Sales Pipeline Template with Stages
Build a sales pipeline your team can follow: stages with a win probability and an exit criterion each, open deals by stage and the weighted pipeline worked out for you, with the forecast and coverage against your target. Start from stages for software, services, wholesale or real estate and add your own pipeline rules. Free.
Enter the company and choose the type of business, then add the stages, one per line, as name | probability | exit criterion. Add open deals as name | stage | value to see the weighted pipeline. The template updates as you type and the draft is kept in this browser until you start over. Print it or save it as a PDF.
Sales pipeline stages example
A B2B software team uses seven stages. Each stage has a win probability and an exit criterion that says what the buyer has done before the deal moves on.
| Stage | Probability |
|---|---|
| Lead | 10% |
| Qualified | 20% |
| Demo | 40% |
| Proposal | 60% |
| Negotiation | 80% |
| Closed won | 100% |
| Closed lost | 0% |
Weighted pipeline example
Six open deals worth $216,000 make a weighted pipeline of $121,200. With $42,000 already closed, the forecast is $163,200 against a $150,000 target, and coverage is 2× the $108,000 still to close.
| Stage | Value | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Qualified (1) | $24,000 | $4,800 |
| Demo (2) | $54,000 | $21,600 |
| Proposal (2) | $78,000 | $46,800 |
| Negotiation (1) | $60,000 | $48,000 |
| Open pipeline | $216,000 | $121,200 |
Coverage of 2× is below the three to four times many teams aim for, even though the weighted forecast is above target: one lost large deal would change the picture. Test other ratios with the pipeline coverage calculator.
How to build a pipeline that forecasts well
Keep stages few and defined by what the buyer did, not by what the salesperson did. Give every open deal a value, an owner and a next step with a date, and close deals that have gone quiet. Once you have a few months of history, replace the starter probabilities with your own win rates by stage. Turn the weighted pipeline into a monthly forecast with the sales forecast calculator, and see how fast deals move through it with the sales velocity calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What are the stages of a sales pipeline?
A typical B2B pipeline has five to seven stages: lead, qualified, demo or meeting, proposal, negotiation, then closed won or closed lost. The names matter less than the exit criteria: each stage should end with something the buyer did, such as confirming budget or receiving a proposal.
What is a weighted pipeline?
A weighted pipeline multiplies each deal’s value by the win probability of its stage and adds the results. A $48,000 deal at the proposal stage with a 60% probability counts as $28,800. It gives a more realistic forecast than the total value of open deals.
How do I set stage probabilities?
Start with common values, such as 10% for a lead, 40% after a demo and 80% in negotiation, then replace them with your own history: of the deals that reached each stage in the last year, what share was won? Review the probabilities every quarter.
What are exit criteria in a sales pipeline?
Exit criteria are the conditions a deal must meet before it moves to the next stage, for example “budget, decision maker, need and timeline confirmed” to leave qualification. They keep stages consistent between salespeople and make the pipeline and forecast more reliable.
How much pipeline do I need?
Many B2B teams aim for open pipeline of three to four times the revenue still to close in the period. The template shows this coverage when you enter a target; check other ratios and win rates with the pipeline coverage calculator.
Is what I type stored or sent anywhere?
No. The pipeline is built in your browser and the draft is saved only in this browser so you can come back to it. Nothing you type is sent to SalesBond or anyone else, and no AI reads it. Click Start over to clear it.
Related tools: pipeline coverage calculator, sales forecast calculator, sales velocity calculator. More on sales and running a sales team on the SalesBond blog and the home page.
Official sources
- Wikipedia: Sales process engineering — the sales pipeline and the stages a sale moves through.
- Wikipedia: Sales operations — pipeline management and forecasting.
Updated on Nov 6, 2026. This calculator is for information only and is not tax, legal or payroll advice. Win probabilities in the starters are common starting points, not benchmarks for your business. Replace them with your own win rates by stage as data comes in.
