Glossary
What is a sales funnel?
A sales funnel is the path from first contact to a closed deal, drawn as stages that get narrower: many people are reached, fewer reply, fewer meet, fewer buy. Reading it stage by stage shows where prospects drop out, which tells you what to fix: the list, the message, the meeting or the offer.
Published by Sellinger AI. Numbers and settings checked on 24 October 2026 against the fact register. Report an error.
What are the stages of an outbound funnel?
| Stage | Count | Rate from the stage before |
|---|---|---|
| Reached | 1,000 | |
| Replied | 200 | 20% |
| Meeting booked | 40 | 20% |
| Meeting held | 30 | 75% |
| Deal won | 6 | 20% |
Every rate needs its base. Numbers here are examples, not benchmarks.
How do you read a funnel?
Look for the stage with the biggest drop compared with your own past, not with someone else's benchmark. A low reply rate points at the list or the first message. Many replies but few meetings points at the second message or the offer. Many booked but few held points at timing and reminders. Few won after meetings points at the product, price or fit.
Is a funnel the same as a pipeline?
Close, but not the same. A funnel shows conversion between stages over a period. A sales pipeline shows the open deals at each stage right now, usually with their value.
How Sellinger handles it
Sellinger's analytics count people, not messages: the funnel runs Reached, Replied, Meetings and Deals, with show rate, meetings held, no shows and deals won, and a breakdown by ICP, channel, campaign or source. Cost per meeting held is shown; cost per meeting booked is deliberately not.
Common questions
What is top of funnel?
What is a good funnel conversion rate?
Should replies count as a funnel stage?
Sources and method
Worked example is illustrative. Sellinger analytics as described in the analytics help article, checked 24 October 2026.
Related: Sales pipeline, Win rate, Meeting show rate, Reading your analytics.
