Sales pipeline

The set of potential deals an agency is working, organised by stage from first contact to signed - a forward view of likely new revenue.

For example, an agency tracks prospects across stages - lead, discovery, proposal sent, verbal yes - and weights each by likelihood. A glance shows whether enough is in flight to hit next quarter's target, or whether it is time to ramp outreach.

Why it matters to your firm: a healthy pipeline is the early-warning system for revenue: it shows feast-or-famine swings weeks before they hit the bank account. Managing it stage by stage smooths the boom-and-bust cycle that wrecks agency cash flow and capacity planning.