The Pipeline


We’ve all seen the images of a pipeline that look like a funnel. With all of the prospected leads going in the top and the closed deals coming out the bottom.

But what is actually happening at each stage of the pipeline? Did you know there are stages to a pipeline? They are (according to the image):

1. Red-All leads

2. Orange-Contacted leads

3. Yellow-Identified need for service

4. Teal-Meet with the client

5. Blue-Bid/Proposal process

6. Purple-Signed Agreement

7. Bullseye-Servicing and referrals.acceleration process where the water speeds its way down through the drain, and finally the water (signed client) shoots out the bottom.

But, after careful consideration, I have decided that the pipeline looks more like a stack of Wooden Labyrinth Maze games; with each individual wooden labyrinth representing another stage in the “Pipeline”.

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I think this is better as a visual reference because it indicates that each stage is a maze of skill and one bad decision is all it takes to fall out of the game or lose the potential client.

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If you can visualize every lead as a Robins egg, and imagine the skill it would take to get the lead from one level to the next, and all the way through the process of the multi-level labyrinth to become a client, then I believe you would understand the concept of nurturing every possible lead. They are all precious and fragile; but, with enough skill and patience, you can guide them all to the finish.