline generation
What is the difference between lead generation and pipeline generation?
Lead generation is the process of attracting and capturing interest in your products or services, while pipeline generation involves managing and nurturing those leads all the way through the sales funnel. Pipeline generation encompasses lead generation but extends to include the entire journey as you make initial contact, qualify leads as potential customers, build trust, and close deals.
What factors influence pipeline?
The quality of leads, the effectiveness of your sales team’s lead nurturing strategies, and the efficiency of your sales process will all impact your team’s ability to reach their pipeline goal. Additionally, the alignment between your sales and marketing teams and the overall accuracy of customer data play crucial roles in building your sales pipeline and driving overall revenue growth.
How to calculate a pipeline generation goal
To calculate your pipeline generation goal manually, you need to determine your overall pipeline target, average deal size, and number of reps. Then calculate how effective your team is at turning those prospecting activities into calls and meetings: find your correct-connect rate, meeting booked rate, and meeting held rate. From there, you can estimate the number of activities required to meet your revenue target.
Outreach has simplified this process with our pipeline generation calculator, allowing you to quickly and accurately calculate your pipeline goals based on key inputs. For a more detailed breakdown of how your team is pacing on the activities they need to generate enough pipeline in the current quarter, request a demo to see Outreach’s pipeline generation report in action.
How to improve a pipeline generation strategy
To improve your pipeline generation strategy, focus on enhancing lead qualification, refining your messaging, and leveraging technology for better insights. Regularly review and adjust your strategies based on performance metrics and market trends. Encourage collaboration between sales and marketing teams to ensure alignment and optimize your processes for maximum efficiency and effectiveness.
