Weighted pipeline in marketing is a technique used to measure a team’s performance in terms of activity and sales. This technique combines the overall performance of a sales team and its individual members with an understanding of the number of sales opportunities — also known as the 'pipeline' — by weighing them according to their value, likely success, and probability of closing. This helps managers get a better understanding of how well their team is performing and predict future sales.
The weighted pipeline is made up of three core components:
1. Activities or tasks.
The first part of that analysis is the activities and tasks carried out by sales team members. This will include everything from research to opening contact and pitching to follow-up. Each activity is given a weighting based on the importance of the activity in the overall sales process. The weightings are generally judged against the probability of a successful sale.
2. Potential value of sales.
The second part of the analysis is the potential value of sales. This involves evaluating the products or services and identifying the likely value of successful sales. This is done by looking at their pricing and availability, as well as the current market demand. A weighting can also be applied based on the number of sales opportunities.
3. Probability of closing.
The third part of the analysis is based on the probability of closing. This is the likelihood of a sale being successful and the weighting applied to it. This can be based on customer feedback, reviews, or the organization’s sales history on similar deals.
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Together, these three measurements — activity, value, and probability — help measure the performance of individual sales team members and the team as a whole.
When weighting activities and tasks, it’s important to focus on the tasks that have the most influence on the probability of closing a deal. For example, a task such as conducting research may have a lower weighting than making contact with a potential client as it doesn’t have as direct an influence on the likelihood of closing.
The weights applied to different activities may also differ depending on the type of product or service being sold. For example, if a sales team is looking to close complex deals involving multiple stakeholders, the weighting for customer relationship management may be higher than if the product being sold is simpler.
The weights and values assigned to each activity should also vary based on the industry and sales cycle. For example, if the sales process involves multiple rounds of negotiations, the weighting for customer relationship management activities may be higher than if the deal is straightforward.
When weighing potential sales values, the weighting should be based on the expected outcome of successful sales. This can be based on customer feedback or reviews, pricing and availability, and the number of sales opportunities.
Finally, when looking at the probability of closing, it’s important to consider the success rate of previous sales, customer feedback, and any external factors that could affect the probability of a successful sale. These factors should be weighted accordingly to give an accurate indication of the likelihood of closing a deal.