Building a solid and healthy sales pipeline is key to growing your business and hitting your revenue targets.
In this article, we’ll dive into 13 practical pipeline generation ideas, sharing strategies you can use to make prospecting easier, work more efficiently, and see better results.
What Is Pipeline Generation in Sales?
Pipeline generation in sales is all about finding, connecting with, and building relationships with potential customers to keep business opportunities coming in. It’s about using different strategies to attract, qualify, and turn leads into paying customers.
Why Is Pipeline Generation Important?
A strong pipeline is key for any business—it keeps potential customers and revenue flowing steadily. Without it, hitting sales targets and maintaining growth can be a real challenge.
Plus, having a solid pipeline generation strategy helps businesses streamline their sales process, spot areas that need work, and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
The Difference Between Pipeline Generation and Lead Generation Ideas
While pipeline generation and lead generation often get mixed up, they’re actually a bit different.
Lead generation is all about finding potential customers and sparking their interest in your product or service.
Pipeline generation takes it a step further—it’s a bigger-picture approach that includes nurturing those leads and guiding them through the sales funnel until they become paying customers.
13 Pipeline Generation Ideas
To build a pipeline generation plan that works for your business, you need to really understand your target audience and what challenges they’re facing.
Here are 13 best practices for pipeline generation that can help you attract and convert potential customers:
1. Make the most of social media
With billions of people online, social media is a great way to generate leads. Platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook let you share helpful content, connect with potential customers, and build relationships.
2. Make your website work for you
Your website is usually the first thing potential customers see about your business. Make sure it’s set up to grab leads with clear calls-to-action (CTAs), simple contact forms, and content that speaks to what they need.
3. Try webinars or virtual events
Webinars and online events are a great way to connect with leads and show off your product or service. Don’t forget to include a call-to-action at the end to keep them interested.
4. Team up with other businesses
Collaborating with other businesses can be one of the most effective pipeline generation activities. Teaming up with companies that complement your products or services is a great way to expand your reach and share leads. Co-hosting events, creating joint blog posts, or offering bundled deals can bring in new leads. Plus, these collaborations build stronger partnerships and help move prospects further along the sales funnel.
5. Use lead magnets
More than 48% of marketers use content like ebooks, whitepapers, and reports as a way to gather leads. Create something valuable for your audience and offer it in exchange for their contact information.
6. Attend trade shows or conferences
Trade shows and conferences are awesome opportunities to connect with potential customers in person and network with other businesses in your industry. Don’t forget to bring plenty of business cards!
7. Offer special deals or discounts
Who doesn’t love a great deal? Offering exclusive discounts or promotions is an awesome way to grab attention and bring in new customers. Don’t forget to spread the word on social media and through your email campaigns!
8. Collect customer reviews and referrals
Happy customers can be your best marketing tool! Positive reviews and referrals can help bring in new leads. Ask your satisfied customers to share their experiences online, and consider offering incentives to encourage referrals.
9. Track and analyze your results
Tracking and analyzing your lead generation efforts is key to figuring out what’s working and what could use some tweaking. Tools like Google Analytics or marketing automation software can help you measure how well different strategies are performing so you can make adjustments as needed.
10. Keep in touch with your leads
Once you’ve got some leads, it’s key to keep them engaged as they move through the sales funnel. Create a personalized follow-up plan to keep your brand on their radar.
Use tools like email marketing, retargeting ads, and social media to stay connected and guide them closer to making a purchase.
11. Stay on top of industry trends
Keeping up with the latest trends and changes in your industry is a great way to stay ahead in lead generation.
Check out webinars, read blogs and news, and connect with others in your field to stay in the loop on what’s new. This can also help you come up with fresh ideas for your lead-generation strategies.
12. Don’t underestimate the power of templates and checklists
Templates and checklists are like your business’s secret weapon. They simplify tasks, keep you on track with the essentials, and make sure everything stays consistent in your pipeline generation efforts. Let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want a helpful guide when tackling complex plans?
13 .Use the power of podcasts
Podcasts are quickly becoming a popular way for businesses to reach and engage with their audience.
Consider starting your own podcast or partnering with others in your industry to share insights, tips, and experiences related to lead generation. This can help establish you as an expert and attract potential leads who are interested in what you have to offer.
Yess's Strategic Approach to Pipeline Generation
Here's the hard truth: technical buyers don't want to talk to salespeople. They want to talk to experts who understand their world. That's where Yess comes in.
Yess is a sales platform that helps your entire team work together to generate a pipeline. Instead of leaving SDRs to fight alone, Yess connects them with the right people in your company - technical experts, senior staff, product specialists - who can actually get buyers to respond. It's like having a quarterback who knows exactly when to pass the ball to score.
Here's how it works:
When an SDR's outreach isn't landing, Yess finds the perfect person in your company to reach out instead - someone with the expertise or seniority that matches what the buyer needs.
The SDR writes the message, the expert approves it with one click, and boom - you've got a conversation started.
No more hoping that perfect cold emails will work. No more watching deals die because you can't get in the door. Just real people with real expertise helping you build a pipeline that actually converts.
