Definition
The visualized progression of deals through defined stages — typically lead, qualified, proposal, negotiation, closed. Used to forecast revenue and identify stalled opportunities.
Why it matters
A pipeline matters because it turns a vague sense of 'we have some deals cooking' into a concrete picture of what's likely to close and when. For an owner trying to decide whether to hire or hold off on a purchase, that forward view of revenue is hard to get any other way. The common failure is a pipeline full of stalled deals nobody has updated, which makes the forecast look healthier than reality and hides the fact that opportunities are quietly dying.