Marketing Lingo Defined: Filling the Pipeline
December 8th, 2007 by Cristina Favreau
Filling the pipeline is the first stage in the Universal Marketing Cycle. If you’re not actively filling your pipeline, your business will soon run dry.
So what DOES filing the pipeline really mean?
In the context of marketing a service-based business, filling the pipeline means knowing (and getting known by) enough people whom you can contact (or will contact you) on a regular basis about your business. Your goal is to attract all sorts of people — believe it or not, you need more than just clients to grow your business.
Your pipeline is represented by the names and phone numbers of people and organizations in your contact database (phone book, Outlook Contacts, handheld device, business card holder, spreadsheet, etc.).
You fill your marketing pipeline by attracting many different types of contacts:
- Prospects: Potentials you attract through public speaking, writing, promotional events, publicity or advertising.
- Contacts: People you meet while networking and in the course of every day business life.
- Leads: People you hear about from your contacts or you find through research (like purchasing lists).
- Referrals: People who hear about you through someone else (clients, contacts, friends, suppliers, etc.).
Think of your pipeline as a funnel, where the people flowing through your pipeline fall directly into your follow-up pool — that’s the whole point of filling your pipeline. If you’re not following-up with these people, your business will stagnate and go nowhere fast.
Filling your pipeline is an essential part of growing your business and should be an ongoing process. You must engage regularly in marketing strategies to consistently fill your pipeline over an extended period of time. You should never be so busy that you no longer need to keep filling your pipeline. Continual networking (formal or informal) is a big part of making that happen.
Track your results to see what works best and what doesn’t. As usual, do more of what works and stop what doesn’t.
This is very good advice!
[...] Cristina Favreau from the Savvy Entrepreneur has started a blog series called Marketing Lingo Defined, including a recent post that explains what filling the pipeline is all about. [...]
[...] Cristina Favreau from the Savvy Entrepreneur has started a blog series called Marketing Lingo Defined, including a recent post that explains what filling the pipeline is all about. [...]
[...] Marketing Lingo Defined: Filling the Pipeline [...]
You said, “you need more than just clients to grow your business.” I couldn’t agree more!
You need relationships! (The more the merrier. If you have a passion for what you do, this should be easy…it’s just a matter of being you.) And like any good relationship, you need to nurture the relationship! (In this case follow up.)
“Relationships are all there is. Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else.” — Margaret Wheatley
Cristina…it’s a pleasure meeting you!
Read you later!
Ricardo, I’m so glad you joined the conversation. I have a feeling we’ll get along great!!
Thanks for sharing this quote. I’ll probably use it in a future installment of The Savvy Snippet — I hope you don’t mind (I’ll attribute you for sharing it with me!).
Posh, thanks for joining us!!
Your site is really neat. I look forward to getting to know you better!
Savvy Entrepreneur, this is GREAT advice. I have been reading up on “filling the pipeline” and the advice you gave has been the best I’ve found, thus far. Thank you for sharing your expertise. I look forward to reading more of your posts in hopes of finding more small business knowledge treasures!
http://www.fulltimefamily.com
I am very familiar with filling the pipeline or sales funnel as many put it. It takes a good marketing system and solid advertising using all the tricks of the trade article marketing, video marketing, social networking.
I have been reading up on “filling the pipeline” and the advice you gave has been the best I’ve found, thus far. Thank you for sharing your expertise.
I have been reading up on “filling the pipeline” and the advice you gave has been the best I’ve found, thus far. Thank you for sharing your expertise.
I have been reading up on “filling the pipeline” and the advice you gave has been the best I’ve found, thus far. Thank you for sharing your expertise.
I have been reading up on “filling the pipeline” and the advice you gave has been the best I’ve found, thus far. Thank you for sharing your expertise.
I have been reading up on “filling the pipeline” and the advice you gave has been the best I’ve found, thus far. Thank you for sharing your expertise.
I have been reading up on “filling the pipeline” and the advice you gave has been the best I've found, thus far. Thank you for sharing your expertise.