Sales Pipeline
A sales pipeline is the visual and analytical representation of all open deals across stages from initial lead through funded close — providing forecasting, capacity planning, and bottleneck identification for sales operations.
Why This Matters
Pipeline management is where sales discipline becomes visible. A typical MCA pipeline has 6-10 stages: New Lead, Contacted, Qualified, Application Sent, Application Received, Submitted to Funder, Approved, Stips Pending, Stips Received, Funded. Each stage has expected duration, conversion rate to next stage, and dollar value. Pipeline reviews catch stalled deals, identify rep coaching needs, and forecast funded-deal volume. Healthy MCA pipelines have stage-conversion ratios that compound to 1-3% lead-to-funded for cold inventory and 15-30% for high-quality pre-qualified leads.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What pipeline stages should an MCA shop track?
Lead, Contacted, Qualified, Application Started, Application Submitted, Funder Review, Approved, Stipulations Pending, Stipulations Received, Contract Signed, Funded. Sub-stages can capture nuance (e.g., Awaiting Bank Verification under Stipulations).
How do I forecast revenue from pipeline?
Multiply each open opportunity's expected value by its stage-specific conversion-to-funded rate, then sum. A $50K opportunity at Application Submitted (typical 35% close rate) forecasts $17,500 in expected funded value. Refine conversion rates per source and per rep for accuracy.