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Sales pipeline calculator

Start from the income you want and work back to how many leads you need each month. Uses your average deal size, how many leads get a proposal and how many proposals you win.

Income goal per

Revenue you invoice, before expenses and taxes.

What a typical won project or month of retainer is worth.

Of every 10 leads, how many get a proposal? 4 means 40%.

Of every 10 proposals you send, how many are accepted?

New leads needed per month

35

Proposals to send per month
14
Deals to win per month
4
Leads per week (about)
9
Lead to client rate
12.0%
What each lead is worth
$240

Closing 10 more points (40%) would cut that to 25 leads a month.

Each stage is rounded up, since half a deal doesn't pay. Use your own numbers from the last 6 to 12 months if you have them. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

Working backward from your goal

  1. Deals needed = income goal ÷ average deal size, rounded up.
  2. Proposals needed = deals ÷ close rate, rounded up.
  3. Leads needed = proposals ÷ proposal rate, rounded up.

A developer who wants $8,000 a month, sells $2,000 projects, wins 30% of proposals and sends a proposal to 40% of leads needs 4 deals, 14 proposals and 35 leads a month. That's about 8 new conversations a week.

Which lever to pull

The calculator shows what happens if your close rate goes up 10 points. Usually that cuts more work than finding more leads: better-qualified leads, a clear price range on the first call and a fast follow-up after each proposal all raise it. A bigger average deal (packages, retainers, a minimum project size) lowers every number in the chain at once.

Getting real rates

Count every inquiry as a lead, including the ones you turn down. Count a proposal when you send a price, even if it's in an email. After two or three months you'll have rates you can trust, and you can check what each won client is worth with the customer lifetime value calculator.

IN SHORT

Deals needed = income goal ÷ average deal size. Proposals needed = deals ÷ close rate. Leads needed = proposals ÷ proposal rate. For $8,000 a month with $2,000 deals, a 30% close rate and a 40% proposal rate, you need 4 deals, 14 proposals and 35 new leads a month. Raising your close rate usually cuts the lead count faster than finding more leads.

Prices and limits as of .

Questions

How many leads do I need to hit my sales goal?
Divide your goal by your average deal size to get deals, divide deals by your close rate to get proposals, then divide by the share of leads that get a proposal. Round each step up.
How do I calculate my close rate?
Proposals accepted ÷ proposals sent over the same period, times 100. Use the last 6 to 12 months so one good or bad month doesn't skew it.
What's the difference between close rate and conversion rate?
Here, close rate is proposals won out of proposals sent. Lead to client rate is clients won out of all leads, which is close rate × proposal rate. The calculator shows both.
What is a sales pipeline for a freelancer?
The list of people somewhere between first contact and paying you: new leads, conversations, proposals sent, won and lost. Seeing it by stage tells you where deals get stuck.
Should I count leads per month or per week?
Per month matches how most freelancers set income goals. The calculator also shows the weekly number, which is easier to act on.
What if I don't know my rates yet?
Start with a guess, track every lead and proposal for two or three months and come back with real numbers. The calculator only becomes accurate with your own data.

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