Skip to main content

Understanding and Using the Pipeline

The SendSquared Pipeline provides a visual kanban-style board to track leads through your sales process. This guide explains how to use the pipeline effectively to manage your opportunities.

Accessing the Pipeline​

To access the pipeline view:

  1. Navigate to Sales in the main menu
  2. Select Pipeline from the submenu
  3. The pipeline view will load with your current leads organized by status

Pipeline View

Pipeline Interface Overview​

The pipeline interface consists of several key elements:

Filtering and Navigation​

At the top of the screen, you'll find filtering options:

  • Select a Lead Category: Filter by lead category
  • Select a Lead Type: Filter by lead type (e.g., Sales)
  • Select Agents: Filter by assigned agent
  • Date Filters: Filter by date range

Status Columns​

The main board consists of columns representing each lead status:

  • Each column represents a status in your lead workflow
  • Status columns are arranged from left to right in the order you defined
  • Examples include: New Lead, Discovery Meeting Scheduled, Discovery Meeting Completed, etc.

Lead Cards​

Within each column, you'll see cards representing individual leads:

  • Each card shows key information about the lead
  • Cards can be dragged between columns to update their status

Understanding Lead Cards​

Each lead card in the pipeline displays important information at a glance:

Card Elements​

  • Lead Name: The name of the primary contact
  • Company/Property: The associated organization or property
  • Value: The estimated value of the opportunity
  • Follow-up Date: When the next follow-up is scheduled
  • Assigned Agent: Icon indicating who owns the lead
  • Comments/Notes: Indicator showing if there are notes attached
  • Additional Fields: Custom fields may appear depending on your setup

Card Actions​

Hovering over a card reveals additional actions:

  • Quick Edit: Make changes without opening the full lead record
  • View Details: Open the complete lead record
  • Add Note: Quickly add a note to the lead
  • Schedule Follow-up: Set or update the follow-up date

Working with the Pipeline​

Moving Leads Through Stages​

To update a lead's status:

  1. Locate the lead card in its current status column
  2. Click and drag the card to the appropriate new status column
  3. Release to drop the card in the new column
  4. The lead status will automatically update in the system

This drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to visually track a lead's progress through your sales process.

Column Summaries​

At the top of each status column, you'll see summary information:

  • Total Value: The combined value of all leads in that status
  • Total Leads: The number of leads in that status

This gives you a quick overview of your pipeline health and distribution.

Sorting and Organizing​

Leads within each column can be organized:

  • By default, leads are sorted by follow-up date
  • You can manually arrange leads by dragging them up or down within a column
  • Prioritize your most important leads by moving them to the top

Filtering the Pipeline​

The pipeline view can be filtered to focus on specific segments:

Lead Category and Type Filters​

  1. Use the Select a Lead Category dropdown to filter by category
  2. Use the Select a Lead Type dropdown to focus on specific types
  3. The pipeline will update to show only leads matching your criteria

Agent Filters​

  1. Click the Select Agents dropdown
  2. Choose one or more agents to filter by
  3. The pipeline will display only leads assigned to the selected agents

Date Filters​

  1. Use the date range selectors to filter by:
    • Today (quick filter)
    • Start date to End date (custom range)
  2. The pipeline will show leads with follow-up dates in the selected range

Pipeline Best Practices​

Regular Pipeline Reviews​

  • Schedule weekly pipeline reviews with your team
  • Discuss leads that haven't moved to the next stage
  • Identify bottlenecks in your sales process
  • Ensure all team members are updating lead statuses promptly

Lead Prioritization​

  • Focus on high-value leads first
  • Pay special attention to leads with upcoming follow-up dates
  • Identify and address stalled leads (those that haven't moved stages in a while)
  • Create a system for visual indicators (e.g., color coding for priority)

Pipeline Management​

  • Regularly clean up your pipeline by updating or archiving old leads
  • Set realistic follow-up dates to maintain an actionable pipeline
  • Use the summary values to track your pipeline health over time
  • Adjust your lead statuses if certain stages are consistently skipped or too crowded

Example Pipeline Workflow​

Here's an example of how leads might flow through your pipeline:

  1. New Lead: A new opportunity enters the pipeline
  2. Discovery Meeting Scheduled: Initial consultation is set up
  3. Discovery Meeting Completed: First meeting has occurred
  4. Full Demo Scheduled: Product/service demonstration is planned
  5. Proposal Sent: Formal offer has been provided
  6. Ownership: Final negotiations and closing

This workflow can be customized to match your specific sales process.

Next Steps​

After becoming familiar with the pipeline view, explore these related features: